Losing weight the healthy way requires a balanced diet and frequent exercise, as any responsible doctor will tell you. However, planning out a nutritious, light meal plan is easier than sticking to the plan. After days of dieting and hearing your stomach rumble, hunger makes it more likely to give into cravings and overindulge. So the challenge is tricking the mind and body into wanting to eat less, in terms of quantity and frequency. Here are some unconventional tips to help you feel full and reduce snacking:
Table of Contents
Brush Your Teeth After Eating
In addition to the benefit this provides in terms of oral hygiene, having a minty, fresh feeling in your mouth will signal to your body that you are done eating for now. This will make you less likely to continue mindlessly snacking after a meal.
Reduce the Size of Plates and Bowls
Many of us have a compulsion to eat until our plates are empty, meaning we will sometimes ignore signs of fullness and overeat in order to finish what is put in front of us. Smaller plates reduce serving size and make it less likely that we will overindulge in this way.
Drinks Lots of Water
This is obviously a widely-recommended weight loss technique, but it is an effective one. Drinking water will keep your body hydrated and functioning more effectively, but it will also make you feel full. Also, the body sometimes mistakes thirst for hunger, so small pangs of hunger may actually go away if you reach for a bottle rather than a biscuit.
Use Chopsticks
I had a friend who did this as part of her diet, and swore it helped her control portion size. It takes some time for your stomach to signal to your brain that you are full; thus eating fast often results in eating past the point of fullness. With most foods, chopsticks will make you eat smaller bites over a longer period of time, thus reducing the probability of speed-eating.
Make Unappetizing Connections
Know which unhealthy foods are likely to be your weakness. Try to associate them with a certain mental image, or odor, etc., that makes them unappetizing. Do this consciously a number of times, and eventually, seeing or smelling the food will automatically cause a negative response.
The above weight loss tips have worked for a number of people. However, every dieter can experiment and find more tricks that work for them personally. These tips are meant to give you a place to start; tricking yourself into feeling full with the lighter, healthier food a balanced diet requires, will help you minimize cravings and stick to your weight loss plan.
