How to Decrease Your Appetite
Edited by SugarPeach, Elyne, Sondra C, Mel and 33 others
Appetite is both a psychological and physical phenomenon. Sometimes we eat when we're bored, stressed, or just because it's "time" to eat, even though we're not really hungry. There are many weight loss programs and diet pills marketed as appetite suppressants; this article will show you some things you can do to decrease your appetite naturally.
Brush your teeth or use mouthwash. Most people don't feel like eating right after they do this, especially since it makes many foods taste bad. Fortunately, there are a handful of techniques to combat the aftertaste of toothpaste.
Drink water or (unsweetened) herbal tea. Do this throughout the day.
Exercise. Both aerobic exercise and weight training change your body's hormone levels in a way that temporarily suppresses appetite, but aerobic exercise is more effective because it affects two of hormones instead of just one.[1]However, there is a tendency to compensate with later food intake following exercise.
Drink some coffee or tea. The caffeine suppresses appetite in some people. Don't add sugar if you're trying to lose weight.
Find something else to do for 20-30 minutes. Get away from the kitchen and immerse yourself in something that interests you. Most hunger pangs will pass during that amount of time. Then find something else to do (eating can be a way to cope with boredom).
Look at an image of something that is unattractive/gross to you. Footage of medical or surgical procedures, for example, will take most people's minds off of eating.
Imagine yourself eating something that's repulsive to you.
Do something repulsive, like cleaning the toilet or the litter box.
Smell something putrid. A whiff of a dumpster will usually do the trick. So will passing by someone with terrible body odor. For some folks, even just a very strong perfume or cologne can make their stomach turn.
Eat something that takes up a lot of room in your stomach, but has few calories. A simple soup (mostly water) or salad (mostly greens) will do the trick.
Get enough sleep. A shortage of sleep lowers level of leptin in your body, with the result being that you feel hungrier.[2]
Add more fiber to your diet. The video below explains in detail how doing this can affect your appetite, among other things.
Add more protein to your diet. Protein is digested slowly and takes longer to convert into body fat than fats or carbs. Lean meat is a great source of protein, as are legumes, nuts, eggs, and dairy products.
Avoid sugary foods. In many people, especially those who are already prone to obesity, large amounts of sugar will quickly spike your blood sugar, leaving you tired and hungrier than before.
Eat slowly - It helps using smaller spoons. You need about 20 minutes from the beginning of a meal to get the full feeling (this is how long it takes for the brain to send the signal of content). If you eat fast, you end up eating a lot in 20 minutes.
Put a blue light bulb in your fridge or use a blue plate. The color blue naturally decreases appetite, verses the colors yellow or red, which increase appetite.[3]
- Drink something when you start to feel hungry; the body often confuses thirst with hunger.
- Put less on your plate when you eat, the less you see the less you eat.
- Try to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, meat, and grains. These healthy food groups should help keep your appetite in balance.
- Chew gum. Studies show that chewing gum decreases hunger.
- Chew sugar free gum and avoid putting sugar in your coffee. If you have too add artificial sweeteners.
- Try to eat six small meals a day, to keep your metabolism going. It is preferable to have them at fixed times.
- It's okay to decrease your appetite, but you still need to eat!!! It's important for the body to have 3 regular meals or up to 8 small meals a day (this helps increase your metabolism). If you are burning more calories than you are consuming you will lose weight. Eat healthy and regularly, but only when you're hungry. Don't stop eating, that is a disorder called Anorexia Nervousa that is very dangerous.
No comments:
Post a Comment