Hi Komal,
I’m Joseph, 37 years old, 177 cm height and weight around 90 kg (overweight).
I do not eat much for breakfast and lunch as my work gets in between, but dinner I eat too much.
Even after a good or heavy dinner, I feel hungry at times after a while and I end up eating again.
Not sure how I can control my urge to eat at night.

Ans:

Binge eating is harmful.

Although it may seem you have not put on much weight now, eventually the weight increase will be alarming!

More so, your fat percentage will increase and your lipid profile levels consisting of cholesterol and triglyceride will be high.

This leads to a metabolic syndrome which includes obesity, high fat levels, high BP, and high blood sugar levels.

Make a list of all the healthy food options you can cook and replace the unhealthy food options with low fat and low sugar substitutes.

Concentrate on portion sizes.

Make limited portion sizes so that you do not overeat.

Ans:

Weight loss should be achieved by having adequate nutrition in terms of all macro and micro nutrients.

Muscle mass should be increased by good strengthening exercises and subsequently pre- and post-workout meals.

Cardio activities like running /jogging can be incorporated for fat loss as well.

Avoid high fat and sugar foods, soft/hards drinks, juices, fast and packaged foods, etc.

Include good protein and fibre foods like whole grain cereals, legumes, nuts, fruits, vegetables, etc.

To avoid binge eating, you need to control your mind and focus on your goal.

For the sweet crave, satisfy the urge with dates, jaggery, raisins, etc.

Ans: You need to be consistent with your dietary regimen. Stress does lead to behavioral changes which may cause excess food or wrong food consumption. Eating above your required energy intake will result in weight gain. Focus on good protein sources, low carbohydrates, low fat, high fiber rich and low fat food intake. Avoid refined carbs especially sugar, bakery items, fast foods, aerated water, alcohol, etc. Adopt a regular exercise regimen daily to lose body fat and increase lean mass.

Ans: Hey Aravind, I know how frustrating this can be. But definitely we can improve.

1. Work on balancing your meals - have nutritionally deficient meals (protein, fibre deficient) can make you feel hungry soon after a meal. Take portion of protein, one portion of salad, one portion of cooked vegetables and one portion of carbohydrates. If you are a vegetarian, you can have 2 portions of proteins

2. Avoid eating only fruits. Club them with handful of nuts or a portion of proteins (hung curd). Eating only fruits will make you feel hungry soon due to their fructose content.

3. Go for a quick walk/jog after a meal. This will sensitise insulin and the cravings will curb.

4. Include 30-45 minutes of exercise daily to help you curd overall cravings too.

Also, you can check for HOMA IR index (requires 8-10 hours of fasting) - this tells you if you are insulin resistant. Symptoms apart from feeling hungry and sweet cravings for insulin resistant are Dark patch on neck, skin tags around neck and under arms, feeling tired all the time, frequent thirst and urination. The tips I mentioned will help you reverse insulin resistance too. :)