Weight Maintenance: A Simple Solution for Late Night Snacks
Whether you’re looking to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, one of the main ways people sabotage your efforts is by snacking in the evening after dinner. We have all done it: you are sitting watching television or sitting in front of the computer and you have a snack, usually something that is not healthy and makes you fat, right? Here are two simple hacks to help you stay on track with your weight loss or maintenance …
Add some protein after dinner
Snacking generally means a lot of carbohydrates, and carbohydrates are digested quickly and briefly spike blood sugar levels. When they go down again, you’ll feel hungry, causing you to eat more, and the cycle continues over and over again, leaving you satiated (feeling full) for brief periods.
Protein, on the other hand, takes longer to digest and has a much smaller effect on blood sugar levels; however, a gram of protein has the same number of calories as a gram of carbohydrates. Also, since your digestive system stays busy longer, your body burns more calories during the process. This added benefit is known as protein being more “thermogenic” than carbohydrates, since you are “burning” more fuel (calories) to digest food.
The simple solution is to eat some protein when you start to feel hungry after a meal. For a great choice, put 8 ounces (250 ml) of 2% milk in your blender and pour in 3/4 cup (about 188 ml) of liquid egg whites. Add a no calorie flavoring like Walden Farms Blueberry Syrup to taste and blend for 30 seconds.
The result? A delicious blueberry smoothie with 30 grams of protein, 12 grams of carbohydrates and 5 grams of fat (carbohydrates and fat are those that exist in the cup of milk). A few minutes later you will discover that you are no longer hungry, but you do not feel too full at all …
Keep a large glass of water by your side
After that, the second tip is to have a large glass of water by your side to drink as the evening progresses. Many times, when you are hungry, your body does not look for food, it looks for better hydration. By having the water by your side and taking a few sips from time to time, you help keep your stomach full, make it easier for your system to digest the protein and get rid of the “hunger” pains.
By combining these two tips, you’ll avoid high-calorie snacks and only add about 200 total calories after dinner, plus you will feel satisfied and comfortable throughout the night. And if you’re tracking your macros, you’ve been able to add 30 grams of quality protein with high bioavailability with almost negligible carbs and fats.
And for anyone trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy diet, this is a huge win!