Do you ever feel like you’re always hungry? It’s strange how the body sends signals to us that tells us to eat even when we know we’re not hungry. It’s one of the main reasons why so many diets fail. People feel hunger pangs an hour after a meal or late at night. The mind tells us we’re hungry when we’re bored. Eating becomes a way to fill time, and we don’t stop eating until we’re absolutely stuffed.
Controlling hunger is hard. When you’re trying to cut calories or change the foods you eat, you’re essentially retraining your body. You have to shift your mental habits and bodily dependencies to new foods, mealtimes, and portion sizes.
Luckily, there are things you can do to control hunger. You don’t have to sit in uncomfortable feelings, struggling on the precipice of diet failure. Follow these steps to train your mind and your body faster and overcome feelings of hunger.
Drink More Water
A lot of people confuse hunger with thirst. People, especially in the United States, drink far too little water. Most of us are walking around dehydrated. When we feel a stomach growl or any sort of empty feeling in our abdomen, we immediately think of eating food when what we really need is a tall glass of water.
Try drinking more before, during, and after meals to lower hunger pangs. Drinking a lot of water is also a great way to kickstart your metabolism and reduce meal sizes. You’ll feel full faster and won’t need to eat as much. Instead of sodas or juices, carry a bottle of water around. Try to get to the point where you can drink a gallon of water each day. A nice bonus is that drinking a lot of water is also great for your skin!
Sleep
When you’re tired, it’s easy to make mistakes with your diet. It makes sense if you think about it. Typically, the time between dinner and bedtime is the longest we go without a meal. That means we’re ripe for hunger and extra calories in the form of snacks or dessert. One thing you can do to combat late-night snacking is to go to bed earlier! Get some rest to shorten the window where you can eat and struggle with whether to break your diet. You’ll also feel better in the morning and make better decisions when it comes to what you eat throughout the day. Your energy levels will be more consistent, so you won’t feel the need to grab a sugary snack or some chips for a quick energy boost. Move your bedtime up an hour or two for best results.
Impact of Peptides on Hunger
In research done on animal models, MT-2 showed that it can reduce fat storage and hunger behavior. Mice given MT–2 reduced the amount of food they ate and showed a decreased preference for fatty foods they used to love before administration. It does this by increasing effects similar to the hormone leptin, which is sometimes called the satiety hormone because it gives a feeling of fullness. More research is needed to determine future medical possibilities and possible FDA approval for human use.
Stop Taking as Many Stimulants
Reducing stimulant intake is one thing that will help control hunger. Most people are caught in this cycle of eating sugar, caffeine, unhealthy carbs, and other bad foods for their short-term benefits. It gives you a rush of energy but only keeps you there for a short time. Eventually, the body crashes, blood sugar drops, and you’re back to where you began, craving a fix. It’s a major reason why people struggle with diets. Their bodies are crying out for sugar or that bag of chips. Avoid eating or drinking stimulants as much as possible. Absolutely avoid stimulants late at night when they can keep you up longer and likely increase your calorie intake. It’s just not worth it.
Eat More Protein
People who eat more protein report feeling fuller for longer. The protein is much better for you than a lot of empty calories with little to no nutritional value. It also helps promote muscle growth. Find ways to add more protein into your diet whether it’s eating more eggs in the morning or having extra chicken instead of that rice or bread. If anything, focusing on protein intake is likely to decrease your sugar intake, which will help control cravings and stop you from eating as much junk food.
Stay Busy
Finally, you need to understand how and when you are most likely to feel hungry and cheat on your diet. Find ways to stay busy during those times to reduce the chances of failure and how much you feel like you need to eat. Take a walk during your lunch break or schedule meetings during your typical mid-afternoon snacking window. Soon, your body will stop sending those signals that you need to eat.
