Need Help Losing Weight? Try These Effective Food Habits!

Hello,
Thank you for reaching out to Dr. Galen. Please find the below response to your query.

To give you a more specific answer, I would need to know a little bit about your eating habits, but I'll give you a couple of general questions and pointers to start with.

1. What kind of food are you eating?
   Highly processed food is more likely to be high in calories and low in fiber (fiber is the part of food that has volume and creates that feeling of being full). Unprocessed food basically means food in the form in which you would find it in nature. Since that is what our bodies were designed to eat, that is what we strive for to achieve a healthy state.

2. What are you doing while eating?
   A lot of us are used to looking at screens or socializing while eating. Although that doesn't necessarily have to be harmful, if we already struggle with listening to our bodies' cues (e.g., "I'm full"), additional distractions hinder us from connecting with what our body is going through in the moment, and we end up overeating.

3. How often do you eat?
   I don't ask this to tell you that you eat too often because there is no such thing. Are you eating enough nutritionally dense food during your big meals? If not, that lack of calories makes you crave snacks, and a lot of us choose unhealthy snacks which contain a lot of oils and refined sugars (basically, a lot of calories, but not a lot of fiber). So, if you find yourself eating many times throughout the day and snacking on a lot of candy bars, it could be because you're not eating enough lentils or rice (or whatever else) during lunch.

In short, my best advice would be to start meals with something that contains fiber (which makes you feel more full and hence reduces the amount of calories you take in during the meal). In general, include more unprocessed food in your diet, ensure you have enough food during your main meals, carry a healthy snack just in case, and take a bottle around to drink water (this helps digestion and sometimes we mistake hunger for thirst). Finally, try to eat mindfully (not while scrolling!) to stay in touch with your cues. Your body is very smart and fully capable of achieving a healthy weight. Please don't overly restrict yourself or do anything that feels extreme.

If you feel inspired to learn more and help me give you an answer more catered towards your situation, please consult a healthcare professional.

Thanks