Tips for Keeping Your Appetite in Check

It’s time to get serious about losing weight, and one of the best places to start is by checking your cravings. 

In this blog, our team of experts at Leading MDs outlines a few practical ways to assuage your appetite and help you stay laser-focused on your weight loss journey. 

1. Bulk up the right way

There’s evidence that bulking up your meals — with fiber, that is — can reduce your appetite. The best high-fiber foods include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans. In addition to having lots of fiber, those foods also have a high water content, which can contribute to feeling fuller longer. 

We also recommend starting your day with fiber. Grab an orange or dig into a grapefruit at breakfast to ensure your first (and most important) meal of the day keeps you satisfied until lunch.

2. Start with a starter

Light vegetable soups or even a bowl of broth before your first course can go a long way in curbing your appetite and helping you consume fewer calories during your meal. 

Not big on soup? Try crunching your appetite away with a salad. A large (three cups), low-calorie (100 calories) salad before lunch or dinner may help you eat up to 12% fewer calories during your meal. Toss in other crunchy vegetables, like carrots and cucumbers, but be sure to toss your salad with a fat-free or low-fat dressing. 

3. Pump up the protein

Like fiber, protein can increase your feeling of fullness. We recommend that 20-30% of your total calorie intake comes from protein. 

4. Stay hydrated

Are you hungry? Or are you dying for a sip of water? The neurons that regulate your thirst and those that control your hunger are closely related, so your body may be telling you it wants a drink rather than another snack. 

Make sure you’re staying hydrated throughout the day, and if you feel a hunger pang, grab a bottle of water before you reach for a snack and see if that satisfies your appetite. 

5. Eat solid foods

Smoothies and protein shakes are great on-the-go options, but we recommend eating solid foods if you’re trying to retrain your brain and your appetite.

Solid foods have a higher viscosity, which tamps down hunger, and chewing grants more time for the fullness signal to reach your brain. 

Extra chewing time also means the food stays in contact with your taste buds longer, allowing you to enjoy the food longer and ultimately feel fuller. 

6. Eat mindfully

Few things are better than plopping on the couch, cueing up your favorite show, and wolfing down some comfort food. However, if you eat while distracted or even eat too quickly, your brain has little to no chance of recognizing fullness cues. 

That’s why we love mindful eating. Mindful eating involves focusing on the present moment and responding to internal cues. 

Instead of letting the time of day, a certain activity, or an attractive package dictate when and what you eat, let your body do the talking and only eat when you’re truly hungry. 

When you are eating, turn off the distractions and allow yourself to taste every delicious morsel of food and savor each bite. This gives you a much better chance of stopping when you’re full. 

7. Try a different plate

Some overstate the benefits of eating on a smaller plate and/or with smaller utensils, but it remains a technique worth trying.

It takes less food to fill a smaller plate, but your brain still sees a healthy portion of food. Smaller utensils may also help you slow down while you eat and take smaller bites. 

8. Make some lifestyle adjustments

Curbing your hunger isn’t all about what and how you eat — your lifestyle may be to blame for your raging appetite. Lack of activity, poor sleeping habits, and unmanaged stress all trigger a flood of appetite-inducing hormones in your body that make it hard to resist cravings. 

9. Don’t go too far the wrong way

Over-restricting your diet can have an adverse effect and ramp up your cravings. Instead, make space in your diet for the occasional indulgence and enjoy your favorite treats in moderation. 

10. Call in the professionals

You don’t have to navigate any of this on your own. Whether you need a prescription weight loss medication to help manage your appetite or an expert to help you make changes and keep you motivated (or maybe a bit of both), we’ve got you covered with our comprehensive weight loss services. 

If you’d like to learn more about how we can help you reach your weight loss goals, call our friendly staff at any of our four locations. We proudly serve Goodyear, Tempe, Mesa, and Sun City, Arizona.