One of the worst things about changing your diet is that awful, lingering feeling of hunger. You don't want to eat anymore (after all, you're trying to eat healthier, lose weight, or follow a specific diet), so what do you do? Do you give in and reach for the snacks? Or find another method of dealing with those hunger pangs?
If you do the former, you're likely to mess up any progress you've made thus far, so it isn't the best option. Instead, do the latter and use one of these clever methods of curbing your hunger, so you can stay on track.
Are You Actually Hungry?
It's entirely possible that you just think that you're hungry. You might be used to snacking at a certain time of the day, like 2 or 3 pm, so your body just expects food when the afternoon rolls around.
To stop yourself from eating after lunch, don't reach for those treats. Instead, stop and think for a minute to see if you're actually hungry. Are those hunger pains or habit ones? You might not be hungry after all, which will help you stay on your diet.
Eat Slower
Did you know that people who eat slowly tend to feel fuller faster? Their stomachs have the time to properly absorb the food, letting the rest of their body know when they're full. If you eat your meal really quickly, you won't feel full as fast and might be left hungry afterward.
Since it takes your stomach around 20 minutes to realize that you're full and get that message to your brain, you might want to reach for extra food if you ate too fast. After all, your body hasn't had the time to register that it's full. Instead, by eating slower, you may eat less.
Eat a Salad
Not only are salads really good for you (as long as you don't slather them in fat-filled dressing, bacon bits, croutons, and a package full of cheese), but they can make you feel fuller longer.
According to the experts, a salad that's at least three cups in size fills up your stomach so that you aren't hungry. In addition, it contains a number of nutrients, and it takes your digestive system a while to digest all of those veggies, so you'll feel fuller longer.
Worried that a salad alone won't fill you up? You'd be surprised, especially if you "decorate" your salad with radishes, carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, tomatoes, and more.
Enjoy Foods Filled With Protein
Protein not only is one of the building blocks of a healthy diet, but it can also make you feel full, so you'll be less likely to be reaching for seconds or a little snack. Consider making protein-filled meals containing ingredients like tofu, eggs, lentils, fish, and chicken, all of which are both good for you and easy to make.
While also filled with protein, beef isn't necessarily as healthy as those other options, but if you want to include it in a meal, you should aim for low-fat cuts and grain-fed beef.
Balance Fats and Carbs in Your Meals
Speaking of fats, it's a good idea to put together meals that balance both fats and carbs. According to studies, eating fat makes the body create a substance called leptin. When you don't have enough leptin in your system, you'll be incredibly hungry all of the time, or at least until your leptin levels balance themselves out.
By eating meals that have a healthy amount of both carbs and fats, you're setting your digestive system up to not only feel full for a longer period of time, but also to temper your appetite with leptin.
Reach for the Soup
Salads are a good first course for any meal because they fill you up, and soup is another great option for that same reason. The trick is to avoid soups that contain cream or excess fats and instead aim for options full of fiber. Soups that consist of a simple (non-creamy) broth and plenty of vegetables are good for you and fill in some of those possible nutritional deficits.
Also, they can make you less hungry for your lunch, causing you to eat less of your regular meal and not want to reach for seconds. So, which soups should you eat? Look for a tasty minestrone or vegetable beef. Both are filled with plenty of beans and other veggies.
Eat Foods Filled With Fiber
We mentioned fiber earlier when discussing the importance of eating a salad before your meal. However, there are plenty of other forms of fiber that do the same thing. If you truly want to not be hungry by the end of your meal, then the trick lies in eating a fiber-filled lunch or dinner.
Fiber takes longer to digest, so it sticks around longer, and in some cases, it can take more calories to digest the food than each item contains (which boosts your metabolism.) Consider eating foods like apples, carrot sticks, celery stalks, avocados, almonds, whole grains, beans, and chia seeds.
Add Some Dairy to Your Diet
While too much dairy can lead to health problems, some is perfectly fine and can leave you feeling less hungry after meals. There are two different compounds in milk and cheese, called casein and whey.
According to some studies, both casein and whey were linked with a reduction in overall appetite, meaning that you won't be so hungry after a meal.
Focus on Healthy Habits
There are a number of healthy habits that can help you get through the early days of your diet when you find yourself to be hungry all of the time. Picking up these habits can make you less hungry and more likely to resist all of those snacking urges.
Avoid Stress as Much as Possible
Did you know that stress can make you eat more? It's true. Some (okay, most) people tend to reach for those sugary snacks when they're stressed out. Having something to munch on makes that stressful feeling go away, or at least helps you squash it so that you don't feel it so acutely.
The problem with this is obvious – you'll be even hungrier when you're stressed. Doing what you can to avoid stress (consider meditating and other healthy coping mechanisms) can stop those cravings in their tracks, making you less likely to fall off your diet.
Get Plenty of Sleep
A healthy lifestyle involves getting enough sleep. When you're constantly tired, you look for easy ways to boost your energy, such as energy drinks, fat-filled coffee drinks, and sugary snacks. While all of these things can give you a quick boost, they also wear off just as quickly, leaving you reaching for more sugar and caffeine in order to keep going.
It's a vicious cycle and an easy way to fall off of your diet because you'll constantly be craving those treats. When you get enough sleep, you won't need these quick-energy bandages, so you'll be less likely to feel hungry all of the time.
Drink a Lot of Water
Water can fill you up. There's a reason why it's recommended that you drink an entire glass of water before eating a meal. Not only does that water take up space in your stomach, but it also properly hydrates you. The better hydrated you are, the less hungry you'll be.
You see, it's easy to mistake feeling thirsty for feeling hungry, and as a result, you'll reach for the wrong thing – more food – instead of that bottle of water that your body is actually craving.
Kicking Hunger to the Curb Can Be Fun
If you truly want to stay on your diet and avoid snacking after a meal or reaching for those second helpings, then you'll want to try one or more of these helpful tips. By adding the right foods to your meal or eating a small appetizer (like salad or soup) beforehand, you'll eat less of your meal and won't be starving afterward.
Other tricks, like eating slowly and mindfully, work as well. It all comes down to finding out which methods work best for you, so you can stay on track and feel great—not hungry!
Sources:
What Can I Do To Stop Feeling Hungry All the Time Without Eating? | Healthline
About Author: Mario Mendias
