10 Ways to Curb Your Appetite

If you want to carve out a set of killer abs one of the first things you will have to do is control what you eat. For most people this is easier said then done. An appetite is a fickle creature, causing us to hunger and crave food and drinks that aren’t good for us. Our appetite is influenced by two things. The first is what is going on around us. You know, like when someone brings a box of doughnuts to the office. They are really hard to resist. The second factor is our own body’s bio-chemical signals that tell us when we are hungry and it’s time to eat.

There are ten things you can do to help control these cravings which will help you to lose excess body fat.

1. Drink when you’re hungry – Drinking lots of water is not only good for you it will also help to rein in your appetite. Water takes up space in your stomach making it feel full. You should drinking 64 ounces of water a day.

2. Graze instead of binge – Eat smaller meals more often during the day. Eating 5 to 6 smaller meals during the day keeps your appetite down and can help prevent eating more than you need, which is often the case if you are eating 1 to 3 large meals a day. Grazing over the course of a day also keeps insulin and blood sugar levels more consistent which help prevent the body from storing excess sugars as fat.

3. Complex carbohydrates – Eating foods like potatoes, rice, corn and pasta that are high in complex carbohydrates can help satisfy an appetite with fewer calories. One reason that complex carbohydrates help lessen an appetite is that they appear to turn off the keep eating signal sooner than a diet made up of high fat foods. Another way that complex carbohydrates appear to help curb an appetite is the brain chemical serotonin. Carbohydrates appear to increase serotonin levels in the brain which reduces appetite.

4. Fiber fills you up – Foods high in fiber not only have less calories per serving they also fill you up faster because they take up a lot of room in the stomach. They also require you to chew longer which makes you eat slower which allows the body’s hunger signals to be dampened before you eat too much.

5. Soup is good food – Soup has been shown to reduce cravings and helps control the desire to eat more. Soup is able to accomplish this because it takes up a large amount of space in the stomach. It is also high in complex carbohydrates which satisfy the brains hunger signals better than fatty foods.

6. Eat spicy foods – If you love spicy hot food then partake of it more often. Spicy foods satiate your appetite much better than more boring foods. Spicy foods also make you sweat, a sure sign of an increased metabolism. A higher metabolic rate means you are burning more calories which in turn burns more of your fat stores.

7. Exercise your appetite away – If you are feeling your sweet tooth and are unable to sooth your cravings with water or a high fiber snack try doing some moderate exercise like taking a walk or riding an exercise bike. Exercise helps reduce your appetite by controlling blood sugar and the body’s insulin response. And how many times have you been able to eat a big meal after exercising.

8. Buffet is bad – The key here is to eat simply. Do not prepare large multi-course meals because the tendency is to eat more because there is so much to choose from and you will want to try it all. If you limit your entrees and side dishes to just one selection at each meal you will eat much less and limit your caloric intake.

9. Why do you eat? – Many times we eat because of emotional issues. Comfort foods, which make us feel better, are usually not good for us because of their sugar or fat content. If you are eating because of reasons other than hunger you need to develop other strategies to feel better. Before you start eating as yourself why you are eating. Is it because you are hungry or is it for some other reasons.

10. Get rid of temptations – If you are like most people you give into temptation way to easily. If there are sweets or other fattening foods around you will eat them. Just the sight, smell or sound of food is enough to set most people off on an eating binge. Remove those tempting food from the house. You can’t eat what isn’t there and chances are you won’t miss them.