How to keep fuller for longer

Nothing is harder than trying to keep your appetite suppressed or trying to stay full when you’re trying to lose weight. You get those cravings for certain foods that you would usually have as an afternoon snack, or you might notice that you’re just always hungry when you finish a meal because it’s just not the same amount that you would usually have. When I was trying to lose weight, I started doing research on how to keep full and what foods helped with that. I started experimenting with how different foods made me feel, how you can manipulate certain things to give you the fullness effect and how to keep more satisfied during the day and that’s what I want to share with you today.

Why do we get hungry?

When we first start to lose weight our body thinks that there’s not enough food around and that we might be entering starvation mode. In turn, it starts to trigger hormones (a specific one called ghrelin) in your body telling you to increase your hunger so that when you do find food you can gorge on it. The problem with this is that because our bodies are causing these hunger hormones to signal, we are hungry all of the time and, unfortunately, we have an abundance of food just waiting to be consumed wherever we are. Certain things can actually cause hunger hormones to activate more often, like lack of sleep, the type of food you’re eating and also stress. The good thing to know is that you are able to suppress these hormones by making smart decisions

Sleep

Apart from just eating food to prevent hunger, there are many different ways we can suppress our hunger hormones and feel more satisfied. Like I stated above, one problem that can cause hunger is lack of sleep. If you’re not getting enough sleep during the night, and you wake up tired, your body is going to tell you it needs more energy and you’re going to crave more food. Making sure you’re getting good quality sleep is a must and if you want to avoid those hunger pains I suggest making sure you’re getting at least 7–8 hours sleep a night.

Reducing Stress

The other important thing we need to manage is stress. When we stress the same thing happens to our body and our mind pretty much shuts off (have you ever found yourself at the kitchen fridge scoffing something down? I thought so). Suddenly, through no fault of our own, our mind subconsciously tells us to eat because it thinks this is the only time we’re going to be able to eat food. Just by trying to reduce your stress and improve your quality of sleep you can naturally reduce your hunger cravings throughout the day.

Water

Water is another way that you can help suppress hunger. Our body can’t actually signal to us when we’re thirsty and when we’re hungry. Unless you have that dry throat feeling of not drinking enough water, your body doesn’t really send a specific signal to say “it’s time to drink water”. That feeling you get of “hunger” might not actually be your body saying you’re hungry at all, but instead it can be your body saying that you’re not getting enough water. One thing you can do every time you feel “hungry” is to go and drink a big glass of water (about 250ml — 400ml) and see how you feel after 15 minutes. Doing this one simple thing has helped me and my clients become more aware that half the time it’s not food we wanted at all, we were just thirsty. Water is also a great thing to add to your meals because it helps fill your stomach. I always recommend having a glass of water with your food to help increase the volume of what you’re consuming, or another great thing you can do is just start making more soups. Adding some water, chilli powder, Himalayan salt and other herbs and spices to create your own soup. This is a great way to help fill your stomach.

Eat more whole food

There are certain foods that are more satisfying than others, plus they can also really help with reducing your appetite. After trying different diets during the year, I discovered that the most filling type of foods for me are high in protein and healthy fats. The more whole nutritious food you consume the more full you’re going to feel. Consuming a whole bunch of fibrous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower etc is going to be less in calories, but will fill you up more than what a Mcdonald’s chicken burger would. Because vegetables and salads aren’t high in calories you can eat a lot more than other foods. I always recommend having two big fist fulls of veggies with every meal and making sure it’s high in protein and healthy fats. Here’s what a day might look like for you…
Breakfast; Omelette — Two whole eggs, two egg whites, mixed veggies (peas,carrot,onion,celery & spinach) with a black coffee.

Lunch; A big serving of protein (meat or fish), a giant salad or two cups of vegetables,rice/potatoes or some nuts with a glass or water or green tea.

Snack; Protein smoothie (Coconut milk, scoop of protein, a handful of berries, ice and handful of spinach or kale)

Dinner; A big serving of protein (meat,fish,chicken etc), two big servings of veggies, rice/quinoa/potatoes/carb of choice with half an avocado, nuts or use a small amount of olive oil.

Here is a list of the most satiating foods

• Eggs
• Baked potato (sweet or normal)
• Carrots
• Red meat
• Soup
• Watermelon
• Chicken
• Any type of vegetables or salads
• Coffee (an appetite suppressant)

Action Steps

• Get More sleep (MAKE THIS A PRIORITY)
• Increase the amount of water you drink during the day
• Avoid the fridge and cupboard when you’re stressed, instead go somewhere you don’t have access to food
• Consume liquids with your food
• Focus on consuming mostly whole foods and use the websites below to find the most satiating foods.

Need Help?

Get your free Fat loss guide on the top 10 foods you should always buy at the supermarket by clicking here

Make sure you follow me on snap chat for daily fitness and nutrition advice.