Hunger Signals Pt. 2
Welcome back to HOW TO CONTROL YOUR CRAVINGS!
(aka hunger signals)
Today I will break down the second rule I live by to stay consistent and in control. This one helps me stay both fit and happy!
Hunger Signal Tip 2) Understand what your body needs, by knowing your daily calorie and macronutrient requirements.
Here is a perfect example to begin with…
Imagine you show up to a work function or a family gathering and there are two options in front of you.
A Tim Horton’s muffin and a Tim Horton’s donut.
In your mind you think, well I’m trying to be good, I can’t have the donut, so I will just choose the muffin. That way I’m making the healthy choice.
A Tim Hortons Wild Blueberry Muffin contains 339 calories, 10 grams of fat, 56 grams of carbohydrates, and 5 grams of protein.
A Tim Hortons Honey Cruller contains 280 calories, 18 grams of fat, 27 grams of carbohydrates, and 2 grams of protein.
YEUP.
That honey cruller has fewer calories than that mediocre muffin you just ate.
WTF (is a perfectly acceptable reaction)
and this is why I consistently hear:
”I don’t eat that bad”
”Overeat! If anything I under eat”
Honestly, food is one big misunderstanding.
Most people don’t know how many calories are in the foods they consume and therefore they misplace the “good” vs. “bad” title on what they eat.
Additionally, if you are gaining weight and don’t have some specific medical condition causing abnormality, then regardless of the amount of food you are eating i.e. grams of food, the amount of calories you are eating is greater than what you are burning and this is why you are gaining weight.
So let’s dissect some things and I will come back to the muffin vs. donut conundrum.
First things first, eating either of these foods isn’t the end of the world or your diet plan. But it could be hurting your progress if you don’t know how many calories you should consume in a day.
Without a clear daily or weekly calorie range that supports your current health goals, it will be very difficult to gauge whether this choice truly fits your needs.
Here is a really accurate daily calorie needs counter that you could play around with as a starting point. If you need help understanding this better, reach out on my website’s contact page!
Now, you don’t NEED to count calories to the point of weighing all your food, but you do need to know approximately how many calories are in the foods you are eating, especially if we are talking treats.
Getting a better idea of the calories in foods without going overboard is as simple as Googling things like, calories in an average chicken breast, or reading ingredient labels and following their portions. The best part is once you do this enough times you will start to remember how many calories are in certain foods and thus have a better idea of your total calorie consumption for the day.
Even better, restaurants have to provide calorie numbers so dining out is easy.
Plus if you know you are going out for dinner and having a beverage (alcoholic or otherwise) read ahead on how many calories you are going to consume and then taper off a bit on the other meals of the day so everything fits your daily needs.
Now back to the donut vs muffin thing…
I’m not a big believer in GOOD vs BAD foods so in the case of the muffin vs. the donut, neither food is bad, but they may be bad choices for you at this time.
Both have a TON of calories, that mostly come from carbs in the case of the muffin and fat in the case of the donut, and considering you are probably eating something else with them/ having a Timmies coffee, things could add up fast. This meal could easily become 500+ calories if you have coffee with milk and sugar, and 700+ calories if you had a breakfast sandwich as well.
So if you are trying to lose weight or stay at a certain weight you are potentially on your way to a high-calorie day and even worse you are not getting a diverse range of nutrients… and that might just be the worst part.
Carbs, Fats, and Proteins are your macronutrients all of which are important and play a role in your system.
Especially protein, because most people don’t get ANYWHERE close to enough of it AND that is a big reason why they are hungry. Just look at this example.
In the muffin and the donut, protein is nonexistent, and that breakfast sandwich has one egg, so best case you are getting about 10 to 12 grams of protein if you eat this full meal regardless of whether you choose the donut or the muffin.
Remember the goal should be a minimum of 0.7g of protein per lb. of body weight per day and for most people that means each meal would need to consist of 20-30+ grams of protein at least.
This Tim Horton’s meal not only misses the mark on protein but is full of simple carbs in the case of the muffin and contains likely trans and saturated fats (the “bad”/ “worse” fats) in the case of the donut.
This is how eating anything can feel like a lose-lose situation all the time, but stay with me for a second.
Consider for a second that your body’s hunger signal could be signaling you for more nutrients, not just “food in general.” What if the signal is trying to tell you you’re dehydrated, or you’re lacking protein, or maybe you need some good carbs for energy which is why you are craving them specifically?
What if you are craving something salty because you are dehydrated? Remember sodium is an electrolyte…
So when you get hungry, slow down, and instead of thinking…
WHAT DO I WANT TO EAT
think…
WHAT DO I NEED TO EAT and how does it fit?
(i.e. what macronutrient do I need more of at this meal? Do I need more water? When was the last time I ate and what was it?)
Reflect, plan ahead, and make the right choice for your entire day, not just the you right now in this moment and then consider does this choice aligns with your goals. Sometimes a donut is a treat, that has been planned for and it aligns with the balance you planned for this week. Sometimes it doesn’t.
AND NEVER DOES A MUFFIN BEAT A DONUT TELL ME I’M WRONG I DARE YOU!!! LOL
This brings me to the final verdict on the muffin vs donut debate…
No one can sit here and tell me they want that wild berry muffin over a donut and quite frankly both of these foods are desserts/treats in this situation because they are both HIGH in calories and LOW in nutrients.
So what’s my rule on treats? My clients know this one.
You get 3 fun foods/ meals a week, you should try to fit them into your calorie needs for the day and you have to fit them into your calorie needs for the week. So the best way to do that is to choose the rewards that are 10/10 delicious for you and say no to the rest.
That means BYE BYE WILDBERRY MUFFIN and potentially BYE HONEY CRULLER if you are having a bunch of pizza later in the week and prefer that!
💃🍕
Know your limit, eat within it,
(yes I stole this from my sports betting app… YAY NFL football is back)
PS!!!!!! Some homemade muffins may be much better for you and have far more nutrients. So make sure you look up the nutrient breakdown for the muffins next time you are searching for a recipe but remember baked goods can be deceiving!
Click the link below to read the final hunger tip!
