Today only the lazy don’t go on a diet. Many people want to be beautiful. But not everyone succeeds. It is especially difficult to get rid of the feeling of hunger, which, like a predatory beast, grabs you with its tenacious paws from the first day of your “new” life and frightens you: “Nothing will work out for you, beauty.”
What to do? How to remove the feeling of hunger so as not to break down, persevere and, finally, lose the hated extra pounds, gain lightness, slimness, and fitness. Become confident in your irresistibility, damn attractiveness.
Read our article about how to cope and emerge victorious in this struggle and not just resist, but still lose weight.
Psychological attitude
Appetite is a physiological feature of a person, genetically determined for the purpose of survival. Once upon a time, food had to be obtained through hard work, hunting, and not always successful. But when luck smiled, it was necessary to eat to the fullest, since it was unknown how long it would take to feast again.
Today, difficulties with obtaining food have disappeared. It is more relevant to talk about abundance. Now every restaurateur and culinary specialist tries to prepare a dish in such a way that its smells, aromas, and presentation will attract as many eaters as possible. The body reacts to all this by sending (as in the old days) signals to the brain: “Food, you need to eat, otherwise there will be no tomorrow.” This is how food addiction is formed, the origins of which are in the head.
This means that in order to reduce addiction and overcome it, you need to work with your head.
Helps to suppress headaches when losing weight:
- the right attitude - weigh the disadvantages - what you will lose if you fail and the advantages - what you will gain if you endure;
- motivation - set a specific goal, specific deadlines and remember them every time it becomes difficult to restrain yourself;
- gratitude to yourself - praise yourself for your achievements, even the most insignificant ones.
All of the above actions inspire, improve your mood, and give you the strength to reduce your desire to eat.
A beautiful dress that you really want to wear, but you can’t yet (not enough) helps fight your appetite. Instead of the desired cake, take a centimeter and take measurements of your waist and hips. Calculate how much time you have to wait to fit into a fashionable outfit.
Get a notebook and write down your daily measurements, including weight and measurements. The emerging dynamics will encourage us not to stray from the right path, because so much has already been achieved.
In addition, it is worth figuring out whether you really want to eat or just seem so.
Diseases
Increased appetite occurs in some diseases. For example, people with type 2 diabetes experience hunger more than others because they metabolize glucose too quickly. It is converted into glycogen and fat, resulting in the need to replenish its reserves from food.
Recently, doctors often talk about such a disease as bulimia. Unreasonable bouts of gluttony, when you want to eat something almost around the clock, and complete ignorance of problems with excess weight were previously considered simply problems of a person’s character. This condition is now called an eating disorder that requires specialized care.
Increased appetite, along with weakness and nausea, may indicate the presence of a very dangerous disease called hypoglycemia. It is characterized by a strong decrease in blood glucose levels. This disease requires urgent medical attention. In the worst case scenario, the patient may fall into a coma.
Problems with the thyroid gland can also cause constant appetite. The gland is responsible for regulating metabolism and secreting hormones. With hyperthyroidism, hyperfunction of the thyroid gland occurs, which results in accelerated metabolism, low body weight, and a constant feeling of hunger.
There are other, less common diseases that lead to overeating. These include hypergraphia (impaired blood circulation in the brain), acoria (impaired functioning of the hypothalamus), and polyphagia (a tradition that has become an irresistible habit). In the case of polygapia, the situation can reach the point of severe obesity and is often treated by surgical reduction of the stomach.
How to distinguish the desire to eat from the need to eat
The body is very cunning and, together with the brain, knows how to manipulate our weaknesses. If we do not know how to recognize deception, we have a chance to fall for the bait and follow our addictions.
What's going on with food?
I felt a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach, and the thought came: I want to eat. But is it hunger or a desire to enjoy the sensations of taste? How to distinguish?
Analyze your needs. What would you eat now?
If you are ready to throw anything into your mouth, even three crusts of bread, just to drown out the emptiness in your stomach - this is a true need for nutrition. At the same time, you feel rumbling in your stomach, and after eating, satisfaction and pleasure spread throughout your body.
If, when you feel the urge to eat, you begin to mentally go through the tasty treats, drawing pictures of one more appetizing than the other, not knowing where to stop. Twist your nose meticulously, thinking: “What would I like now?”
