Learn how to start getting rid of hunger to lose weight

People tell us all the time that stopping eating is a good option for losing weight, but is that true? What does science say about it? In this article, you will find the answer to this question. Is it useful to stop eating to lose weight and reduce hunger? Is it reasonable to follow a diet? Surely you've heard or deduced that the best method to losing weight is to stop eating or to go on a diet.

But is it true? Is it healthy for our bodies to stop eating? Can we continue to maintain a healthy and desirable figure in this way? How effective is the diet?

Stay and find out! In this new article, we will respond to these concerns and let you know the best way to reduce your caloric intake to lose weight and decrease your appetite to improve your lifestyle.

By consuming more calories than we expend through our metabolism, we gain weight. That happens for several reasons: We eat foods in large quantities, foods high in sugars, or abundant meals to satiate ourselves. Similarly, the opposite may occur: When we eat fewer calories than we process, we tend to lose weight.

Despite the belief that body mass is the best indicator to establish whether or not we are leading a healthy lifestyle, this is not entirely true: Many factors influence our weight and condition the increase or decrease of this, without representing an excess of caloric intake.

 For example, if you do high-powered muscle training, you tend to consume more calories through your basal metabolism, usually resulting in fat loss and increased muscle mass. That is why they say that you can look thinner even if you keep the same weight. Because fat takes up three times the muscle volume, so 1 kg of muscle will examine and take up much less space than one kg of fat tissue.

To achieve a balanced diet, increase metabolism, and decrease appetite, we must begin to understand our body and seek to know it until we reach an in-depth knowledge of our body and our metabolism. 

Every person is different!

How to reduce hunger to lose weight 

We have to understand that appetite is the need to consume food to maintain balance, while hunger is a defense mechanism that alerts the body when there is a need for nutrients. Although it may not seem so, they are different concepts. To reduce hunger, we must follow specific steps that I can list below:

Reduce portions

We must gradually reduce the amount we put on our plate (a little each day). In this way, we will dominate the sensation of hunger progressively until it disappears almost completely. 

Eat more times during the day.

Although it may not seem so, eating 5 to 6 times during the day helps to decrease appetite, speed up metabolism, produce satiety, and decrease anxiety. 

Use smaller plates

Use smaller plates. That will give us the feeling that we are eating a more considerable amount of food and getting full more quickly. This advice is directly related to the mind. The less food we see, the less food we feel like eating.

Practice intermittent fasting 

Intermittent fasting (essential). Starting to practice this feeding pattern will help us to reduce our appetite little by little. This technique consists of stopping eating for periods and feeding ourselves only outside of these. These spaces where we can eat are called "windows." 

According to a study conducted by Dr. Monique Tello and published in the Harvard Health magazine, intermittent fasting effectively loses weight and helps prevent diabetes. 

Don't buy on an empty stomach.

It would be best if you did not go to the store on an empty stomach (always eat first as it increases our appetite). If we go to the home shopping with hunger, this will encourage us to buy foods that we do not need, many times high in calories and sugars, which will hinder our goal of having a balanced diet. Remember to keep your stomach full before going shopping! 

Drink plenty of water 

It would help if you had adequate hydration: Keep drinking water during the day, as thirst will sometimes be confused with hunger, and will produce anxiety. Avoid drinking juices or liquids-rich in calories, and remember to drink at least 2 liters of water a day. 

According to a study conducted by Dr. Simon N. Thornton for the journal Frontiers of Nutrition concluded that increased water intake facilitates clear and consistent weight loss over time. 

Chew your food 

Yes, as you read it right, chewing food properly helps decrease appetite. Because our nervous system takes longer to assimilate than our stomach has filled, besides, by chewing well, food stays in contact with the taste buds for longer, which will promote the feeling of fullness and send the same message to the satiety center in the brain. 

Be aware of what you eat.

If you practice conscious feeding, you will help decrease hunger and increase the feeling of satiety. By being aware of what you eat, you will learn to know your body, and you will get results according to your goal.

Include ginger in your life

Ginger is an appetite suppressant. Although many studies confirmed this effect, a study by a group of scientists found that ginger increases thermogenesis and reduces the feeling of hunger and that drinking hot water (infused) with 2 grams of ginger powder after meals curbed post-meal appetite. 

You may be interested in "20 benefits and properties of ginger that few people know". 

Sleep at least 7 hours 

If you sleep at least seven hours, you will avoid feeling hungry all day: If you do not sleep properly for at least seven hours a day, the feeling of hunger increases by 25%. 

