How To Trick Yourself Into Feeling Full?

If you could feel full for longer, you’d find it so much easier to lose weight. In this article, Beauty and Tips takes a look at how to trick yourself into feeling full.

Ah, if only! If only we could feel full for longer, we wouldn’t eat so much. We’d lose weight faster and feel so much better about ourselves. You know how it is. It’s the middle of the night and you’re starving. It’s impossible to sleep. All you can think about is your rumbling stomach and all that great food that’s in the fridge, begging to be eaten: Pizza, ice cream, candy and CHEESECAKE OMG. It isn’t just late at night when this happens. It’s throughout the afternoon, too. Sometimes it seems that you never feel full enough. It sucks, we know. Fortunately, there is a way of tricking yourself into feeling full. It sounds crazy, but hear us out on this one because it is possible. And here is how:

Eat A Pre Meal

Without a pre meal, we go into the proper meal feeling absolutely starving. And this is not cool, because when we go into a meal feeling like this, we invariably end up eating all the food. A pre meal doesn’t have to be huge, and neither does it have to put you off your appetite. It just needs to be suitably healthy and filling enough so that you don’t overeat. We suggest nibbling at a plate of fibre-rich fruit vegetables that are also loaded with water, such as lettuce, cucumbers, apples and avocado. Soup is also a good choice, as it can make you feel a bit fuller so that you don’t consume as much calories during the proper meal later on. It’s best to order for pureed, thick soups, such as tomato and pepper. However, we would avoid stocking up on buttered bread, as both can help you pile on more pounds than you wanted. They’ll make you feel full, sure, but think of those calories!

Sleep More

We know what you’re thinking: “I would sleep more if only I could stop tossing and turning in bed at night because my stomach is grumbling!!” The problem might have been caused in the first place by a lack of sleep and erratic, inconsistent sleeping patterns. When we don’t sleep enough, ghrelin – the so-called hunger hormone – runs wild, while leptin – the so-called fullness hormones – is suppressed. As a result, we tend to feel starving hungry at the most annoying times – including in the middle of the night. The secret to feeling full isn’t simply sleeping more, but it’s a big part of it. If you’re the kind of person who goes to bed early but can’t sleep, it’s important to find out the root cause of this. Maybe you’re drinking too much caffeine during the day, perhaps you’ve got too much on your mind, or maybe you turn off your distractions – such as emails and social media – too close to bed time. Either way, a great way to clear your mind and prepare yourself for sleep is by meditating.

Snack The Smart Way

A lot of dieters wrongly assume that, just because they’re now trying to lose weight, they can’t snack anymore. However, this is counter intuitive, as not snacking when you’re feeling hungry will leave you feeling even hungrier when meal time comes around. As a result? Well, you’ll overeat. Instead of trying to see hunger out and hope it goes away, you should still snack – but snack smartly so that your body is convinced you’re full. The best foods for healthy snacking are nuts, seeds, berries, dried fruit and energy bars (though these latter should be taken in moderation, as they’re rich in sugar). Nuts are especially satiating, as they consist good fats, protein and fibre – nutrients that leave you feeling satisfied without piling on the pounds. Almonds are our top choice, but peanuts and cashews are good alternatives.

Drink Lots Of Water

Water is the elixir of life! So why are we having to tell you to drink more of it?! Sometimes, your body plays a trick on you to convince you that you’re hungry when you’re just thirsty. We know – how dare it! So mean. However, it does this just so that it can get some much-needed water. See, most of us get our water fix from food. Our body’s, so used to food providing its water, then has to trick you into believing you’re hungry so that it can get some water. As a result? You overeat. The next time you’re hungry at an unusual time, try drinking a glass of water and see how full it makes you feel. And from now on, drink as many as 7 glasses of water per day. It should help to keep the hunger demon at bay, while tricking your body into feeling full. Win!

Eat From A Smaller Plate

We’re all conditioned to eat from large plates because, well, science has told us that our plate is the optimum size for feeling full, right? If our plate was bigger, we’d overeat, and if it was smaller we wouldn’t eat enough, right? Sorry to break it to you, but you’ve been tricked. And now it’s time to trick your stomach. Larger plates were introduced into America in the 1960s, presumably so we could all eat more. However, it’s perfectly fine to eat from a smaller plate and still feel full – just like the Japanese do. Science didn’t decide the optimum size of a plate. In fact, there is an argument that the average dinner plate is too large and causes us to overeat. Eat from a smaller plate, clear the plate, and see if you don’t feel just as full as you do when you eat from a larger plate. Your stomach will still see an empty plate – and will feel just as accomplished. Try it!

Do you have other tips on how to trick yourself into feeling full?

Stay happy!

from Beauty And Tips Magazine