Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.
We’ve all fallen victim to hunger cravings. They’re a worthy adversary who is often getting the better of you. We all feel hungry – heck, the human body is designed to get hungry at points, or else we’d forget to eat and fuel ourselves! There’s nothing wrong with giving in to hunger cravings, it just depends on when you give in to them.
Getting hungry in the morning is normal; it encourages you to start your day with a hearty breakfast. Having hunger cravings around midday is also pretty standard, but then you satisfy them with lunch. They return again in the evening, but by then you’re ready for dinner.
At these three points, you’re eating your regularly scheduled meals. The problems stem from hunger cravings between meals. You’re hungry earlier than you should be, which encourages you to start snacking. A little snack here and there won’t seem like much, but by the end of the day, you’ve eaten so much extra between your meals. It adds more calories to your total input, which usually results in you struggling to lose weight – or maybe you start gaining some!
Feeling constantly hungry is one of the biggest reasons people can’t maintain weight loss, so what can you do about it? You need to prevent hunger cravings between meals without eating too much food. It’s a tough balancing act, though here are a few suggestions to keep your cravings at arm’s length:
Eat Protein & Fibre With Every Meal
An easy way to fill out your meals without adding too many additional calories is through protein and fibre. Both are known to keep you fuller for longer as it takes the body a long time to digest these nutrients. They sit in your stomach for more time, so you get the feeling of fullness less frequently.
Try to include a main protein source with every meal while also getting some fibre. Vegetables and legumes are excellent sources of fibre that can be added to most meals. Fruit is another thing that packs a fibrous punch, as are grains. Protein sources include things like meats, soy-based protein chunks, eggs, dairy and much more.
Breakfast is the biggest culprit when it comes to not getting enough protein or fibre. Try a breakfast of Greek yoghurt with a sprinkling of granola, and a low-fat protein shake on the side. You’ll be amazed how much fuller you are and the cravings don’t come until lunch.
Get More Sleep
Did you know that a lack of sleep could cause constant hunger cravings while you’re awake? It feels like a stretch, but the Sleep Foundation reports that not getting enough sleep leads to an imbalance in our appetite regulation hormones.
Primarily, we’re dealing with leptin and ghrelin. Leptin sends signals to the brain to tell you that you’re full while ghrelin makes you feel hungry. If you don’t get enough quality sleep, you start overproducing ghrelin while leptin production decreases. In other words, your hormones are making you feel hungrier, which is why you keep reaching for snacks.
Get more sleep every night and this could help you feel less hungry. As the cravings subside, you’re able to regulate your appetite and avoid excessive snacking, making it easier to lose weight and maintain it.
Try Weight Loss Medication
You’ve most likely seen lots of weight loss supplements available online, but most of them don’t work. Never fall for any supplements that claim to help you burn more calories or lose weight. However, you can find prescribed weight loss medicine that’s backed by years of scientific research.
It’s not prescribed to everyone and you will need a consultation to obtain it. And yet, this medication could hold the key you’re after. It works by suppressing the hormones that make you feel hungry – like ghrelin – so you can remain in control of your diet. You still need to eat healthily and maintain a calorie deficit to lose weight, but this medication acts as an aid for those who struggle to stop feeling hungry.
Aside from these three ideas, think about when you have your meals. Don’t eat too early in the evening or you’ll be hungry before bed. Also, having snacks can control hunger cravings too; just be sure you eat healthy snacks. A portion of fruit between meals is perfectly fine – avoid things like crisps, cakes, biscuits and other stuff that’s full of extra calories. If you learn to control your hunger cravings, you will eat less food and open the door to lose weight with ease.
