Fill the gap with Filling Foods
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Article By: Zoe Hellman, Bsc, RD Weight Watchers Dietitian UK
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Weight watchers dietitian, Zoe Hellman, explains why understanding your hunger pangs is so important in achieving weight-loss success.
We can all find plenty of excuses for eating that chocolate bar or packet of crisps when we hadn’t planned for it. And the most common excuse is: “But I was starving!”
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Hunger is a powerful sensation – it’s a response from the brain to a message from the liver that blood sugar levels are becoming low.
Hunger is designed to be hard to ignore, as the brain wants you to stop what you are doing and make eating a priority. But what you choose to eat is vital.
This is the time to focus on Filling Foods - the satisfying foods that can help to fill you up without blowing your POINTS allowance.
Filling Foods can easily be incorporated into your food plan to help you stay in control, but the key to their success is to use them throughout the day to prevent hunger pangs before they strike.
How to fill your day
| Morning |
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Breakfast is a crucial time to add Filling Foods as they can stop you reaching for the biscuits mid-morning. Try the following:
- Add 1 poached or boiled egg to your breakfast.
- Spread low-fat cheese on your toast instead of butter.
- If you eat breakfast on the go, try a yoghurt-based drink or homemade smoothie.
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| Midday |
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At lunchtime, make sure you eat more low energy, dense Filling Foods. They will help you to keep your appetite under control and prevent those energy slumps that weaken your resolve. Try these tasty options:
- A bowl of vegetable soup before your usual lunchtime choice. It will help to take the edge off your appetite.
- A tub of low-fat fruit yogurt to finish off with something sweet.
- Wholegrain varieties of bread, pasta and rice, as they are higher in fibre and can help fill you up.
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| Evening |
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If this is your danger time, prepare and enjoy a proper, filling snack. It will help to break bad habits and you’ll be able to last until your main meal. Choose from the following:
- 2 rice cakes with 2 tbs Weight Watchers Cottage Cheese
- A variety of vegetable sticks with 2tbs spicy salsa.
- Half an avocado topped with 1 tbs low-fat ricotta cheese.
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Protein please
Protein helps keep you fuller for longer. One easy way to stay one step ahead of hunger is to include more lean protein into your main meals. It’s a Filling Food because lean proteins have been scientifically proven to help keep you feeling fuller for longer. This is due to the fact that it takes your body longer to digest protein and break it down to use as energy.
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