Most likely, this is an unsatisfied addiction that is better to give up. Also, after you allow yourself to swallow a treat, you feel guilty for not being able to resist, and again roll back in your dietary achievements. This means that it was definitely not a need, but a whim.
Sometimes unhinged emotions are mistaken for hunger. Someone is attacked by an irrepressible zhor:
- from excitement;
- excitement;
- fear;
- grief.
To remain persistent, to withstand all tests, to maintain the right attitude, special methods help, which we will discuss later.
True hunger or emotional?
How can you determine what kind of hunger you are experiencing? Well, there are clear differences between the two types of hunger. True hunger is a feeling that grows gradually. True hunger can be satisfied by any food, and when you are full, you can easily stop.
In addition, after eating, you most likely will not feel guilty or associate the food you just ate with a negative experience (although this varies from person to person).
Emotional hunger, on the contrary, has a more complex mechanism. It comes on suddenly and can be caused by an emotional state (stress, anxiety) or provoked by boredom. With emotional hunger, a person, as a rule, craves certain foods, does not experience a feeling of satisfaction when full, and eats mindlessly. At the same time, he may experience feelings of guilt, regret, shame and even depression.1
Techniques to suppress hunger
To dull the feeling of hunger during a diet, you need to follow a diet, eliminate snacks, choose low-calorie foods, spend more time in the sun and fill the day with interesting and exciting activities.
Little tricks
To help you feel full faster:
- small plates - visually the portion, occupying the entire area, will seem larger;
- cups instead of glasses - drink in small sips;
- optical increase in volume - lettuce, cut into large pieces, a leaf of fresh herbs added to the sandwich.
We are constantly under the influence of bad habits that prevent us from progressing. Thus, wanting to give up eating bread, one is haunted by a feeling of lack of something. Take a cucumber or tomato in your hand, eat porridge or soup with them, using vegetables as useful psychological substitutes for bread.
Be careful when you eat:
- set the table beautifully;
- eat while sitting, and not standing, and certainly not in front of the TV or a book;
- eat slowly, chew food, and take a short break in the middle of the meal;
- Do not drink liquids during or immediately after meals.
All these tricks will help you feel full faster.
Warm water
When you are absorbed in what you love, burning with creative inspiration, you even forget about food. Here you don’t even have to block your appetite. But, if you still feel a craving for forbidden foods at inopportune times, do not rush to indulge your whims, but drink a glass of water.
Please note that the water should be warm, somewhat warmer than body temperature. Hot liquid causes a feeling of fullness in the stomach and interrupts the need for food.
You need to drink a lot during the day, at least 2 liters. We are talking about ordinary water. Neither tea, nor coffee, nor soups are taken into account in this calculation.
In between meals, drink small sips of water - the desire to eat will subside.
Water cleanses the body, removes toxins, fights dehydration, eliminates swelling, speeds up metabolism and promotes weight loss.
Frequent meals
There should be three main meals, but if you can't stand it, add two more snacks.
But it shouldn’t be buns, crackers, or chips.
With three full meals a day, snacks should be light. For example,
- dried fruits;
- fresh fruits or vegetables (carrots, apples, pears);
- nuts.
Give up the habit of grabbing while running. Learn to have a hearty breakfast in the morning. Instead of a cup of coffee without anything, eat hot porridge with fruit, toast and even a piece of pie (in the morning you can). Then it will be easier to move until lunch.
It is more difficult to fight in the evening, when you are relaxing after a working day. Here comes an irresistible desire to pamper yourself with something, especially something sweet. These sensations can be deceived by vanilla. Smell the aromatic spice. The satiety center will receive positive information, and hunger will subside.
Another option is a piece of dark chocolate when you really can’t bear it. The reception is good in the initial stages.
Low calorie foods
Weight loss occurs when you burn more calories than you consume. To do this, you need to switch to a low-calorie diet, giving up:
- fatty foods;
- fried foods;
- eating pork.
Choose low-fat fish and dietary meat (rabbit, veal, turkey). Cooking methods include boiling and steaming.
Make sure your diet is complete, including proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Distributing them like this:
- the first meal is carbohydrate - porridge, cereals;
- second - vegetables, legumes (need fiber);
- third, protein - meat, fish, seafood with vegetables.