Avoid stress 

Stress is a huge appetite stimulant: The body secretes excess cortisol under stressful conditions, which increases hunger and food cravings. It also decreases the secretion of the plenitude hormone peptide. If you learn to reduce your stress, you will protect yourself against food cravings and cortisol's harmful effects. 

Use acupressure 

Ancient secret of digitopuncture: pressing your nose or a specific part of your mouth using the pressure points in this area helps to stop cravings (I leave a video explaining this below) 

You may be interested in "Hidden mysteries of acupressure."

Eat in a well-lit place. 

You have to make sure that the dining room is well lit with a bright light, as dim light makes you prone to eat much more. 

Use blue plates 

Try changing the dish's color to blue: recent research shows that the color blue is a natural appetite suppressant since it is challenging to find foods in this color's nature. Orange, yellow, and red colors stimulate the appetite and will make you eat much more. 

Wait  

Waiting makes the appetite go away: Don't rush to eat when you're hungry. Instead, distract yourself with something for 15 minutes, like taking a walk. 

Drink coffee 

Coffee is a great enemy of craving: Decaffeinated coffee can contain hunger and produce satiety. The most recent research has not yet confirmed its mechanism of action to reduce cravings.

 It has been demonstrated that you increase the peptide hormone YY in the intestine if you drink coffee. This hormone is associated with satiety and plays an essential role in determining how much you want to eat. 

These small steps will go a long way towards our goal of eliminating hunger to lose weight. But in this article, we will do a more in-depth analysis of how to start reducing our cravings and thus decrease our appetite effectively. Like all living things, we are influenced and dominated by our metabolism. The metabolism will be the one that governs our lives, our need, and the calories we burn and consume with exercise and the basal metabolism: It is the one that decides if we are thin or obese. But how can we know what kind of metabolism we have? It's quite simple, and I'll explain it to you below! 

How can I know boost metabolism and suppress appetite?

As we said before, three (3) biotypes regulate our metabolism: Endomorphic, Ectomorphic, and Mesomorphic, each one of them will tell us what considerations we must follow to achieve our desired body. 

Endomorphic 

If you are Ectomorphic, you are thin; or you tend to be of a slim figure and almost no volume in your stomach, and you tend to have accelerated metabolism. That is why the amount of food you consume probably will not influence your weight. Likewise, your appetite will always be under control. No matter how much you eat, you will still keep your body shape. However, gaining muscle will be difficult since you don't prepare your body for muscular hypertrophy. 

Endomorphic

If you are Endomorphic, it will be easy for you to visualize it. This type of metabolism usually accumulates fat in the abdominal region; you tend to gain weight very quickly, which is why you must be careful when you eat and properly regulate the type of food you eat. Women with this biotype tend to have more appetite. 

Mesomorphic

For Mesomorphs, it will be effortless to gain muscle mass; compared to the other two types, it will be a little easier for them to reach their goal: a detailed and desirable physique for everyone! A body characterizes the Mesomorph type with a characteristic athletic and sporty nature (Besides, their appetite varies according to the physical activity they perform). We give you more complete and detailed information about these metabolisms in the article "How to lose weight without exercising and dieting." 

According to your genetics, you already know the three (3) biotypes, knowing your biotype serves as a guide to know what measures to take and what steps to follow. In short, they help you to understand your body better.

However, it does not necessarily mean that you will get results just by having a certain biotype: you must establish good eating habits and exercise routines according to the established goal, to achieve the body you want. To do this, you must observe what type of foods you are consuming daily.

Believe it or not, many times, the foods that you least consider make you gain weight are the ones that do it. Because sometimes, you consume more food than you need, which translates into more calories, and because you carry the label "healthy," you think you can eat massive amounts when you can't.

But don't worry! It's a common mistake made by women looking to improve their lifestyle, and we can correct it over time. In this blog, we seek to help you improve your figure through useful and practical advice. Now then, already knowing all the above, we ask ourselves. 

Is hunger good for weight loss?

 Like everything in life, food is neither good nor terrible. It's all about bringing a balance and equilibrium that you must learn to execute! We have sown the thought that if we don't eat, we start losing weight, but how true is that? Keep reading this article to find the answer. 

Remember that living a healthy lifestyle does not mean that you should stop eating the foods you like or crave. It is about balancing the portions of what you eat to not exceed in calories, and in case you want to lose weight, to achieve a healthy calorie deficit that will allow you to reach that goal.

 We associate weight with calories; calories are the main characters that make us gain or lose weight, but why? Well, they are the source of energy that drives the body to perform its essential functions, and, by having an increase or decrease in its consumption, fat is accumulated or lost. Imagine a gasoline tank for a car; it needs the necessary fuel for its operation for it to work.

