Q: Lindsay, why do I feel more hungry when I start a controlled program? I am following the schedule and the food groups suggested and am feeling hungry 50% of the day. Is it psychological or am I just not getting enough food?

A: This brings up a few really important points to talk about. Think of the example I’ve used of a car. Your metabolism is like a soup-up sports car (think of a bright red Ferrari…like my husband oogles over) - you want that baby roaring all the time. But you can’t expect it to give you the power you expect it to give you if you give it low-quality gas or no gas at all. The results you get are a direct result of the what you put into the car…your body works the same way.

Here is the scenario I see often: you don’t eat enough breakfast, or no breakfast at all. What then happens is your metabolism doesn’t have the gas to get it started, so your body goes into “storage” mode instead of “burn mode” (remember, your body decides whether its going to burn fat or muscle within about the first hour of waking! that’s what it’s critical to eat within 30 minutes of waking up). When you do eat a sufficient breakfast (and eat enough throughout the day), your body is working super-efficiently by burning everything you eat and not storing it as fat…it knows you’re going to feed it so it burns it! This is why you may be getting those “hunger pangs” when you’re eating the small, balanced meals every 3-4 hours.

Now, realistically speaking, part of your hunger, could be psychological and triggered by your “taste addictions” (especially to sugars and processed carbs). This is where writing down what your eating is critical. Be sure to be logging down when you’re hungry too…you may be able to see a connection between when you’re hungry and what you ate earlier in the day. So if you’ve been hungry in the afternoons, chances are, you didn’t eat enough at breakfast. But WRITE THESE THINGS DOWN so we can look at possible reasons. Your body is telling you something…start listening to your body and not just your head!

It’s not uncommon that with increased exercise and a more regular eating schedule that you feel hungry sooner, it usually means your metabolism is working overtime! But you ideally never want to get to the point of “hunger”…this is too late. Keep on your schedule and just tweak what you’re eating the next day to try to avoid your hunger pangs. You should be satisfied … this isn’t a deprivation or “controlled” diet, but the way you should be eating all the time. So use these 3 weeks to experiment and see what works for you.

I hope this helps! If you haven’t downloaded my FREE Nutrition Q&A; Teleseminar, be sure to click the “Add to Cart” button on the right and enter “FREEQA” into the coupon code box. I answer a bunch more of our Boot Campers’ questions like this one.

Keep the questions coming and check back soon – I’ll keep posting some new info and tips!

Keep that engine purring!
Lindsay