Tricks to curb appetite

BrieAbate

I am trying to loss about 10-15 pounds before summer I want to show off all the gains I’ve made this winter with a small cut. Today is the first day of getting and eating in a deficit. Does anybody have any tricks or low calorie hacks to make me feel fuller for when I get hungry

AnnPT77

Different people find different eating styles sating, so you may need to experiment.

First, with only 10-15 pounds to lose (especially when you have what I assume to be muscle gains to preserve), losing really slowly (half a pound a week or less) is a really good idea. Chief cause of hunger? Under-eating for one's current stage. (Not the only cause, of course.)

Second, when making a cut in calories, there can be an adaptation period, adjusting to new eating habits. If that's true for you, and you're eating enough calories, then you might need to tough it out. (I hope not, but . . . .).

Third, good overall nutrition. Cutting calories while eating in the same general way pretty much unavoidably reduces nutrient intakes. If something was borderline to start, it could be distinctly sub-par at lowered calories. Sometimes when we're not getting enough of what we need nutritionally, it can be expressed as general hunger/appetite, or cravings for foods that are don't resolve the specific problem.

Fifth, eating choices and satiation. You have two main variable: What you eat, and when you eat it.

Like I said, this gets very individual, so you may need to give it some thought, experiment with different routines for a couple of days at a time, see what works for you.

On the timing side, people do everything from all-day grazing on small amounts at a time, to one meal a day (or less, sometimes - that version I'm skeptical about, personally, especially for people with athletic or physical performance goals). For those who like a big meal, or for whom firm rules is helpful, etc., may benefit from one of the intermittent fasting routines, eating all their food in a shorter time window, or having 5 days a week at maintenance calories and 2 days at very low calories. Others feel less hungry with multiple meals and snacks, or structured meals (2 or 3 or so a day) but no snacks. You can figure out what works for you, all the rest of us can do is tell you what works for us, give you ideas to try.

On the food choice side, besides good nutrition, some people do better if they "spend" discretionary calories on more protein, more fat, or more high-volume foods (such as lots of colorful high-fiber veggies), or more fiber intake generally. Some people find that appetite/cravings reduce if they eat low levels of carbohydrates, some all the way to keto. Others find that the carbs they eat don't affect their appetite, or that their energy level tanks if they take carbs too low. Some people find that if they focus on so-called "whole foods" or "less processed foods", they feel more full more often.

There are also specific foods, for some people, that are extremely filling. A common one, according to research is whole potatoes (like a baked potato with skin - obviously, need to watch the topping choices). There's a list of those foods at this link:

http://ernaehrungsdenkwerkstatt.de/fileadmin/user_upload/EDWText/TextElemente/Ernaehrungswissenschaft/Naehrstoffe/Saettigung_Lebensmittel_Satiety_Index.pdf

Yes, it's a German link, but the document is in English. First page is a list of foods, later in the doc is the explanation of the research, in both English and German.

For me, as an individual, what works (but may not apply to others): Good breakfast with plenty of protein (rolled oats + Greek yogurt with berries is almost magical for me); adequate protein through the day; some meal (usually dinner) with high volume (I try to eat 10+ 80g servings of varied/colorful veggies/fruit daily, but that's pretty statistically extreme TBH); eating a small snack if I'm getting crave-y and a meal isn't coming up soon (especially if I'm about to grocery shop or face food temptations); 2-3 main meals, depending on the day's schedule. Different people find different formulas helpful.

Sixth (bet you thought I was done counting!), non-food things can matter. If your sleep quality or quantity is sub-ideal, that can increase appetite, particularly by evening (body is fatigued, so seeking energy). If your stress level is high, that can also cause fatigue. If you have habits of eating at certain times or while doing certain things, that can express itself as appetite/cravings. If you're bored or emotional, sometimes that can come out as appetite at reduced calories, even if it hasn't been an issue at maintenance calories. If the root problem isn't nutrition or minimally adequate energy, the solution isn't food.

Apologies for the essay, and best wishes!

elisa123gal

coffee curbs my appetite and takes my hunger away. I also add a scoop of vital proteins to balance my blood sugar many times when I drink it too. but it curbs my appetite either way. Loading up on low calorie nutrient dense vegetables. I'll eat my broccoli out of practicality more than flavor most times.. I know it will keep me full. I also crunch down green pepper slices and cucumbers... to bulk up my meals. I also drink a lot of water.. that's a given and talked about a lot.

Bluebirdday72

I love eggs for breakfast. I find they keep me satisfied for many hours. My big hack for eggs is to mix one whole egg with a half a cup of egg whites (that I buy in a carton) for scrambled eggs. I get the flavor from the yolk of the whole egg but tons more actual food when I add the egg whites than if I had just eaten two eggs, for roughly the same calories.

My other hack is to wait to drink my coffee until after I have eaten breakfast. It ends up being a “breakfast dessert” and helps keep me full.

ReenieHJ

elisa123gal wrote: »

coffee curbs my appetite and takes my hunger away. I also add a scoop of vital proteins to balance my blood sugar many times when I drink it too. but it curbs my appetite either way. Loading up on low calorie nutrient dense vegetables. I'll eat my broccoli out of practicality more than flavor most times.. I know it will keep me full. I also crunch down green pepper slices and cucumbers... to bulk up my meals. I also drink a lot of water.. that's a given and talked about a lot.

