It can be tough to keep your appetite under control, especially when you’re trying to lose weight. Even if you’re just trying to maintain a healthy body and avoid any excessive weight gain, hunger pangs or a sweet tooth can ruin your plans in a hurry. Luckily, there are some pretty simple steps you can take to control your cravings…
Drink water
This is about the simplest thing you can do not only to control your cravings, but it can also help with weight loss if that’s your goal. Drinking water before meals can stretch your stomach lining enough to send signals to your brain that you’re feeling fuller than you really are. That can help you avoid overindulging.
Plus, drinking water throughout the day can help boost your metabolism, and it can help flush toxins from your body. Water is vital to your health regardless, so it’s important to keep your intake high enough for general health, but it’s good to know you can use it as an appetite-curbing and weight-controlling tool, too.
Eat enough protein
If you’re worried about eating too much through the day or if you’re trying to avoid sweets and carbohydrate-dense foods, increasing your protein intake can help immensely.
Increasing the ratio of protein at each meal will help keep you feel full and satisfied and can help balance blood sugar levels. Protein makes you feel full by reducing ghrelin, the hormone that makes you feel hungry, and it boosts appetite-suppressing hormones as well. Both adding up to potent (and enjoyable) ways to control your cravings.
Protein also has a higher thermic effect than either carbohydrates or fats, which means the simple act of digesting protein causes you to burn more calories. And aside from helping control your cravings, if you happen to be exercising, adequate protein will help you build more lean muscle tissue, and each pound of added muscle helps you burn approximately 50 more calories per day at rest.
Fill up on fiber
When you really want to control your cravings, increasing dietary fiber goes a long way to making you feel full, and it’s great for your overall health, too.
A high-fiber diet is not only ideal for controlling cravings, it also works wonders for healthy blood lipid levels (cholesterol), has limited calories compared to the level of fullness it provides, and it keeps your digestive tract working properly.
Get rest
This one might seem like an odd way to control your cravings, but sleep plays a significant role in appetite control. When you don’t get enough sleep, you’re much more likely to eat more and to eat foods you might normally shy away from because of a lack of self-control. Conversely, getting enough sleep maintains a healthy hormone balance and helps control hunger throughout the day. Plus, as an added bonus to feeling healthy and well-rested, you can’t binge on late-night snacks when you’re asleep.
There are some simple ways to control your cravings, so here’s a quick list of three easy ways to make sure you stick to your appetite-control plan:
- Bring a stainless steel or glass bottle of water with you everywhere you go (when convenient)
- Add Rawfusion® protein to your meal/snack plan to keep up with your protein and fiber intake
- Turn off the TV and electronics before bedtime so you can get a full night of sleep
Remember, whenever you really start craving something, drink a glass or two of water and give it a couple minutes before you act on your impulses.