We supply this fuel in a container that holds it; the more massive it is, the more fuel it can keep, but what if the container is full? Well, it begins to accumulate energy in unwanted places, in this case, in your body in the form of fat. Just like a balloon when you supply it with water - that's your body! If you give it lots of calories, it expands and grows. The fewer calories it has, the less it expands and grows. With this in mind, we wonder: 

What is hunger? 

Hunger is an intense sensation that induces eating, should not be confused with appetite, which is the need to eat to maintain the body's balance. It can be considered a defense mechanism that alerts the body when there is a need for essential nutrients. 

We can then say that hunger is that sensation that forces us to eat until we are satiated. By nature, all conscious living beings feel the need to eat; however, we must be clear about one thing: Hunger cannot only be produced by a long period without eating. Factors such as stress, anxiety, among others, can also create it. 

Hunger is a response that sends your nervous system from your stomach to your brain, that indicator warns you when the organism is consuming its own accumulated energy, just like the gas tank for the car! However, this feeling can be influenced and controlled by other factors already mentioned.

If you are someone who enjoys eating sugars and fast food, every time your stomach digests, which happens after two (2) or four (4) hours, your brain will demand more of these supplies to get a response from your body that triggers a reaction of pleasure and satiety. Now, should we take off our hunger to lose weight? Then you will get the answer. 

Staying hungry is not bad! 

Hunger means that your body needs a certain amount of food to get calories and keep it functioning correctly. However, the body can withstand long periods of fasting. 

What is fasting? It is the period you spend without having eaten any food. Recent studies have shown that the human body can use Autophagy in a beneficial way, but what is this? It is a natural mechanism of regeneration that occurs in our body at the cellular level.

Thus, cells use Autophagy to get rid of damaged proteins and organelles, which are the different structures in the cytoplasm of a cell. For more information regarding this, you may be interested in visiting our other article on Autophagy in Intermittent Fasting. So. If we have such an ability. 

Why do I feel hungry quite often? 

When you consume a large amount of food or food with high caloric density, your brain will create a habit or 'memory' and ask you to feed your stomach the same amount of food until you feel full. Has it ever happened to you that you eat ice cream, chocolate, or a specific dessert that has amazed you?

You will indeed feel like eating it again and again, and this will generate an endless chain! Your body and mind will become addicted to that specific food and will want to consume it in greater quantity and frequency.

That is why you must learn to manage your habits, the foods you eat, and the amount you eat to achieve a balance and equilibrium that will allow you to have a good health state. If you have problems to satisfy your appetite and decrease your hunger, we have a solution for you! Several foods will make you lose weight and reduce the feeling of hunger and anxiety! 

What to eat to get rid of hunger? Twelve healthy foods to satisfy your appetite and lose weight! 

When we think of food, we associate meal intake with gaining or losing weight. However, if you consume some of these foods frequently and in moderate amounts, you will lose those pounds you desire so much!

Eggs 

Eggs are delicious and healthy and have a lot of energy and nutrients that will help you be always active and fit! Eggs are among the most nutritionally valuable foods because of the large number of essential nutrients they contain. We recommend combining eggs with wholemeal bread and a little bit of cheese, a delicious breakfast, or dinner! It is one of the foods rich in fiber. Therefore, take the maximum advantage of it. 

Avocado 

Despite being a food with high fat and calorie content, and having numerous retractors, avocado is an excellent food since it provides many health benefits, has an outstanding contribution of vitamin E, and promotes the hydration of cells. It also has Omega 3 fatty acids that benefit the circulation and the sight and the brain as well as Vitamin A, C, D, E, B6, B12, and K. 

Avocado protects our immune system, improving the response of our cognitive and nervous systems. We invite you to include it in your diet.

You may be interested in "Properties and benefits of avocado."

Apple

The apple is one of the best-known fruits in the world. It is the main character of all fruits and healthy foods.

And how to deny it! It has excellent vitamins and natural compounds that help your body stay healthy, plus they contain a shallow level of glucose (sugar), but sweet enough to calm the craving for such foods.

Besides, studies reveal that eating apples improves your metabolism significantly, making you digest much better and more adequately.

Oatmeal

Oats are considered a hearty food in our diet; it feels good when eaten, not by chance. Oatmeal contains numerous antioxidants with properties researched and proven by the scientific community. It contains fiber, which helps improve intestinal function and regulate bowel habits. 

Oatmeal also provides essential minerals for your body, such as copper, zinc, iron, folic acid, vitamin B1, B complex, and calcium. And all this in a very compact way: in low quantity and providing very few calories.

