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Natural Appetite Control
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Natural appetite control can be achieved simply by eating the proper foods at the proper times and staying hydrated.
Appetite and craving control shouldn't require the use of unhealthy appetite control supplements!
There is not one magical appetite control food either. Your patterns of eating and consistency in eating are key.
My Professional Advice for Healthy Natural Appetite Control
1. Eat within 1 hour of waking and eat again every 3-4 hours thereafter.
Try this: notice what time it is when you eat your first meal and then make a "note to self" of your eating schedule for the rest of the day.
An example would look like this:
- 6:00 a.m. Breakfast
- 9:00 a.m. Snack
- 12:00 noon Lunch
- 3:00 p.m. Snack
- 7:00 p.m. Dinner
2. For natural appetite control, eat balanced meals and snacks that contain all the nutrients: carbohydrate (veggies, fruit, or grains), protein, and (healthy) fat.
A properly balanced meal helps you stay full for 3-4 hours...
...just enough until the next time you're supposed to eat.
Protein and fat both delay digestion (in a good way) and improve feelings of fullness. Including small amounts of either or both along with some good quality carbohydrate is therefore the perfect combination for natural appetite control.
Healthy Natural Appetite Control: Examples of Nutritionally Balanced Meals and Snacks
- Oatmeal and berries sprinkled with walnuts
- Lowfat cottage cheese and sliced banana topped with ground flaxseeds
- Plain yogurt with fruit and slivered almonds
- Peanut butter and banana sandwich
- Turkey sandwich with avocado slices
- Garden salad with fish or chicken and olive oil dressing
- Rolled up turkey slices spread with hummus or guacamole
- Hard boiled egg + 1 apple
- Edamame and low sodium tomato juice
- Apple slices spread with pumpkin seed butter
- Cooked fish or chicken, sweet potato, and salad with olive oil dressing
- Turkey burger on whole wheat bun
- High Protein Appetite Control Smoothie
- 1 cup water
- 1 scoop protein powder
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
Get a week's worth of balanced menu ideas here.
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Too often I hear accounts like this:
"I'm so good all day...
...I eat a small breakfast, a salad for lunch, and by 3:00 I can eat the whole kitchen."
If 3-6 p.m. is your "worst time," the time when you feel like you want to eat anything and everything, you might need to reassess what you're eating earlier in the day.
Under eating in the a.m. almost always leads to overeating in the p.m. You won't have good appetite and craving control if you eat too little early on or eat poorly balanced meals.
IMPORTANT: Healthy Natural Appetite Control
One of the most important tips to control appetite is to avoid getting overly hungry!
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Natural Appetite Control:
Physical Appetite vs Mental Appetite
There's a difference between being physically hungry and just "wanting" to eat (sometimes called "mental hunger" or "head hunger" or "emotional eating").
I like to think of your neck as the dividing line between the two.
"Neck up" appetite is usually "head hunger," and "neck down" appetite is physical hunger (think growling stomach).
Use this mindful eating food journal to get a better handle on the difference between the two.
Tips to Control Appetite: Physical Hunger
Eating regularly and eating balanced meals as mentioned above, in addition to stay hydrated are the best ways to control appetite that's physical in nature.
How much water (fluid) do you need?
Divide your weight (in pounds) by 2 and that's the number of ounces of water to shoot for everyday.
Example: If you weigh 150 pounds...
150 / 2 = 75
You should therefore drink 75 ounces of fluid (or ~ 9 cups)/day.
(Decaf) coffee or tea, unsweetened beverages and artificially sweetened beverages like Crystal Light, etc. are OK to drink, but water should be your first choice :)
Ways to Control Appetite: Mental Hunger
How to control appetite when it's mental ("I want to eat") is a bit more difficult than controlling physical appetite. It's a behavioral issue.
Planning your meals in advance can help tremendously. Knowing what and when you'll eat gives you little "stepping stones" to get through the day and it makes eating intentional vs. reactive.
Use this FREE printable food journal to plan what and when you'll eat.
I'm personally opposed to the use appetite control supplements. Whatever you do to lose weight you have to keep doing to keep it off. Taking appetite control supplements for life isn't what I'd consider healthy!
Appetite and craving control is a must if you're trying to lose weight. Bad decisions and big portions always happen when you get too hungry!
More of My Professional Advice You May Find Useful
Back to Personal Nutrition Guide Home Page.
