Feelings of Hunger are Normal When Its Mealtime

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 eat a well-balanced meal, it takes your body time to break food down into usable forms of glucose. Conversely, consuming a high-sugar meal causes a faster burn that triggers a spike in insulin levels.

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. If you have been trying to be hungry to lose weight, there is a good chance your appetite is running amuck. Successful weight loss doesn’t have to involve willpower and sacrifice when you adopt healthy eating habits.

When you eat too little food, your brain can sabotage your weight loss efforts. Your brain may be telling you that you are hungry when you really need to curb cravings produced by your appetite. Check out the tips discussed below:

• Stay Hydrated – Drinking enough water throughout the day can keep you feeling full. Moreover, people often confuse feelings of thirst for sensations of hunger, which can trigger an imaginative appetite that can create all sorts of food cravings.
• Eat High Fiber Snacks – So-called high volume foods like fruits and vegetables contain both water and fiber to help fill your stomach. Volumetric food studies suggest you can eat as much as you want of high volume-low density foods.
• 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 – Eating slowly helps you eat less. That’s important since your gut suppresses hunger hormones while releasing fullness hormones to promote satiety and signal for you to stop eating.
• Add Spices – Chia seeds are chock-full of fiber and adding them to your food as a topping can make for a natural appetite suppressant. The seeds swell in your stomach to keep you feeling full longer.

If you have reached your target weight but are still facing nagging food cravings or are dealing with constant feelings of hunger, it is unlikely you will be able to sustain your new weight. For starters, make sure you are properly hydrated to boost feelings of fullness. Developing a personalized menu plan that is filled with nutrient dense foods means you will be consuming lots of nutrients but not a lot of calories. Moreover, eating foods that are high in water and fiber will make it easier to keep weight off.

Any consumption of energy counts but eating breakfast is a common trait among people who have lost weight and kept it off. Eating early in the day may help you avoid getting too hungry and then overeating at a later meal. Here at the Metabolic Research Center, we’ve been helping people lose weight and keep it off for over three decades. If you have struggled to achieve permanent weight loss, contact MRC to learn more about our personalized approach.