[admin's note: The following Q&A is drawn from comments on a previous article from Dr. Ben, "How to Lose Weight by One Simple Step"]

Q: Found this on twitter and very informative. This has always been my issue too. I tend to eat at night because that is usually when I feel famished. How can you stay full throughout the day as to not feel hungry at night?

A: Glad you found this article useful. It has helped a number of patients lose weight.

What I recommend to do is to look at what you are eating during the day and how often.

If you skip breakfast, eat a light lunch, then you will be starving at night.

Given the standard American lifestyle, this happens a lot with people.

They're in a rush in the morning so they skip breakfast. Bad news.

Then they are rushed at lunch, so they simply grab a snack or two to keep going.

Then when the get home, they're busy with chores, errands and activities - again not eating.

Then, once they finally get a moment to sit down and relax, they realize how starving they are.

What I recommend that is fast is to have a Smoothie in the morning with some Whey Protein. If you are looking to lose weight, I recommend Whey Slim by Seeking Health. Whey Slim has L-Carnitine in it which boosts metabolism of fats and it also has a very pure form of Whey protein which is quickly absorbed. Quickly absorbed protein makes one full.

I recommend adding a cup of frozen blueberries, raspberries or blackberries to your smoothie. Then add a tablespoon of an oil which is high in EPA/DHA for overall health benefit. Finest Pure Cod Liver Oil tastes great, truly!, and is high in Vitamin A and D which are important to reduce cancer risk, boost immunity and support brain and skin health.

This takes care of your morning smoothie and it will take you 2 minutes to prepare - maximum.

The smoothie will hold you easily until noon or later.

Then at lunch, eat your largest meal of the day. Have a nice large salad with chicken or some tahini. Get full - but don't stuff yourself. At the first sign of fullness, stop. You're done.

If you get hungry again a couple hours later, have a snack. Peanut butter with celery, almond butter and an organic apple (inorganic apples are highly toxic and full of pesticides even if you peel them). You can also have a high quality energy bar if you prefer easy and quick. Just make sure you chew them well and have a glass of water as they are nutrient dense. The energy bars I recommend do not contain high fructose corn syrup or anything artificial. These energy bars are real food.

Then when you get home at night, you will find you are not as hungry. Have a meal with some protein, such as beans, wild fish (farmed fish is highly toxic), brown rice, free range meats, vegetables or anything that is not processed. You will find yourself eating less of a whole food than of processed foods.

Somehow the fast food and processed food industry have totally mastered the human brain. They know how to make us eat an entire bag of chips, how to eat a whole box of cereal, how to have 4 Big Macs with fries and a huge Coke. Believe me, it is no accident. They want you to buy more.

Whole foods make you lose the craving.

I recommend you read this book: The Pleasure Trap. It explains why we go after the most caloric dense foods which lead to increased weight gain, depression, cardiovascular disease, cancer and other conditions.

I have met the authors personally and they are good doctors. They are very passionate about what they do. Here is one article by them - and their website.

In summary, to make sure you don't eat late at night or feel starving at night:

1. Have breakfast. A smoothie is fast, nutritious and will hold you for hours.

2. Have a snack between breakfast and lunch if you cannot make it. A meal replacement energy bar is recommended for fast and easy. Or the snacks I recommended above such as almonds, peanut butter, celery, organic apples, raisins.

3. Have a solid healthy fulfilling lunch. Not only will it fill you up, but it will relax you. We seem to have forgotten how to stop during the day. Do it for 30 minutes to one hour.

4. Have another snack if needed a couple hours later or when you begin to feel hungry.

5. Have a whole foods dinner. Avoid processed or fast food as they simply make you gain weight, get sick and eat more.

Another major point which I forgot to mention:
Never wait until you are starving to eat. Then you won't care what you eat, you will just eat anything that is within reach.

Eating smaller, more frequent meals, rather than the standard 3 huge meals a day is the healthier choice.

Post a follow up here and let us know how you do.

You'll be surprised!

In health,

Dr Ben
PS - Tweet this and Share it, please! People need to know. Weight loss is not about limiting calories or fancy expensive diets. Weight loss is simply all about when to eat and what to eat.
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