10 tricks to reduce your appetite and control your hunger

Hunger is a huge problem for anyone following a diet and it can easily get you off track and slow down your weight loss progress.

That’s why we need to figure out a way to get rid of that feeling. And here are not only one, but 10 tricks to reduce your appetite and control that hunger:

1-Eat slowly

When you are eating, the food reaches your stomach in a couple of minutes, but it takes between 15 to 20 minutes for your brain to get the signal that you have eaten and start feeling full.

So by eating slowly, you will be giving your brain enough time to understand that you are eating and it’s time to eat less and reduce your appetite. Just choose foods that require a lot of chewing and take longer to consume such as salad.

2-drink a cup of coffee between meals

Coffee is the most common drink around the world. Not only for its great taste and energy boost, but it also may help you reduce your appetite and control your hunger.

Research shows that coffee increases the release of a certain hormone called peptide YY (PYY). This hormone is produced in the gut in response to eating and promotes a feeling of fullness.

As scientists believe that PYY levels play an important role in determining how much you’re likely to eat, coffee could be a quick solution to control your hunger for a couple of hours until you eat the next meal.

3-Add protein to each meal

Adding more protein to each meal can make you eat less at the end of the day and help you lose more fat.

This was found in a weight-loss study that compared two breakfasts identical in calories: one consisting of eggs, the other of bagels.

Participants who had the egg breakfast lost 65% more weight and 16% more body fat over the eight-week study period.

The reason behind this increase in weight loss is the fact that protein takes more time to be digested than any other macronutrient along with additional burned calories. And the longer the digesting process, the longer you will feel full and not hungry.

4-Eat dark chocolate

Eating or even just smelling dark chocolate may help diminish appetite and cravings for sweets.

One study observed that simply smelling 85% dark chocolate decreased both appetite and hunger hormones just as much as actually eating it.

Researchers also believe that the bitterness and stearic acid in dark chocolate can help slow digestion and increasing feelings of fullness, which help decrease appetite and control hunger.

5-workout regularly

Working out can help increase fullness hormones and lead to reduced hunger and calorie intake.

Research shows that aerobic and resistance exercises are equally effective at influencing hormone levels and the size of a meal eaten after exercise.

Also, there is a theory that working out reduces the activation of brain regions linked to food cravings, which can result in a lower motivation to eat.

6-spice up your meals

You don’t have to eat raw ginger to get the hunger-reduction effect of spices.

There are other spices like hot and sweet peppers which may have the same effect as ginger and can be easily added to your regular meals.

Hot and sweet peppers contain capsaicin and capsiate. These two compounds may help decrease hunger and increase feelings of fullness as found in a recent study.

What’s more, the ability of these compounds to generate heat may also increase the number of calories burned after a meal to help you lose weight faster.

However, these effects have not been seen in all studies and remain small. In addition, people who eat these foods often may develop a tolerance to the hunger control effect.

7-drink water all day long

Not really all day long, but try to drink a fair amount of water daily as it can help decrease the hunger you feel before meals.

Some studies showed that people who drink two glasses of water immediately before a meal, eat 22% less than those who don’t drink any water.

Other studies found that It may also increase feelings of fullness following a meal and promote weight loss.

Scientists believe that about 17 Oz (500 ml) of water is sufficient to stretch the stomach enough to send signals of fullness to the brain.

That said, water is also known to empty the stomach quickly. For this tip to work, it may be best to drink the water as close to the meal as possible.

8-Eat fiber-rich foods

Eating fiber-rich foods such as oats, beans, peas, chickpeas, lentils and any other green leafy vegetables will stretch the stomach, slows its emptying rate and influences the release of fullness hormones.

This was found in a recent review reports that adding fiber-rich to your meal can increase feelings of fullness by 31%, compared to equivalent meals that aren’t based on beans and whole grains

In addition, fiber can ferment in the bowel. This produces short-chain fatty acids thought to further help promote feelings of fullness.

Therefore, opting for a diet containing sufficient fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds can help you control your hunger.

9-get rid of stress

Reducing your stress levels will not only decrease cravings and increase fullness, but also protect against depression and obesity.

Excess stress is known to raise levels of the hormone cortisol, which is thought to increase food cravings and the drive to eat.

It may also decrease levels of peptide YY (PYY), a fullness hormone.

In a recent experiment, participants ate an average of 22% more calories after a stressful test when compared to a non-stressful version of the same test.

Also, finding ways to reduce your stress levels may reduce your risk of obesity and depression in addition to the hunger control effect.

Related:30 foods to fight stress, anxiety and depression

10-take an omega 3 supplement

Omega-3 fats, which come from fish and algae oil supplements, may help decrease hunger, especially for overweight and obese people.

Omega-3 fats have the ability to increase the levels of leptin hormone, which increase fullness after meals when calories are restricted for weight loss.

But so far, these effects were only observed in overweight and obese participants. More research is needed to see if the same applies to lean people.