Regulating appetite is probably one of the biggest struggles most people have with their diet. Given the amount of people who are currently overweight and/or obese and the complications that often result from having extra body fat, finding a way to control appetite can have a huge impact on the health of our society.
Oftentimes you will hear “if you just follow XYZ diet you won’t overeat”. If only it were that simple.
As a coach I have seen people follow a number of different diets and still overeat. At the same time it is obvious that the foods you choose to eat or not eat play an important role in how hungry you are throughout the day.
If you find controlling your appetite is tough for you to do then I wanted to provide some practical tips for you to implement that can help.
First let’s talk about the form in which you are consuming your food. This can make a big difference because the closer your food is to its natural form the more work it takes for your stomach to digest it. The more work your stomach has to do the longer it takes for the food to break down in your stomach. This will result in your feeling fuller for a longer period of time. This is a theme you will hear throughout this post.
What type of foods do you think are the quickest and easiest to digest?
Liquids!
Think about it, how much work does your stomach need to do to break down food in a liquid form?
Very little, much of the hard work is already done by the processing outside the body which converts the food into its liquid form. When someone tells me they are having problems controlling their appetite the first thing I look for in their diet is if they are consuming a large portion of their calories in liquid form.
A classic example of liquid calories would be some kind of shake. Shakes are great in terms of convenience, throw a bunch of things in a blender, press a button, and in a couple minutes you have an entire meal in a cup that you can take pretty much anywhere.
However, by processing those foods into a shake also was condensed down the food into a much smaller form that can move through your digestive system much quicker. If you took the same foods and ate them in their whole form, I guarantee you that you would feel fuller for longer.
The other obvious place where liquids tend to pop up in people’s diets is in drinks.
What do I mean when I say drinks?
In my opinion it’s any kind of liquid that has calories but is not really meant to replace a meal. These can include, but are not limited to, juices, caffeine drinks (coffee, energy drinks, etc), soda, and alcoholic beverages. A single serving of these drinks can sometimes include upwards of several hundred calories but do little to keep you full, and in some cases they can increase hunger.
Next on the list of liquids to look out for that don’t do much to crush your appetite are fats. These are by far the sneakiest because they are liquids but also extremely calorically dense, meaning the amount of calories you get for the amount of liquid you consume is extremely high. For example, a tablespoon of fat will typically have as many calories as an 8 oz can of soda.
What falls under this fat category?
Pretty much any added cooking fat, olive oil, avocado oil, animal fats, coconut oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, pretty much anything that starts with a fruit or vegetable and ends in oil will contain north of 100 calories for a single tablespoon!
Now most people are not consuming these oils on their own, instead they are adding them to food and they are just “drizzling” them on, thinking they use much less than a tablespoon. I hate to break it to you, you are likely using much more!
I am also going to include things like peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower butter etc under this category. While they are not technically liquids they are more liquid than solid and they are just as detrimental in terms of keeping you full as any kind of oil is.
The next thing that I look for when someone says they are always hungry is how much protein they are eating. In general, the optimal protein intake will be around 1g per pound of ideal body weight. So if you want to weigh 150 pounds you should be shooting to eat 150g of protein.
Is this a bit more than you likely need?
Yes.
But there aren’t any negatives to getting a little more than you need and when you are dealing with hunger issues it can help.
There are two very important reasons why protein is so beneficial when regulating appetite.
First has to do with what I mentioned above with liquids except protein has the opposite effect. Liquids move through the digestive system quickly while protein takes the longest to move through the digestive system (as long as it’s in its whole food form and not a powder).
Second, protein is generally nutrient dense. There is a hypothesis in the research space called the protein leverage hypothesis (Simpson, n.d.). This hypothesis states that humans will keep consuming calories until they get the nutrients they need. As protein is replaced in the human diet with fats and carbs we are getting less and less of the critical nutrients only found in protein and therefore our body will tell us to keep eating until we do. If we eat enough protein and get the nutrients we need the hunger signal will dissipate. While this has not been proven to be true, it makes sense logically and seems to be true in my experience with clients.
My suggestion is to start your day with 30-40 grams of protein from whole foods. By doing this you not only are well on your way to hitting 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight but you are also starting out your day with plenty of the slow digesting, nutrient dense food that will keep you feeling fuller longer. Say goodbye to the mid-morning snack attack!
Next let’s summon our inner parents…EAT YOUR FRUITS AND VEGGIES!
