It is the amount of food as much as the kind of food that determines how much weight you put on and how difficult it is to shed.
One of the ways to lose weight of course, is to create a caloric deficit – quite simply to eat less. This however is easier said than done, when the stomach insists that it is only partly full and needs more sustenance. So what can you do to eat less and feel full?
Eat Slowly:
Chew your food properly, savor and enjoy each bite and let the food offer you a feeling of satiety. Also give your brain time to register the food being consumed so that it can send your stomach the signal that it is full and that you should stop eating.
Also food that requires a lot of chewing is a good idea – it takes time to eat so is better than soft food that requires less chewing.
Eat high volume foods:
Rather than choose calorie dense foods, pick those that have high water and fiber content while still having high nutritional value – namely fruit, veggies and whole grains.
These will satiate you and make you feel full without too many actual calories requiring to be consumed. Starting a meal with a salad will leave you with less of an appetite for the meat and gravy
Up your protein intake:
Do this particularly at breakfast. It has been seen that when you start your day with a high protein breakfast, it tends to keep you feeling full and sated for a longer time. This reduces one’s tendency to feel hungry in the middle of the day and grab a snack before lunch time.
Protein takes longer to digest and therefore keeps you feeling full for longer
Don’t get to the point where you’re feeling ravenous:
This will increase the amount that you eat at that one meal. Rather keep yourself from reaching that point where you are starving by indulging in healthy snacks.
Choose a small, pre-portioned snack that is not high in calories and be mindful of what and how much of that snack you eat
Chew Peppermint gum:
This curbs your tendency to overeat. The activity of chewing and the cool and clean taste of it in your mouth will make you less inclined to eat a lot, making you feel a bit sated even before the meal.
So chew some gum before going to a restaurant and after the meal pop another stick in to curb your appetite for a sinful dessert. Make sure it’s the sugarless variety of gum
