5 Appetite-Control Strategies for Weight Loss
Hey Angels and Alphas,
When you’re on a weight loss journey and you’re sometimes on the border of depriving yourself of your favorite foods, hunger and cravings can make it difficult to not overeat. You chug down a healthy meal at home, and then as soon as you head out to pretty much any destination, you’re instantly surrounded by junk food.
You get hungry, you start getting cravings, and pretty soon, you’re at the local sandwich joint getting a number 9 with extra cheese. How did this happen?
Or maybe you’re one of those people that sticks to healthy foods, but you cook them so well that you find it hard to limit yourself to one portion. It’s okay – we’ve all been there.
But the following 5 strategies can change everything for you – by following them, you’ll learn how to balance the nutritional mess going on inside your body, enjoy your meals more, and keep your appetite low enough while your body is actually satiated.
#1 EAT WHEN YOU’RE NOT HUNGRY TO LOSE WEIGHT
Stay with me here. When you’re really hungry, you overeat. I know this isn’t groundbreaking information, but follow me for a second. When you overeat, you feel full, but then instantly, your insulin levels start going up, causing you to feel very tired, and then very hungry again… so you’re in a constant cycle of overeating.
Instead of trying to beat down hunger, just beat it to the punch. If you eat when you’re not that hungry or just slightly so, you’ll eat less, you’ll eat more slowly, and you’ll tend to not go overboard, resulting in eating less food total throughout the day.
#2 USE CINNAMON AND VINEGAR TO BALANCE BLOOD SUGAR
Forget about sugar – there are countless flavors and spices that can make your food both healthier and more delicious. If you’re looking for some new flavor for your food or noncaloric drinks, try out vinegar. Vinegar has been shown to lower the glycemic index of food (which means you metabolize it more slowly and keep your blood sugar levels balanced,) and it adds an acidic flavor to sauces and salad dressings.
And if you’re looking for that sweet-smelling flavor, add cinnamon to your smoothies and your coffee. Just like vinegar, cinnamon slows down the rate at which food travels from your stomach to your intestine, meaning it keeps you fuller for longer and eliminates the post-meal tiredness.
#3 FORGET ABOUT LIQUID CALORIES AND JUST DRINK WATER
Brain fog and tiredness are just two sensations caused by mild dehydration (that’s easily mistaken for hunger.) On the other hand, juices and sodas are liquid calories that won’t fill you up, and their rapid digestion causes spikes in insulin.
So next time you have to choose between a water and a soda, just choose water and flavor it with lemon, strawberries, or cucumber – just don’t pack your drinks full of calories.
#4 HAVE A LITTLE SNACK BETWEEN MEALS (THAT’S FLAVORLESS)
Seth Roberts discovered this trick, and what he did was he consumed a shot of olive oil or a glass of water with just a tiny bit of sugar between meals.
But you can go with a handful of almonds, seeds, berries, yogurt, anything that’s essentially flavorless – doing this once a day will significantly reduce your appetite and it’s a great addition to many weight loss regimes.
It might sound weird, but there’s a science to it. Doing this apparently can regulate your levels of ghrelin, a hormone linked to hunger, by weakening the connection between flavor and calories.
That’s why the snack must be really bland, and you shouldn’t consume anything else but water for at least an hour prior to and after the snack.
#5 EATING MORE SLOWLY (YES, IT WORKS)
As you’re chewing and swallowing food, there’s a big delay before the moment you swallow it and the moment you get any satiation from it. This delay is usually about 10 to 30 minutes long, and because of it, a lot of us tend to eat way more food than we actually need. And guess what – the faster we eat, the more we tend to indulge, and the more we tend to overeat.
The solution? Chew all your bites at least 20 times. If you just follow this simple rule and stay conscious of it, you’ll be able to eat more slowly and you’ll give your mind the opportunity to catch up with your stomach and make you feel fuller much earlier than you normally would. You’ll also get to enjoy your food more as you get the chance to savor it. It’s a win-win!
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