Stay Hydrated to Help Control Hunger Pangs

The belief that you have to be hungry to lose weight is self-defeating and this approach causes you to be pre-occupied by feelings of hunger and weight gain is the more likely outcome of believing in such a misplaced strategy. When you are confronted with physical or emotional stress, you brain signals your body to shut down appetite to preserve your resources, but as cortisol hormone is released hunger will begin to increase and starts to rise as chronic stress sets in.

Obviously, trying to feel hungry all the time to lose weight does not work for the long haul. Although you may shed pounds, it is very likely you will gain all the weight back and then some. Hunger should be a natural sign for meeting your body’s needs. Feeling hungry when it is time to eat and eating your food slowly will allow your meal to be much more satisfying. Always remind yourself to slow down and appreciate every bite of the food you are consuming.

Although there dozens of dieting tricks, the first step in managing a fanciful appetite is to figure out if you are truly hungry or just bored and fantasizing about food cravings. To put you on a better track, check out the proven tips discussed below:

• Stay Hydrated – It may seem like a no-brainer but studies show that drinking the recommended amount of water each day can actually reduce your overall calorie consumption throughout the day.
• Protein & Fiber Snacks – When your daily intake is inadequate in the amount of protein and fiber, the desire to eat increases, so opt for protein and fiber snacks whenever hunger or food cravings began to annoy you between meals.
• Reduce Sugar Intake – Refined carbohydrates like cookies and candy may taste good but they tend to leave you feeling hungrier shortly after you consume them. Reduce sugar intake and add nutrients to better manage hunger.
• Eat Slowly – Since your brain plays a huge role in triggering signals of appetite and hunger, eating slowly gives the stomach the time it needs to communicate with your brain to signal satisfaction.
• Add Spices – Developing an appetite for spicy food may help you manage weight loss. Dietitians say spicy foods can act as an appetite suppressant and consuming them can naturally slow down your food intake.

If you have reached your goal weight, slowly adding calories through lean sources of protein can increase feelings of fullness and potentially help you to eat less at mealtimes by stabilizing the production and release of hunger hormones. Since true hunger are natural signals between your brain and your body, feelings of constant hunger are not sustainable. It is important that you determine whether you are not eating enough or simply eating the wrong combination of foods.

The same strategies that encourage healthy weight loss can also play an important role in ongoing weight management. After you reach your goal weight, if weight loss continues, slowly add calories to your menus until the right balance is found. For over three decades, the weight loss specialists at Metabolic Research Center have been personalizing menu plans for people who want to lose weight and keep it off for good. Let MRC show you how to slow digestion while increasing satiety.