Keep Your Appetite Under Control with These Top Tips
One of the main reasons why a lot of people struggle to lose weight is because they struggle with appetite control. This is something that will be difficult in the beginning, but once you have mastered it, it will get much easier over time. Read on to discover some top tips to help you get started.
- Reduce your stress levels – The levels of the hormone cortisol increase whenever someone experiences excess stress. This can result in increased food cravings, with some people experiencing greater cravings than others. By focusing on reducing stress, you cannot only reduce your hunger levels, but you will ensure you feel amazing after weight loss too. Some tips for lowering stress include tuning into your body, breathing deeply, and meditating.
- Fill up on water – A lot of people mistake thirst for hunger, and so drinking more water can definitely make a massive difference. Drink water before every meal, and you are likely to eat less.
- Choose a diet that focuses on leptin – Choosing a diet that assists with appetite control does not mean that you should choose an unhealthy diet, or one that involves taking weight loss pills in order to suppress your appetite. This is never recommended! You can control your appetite the natural way by choosing a diet that focuses on the hormone leptin. This Leptin Diet Guide reveals everything you need to know. Basically, leptin is the hormone that tells our brain that we are full, and so a leptin diet focuses on foods that will help you to break down the leptin resistance you have generated because of an unhealthy and unbalanced diet.
- Visualise eating the foods that you crave – Another way to reduce hunger is to visualise eating the foods that you are craving. Research has shown that when you do this, you actually end up eating less. This is because visualisation tricks your mind into believing you have already consumed the foods you desire, and so this decreases your cravings for them.
- Eat Omega-3 fats – Omega-3 fats have numerous benefits, especially those found in algae oils and fish. This Omega-3 fact sheet has plenty of useful information. One of the benefits they have is that they increase levels of leptin – the hormone we mentioned earlier. By eating such foods, you will also feel fuller once you have had a meal, and so you are less likely to snack afterwards.
- Spice up your meals – There are a number of hunger-reducing spices, which is good news for those who like hot and spicy curries. Ginger is one of the better options, but there has been research conducted on other spices. One recent study revealed that the compounds found in sweet and hot peppers can help to increase fullness and curb hunger.
- Indulge in dark chocolate – Let’s end the article with the best tip of them all; indulging in a bit of chocolate! The bitterness of dark chocolate is believed to diminish cravings for sweets and decrease appetite. Researchers also believe that dark chocolate can help to slow digestion due to the stearic acid it contains, so this too will increase the feeling of being full.
