If you find that some days, you race to the gas station, not for fuel but for those overcooked hot dogs and chili or were so ravenous you ate all the cookies in the store and checked out empty bags, it’s time to tame your hunger. You may not think that’s possible, especially since you want to lose weight, but it is. For instance, drinking a little ginger tea can help. Studies show ginger can help suppress your appetite by stimulating the brain to create hormones that make you feel full.
Grab a few bottles of water for the day or keep a pitcher of it in the refrigerator.
Drinking water before a meal can curb your appetite and help you shed pounds. Drinking it throughout the day can help, too. Sometimes, the body is tricked into thinking you’re hungry when you just need hydration. Grab that bottle of water and drink as often as possible. It will fill you up without adding calories.
What you eat makes a difference.
If you’re nibbling only on salad and green vegetables, you’ll probably be starved before the next meal. You need lean protein and healthy fat to feel full longer. Don’t worry about gaining weight when you eat healthy fat, you don’t need that much. Add a serving of nuts for a snack or include an avocado in your salad. Lean protein, such as lean meat, fish, Greek yogurt and beans take longer to digest than carbohydrates, so they keep you feeling fuller longer, too.
Get some exercise.
Whether you take a walk, run up and down the stairs or go to the gym, getting exercise can curb your appetite, especially if that appetite is driven by emotion. Exercise naturally suppresses appetite for a while by increasing the hormone that makes you feel full. It’s part of the fight or flight response. If you’re running from danger, you certainly wouldn’t want to stop for a snack. It also can help lift your spirits if you’re looking for comfort food, burn off stress to stop stress eating and fill that boredom that can cause grazing without realizing it.
- Do you need a sugar fix that simply must be chocolate? Go for a small amount of dark chocolate, not milk chocolate. Dark chocolate actually suppresses your appetite.
- Eat more fiber. Eating whole foods, like apples with their skins and other fruits and vegetables, contain a high amount of fiber that slows your digestion so you feel fuller longer.
- Get plenty of sleep. Maybe you’re burning the candle at both ends. That not only can leave you dragging, it can make you feel hungry all day. When you lack sleep, the body suppresses the fullness hormone—leptin—and produces more hunger hormone—ghrelin.
- Cut out the stress. Stress eating can be your downfall. Learn meditation and other ways to deal with stress. Mindful eating can help you lose weight and eat healthier.