Cakes, pastries, cookies, sandwiches, burgers, fries, pizza buns…wherever you turn, all you see is the food! How do you even begin thinking about weight loss? There are some steps and tips you can follow to ensure a successful weight loss journey.
Many crave sugary foods. This is because eating a sugary food releases the amino acid tryptophan into the brain, where it binds to endorphin receptors. Our body then proceeds to produce serotonin, the chemical that make you feel happy – which explains the "addictive" nature of sweets. The solution? Take a dose of chromium each day to stabilize blood sugar levels.
Get some sleep
Another way to curb your appetite is to regularly get good sleep. When we need a short-term spark of energy, we crave simple sugars and white carbohydrates.They give us a nice little bump when we're tired, and if we have at least a little sleep, this can work for a little while. But it is unsustainable. If we instead get enough sleep, we will not be so easily tempted to eat junk food. In addition, sleep lowers anxiety, releasing hormones that raise the body's metabolism.
Eat well
Certain diets can affect how hungry your body feels. Along with the three main meals, you should eat a snack each day. Control your portion size at each meal, and avoid foods like bread, potatoes and pasta. Instead, equip yourself with proteins that will make you feel more full; these include beans, tuna and chicken or turkey meat.
Snacks will help you to keep hunger under control and prevent the rampage of blood sugar. Choose healthy snacks, such as fruits and nuts. This will give your body the necessary vitamins and minerals and omega-3 fatty acids.
Give yourself a break
Finally, remember that you do not always need to be ascetic about your weight loss. You must be prepared for the time when you will eventually give in and reach for pizza, milk chocolate or a nice warm pastry from the bakery. Make room for your self to take that kind of break from your diet from time to time, and do not be too hard on yourself when you do. It is better to afford the occasional luxury food than to constantly fall for them and spin out into a vicious cycle of guilt.
Five foods to curb your appetite
The abundance of food at the holidays has the potential to leave you a little heavier leading into the new year. Uncontrolled intake of delicious snacks can cause your waistline to expand. Even if you wanted to reduce the size of your meals, your appetite remains large. Knowing how to curb your appetite and treat your body well with a clean diet will help you choose foods wisely.
Many nutritionists do not recommend going on a rigorous diet to remove accumulated holiday pounds, since starving your body is both unhealthy and usually does not yield a positive outcome. Indeed, if you subject your body to a drastic diet, it may fight back with a weakened immune system and malaise, thus becoming more susceptible to the flu and the common cold. Cleansing the body is definitely necessary, though, so here are a few foods you can choose to help you curb your appetite.
Bananas
One banana contains around 450 mg of potassium, which helps to remove excess water from the body. Natural sugars fructose, sucrose and glucose are an excellent source of energy for our body, and consuming bananas helps suppress a false sense of hunger that often leads to consuming forbidden snacks. Bananas are also rich in fiber, which is key to speeding up your metabolism.
Cereals
Another great food for curbing your appetite is cereal. Whole-grain cereals are best friends of digestion and satiety due to the abundance of dietary fiber, which reduces the feeling of hunger. Vegetable fibers in barley and oats have beneficial effects on the reduction of cholesterol levels, while all grains contain pentoses, which is mucus that has a laxative effect and regulates blood sugar.
Grapefruit
Eating a grapefruit a day can help you lose at least a pound a week. The grapefruit contains a hormone that lowers insulin. The fruit is also a good source of protein, and is 90 percent water. This will fill you up faster, keeping you from eating more.
Green tea
Drinking green tea is a great way to curb your appetite. You should indulge at least three times a day because the main ingredient of green leaves is catechin. Catechin speeds up the burning of calories – and thus fat – by 40 percent.
Cinnamon
This popular holiday spice is desirable to insert into the diet where possible. A pinch of cinnamon daily sprinkled on fruit or milk regulates the one of the biggest triggers of hunger in the body – insulin. Cinnamon also reduces cholesterol in the body.
Legumes
Beans, peas and broad beans: Select your favorite legumes and consume for the main meal, after which you will feel full for at least four horus. Beans are called the "meat of the poor" because they contain a rich protein composition, have a low glycemic index and are packed with a high mineral and vitamin content.
There are many different techniques and ways to curb your appetite. Take the time to implement these tips, and your appetite won't know what hit it.