Don't mix carbohydrates with proteins. Namely, eat porridge with vegetables, not meat. Also eat meat and fish dishes with vegetable salads.
And then you will eat tasty, satisfying food, while losing weight.
Physical activity
Another way to pacify the awakened desire to eat. There are many options for physical education. It could be:
- morning or evening jogging;
- complex of yoga asanas;
- rocking the press;
- walking at an active pace.
By filling your time with sports, you will take your mind off thoughts about food - on the one hand, and on the other hand, you will spend energy and burn the calories you ate before. At the same time, you will be saturated with oxygen, stimulate the muscles to work, which will increase the elasticity of the skin, tighten the stomach, and improve the curves of the figure.
Staying in the sun
Physiologists have found that vitamin D is involved in regulating fat metabolism in the body. It monitors fat production at the cellular level. The more of this vitamin, the more intense the metabolism and burning of fat reserves.
Everyone knows that vitamin D is directly related to the sun.
Hence the conclusion: Sunbathing promotes weight loss.
Just don't overdo it. Everything is good in moderation. The most effective is the morning natural “solarium”, when the rays do not burn, but caress. In time it is from dawn to 12 o'clock. Then:
- mood improves;
- health improves;
- appetite decreases;
- the figure is tightened.
Later you should hide in the shadows.
Eat garlic and ginger
These foods, according to nutritionists, dull the feeling of hunger. And if chewing garlic at work is unlikely to work, then drinking water with ginger root throughout the day is not difficult at all.
The effectiveness of this spice, by the way, has been proven experimentally. According to the study Ginger consumption enhances the thermic effect of food and promotes feelings of satiety without affecting metabolic and hormonal parameters in overweight men: a pilot study from Columbia University, ginger reduces hunger and accelerates the process of satiety during subsequent meals.
How to satisfy hunger without food using traditional methods
Herbal teas and decoctions have different qualities, having one or another effect on the human body. There are also those that help overcome increased gluttony.
Decoction of mint and parsley
Mint in any form is an excellent way to satisfy hunger without food. It could be:
- mint-flavored toothpaste - regular brushing of teeth suppresses the desire to “intercept” something;
- mouth rinse that is easy to make at home. Add 30 drops of mint tincture (sold in pharmacies) into a glass of boiled water. Use after every meal and you will feel full longer;
- warm tea with fresh mint leaves and a slice of lemon - they are good for blocking the evening desire to eat;
- mint sprigs are a life-saving remedy in extreme cases, when you absolutely need to hold out until lunch. Chew some fresh herbs and get a reprieve for an hour.
Parsley works similarly. It can be brewed (pour and boil for 15 minutes) and drunk as tea or chewed on the leaves.
Honey-lemon mixture
Warm water with a slice of lemon should be included in your daily diet on an ongoing basis. We talked about the benefits of warm water above, and lemon is a source of vitamin C and citric acid, which promote the breakdown of fats.
Honey has a calming, relaxing effect, and also provides glucose, which, when entering the blood, sends a signal to the hypothalamus about satiety. A glass of water with lemon and honey before bed will help you get through the night peacefully.
How to cope with hunger at home? Science-Based Approaches
It is important to be able to determine what type of hunger you are experiencing. It is also important to choose the right action - to approach the fight against this hunger in the right way. It's also worth noting that the methods you use to combat true hunger may not be the same as those you use to deal with emotional hunger (and vice versa). Much will depend on the specific situation.
We will separate the methods and tell you about the need to take different actions when you feel different types of hunger. However, this does not mean that you cannot combine them with each other, because these methods can replace each other. After all, they target the same sensation: hunger. Only the reasons that cause this feeling are different.
Drink some water
The body often confuses hunger with thirst. If it is no longer possible to drink clean water, add lemon, mint, and lime to it. In addition, you can drink tea. There are few calories in it, but it will definitely calm your stomach.
To conduct the experiment, scientists selected 50 overweight women and asked them to drink 500 ml (two glasses) of water three times a day. They ate as usual.
After eight weeks, the girls noticed that their appetite had decreased. They began to consume fewer calories and lost extra pounds. The average weight loss during this period was approximately 1.5 kilograms.