This is pretty much my approach as well, because yelling 'go away you hungry wench!!' hasn't helped yet.

azuki84

Electrolyte balance has always been important during cutting. So adequate mag/potassium/sodium throughout the day helps to avoid any forms of lightheadedness or tingling feeling. Hunger is one factor, other factors are also important during cutting to stay focused.

VictoriaFranklin22

drink water!! help u feel fuller

age_is_just_a_number

What works for me:
Increase in protein and fibre.
With increase in fibre, also helps to increase water to ensure the fibre can work through your system.
How I do it:
Breakfast — I used to have a bowl of muesli, some yogurt and fruit. I changed that to 1 tbsp each of chia, flax and hemp, 30 grams of muesli, 170 grams of Greek yogurt and fruit. The result is a nearly perfect 33% each carbs, protein, fat.

Lunch — I used to have left over dinner from the day before. I changed that to as much garden salad as I can eat. Personally, I find salad fills me up and takes time to digest. I know other people who find the exact opposite. To add protein and fat to this meal I often add hummus, pumpkin seeds and raisins.

Dinner — no real change to dinner, because my husband always makes dinner and I eat what he serves. I do track it and am careful about portion size. He is a very good cook and ensures dinner usually has half plate of vegetables, a quarter plate of complex carbs and a quarter plate of protein.

Snacks — snacks are my weak point. I love mindless snacking. I typically have two ‘snack’ times a day. Mid afternoon snack: I used to eat a piece of fruit, which is fine. Working at home, there are so many more options at the ready. I often make a protein drink. I like leanfit whey protein concentrate. I scope + a frozen banana, sometimes I add avocado or extra cocoa or extra ice. If I’m still craving something, I’ve been reaching for a small handful (about 20 grams) of peanuts and eating them slowly one at a time.

Another strategy I’ve been using lately is to move my breakfast later (used to be 8am, now is closer to 10am), and then moving lunch later (used to be noon, now is closer to 2pm); this shift eliminates afternoon snack time because dinner doesn’t move.

After dinner snack: This one is my most challenging because it is the most mindless time of day. I want things like chips and cookies. To be honest, sometimes I still have something like chips or cookies. But I limit that to no more than once a week, less often as much as possible. I know I do not need an after dinner snack. I am not hungry; I am pretty near done burning calories for the day; I don’t need more to eat. This is totally a psychological thing. So, it’s mind games time for me. My goals:
- no after dinner snack.
- If I’m going to have something make it as small as possible

How do I do it:
1) stop thinking about it
2) drink water
3) drink more water
4) do something where food doesn’t mix - play a game, brush my dogs, take a bath, fold laundry

Best of luck.
By the way, I also have 15 pounds that I have accumulated in the past year that I want rid of before summer. I’m aiming for a pound a week. It is hard and going very slowly, probably closer to a half of a pound per week that I’m actually losing.

spiriteagle99

For me, eating fruit when I'm hungry but not close to mealtime helps. An apple, banana or grapefruit will fill me for a couple of hours.

Bridgie3

For me, cheese. half of a double cream camembert is only about 200 calories. If you make it a main ingredient in a salad, or put it on those skinny little water crackers, you can have a luxurious indulgence that keeps you from feeling hungry for absolutely hours. I'm rude enough to just eat it on its own.

Walkywalkerson

I have about 20lbs left to lose and am struggling with hunger - so I'm playing around with different macros at the moment.
Over the past week or so I have upped my calories by 200 or so a day and am eating pretty much what I want within that calorie allowance - I try ( not always successfully) to keep my carbs below 100g as it helps me with satiety.
I've added more fibre rich foods and more fats.
It definitely helps with my hunger - but I am yet to see much happening on the scale.
I'm going to give it a month and see.

getting_stronger1483

Lots of great tips in this thread! Both decaf and caffeinated coffee drinks are useful for curbing appetite, I try and make sure i use almond milk and sugarless sweetener though. Making sure that I have a good serving of protein with every meal is really important for me. I love hard boiled eggs, cottage cheese, tuna and grilled chicken. Also protein powder blended with low calorie low carb vegetables are amazingly filling. My fave is cauliflower and protein powder. All the best with your journey

Hollis100

I'm dealing with high blood pressure but this applies to weight loss and hunger control, too.

Lately, I've been buying bags of frozen vegetables and microwave one for lunch at work instead of eating out. For example, one bag is sodium free broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. I use DASH seasoning, which is sodium free and I can shake on like a salt and pepper shaker. About 35 calories for a third or 100 calories for the whole thing.

I can eat the vegetables alone, or add a Greek yogurt like Silk's vanilla coconut milk, which has 25 mg of sodium,190 calories, and 10 grams of protein. The vegetables alone curb my hunger for hours.

I used to turn my nose up at frozen vegetables, but to be honest I hate cooking and meal prep, which is why I ate out so much, so this works for me at the moment.

pridesabtch

Back in the day, I had to cut my carbs to cut. Not because carbs are evil, but for me they cause me to crave more carbs. I still ate fruit, but no grains. My go to snacks were apples or carrots with a dip of peanut butter, cinnamon and sunflower seeds. It gave me a good mix about an hour before I worked out.