Appetite cheat sheet- 5 ways to get a grip on your appetite right now

If you listened to the 4 part series on where your appetite comes from, it’s a lot to think about. It can be challenging to analyze our eating so much. You may still be wondering- how do I start feeling more in control RIGHT NOW?

Today I'm sharing 5 ways to get a grip on your appetite immediately. Use these tips in combination with the 4 part series to get more clarity on why you eat, and how to happily eat less - instinctively balancing pleasure with nutrition while still getting results. 

First, start every morning with at least 30 grams of protein. It’s the breakfast of champions! There has been lots of supporting evidence but one researcher, in particular, observed some amazing stuff- participants who ate 30 g protein had decreased activity in pleasure-seeking parts of the brain that lead to cravings, AND they had higher executive functioning which makes for better decision making. The trick though, is that getting it from food instead of liquid shakes, is much more effective at getting this effect.

 Link for more high protein breakfast ideas from Judith Scharman's. She has more great high protein breakfast recipes that will make your mouth water. https://foodswithjudes.com/recipe/(search “breakfast”)

Second, hydrate often and well. 

This helps you avoid the “fake appetite” of mild dehydration. It is common for mild dehydration to feel like mild hunger and can lead to an impulse to eat when that’s not really what it needs yet. Save yourself the calories by staying well hydrated. 

Drinking lots of fluid puts pressure on your stomach which is another way to temporarily quiet the urge to eat. You can't use this as a substitute for the long term satiety that comes from well-balanced meals.

This same effect is helpful at avoiding overeating at meals. Starting a meal with a big glass of water (16 oz/2 cups) can immediately slow your eating, which in the end helps eat less while feeling satisfied.

Side perk- drinking 2 cups of water between meals gives a short term boost to your metabolism. What an easy way to rev your engine!

How much to hydrate you ask? A good recommendation is to take your weight in pounds, divide it by 2 and change that to ounces. For example, if you are 160 lbs that is 80 oz of water. This is 10 cups. You can overhydrate, especially if you have kidney or heart disease, or are losing electrolytes with sweating from heat or exercise- so take this into account before you guzzle.

My third favorite tip, practice ranking your hunger and fullness on a scale of 1-10. This helps you to notice how often you eat when you aren’t actually that hungry- which is quite a bit for most of us. We eat out of boredom, frustration, sadness because others are eating. Anytime you eat when you aren’t hungry you are going to store more fat and it won’t taste as good as when you are hungry.

Fourth, eat your vegetables and protein foods first at every meal. This again gives you a feeling of fullness by putting pressure on your stomach so it’s more natural to stop eating sooner. Saving carbohydrate foods such as fruit, grains, milk, sweets, chips, potatoes, rice, for the end of the meal is a way to better balance blood sugars without having to sacrifice anything. 

Last and probably my favorite- Get enough sleep. Really this looks like 7-9 hours with early to bed and early to rise. 

Not getting enough sleep immediately changes hormones that regulate our appetite. These changes make us feel hungrier from the get-go AND make it take longer to feel satisfied. Added perk- getting enough sleep and getting up early can also give us a natural metabolic boost. It’s small but it adds up over time.