Green Tea

This drink is an excellent antioxidant and an ally when dieting. You will feel younger and more full of life! It has almost no calories, so it suits you.

Nuts

nuts are a quick and easy way to improve your nutritional status and boost your energy levels. Best of all, they require no preparation. Besides being quite tasty, portable, and easy to consume and digest, they benefit the heart and against cardiovascular diseases.

On the other hand, apple consumption helps you to lower the risk of certain cancers and a decreased risk of mortality from any cause. 

Carrot

It helps to combat constipation thanks to its high fiber content. Besides, it calms gastric discomfort and excess acidity due to mineral salts such as sodium, chlorine, potassium, and B-complex vitamins it contains.

It also strengthens nails and hair, to which it adds shine. Carrot stem cells are rich in beta-carotene, also called provitamin A, which in the body is transformed into retinol or vitamin A, which are beneficial for your skin.

Dark chocolate

Are you surprised? Dark chocolate is a good ally if you want to lose weight! Surprisingly for most people, this food contains healthy fatty acids and many antioxidants that help you lose weight. It also serves to calm anxiety. 

You may be interested in "10 health benefits of chocolate that you didn't know."

Vegetables

Vegetables are naturally the best supplement for us. They bring beneficial nutrients in all aspects, do not have many calories, help you be satiated, always healthy, and increase your disease resistance.

Considering all of the above, we will run to prepare ourselves to start a healthy routine with lifestyle changes but wait. We haven't told you one last thing to keep in mind when forming a new lifestyle!

How to take away the cravings?

Food anxiety is a formidable adversary that we must deal with when proposing a change in our diet or lifestyle. But with effort and willpower, you can overcome it! Bad moods, negative feelings, and repetitive thinking feed the anxiety.

To avoid this, you should look for activities that make you forget the problems of everyday life. Try a walk outdoors, ride a bike, read a book, or do strength exercises!

How can we detect that we are addicts to junk food?

Lack of control

By not eating what we are used to, we begin to feel uncomfortable, upset, and give in to anger. Taking out our anger on everyone else (The lack of control does not stop until we satiate our hunger.)

Obsession

By not eating these foods, you will always think about what you will eat and when you will eat.

Blame

When you eat something inside, you are still aware of what you are doing. That is why you feel a sense of irresponsibility and guilt because you are hurting yourself. 

You need to eat more and more.

Despite having eaten the necessary amount of food to satisfy yourself, you instinctively feel the need to keep eating. That is the most significant warning factor to suggest that you are developing an addiction.

You must be careful to meet your goals! Otherwise, this will prevent you from reaching your desired destination. 

So how do we get rid of cravings? The answer is not so simple. We all have a different body and metabolism. Even so, with effort and dedication, you can manage to overcome the anxiety of eating.

Try to introduce small changes in your diet and lifestyle as the days go by, don't force things. Changes require time, dedication, and effort.

Little by little, introduce the foods we presented to you in this article, and you will see how sooner or later your body and mind adapt to that new lifestyle. It's all a matter of habit.

Change from classic milk or high sugar chocolates to dark chocolate with >70% cocoa. It will provide you with antioxidants, keep you satiated, and decrease your anxiety.

On the other hand, chewing gum can considerably reduce anxiety. The gum decreases your appetite, possibly chewing gum a good time will help you a lot. However, you have to do it with moderation since it can fill you up with gas and swell your abdomen.

Also, drinking water every time you eat (and during the meal) increases the likelihood of reducing weight. 

Drink plenty of water, too! One of the things we don't know is that sometimes we tend to confuse thirst with hunger. Appetite is deceptive. Drinking water when we feel thirsty is a great trick to alleviate that feeling! Did you not know that? Try it, and you will see significant changes in your life!

Conclusion

There are several methods to achieve weight loss, maintain good body shape, and improve health status.

Stopping eating is not an option; on the contrary, you should eat more times in small quantities, nutritious and balanced foods that provide all the diet requirements. You can eat foods rich in fiber that bring benefits, and they don't harm you. Also, our organism does not assimilate the fiber and expel it when evacuating. That is why they denominate them empty calories (they don't fatten).

Try to change that habit of life for one more vegetarian. We recommend eating integral bread (in moderation), vegetables, adding milky defatted, and fish. You will feed yourself, and you will lose weight at the same time!

Remember that all this requires time, patience, perseverance, and dedication. Don't expect to notice changes overnight. Look at the time as an ally and not as an enemy. Give time to time, and you will see that you will be able to feel, in a few days, considerable changes in your organism! 

You will get the weight and shape you want!