Hunger in my opinion, is the number 1 reason why many people fail a diet because it's difficult to control it.
If you're dieting right now, or you're planning on trying to eat better to get in shape at some point, the first thing that you absolutely must get your head around is that WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE HUNGRY.
Take things back to caveman times for a minute.
There wasn't an abundance of food. It took us hours to hunt food. If we were successful, we had a feast and the body would do what's necessary with the amount of calories we consumed in that one meal. If we weren't, we needed to survive on the energy stores that we have stored away (fat).
If we hadn't eaten in a long time and our energy stores (fat) were starting to get low, hunger hormones would be flooding our brain to tell us to get the hell up and go hunting.
The problem is that these days, food is very accessible because we're often a click away from having food delivered or we're 10 steps away from a vending machine full of chocolates and crisps.
The amount of calories that once took us several hours or days to hunt or find can now be consumed in a couple mouthfuls.
So firstly, understand that we're not meant to be full all the time, and a little hunger is good.
Once you understand that, and you're prepared to deal with that, now we can start discussing the little tricks of managing hunger better so that it doesn't get out of control and begin to ruin your adherence to your diet.
1) Caveman's Breakfast
Research has shown that starting your day with a high-protein, high-fat breakfast sets you up for a very good day full of good choices. By getting adequate protein, fats, and vitamins first thing in the morning, you support the production of neurotransmitters, little brain chemicals like Dopamine and Seronin which help you feel good, and support mood, sleep, digestion, and sexual desire.
2) High Protein
Protein is satiating. What that means is that it fills you up and keeps hunger hormones blunted longer than any other type of food. Meat, fish, and poultry should be the main focus with your diet.
I recommend around 1.3g of protein per pound of lean body mass. E.g if you weigh 90kg and your body fat percentage is 30%: 90 - 30% = 63kg x 2.2 (convert to lbs) x 1.3 (grams per lb of lean body mass) = 180g Protein.
That's 180g protein but you won't get that from one meal. You'll need around 720g of uncooked meat, fish, or poultry split throughout your meals to satisfy this protein intake.
3) Volume
Volume is foods that are considerably low in calories but bigger in portion size or easy to 'fill your plate'. High-fibre vegetables for example can fill you up very easily but are very low in calories. All your meals should contain plenty of vegetables, specifically dark leafy greens, that take up the plate and require plenty of chewing. It's very difficult to over-consume calories through high-fibre vegetables but you'll feel fuller for longer.
4) More Solid Foods
Try to minimise liquid calories as these are very easy to over-consume calories but generally don't fill you up. Instead, make sure you have more solids on your plate such as meat, fish, vegetables, and healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, cheese, avocados, and eggs, as these will take longer to chew and digest therefore increasing the chances of your brain recognising that you're 'full'. Liquids such as alcohol, juice, milk, etc, don't stimulate those hunger-blunting brain chemicals as fast.
5) Control Blood Sugar
The majority of people start their morning with cereals for breakfast and a coffee. Cereals and any other processed carbohydrates stimulate a hormone called Insulin which acts as a key to allow energy from the bloodstream into the cells of muscle, organs and the brain.
The problem is that when there is an abundance of Carbohydrates in the bloodstream, more Insulin is required to be able to absorb this amount of energy but this is where we begin to see Insulin resistance. This is when the cells no-longer respond to Insulin because there is too much in the bloodstream. This is the first step to Type-2 Diabetes.
The other problem is that caffeine first thing in the morning stimulates Cortisol production which is the stress hormone. Naturally, Cortisol is much higher in the mornings anyway and caffeine is likely to increase this beyond required levels. This is sometimes why people have a big crash in energy during the day.
Start your day with a high-protein, high-fat breakfast and save your coffee for later in the morning or early afternoon when you might need it most.
6) Slow Down!
When you rush your meal, the hormones that are responsible for telling your brain that you're full don't fully peak for around 15-20 minutes. Not only that but sometimes we get distracted i.e watching TV whilst eating and before you know it... "where the hell did all that go". Slow down when eating, thoroughly chew your food, give your brain time to recognise the feeling of being full, and enjoy the meal rather than just scoffing it down.
7) Manage Stress
I never hear people say "Oh man, I was so stressed last night, all I could eat was brussels sprouts". When we're stressed, we tend to over-consume carbohydrate-rich foods because they have an anti-stress hormone effect. The problem is that if you're always stressed, you're always likely to lose control and overeat, mainly high-sugar, high-carbohydrate foods.
Remember, hunger is something that you will experience if you're dieting correctly but use these solutions to make it manageable and you'll be more consistent. More consistency means better, longer-lasting results.
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