If you are trying to lose weight and are worried about feeling hungry all the time, there are definitely things you can do to avoid constant hunger pangs and feeling deprived. Whilst you generally need to reduce your calorie intake in order to lose weight, it shouldn’t mean that you restrict your calories to this point where you are constantly hungry and thinking about food.
Short-term diets and crash dieting which can lead to rapid weight loss, don’t work. If anything they can lead to increased appetite, severe hunger followed by weight gain.
At The Healthy Mummy, we believe in sustainable weight loss without depriving yourself and going hungry. The 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge isn’t just about consuming fewer calories and cutting out food groups. It’s a weight loss plan involving healthy eating and exercise and sets a realistic goal of losing weight around 4-6 kilos a month which is achievable and sustainable.
To help, we’ve also put together a list of 10 PROVEN ways to reduce excessive hunger and appetite.
10 Proven Ways to Reduce Hunger and Appetite
1. Eat Plenty Of Protein
High protein foods will help you to feel fuller for longer as it stays in the stomach longer compared to carbohydrates. Protein also gets your metabolism firing which is great for weight loss. It’ll keep hunger pangs at bay and prevent unnecessary snacking as well as enabling us to build lean muscle. By getting more protein in your diet increases the release of the fullness hormone which in turn lowers appetite makes you feel fuller for longer.
Ensure that you are eating enough protein in your meals and snacks like nuts, salmon, lean meats (such as chicken and turkey), tofu, eggs, yoghurt, tuna and certain cheeses.
Adding a good protein powder to your smoothie is another great way to ensure you are getting a good dose of quality protein.
2. Up your Fibre
Fibre helps prevent weight gain, by reducing appetite and helping to normalise bowel movements Fibre-rich foods absorb more water, which helps to keep us feeling full. There is some evidence that the weight loss effects of fibre target belly fat specifically. The best high fibre foods to eat include: chickpeas, apples, rolled oats, green beans, sweet potato and fresh berries.
Try our High Fibre Vegetarian Curry
3. Enjoy your morning Coffee
Many people love to start their day with a coffee and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There are a number of health benefits to coffee, one of which can be beneficial if you are watching your weight. Coffee may help reduce feelings of hunger and your desire to eat for a short time.
There are chlorogenic acids in coffee which are the same antioxidant dietary phenols found in apples, sunflowers, and pineapples—all foods that will also suppress the appetite.
Coffee contains plenty of caffeine which does suppress appetite for a short time but interestingly, decaffeinated coffee may produce an even higher reduction in hunger.
Try this delicious Rich And Nutritious Coffee & Date Slice from the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge.
4. Water Water Water…
Sometimes when we think we’re feeling hunger pangs, it’s actually just your body alerting you that you need water.
Drinking water regularly helps, suppresses appetite, boost your metabolism and it also cleanses your body of waste and reduces the appearance of cellulite.
When you regularly sip on your water bottle, it stops you from retaining water, which can help you feel less bloated.
15 simple ways to up your water intake
5. Dark Chocolate
There is stearic acid in dark chocolate that researchers believe can slow digestion, further increasing feelings of fullness. Also, it’s the bitterness in dark chocolate that is believed to help decrease appetite and lessen sugar cravings.
According to neuroscientist and author Will Clower, melting a small square of dark chocolate on your tongue for about 20 minutes before you eat can trigger hormones giving you the ‘I’m full’ memo.
Check out our amazing dark chocolate protein balls, click here for the recipe.
6. Eat more Ginger
There are many health benefits associated with ginger including reducing inflammation nausea and muscle pain. It also contains a digestive enzyme called zingibain, which helps the body break down protein. It is also thought to reduce hunger pangs.
Ginger also has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties and works wonders on bloat. Sipping on ginger tea before, during, or after a meal will help your body to stimulate saliva, bile, and gastric juices that aid in digestion.
Here’s our delicious recipe for Honey, Lemon And Ginger Chicken Stirfry.
7. Spice it up
If you love spicy food with chilli, here’s some good news! A study looked at the effects of capsaicin found in chillis and found that they may help decrease hunger and at the same time increase the fullness feelings.
Capsaicin in also reduces gas and bloating because it increases the flow of digestive enzymes through your intestines.
Try this recipe for Spicy Stuffed Capsicum.
8. Manage stress
Managing stress is a powerful way to keep those unexpected hunger pangs under control. When we’re stressed, our bodies produce more cortisol, the “stress hormone,” which can trigger cravings for comfort foods—usually the sugary or fatty kind!
It’s easy to mistake stress or emotional feelings for actual hunger, leading to unnecessary snacking. By practicing some stress-busting techniques, like deep breathing, meditation, or even going for a walk, you can calm your mind and keep those cravings in check.
The more relaxed you feel, the less likely you are to reach for food when you don’t really need it. Plus, managing stress helps balance your hunger hormones, so your body can tell the difference between emotional and real hunger.
9. Exercise
Doing regular exercise has been shown to reduce hunger hormone levels as well as increasing the feelings of fullness. And the best thing about this is that you don’t even need to leave the house! And you certainly don’t need an expensive gym membership!
There are heaps of exercises you can do at home, you just need to get into the habit and make it part of your routine. You can use the multitude of exercises routines from our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge App.
Every little bit counts. Keep as active as you can every day to really get your heart pumping and your energy firing so help stomach fat reduction.
For full body workouts – see these Easy At-Home HIIT Workout To Shred 510 Calories
10. Sleep
If you’re not getting enough sleep, your appetite and hunger can increase significantly. When you are tired you are more likely to reach for sugary snacks to try and give you an energy boost, which in turn can lead to unnecessary weight gain.
It has been shown that people that have a good night’s sleep (7 hours or more) are less likely to be bigger around their middles.
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