Hunger, hunger, hunger.
We’ve all tried many ways to deal with hunger, only to be left feeling miserable and eating
twice as much as we would have in the first place.
It’s either we struggle against our urge to start eating too early or when we do eat,
we struggle to know when to stop.
Fortunately, there are some things we can work on to improve our binging battles.
Here are five tips which can help you better manage your HUNGER.
Number 1, Drink More Water It’s been found that drinking water 15 to
30 minutes before a meal is pretty decent in curbing feelings of hunger.
Water consumption impacts stomach distention, or the stretching of the stomach, which is
one action that can signal fullness to the brain.
One study even found that water before a meal curbed desires for sweets and savory foods
better than not drinking water at all.
Ultimately, this type of pre-loading of water makes you feel full quicker, and in return,
allow you to satisfy your hunger with less food.
Based on several studies, 1 and a half to 2 cups of water before your meal seem to do
the trick.
Number 2, Don’t Drink Your CALORIES Drinking beverages like sodas, sugary teas,
or fruit juices might play a role in stomach expansion much like water.
But unlike water, these drinks also add a bum load of calories.
Not only that, much of the calories added, particularly processed sugars, do very little
in terms of making you feel full compared to actual food of similar calorie content.
The only exception is that of drinks with a thicker consistency, like milk and protein
shakes.
One study showed that a thick, creamy protein shake had greater impact on satiety, or keeping
you feeling full, than a protein shake fashioned to have a smoother, juice-like consistency.
Another showed that milk generated greater subjective fullness and less hunger than cola.
But in any case, real food still wins out.
If you feel hungry, the last thing you wanna do is reach for a liquid sugar bomb.
Number 3, Get More Protein To my usual viewers, this one is not much
of a surprise.
Protein has consistently shown to be the best out of the three macronutrients to increase
fullness.
One study found that increasing total protein content of a diet from 15% to 30% led to greater
feelings of fullness and satiety.
But most importantly, subjects spontaneously consumed 441 fewer calories per day throughout
a 12-week period.
This might also explain why people have found decent success with low-carb diets.
The restriction of carbs means a disproportionately greater intake of protein, thus leading to
a dip in total energy intake due to greater satiation.
It remains to be seen as to exactly why protein is more satiating.
Some of it might be explained by its relatively greater food volume, leading to a fuller stomach
with fewer calories.
Another theory suggests that protein increases thermogenesis, which is a factor closely correlated
to satiety.
Not exactly definitive, but in any case, more protein means more fullness.
So, get your protein!
Number 4, Remove Potential Food Cues In this day and age, it doesn’t take much
effort to find pictures of all sorts of delicious treats on your social media.
And the very indulgence of such media might just explain your actual indulgence of such
treats.
This belief is built upon the concept that hunger is a multi-factorial construct, where,
beyond physiological and cognitive factors, sensory inputs can influence our appetite.
The simple sight, smell, and ultimately taste of food can trigger a cephalic phase response,
where your body induces gastric secretions and salivation, creating a heavy desire for
the food you see on your phone.
So, what do you do?
Simple.
Put the f*cking phone down.
Instead of looking at your favorite foody’s IG profile, look at your homework, your actual
work work, or even your significant other…
as long as they’re not eating ice cream in front of you.
Avoid passing areas with the aroma of your favorite French fries and, at all cost, resist
the need for, “JUST A TASTE.”
Go get a taste of your weight scale instead and see if you still have an appetite after.
And Number 5, Actually Give Healthy Whole Foods a Shot
Ah yes, you thought you can get away with this one.
Let’s face it, you need to eat the right foods.
Unfortunately, people often think that it’s supposedly “OK” to go for the pizza or
cookie as long as it fits in their macros or calories, right?
Unsurprisingly, those people often fail to see results.
That’s because, once you eat that pizza, you’re going to want another slice, and
then another, and the next thing you know you’re waiting in line for a hot dog on
a stick.
The problem of this stems from approach.
People think that to satisfy their hunger or appetite, they should eat the foods they
desire.
In all likelihood, those are the foods we shouldn’t be eating.
In reality, we should first reach for things we should eat.
Pretty simple.
By first eating more whole, nutritious, and filling foods, the volume of your meals are
much greater relative to its calorie content, thus increases stomach fullness more quickly
and ultimately help combat hunger.
Processed foods of similar calorie content, on the other hand, provides much less in terms
of food volume, keeping you hungry still and reaching for more.
That doesn’t mean we can’t have any of the junk foods we desire, but by prioritizing
and eating the healthy foods first, it leaves much less room and ultimately less appetite
for the junk food.
So, if you feel like still having chocolate after your chicken salad, then go for it.
Just don’t overdo it.
It’s better than having a whole chocolate bar plus a double cheeseburger, and then reaching
for two leaves of spinach and half a broccoli you saved from lunch.
In the end, put some effort to eating the healthy foods first before reaching for anything
else.
And I think that’s an important point to close out on.
The best management tips are no magic bullet nor secret shortcuts.
They take actual effort for actual results.
Be patient, tinker with the tips that works for you, and above all else, remain consistent.
Feel free to share any tips you might have for your fellow hungry bros and broettes.
If you found this video helpful, why not give it a quick thumbs up and share it with your
hungry hungry friends.
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As always, thank you for watching and GET YOUR PROTEIN!