When it comes to losing body fat, getting your appetite under control is a deal breaker. What a lost of people don’t realize is that feelings of hunger are tightly controlled by hormones and chemical brain messengers. Different foods directly impact levels of these messengers, affecting hunger and satiety.
Here are ten ways to increase appetite-suppressing hormones and help you keep your hunger in check.
Tip #1: Eat a high-protein diet.
Protein-rich foods like meat, eggs, and fish are satisfying because they lead to the release of hormones in the GI tract that decrease hunger and suppress appetite.
Tip #2: Avoid simple and refined carbs.
Cereal, pasta, chips, biscuits, soft drinks with added sugar are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to carb-rich foods that wreak havoc on blood sugar and insulin, stimulating hunger.
Tip #3: Low-carb doesn’t mean no-carb.
Low-carb, high-protein diets are well known for killing your appetite. But be sure to include some complex carbs in your diet (either daily or in a cyclical fashion) to signal the hypothalamus to hit the leptin reset button so you support the metabolic hormone cascade.
Tip #4: Eat protein during the day, carbs at night. Yes carbs at NIGHT
By eating higher protein meals during the day you target energizing pathways in the brain and help stabilize blood sugar, which is ideal for keeping you productive and on point with your eating. Having carbs at night will raise serotonin, which is a calming, feel good neurotransmitter that is best elevated at night. Carbs at night also helps to raises Leptin levels which aids greatly in fat loss.
Tip #5: Avoid processed foods.
Processed foods are engineered to light up reward centres in the brain and trigger your emotional “hedonistic” hunger response.
Tip #6: Pair foods that increase insulin sensitivity with higher carb foods.
Cooking with coconut oil, vinegar, spices, and lemon will all improve insulin health and enhance flavour for more delicious meals.
Tip #7: Choose a meal frequency and stick with it.
Whether eating 2, 3, or 6 times a day works for you, create structure to your eating: Eliminate random snacking, stop skipping meals, and avoid making unhealthy choices when you’re hungry.
Tip #8: Cope with your stress.
Promoting a balanced cortisol curve is key for avoiding cravings and emotionally-driven hunger. Take time to relax each day even if its 10min quiet time on your own.
Tip #9: Don’t stuff yourself.
Instead, use the Japanese approach to eating called Hara Hachi Bu, which tells you to only eat until you are 80 percent full.
Tip #10: Don’t forget to exercise!
Working out with weights or doing intervals can improve insulin sensitivity and fight stress, while raising endorphin hormones that have an appetite suppressing effect.
