If you want to lose fat, spending an extended period of time in a calorie deficit is a must. Dieting is non-negotiable. When in a deficit, it is normal to experience some hunger. Feeling hungry is out of your control, but the degree of how hungry you get is largely in your control. In this article, I am going to provide you with 5 tips for minimizing hunger during the diet process, so that you can have a mostly pain free, fat loss phase.
Tip 1 High Volume/Low Calorie Foods are King
During a fat loss phase, put a heavy emphasis on foods that are large in volume, compared to the amount of calories they contain. These foods are great because they take up a lot of space in your stomach leaving you feeling full. Take broccoli for example, you can eat a ridiculous amount of it for almost no calories. The same goes for a fruit like watermelon. High volume/low calorie foods should be eaten at every meal.
Here are my top high volume / low calorie food options
-Strawberries
-Popcorn
-Broccoli
-Water Melon
-Pickles
-oatmeal
-Potatoes
Tip 2 Eat lots of fiber
Fibrous foods are an excellent way to curb hunger when dieting. On top of being filling, fiber has the added benefit of being really good for you. Very few people consume enough fiber which is unfortunate because it has massive health benefits. Fiber has been found to decrease the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. In fact, a Meta-analysis (meaning not just one study, but many studies) found that every time you increase your fiber consumption by 10 grams you reduce your risk of total mortality by 16%! So consume as much fiber as you can to stay full and healthy.
Tip 3- Eat more lean protein
Just like with fiber, lean proteins are filling, which makes them nearly impossible to over-consume. Seriously, if you don’t believe me, try eating as many plain chicken breasts as you can. I would be shocked if you were able to eat more than 1.5 or maybe 2. Any food that is hard to over-consume is a good choice when dieting. Every meal you eat should have a decent sized portion of protein with it.
Tip 4- Replace liquid foods with solid foods
Protein shakes are awesome, but when dieting, solid foods are the way to go. One major benefit of solid foods is they take longer to consume. If your calories are limited, it’s preferable for your meals to last longer. This is helpful from a psychological standpoint as well because it can be demoralizing when you consume a meal you’ve been looking forward to in 30 seconds. So instead of having a protein shake every morning, go with oatmeal with protein powder mixed in, Greek yogurt or an egg white omelet.
Tip 5- Get enough sleep
There are two important hormones that affect your hunger levels. The first is Ghrelin, also known as the hunger hormone, and it is responsible for hunger signaling. The second is leptin and its job is to reduce hunger. When you don’t get enough sleep, your Ghrelin levels will rise and your leptin levels will fall. In other words, you’re going to be more hungry than usual after a night of poor sleep. To avoid this, aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
Fat loss is challenging so don’t make it any harder than it needs to be. Follow these steps to make the process as pain free as possible and if you need any help along the way, be sure to reach out!