8 Tips to Curb Your Appetite
One of the hardest challenges people face when they embark on a weight loss journey is the hunger. This is par for the course, and no matter how gentle an approach you take, you will feel hunger every now and then.
This is because your body is accustomed to getting a certain amount of food. When you’re on a caloric deficit, you’re eating slightly less than usual and your body realizes it. It’s a highly intelligent organism.
So, you have a slight feeling of ‘discomfort’ but if you’re not cutting your calories too drastically, this feeling will be manageable.
Let’s look at a few ways you can curb your appetite.
1. Reduce your consumption of sugar
Initially, you may have strong cravings for starchy carbohydrates and/or sweet foods/junk food. What your body really craves is the sugar. In the case of the carbs, your body craves the glucose that is produced when you consume them.
The best way to reduce your consumption of sugar is to eat half the portion that you normally would. It won’t be as fun as you’re used to, but at least you’d have satisfied some of your cravings.
Immediately throw the remainder away before you’re tempted to eat it all up. If you try to eliminate sugar cold turkey, you’ll be battling your hormones and just might end up binge eating at night when your energy levels are low and you don’t have the willpower to resist temptation.
2. Drink a glass of water before meals
As simple as this sounds, it works. Drink a large glass of water 20 minutes before each meal. It will fill up your stomach and you’ll be less likely to overeat. In some cases, you may notice that your hunger dissipates.
The reason for this is that you were actually thirsty but thought you were hungry. Once you drink the water your hunger is gone.
3. Intermittent fasting
Eating during a shorter window (4-6 hours) is often better for many people because it prevents them from feeling hungry all the time. Studies have shown that people who have smaller meals spread throughout the day often feel hungrier than people who limit their eating times to a short duration.
It may sound strange but once you get used to intermittent fasting, you’ll be amazed to see that you’re not as hungry as you used to be… and your cravings disappear too.
4. Coffee
The caffeine in coffee is an appetite suppressant. That said, be aware of how much sugar is in your coffee. Ideally, you should stick to black coffee, but if that’s too much to bear, you can use artificial sweeteners or just one or two teaspoons of sugar.
You want to use coffee as a tool to curb your hunger and not increase your calorie with it.
5. Apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar not only curbs appetite but also aids in weight loss. Drink a tablespoon or two of it daily. You may mix it with some water and sip the mix with a straw so that it doesn’t weaken your tooth enamel.
6. Consume more protein
Increase your protein intake and you’ll be less likely to feel hungry. Eggs are an excellent low calorie source of protein. Alternatively, you could eat lean meat or even drink a protein shake. As long as you’re still at a daily calorie deficit, you will lose weight and be less hungry.
7. Load up on vegetables
Just like your parents said… eat your veggies! Broccoli, peas, carrots, etc. are excellent vegetables to consume during your meals. Not only do they take up space in your stomach and make you feel fuller, but they don’t contain much calories and have all the micronutrients your body craves.
8. Sleep early
This is probably a tip you don’t hear often. You’ll often notice that your food cravings start creeping in at night… and the later it gets, the stronger the cravings get. The best way to curb your appetite and prevent binge eating at night is to sleep early.
It's best to be in bed by 10.30 pm or 11 pm latest. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep (you need the rest)… and you’ll also avoid the dreaded ‘munchies’ that show up after midnight demanding that you feed them junk food.
Follow these 8 tips and you’ll curb your appetite and that’s 80% of the battle won.
