1. Eat smaller meals more often.
You should try to eat every 2 to 3 hours and never go all day without eating. When you skip meals your body loses sensitivity to the fullness hormone called leptin. This in turn causes the energy burning compartments of your muscles to become damaged, your metabolism will slow down and you will have a tough time feeling satisfied when you do eat. So, eating every 2 to 3 hours will boost your body's response to leptin which keeps the metabolism high and provides a better sense of fullness and hunger.
2. Chew Your Food 20 Times
Studies have shown that if you give your brain time to register satiety by chewing your food 15 - 30 times before swallowing you will eat fewer calories. You will also digest your food much more efficiently since digestion starts in the mouth.
3. Eat Good Fats
Good fats such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are contained in nuts, seeds, fish, seed oils and avocados. They are excellent to snack on in moderation. These fats will make you feel satisfied, are good for the heart and produce a protein called adiponectin. This protein signals the body to burn fat stores for fuel and helps prevent the conversion of sugar into fat. I usually eat a handful of raw almonds and it helps with my hunger and I can take them with me when I am on the go.
4. Avoid Artificial Sweeteners and opt for Agave or Stevia
Artificial sweeteners are really not good for you and are full of chemicals that are foreign to the body. I have read some startling articles lately about some of these sweeteners that have caused me to eliminate any foods that contain them from my diet. Sugar free gum and diet pop were tough to give up but I feel better because of it. Some of the chemicals within these sweeteners can trap fat within your body. I suggest sweetening cereal, coffee and etc with agave or stevia because they are very low in calories (in small amounts), do not raise insulin levels and best of all are all natural.
5. Drink Peppermint Tea
Drinking peppermint tea will help stop you from caving into cravings. The peppermint leaf compound menthofuran helps to signal fullness within the brain.
Please contact me at: meg_mccurdy@hotmail.com if have any questions or would like to take the next step in your health and fitness goals. Remember you are so worth it and of tremendous value to this world! Team Brown Approved Training can help you. We offer customized fitness and nutrition plans based on YOU!
