Time is ticking by and I’ve survived the back to work transition. Atticus is peeking out at me from a frame on my desk, I get regular updates from the Irishman on my phone and I zoom home as fast as I can after work. There’s a little less time for cooking as I want to hang with him once I’m back but if he’s napping or happy in the carrier then I’ll do something more complicated. Otherwise, we’re existing on Nutrifit options from Miles or raiding their deli!

The questions keep coming in and the one I picked this week really hits home. I have always loved carbs and never had to be all that strict with them. If I chose healthy carbs, then volume didn’t seem to affect me. In my late thirties that seemed to change and I needed to rein in my portions. A decade later, and post baby number three, I know this is the big area I need to work on. The trouble is the lack of sleep! As you’ll see below, sub-optimal sleep really does interfere with appetite control, which leads to relying on will power (never a good idea). So what can we do? If you’re a carbaholic like me, here are some solutions.

Question:

“I really need help getting my carbs under control. My weight gain is depressing and I feel sluggish and unhealthy. But I don’t feel like a meal is a meal without carbs. Once I start eating chips or cookies, I can’t stop. How can I stop the binges?”

Answer:

OK, we’re in this together. After getting back to work I did my own InBody biometric assessment and saw I’d had quite the jump in visceral fat. Visceral fat is the liquid fat wrapped around your organs on the inside of your body. It’s metabolically active and generates chemicals that contribute to the development or worsening of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and even Alzheimer’s/dementia. The reason I highlight this is because the number one way to target visceral fat is by reducing sugars and refined carbs. Taking visceral fat into account means your journey is about more than just weight, which is so much more motivating! Here are the steps I find helpful for clients and myself alike:

Know your numbers

Try and get on a scale that tells you more than just your weight. Look for a percentage body fat measurement and especially, a visceral fat measurement. If you don’t have access to one, come along to Waterfront Wellness, where we have the InBody technology which is so good for measuring and tracking progress. It’s so helpful to have the data.

Prioritise sleep

Lack of sleep leads to an increase in appetite due to a drop in the hormone leptin, which ordinarily keeps appetite under control. Not only does appetite increase when we are tired, but specifically your appetite for carbs. This is where a holistic approach to health becomes important. If you are chronically sleep deprived then no matter what you do with your diet, you will continue to struggle. So, make sure you pop sleep at the top of your priority list. Even though Atticus is a limiting factor when it comes to sleep, I know I could make it easier on myself. I need to stop the procrastination and excess Netflix and just get into bed!

Prevent the dip that causes a craving

This is major. If you want to reduce your carbs, you need to stop craving them. While we are biologically primed to crave, overeat and store carbs (we still have hunter-gatherer biology) you can take steps to avoid this. Make sure you stay away from refined sugars - candy, juice/soda, chocolate, cookies, baked goods and white grains - which all spike blood sugar. A blood sugar spike is usually followed by an excessive dip, which triggers a craving for more carbs as your body struggles to self-regulate. So to prevent the craving, avoid ricocheting from peak to dip and back again.

Always pair carbs with protein

Following on from above, where your first step is to avoid sugary, refined carbs, your second step is to always pair them with protein. Protein helps slow the release of sugars from a carb, thereby reducing the peak-dip-craving-peak scenario. So, if you are having fruit or popcorn, have a small handful of nuts first. If you are baking something sweet, pick a high protein recipe (I’ll put links to my Nutrifit banana bread and Holy Crap cookie recipes on social media). This rule also applies at meal time. Try to avoid a carb-based dish, such as pasta with tomato sauce. Make sure you add a dose of protein too (eg stir in some hummus for plant-based protein, or add grilled chicken if you are good with animal protein.)

Work on your sweet tooth

Reduce your sweet tooth by simply and gradually having less. If you add sugar to drinks, reduce this half a teaspoon at a time. If you add honey or maple syrup to granola or pancakes, reduce the amount. Switching to artificial sweeteners or even healthier alternatives such as monk fruit/stevia doesn’t help long term as they still maintain your expectation of “sweet”. Reducing sodium and heavy spices helps too because then you are able to taste a lower level of sweet more easily. And then in turn you can taste a lower level of sodium and spice – you just need to break the cycle. This is why many people often say healthy food is bland. It’s not, but our taste buds have got used to an unprecedented level of stimulation. We need to rediscover how good food tastes in its natural form.

Dilute them

It’s fine to eat pasta, rice and mashed potatoes – but you need to make sure they are diluted with plenty of veg and protein. If you are making a pasta dish or risotto, make sure that the carbs form no more than a quarter of your plate (or one handful, cooked). You should also include a quarter plate of protein and half a plate of green or other non-starchy veg (this includes cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, peppers). By the time you have added the protein and all the veg, you still have a great serving size but your overall carb count is down. For mashed potatoes, try steaming cauliflower above the potatoes as they cook and then mash these together aiming for a 50/50 ratio. This really helps reduce portion size.

Eat mindfully

Try not to eat in front of the TV or when you are working away on your screen. If you are distracted when you eat, you register less pleasure! Humans love pleasure and so you are more likely to continue to stimulate the pleasure response by overeating. People who eat at the table (even with a crowd of others) eat significantly less than those who eat in front of the TV on a regular basis. Keep your carb portions small (one quarter of your plate as mentioned above) but appreciate every bite.

Create a supportive environment

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, you can’t eat cookies or ice cream at 11pm at night if they are not in your house. Try not to keep these things to hand as the temptation will be too great when you are tired or stressed. Instead, prep lots of healthy snacks instead! Veggies and hummus/guacamole is my favourite go-to. I’m also finding the chocolate Aloha bars (opposite the cash desks at Miles) helpful for when I find myself wanting a chocolate fix after dinner. You won’t need the whole thing as they are so filling, so just break off a piece.

• The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Somorjay Burns BA Hons, Dip ION, BNTA is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in Britain. Join Catherine on Facebook: facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda or instagram @naturalbda.