michael s
(Michael S)
#1
A salad made with vegetables and protein provides a double dose of
protection against overeating. Protein stifles hunger. Crunchy vegetables
consist mostly of water and fiber, which fill you up and slow digestion
at the expense of very few calories. Try a French salade niçoise made
with eggs, tuna, chickpeas, and all the vegetables you want. It delivers
42 grams of muscle-building, hunger-busting protein, as much as in a
New York strip steak.
Elevating side dishes to entrée status is one of the most effective ways
to lose weight. Who says the meat and potatoes have to take center
stage? Treat the meat or pasta as a side dish, taking up a quarter to a
third of your plate, and make the vegetables your main meal. In one
study, when people swapped half the roast beef and rice on their plates
with lightly buttered broccoli, they ate 86 fewer calories at the meal and
felt just as satisfied. The fiber in that broccoli probably had something
to do with it. Just like the liquid in soup, fiber creates a sense of
fullness in the stomach. What's more, fiber slows the absorption of
sugars, which dampens your hunger. Want to get more fiber from your
broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots? Steam them before eating them. Heat
makes fiber more available, so you'll get up to twice the amount of fiber
that you'd get by eating those vegetables raw. For a terrific side dish to
turn into a main meal, try Wok the Broc, page 171.
In addition to soups, salads, and sides, even a small piece of bread
dipped in extra-virgin olive oil can help you control overeating your
main meal. The monounsaturated fat in that tasty appetizer is satiating.
Not only that, compounds in olive oil may stimulate the function of
mitochondria, the “power plants” of the cells in our bodies, preventing
obesity and diabetes, according to new research published in the
Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.
The Abs Diet works so effectively because it utilizes study-based
strategies like these to outwit your hunger. If you build a blockade of
soups, salads, and side dishes into your meal plan, you won't have to
