Appetite is easy to lose control in autumn. 3 tips to eat midnight snacks without gaining weight

Autumn is here, and as the nights get cooler, our appetite seems to improve. No wonder there is a metaphor called "autumn of appetite". It’s only been a short time since I finished dinner, but I’m already hungry again. I really want to have a midnight snack, but I’m afraid of getting fat. What should I do? How should I eat midnight snacks so as not to gain weight? Doctors remind that as long as you grasp the 3 tips of "calories, total amount and speed", you will ensure that you will not gain weight by eating midnight snacks!

Doctor Liu Bowen (pictured) stressed that it is not that you cannot eat midnight snacks, but you have to know how to eat them and eat them correctly. It is important to measure your weight and waist circumference every day. (Photo/Reporter Zhang Shijie)

Liu Bowen, executive director of the Taiwan Obesity Education and Prevention Association and a weight loss specialist, pointed out that the reason why eating midnight snacks is easy to make you fat is mainly because it is too close to sleep time. Food will be stored in the body and cause obesity. Therefore, to avoid obesity, of course you should eat less midnight snacks. However, for some people who work the night shift, they have no time to eat dinner at all. When it is time for midnight snack, their stomachs will inevitably growl.

Eating right, knowing how to eat, and eating slowly can help control your weight

Basically, it’s not that you can’t eat midnight snacks, but you have to know how to eat and eat right. Otherwise, if you eat without restraint until you’re full, it will be difficult not to gain weight. Especially for office workers who want to relax after get off work, eating slowly will definitely help with weight control.

It is also recommended that late-night eaters can press a few "good sleep acupoints" before going to bed, such as the Shenmen acupoint, which is the depression on the inside of the palm extending from the little finger to the end of the base of the palm; and the Fengchi acupoint, which is located behind the ear, under the occipital bone, and under the hairline. Pressing it for a few minutes can help you sleep and burn calories so you won't gain weight when you eat midnight snacks.

Eat midnight snacks without getting fat: 3 tips

Tip 1: Heat. When choosing food, try to choose foods with a dietary fiber content of 80%, because dietary fiber is easy to digest and less burdensome. It is best to choose low-calorie, high-density foods. High-density foods are easy to make you feel full and you will not overeat, such as broccoli, bamboo shoots, konjac, tomatoes, guava and other foods. Try to use blanching or steaming as the main cooking method, without too much oil and seasoning.

Weight loss doctors remind you that eating too fast and absorbing food quickly can lead to sudden weight gain.

Step 2: Total amount. Don’t eat too much. Since it’s a midnight snack, only 30% full is enough. If you eat too much, it will become a burden. Dr. Liu Boen said that you can prepare a small plate by yourself, put the amount of food that is enough to make you 1/3 full on the plate, and finish the whole plate. Don't add any more food. This method will help achieve the goal of controlling the total amount.

Tip 3: Speed. Slow down and eat slowly, which is the so-called chewing slowly method of losing weight. Dr. Liu Bowen said that the slow chewing weight loss method emphasizes eating food slowly and chewing it a few more times. This can delay the emptying time of the stomach, promote food metabolism and lower the GI value. In addition, by lengthening the chewing time, the feeling of hunger will be reduced, which will invisibly increase the feeling of fullness and actually achieve the purpose of reducing the amount of food.

[Doctor's reminder]:

Clinically, it is often found that many obese patients have the habit of eating voraciously, and those with an impatient temperament are more likely to eat voraciously. This phenomenon of rapid weight gain caused by the rapid absorption of food in a very short period of time can be regarded as emotional fluctuations affecting weight control, which should not be underestimated.