Food hacks or easy ways to fight hunger.
phillipsaw
Posts: 21 Member
Theres a couple things I like to do to fight off those munchy moments. Sugar free gum is a good way to keep your mouth busy. A trail mix with an added nut that has an inedible shell, so you can't shovel it into your mouth lol. Steamed cauliflower as a base for anything; spaghetti, fajitas, sloppy Joe's. What are some tricks you know of?
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Replies
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I don't use tricks, if you don't count eating a balanced diet and just accepting cravings without necessarily acting on them, a trick.10
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That works too lol. I was more talking to the people just getting started or struggling with staying on the right track. I know a lot of people that give up because they give in to those cravings, then they get discouraged and never meet their goals. Thanks for the input though, I appreciate it.12
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When I feel hungry between meals, I start with a glass of water or some black coffee.4
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I like to have a fruit flavored sparkling water when I feel munchy. I buy them by the liter, so they take a while to drink, and often I find I don't want anything else afterwards.
My big tip (it's not original to me, but it's really useful) is to do something that keeps your hands busy: video gaming, knitting, playing cards, these things make it much harder to mindlessly munch, as opposed to just sitting in front of the TV.5 -
I heard of the water before meals, but never coffee.1
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When I start getting hungry before lunch, I drink a cup of green tea. That's usually distracting enough. And at night when I get the munchies, that usually does the trick too.1
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i like to eat cucumber or celery or popcorn.
gum makes me hungry, trail mix i find to be calorie bombs
i've never confused thirst for hunger
sometimes i go for a walk. it distracts me2 -
Nickssweetheart, your definitely right about staying busy. At one point I actually was using my xbox instead of tv for entertainment just to keep busy.0
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I've heard eating slower helps also as far as giving your stomachs enough time to tell your brain your full.3
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I use black coffee in the morning to suppress my appetite enough to delay breakfast and avoid having large gaps of times between meals. Call it a trick or whatever, it definitely works for me. Building up habits and routines is the best trick I've got.3
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fitoverfortymom wrote: »I use black coffee in the morning to suppress my appetite enough to delay breakfast and avoid having large gaps of times between meals. Call it a trick or whatever, it definitely works for me. Building up habits and routines is the best trick I've got.
That's my number one thing, routine. If you train your brain to automatically respond in certain situations it makes diet and exercise come easy.2 -
What works for me... coffee, water, gum, high fibre and protein foods, high volume foods, soups. Otherwise distraction, doing things that don't go great with eating.4
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I keep sparkling water around me at work and at home, helps keep me away from liquid calories. At work, it gives me something to do that doesn't involve eating something, too (I'm at a desk all day).
Volume of veggies to give me a plate full of food without going over my calories. Herbs and spices to keep things interesting and flavorful without high calorie sauces/butter/etc. Frozen fruit bars for a low cal dessert. I like pistachios as a work snack, as they take me awhile to eat, although I don't find the satiety any better than shelled nuts - just takes me longer to work through them LOL.0 -
chromium supplements killed my sweet tooth2
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hot tea0
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platejoy.com does my meal planning so it is never the same old thing.1
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Celery or cucumber0
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Eat everything with a knife and fork or chopsticks (within reason: tomato soup is definitely off that list). You end up eating slower. The human body takes about 30 minutes to register that it's full/satisfied. You'll hit that 30 minute mark eating less food, which leads to to feel satisfied or full eating less. Then stop eating when you're good.0
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Depends on what the trigger is.
If it's actual hunger, then a small snack works for me, ideally something with protein or protein/fat, like dry-roasted soybeans, a very few nuts, cottage cheese, hard-boiled egg, crispy chickpeas or broad beans; or something high fiber/water, like cucumber or other raw veggies/fruit; or something super-flavorful like sauerkraut or spicy pickles (cuke or veggie).
If it's stress, exercise is good, or a warm shower/bath, or some yoga/stretching, or breathing exercises, or doing something extra fun and indulgent (a play, movie, etc.) or creative.
If it's boredom, it's hard to beat a fun hobby, especially one that requires clean hands (needlework, sketching, playing a musical instrument, etc.) or creates dirty ones (gardening, painting, carpentry, etc.).
If it's habit, then forming new habits is the key. At times when you're used to snacking, start intentionally doing something else (stretching, hot herb tea, tidy a bookshelf, whatever) until the new habit replaces the old one.
Getting enough sleep regularly can also be a key variable in controlling appetite/hunger.5 -
Things that help me stay on track:
I prefer to delay or skip breakfast as much as possible. I have found this helps my hunger stay under control through the afternoon & Evening. I dont know why, but I am more comfortable being a bit hungry in the morning before eating anything then I am if hungry hits me in the afternoon. May be because of the coffee I drink (appetite supressant) or that I am busy. Not sure. But the later I eat my first meal of the day, the less hunger I feel the rest of the day.
I also tend to be a boredom eater. If I start to feel hungry, I'll chew gum and drink some water. If this doesn't fix it, that means I wasn't bored or thirsty. I'll then have a small snack.
Other wise I try to pay attention to how I feel, and count my calories & macros. For me, if I get enough protein with my meals I find they stick around with me for quite a while. If I'm not getting enough protein I get hungry sooner.1 -
Brushing my teeth!0
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Diet soda
Makes me feel full and like I got my “something sweet” fix. 2 -
Diet soda in the afternoon for that sweet fix.0
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Sugar free jello is a great 10 calorie treat when my hunger is more of a mental than physical thing0
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Another vote for protein here- everyone’s different, but I’ve found that for me, protein helps satisfy me.
I make sure I have protein in each of my 3 main meals, and I also have a snack with protein in the afternoon- often some Greek yoghurt or a hard boiled egg.
I’m not hungry like I used to be when I first started this journey- I think it’s a combination of getting used to my new way of eating (staying in a deficit, weighing and logging everything etc) and incorporating protein.
You just gotta find what work for you!0 -
If I'm feeling a little hungry and it's not time for a meal, I usually reach for an apple. It really takes care of my hunger for a few hours. It's a great snack.1
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If Im really hungry, Ill take a nap. Weirdly enough, I always wake up with no hunger.1
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My trick is I only eat at set times-11 am,3,6,&10 pm.My body is so used to this schedule now that I only really get hungry when it’s about time to eat - I do chew gum to ease stress or if I’m bored and I enjoy it( log the calories) and I’ll also have a diet pop or coffee in between meals-if I need a pick me up when I’m tired.1
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If brushing your teeth helps with hunger... you're not actually hungry.
I sometimes drink coffee just to get busy and have something in my stomach to delay a meal, but that doesn't help with hunger (water has never helped me either)If Im really hungry, Ill take a nap. Weirdly enough, I always wake up with no hunger.
I wake up STARVING from naps.
But yes, staying busy is key, even if you're hungry, if you're busy, it's easier to ignore.2
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