How To Control Appetite

The closer the holiday season is, the more acute the question arises: how to get rid of the hated kilograms accumulated in the winter, so that in the warm season of the year you look unbeatable? Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is diet. But it is sometimes very difficult to follow it. Let's remind ourselves how to lose weight without starvation.

Not everyone has the endurance to follow a diet to the end, according to statistics, only 20% of them are. In addition, sometimes the diet is so drastic that it poses a threat to health. However, there is another, simpler and safer, but no less effective option - to take control of your appetite .

Appetite depends on many factors, not only on physical health, but also on emotional and psychological factors. Often the feeling of emptiness caused by stress, depression and anxiety is mistaken for hunger .

However, there are several steps that will allow you to control your appetite .

Balanced breakfast, lunch and dinner

Nutritionists believe that 80% of the food consumed per day should enter the body with breakfast and lunch. In accordance with this, you should prepare your daily diet. A balanced diet will allow you to saturate the body with the necessary nutrients and get rid of the constant feeling of hunger .

Add to it cereal sprouts (oats, wheat, rye), rich in vitamin B, or oatmeal. They are absorbed for a long time, which means that the feeling of satiety will last for a long time. In addition, cereals are very useful: they prevent fat deposition and water retention in the body.

Don't skip breakfast. This meal starts the metabolism and helps burn fat.

Mandatory dish - vegetable salad. Fiber-rich vegetables quickly saturate the body and remove excess cholesterol. It is also useful to add legumes (beans, peas, lentils) to the diet, which quickly fill the stomach and improve digestion.

The most useful combination is dietary meat or fish with vegetables. Meat is rich in amino acids that promote fat burning, and fish contains a lot of calcium, which prevents the deposition of fats in the body. By the way, scientists recently proved that one of the reasons why many people cannot lose weight is the lack of calcium in the body.

A special mention should be made of night trips to the refrigerator. You should not eat later than 3-4 hours before bedtime. If you have absolutely no strength - brush your teeth. A reflex will start in the body, as if you have just eaten.

Small portions

It is better to eat less, but more often. For example, instead of 3 hearty meals a day, divide the menu into 5-6 smaller portions. This will help the body to feel full all the time.

In order to better control the size of your portions, buy small plates. Psychologists around the world advise using blue or blue dishes - to calm and reduce appetite . Utensils can also be changed: instead of a tablespoon, take a dessert spoon.

In addition, it is important to eat slowly, chewing food thoroughly. Each meal should take about 20 minutes: this is the amount of time needed for the body to understand that it is already full.

Eat only when you feel hungry

One of the most common mistakes that lead to obesity and a constant feeling of hunger is eating for company. Most diets are based on this rule - eat only when you feel hungry .

Also, you should get rid of the habit of eating in front of the TV, computer or newspaper or book. It is difficult to control the amount of food eaten during extracurricular activities.

Avoid unhealthy snacks

Snacking on a bun after breakfast or eating cookies before dinner - as if it's not scary? But not everything is so simple. Usually, such snacks quickly become a habit and cause the appearance of extra pounds. Moreover, a kind of reflex is produced in the body: you need to eat something before dinner, and, accordingly, the appetite increases.

If you understand that you cannot do without a snack, listen to the advice of nutritionists: a snack should contain no more than 200 kcal. Think about what it can be, and keep low-calorie foods on hand that help defeat animal hunger .

• 1 stalk of celery.

• 1 carrot.

• ¼ apple.

• 3 strawberries.

• 1 slice of orange.

• ⅓ cup of popcorn.

• 4 small tomatoes.

Foods that reduce appetite

First of all, these are, of course, sweets - but in very limited quantities. In order to get rid of the feeling of hunger , only 1 candy or 2 slices of chocolate is enough. Sweets can be replaced with mint lollipops without sugar.

A spoonful of skimmed milk powder, fruits, dried fruits, vegetables, low-fat chicken or fish, kefir, yogurt and herbs, cocoa, lemon juice or mineral water without gas will also come in handy.

The best way to cope with an attack of hunger is to drink a glass of low-fat milk: such a portion of proteins suppresses the desire to continue the meal.

This is one of the main enemies of appetite . Grind 3 cloves of garlic and pour a glass of boiled water at room temperature. Take the tincture every day for 1 tbsp. before bedtime. You can also swallow 1 clove of garlic daily without chewing. But be careful: these methods are suitable only for those who do not have diseases of the digestive tract.

Brew 1 tbsp. parsley or a bunch of mint with 1 cup of boiled water. Such a tincture will relieve the feeling of hunger for 2-2.5 hours.

Pour 500 g of figs and plums into 3 liters of water and cook until the liquid evaporates to 2.5 liters. Drink half a glass before each meal.

Spices, spices and flavorings increase the appetite and aggravate the feeling of hunger , since they should be consumed in limited quantities. The spicier the food, the faster the desire to eat will return to you.

• Pepper.

• Mustard.

• Horseradish.

• Salt.

First of all, you should limit the consumption of salt and pepper, ideally - give them up.

Drink before meals

Drink a glass of tomato juice, plain or mineral water immediately before a meal. In this way, you can reduce your appetite and eat about ⅓ less than the usual portion.

Green tea, fresh apple juice or low-fat kefir are also good for this purpose.

In general, nutritionists advise everyone who wants to lose weight to drink more liquid than with regular food. But preferably not during a meal, as this helps to increase the volume of the stomach.

But it is better to give up alcohol: alcoholic drinks have the property of increasing appetite .

Aromatherapy

American Dr. Alan Hirsch, head of the Foundation for the Study and Treatment of Taste and Smell Disorders, discovered 10 smells that reduce cravings for sweets and at the same time reduce appetite . Namely:

• Vanilla (the most effective flavor).

• Grapefruit.

• Anise.

• Pepper.

• Dill.

• Apple.

• Mint.

• Banana.

• Rose.

• Lavender.

The feeling of hunger will be significantly reduced if you use aroma oils during meals: add a little water and a few drops of aromatic oil from the list above to the aroma lamp. Place an aroma lamp or an aromatic candle on the table during the meal.

There is also an easier way to suppress appetite : inhale the aroma of grapefruit peel, vanilla or some perfume (floral and fruity aromas are especially good for this).

According to Dr. Hirsch, this way you can lose up to 2 kg per month.