I know, I know this has been said time and time again for decades, and while some “wives tales” can be incorrect this one has a good amount of validity. Eating lots of fruits and veggies does something similar to what eating a lot of protein does and for the very same reasons. Fruits and vegetables contain fiber and fiber is slow digesting, meaning it will take a long time for your body to break it down. Now when we pulverize these fruits and veggies in a blender or consume them in a powder form we lose this advantage because they are essentially “pre-digested”, hence why throwing them in a smoothie doesn’t do much in terms of taming your appetite.
I also think that fruits and veggies can provide a fair amount of nutrients and again keep your body from seeking out more food to satisfy its nutrient needs, just like the protein leverage hypothesis states.
If you want to construct a meal that is sure to crush your appetite for the day, have your 30-40 grams of protein for breakfast with a big side of fruits and vegetables! Just make sure to not cover those fruits and vegetables in some kind of liquid fat 😉
Next on our list of appetite crushing tips is something just as lame as eating your fruits and vegetables…DRINK ENOUGH WATER!
In addition to nutrient devoid processed foods replacing our whole food protein, fruits and vegetables, the same is true for the liquids we consume. Water is one of the things that makes human life possible and we have been pretty much exclusively drinking it for 100’s of thousands of years. Today however we have all kinds of drinks that are not water. And just like when we are not consuming enough nutrients from protein, fruits, and vegetables, if we don’t consume enough water our bodies will tell us to seek it out and to keep consuming. I see lots of clients mistaken thirst for hunger and when they just have a big glass of water their hunger goes away.
I have two tips for making sure you consume enough water. At your first meal, when you are consuming 30-40 grams of protein and a big bowl of fruits and/or vegetables make sure you also have 1-2 glasses of water! Yes you can have your coffee or tea, but don’t skimp on the water. My second tip is to get a water bottle and carry it with you like it was your infant child. Never let it leave your side, have it staring in your face all day. If it is in front of you, you are more likely to drink it.
There are two more things I want to address before closing out this blog post.
First you might be wondering if the macronutrient composition of your diet can influence your appetite? This is a hard question to answer because of the impact different foods have on different people. Some people may need to rely more heavily on fats than carbohydrates in their diet because the sweet taste of carbohydrates can trigger hunger sensations. Other people just don’t feel satiated without having enough food volume in their stomach so relying more on whole food carbs can help them eat enough food volume so they feel full. Ultimately you will need to play with the types of foods you consume and observe your hunger response to the composition of your diet. If you find yourself very hungry after eating a higher carb or higher fat meal, try the opposite the next time and see if you notice a difference.
Second, it can’t go without saying that while food is very important in determining how hungry you are, it is not the only component to your hunger. Your overall lifestyle plays an important role in influencing your hunger. For example, it has been shown time and time again that getting movement throughout the day and exercising consistently helps regulate your appetite (Truby, n.d.). We also know when we are under-slept our appetite and cravings become dysregulated and the same is true for the amount of stress we are under (Does Stress Influence Sleep Patterns, Food Intake, Weight Gain, Abdominal Obesity and Weight Loss Interventions and Vice Versa?, n.d.). If you happen to address all the other food related interventions discussed above and still find your appetite out of control, you should probably look to addressing anything that might be lacking in your lifestyle.
To sum up this post, here are the practical takeaways..
First remove any kind of liquid meals and be mindful of liquid calories, including liquid fats.
Second, start off your day with 30-40 grams of protein, a nice size serving of fruits and veggies, and 1-2 glasses of water. This starts your day with slow digesting foods that are packed with nutrients and adequately hydrating yourself to start your day. This will go a long way to helping regulate your appetite throughout the rest of your day.
Finally, your movement, exercise, sleep, and stress can all cause your appetite to go haywire, so do not discount the importance of addressing any deficiencies in those areas.
If you have been struggling with your appetite or any other areas of your overall lifestyle be sure to sign up for my newsletter. Each week I address all topics of lifestyle that help you easily reach your goals in a realistic and practical way.
References
Does stress influence sleep patterns, food intake, weight gain, abdominal obesity and weight loss interventions and vice versa? (n.d.). PubMed. Retrieved May 22, 2024, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28849612/
Simpson, S. (n.d.). Protein leverage and energy intake. PubMed. Retrieved May 22, 2024, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24588967/
Truby, H. (n.d.). A review of the effects of exercise on appetite regulation: an obesity perspective. PubMed. Retrieved May 22, 2024, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18607378/