Consume More Whole Foods to Manage Hunger

Have you been struggling to lose weight due to your so called “appetite”? If so, your body might be rebelling against your eating less food. Appetite control is crucial to long-term weight loss success. Funny how often weight loss is short lived. That’s because most people embark on the wrong weight loss journey. Truth is having to live hungry “day in” and “day out” is an unsustainable strategy that’s doomed from the beginning.

A recent study in the American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism concluded that overweight people who lose weight need long-term support to help manage hormone balances through a personalized plan. A smart approach to losing weight doesn’t involve starvation and shouldn’t require you to endure feelings of hunger all the time. However, people have trouble distinguishing hunger and thirst, so start by drinking the recommended daily average.

It’s hard enough to lose weight. After you’ve dealt with your appetite and managed your hunger, don’t regain the pounds you worked so hard to lose. Try the tips discussed below for managing a healthier weight:

• Don’t Skip Meals – Skipping meals can lead to snacking more throughout the day because of appetite and hunger signals.
• Eat Whole Foods – Fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, which increases feelings of fullness and may automatically reduce the number of calories you consume during the day.
• Be More Active – Being more active increases the number of calories your body has to burn for energy. Try combining a slight increase in activity with a smaller reduction in consumption to create a good calorie deficit.
• Drink Lots of Water – Since it is so easy to confuse thirst for hunger, it is much smarter to start by consuming a glass of water and see if that is what your body actually needed.
• Never Stock Junk Food – When you fail to plan your meals ahead of time, the fastest option to satisfy your appetite and hunger is often junk food. Instead of stocking your home or office with junk food, opt for healthy unprocessed foods to manage hunger.

Weight cycling can be harmful to your health and is caused by shedding and regaining weight time and again. This yo-yo effect can increase your health risks for chronic conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Diets don’t work because they eventually end. If you followed a weight loss plan to lose weight, you can use the same tips to stay at a healthy weight. Committing to healthy eating patterns works but the process is not intended to end.

Getting to a healthy weight by following a healthy menu plan that includes lots of whole foods provides many health benefits, such as lower blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure readings, and lower bad cholesterol. Food researchers are still trying to determine what happens when you restrict certain foods and whether or not that can trigger your appetite for those foods. Typically, it is best to enjoy a wide variety of foods but only in moderation. Contact MRC for personalized weight loss help.