At any given time it is estimated that between two and three quarters members of the UK are either on diets or trying to shed weight. This is in line with the proportion of people who have an Body Mass Index (BMI) that is over 25 and consequently obese or overweight.
We aren’t benefitting from our efforts since obesity levels continue to increase. While there is debate regarding the exact proportion of diets that fail to yield long-term results and those who shed substantial amounts of weight and manage to maintain it are rare and few.
Certain, there are a myriad of aspects that affect the success or otherwise in the case of the process of dieting. But most of the time diets fail due to the fact that they’re too challenging to keep going, in large part because of the constant appetite that we fight an endless and exhausting struggle with. Yes, you’re bound to feel hungry when you are reducing your calories intake but it can be controlled by the help of a few fundamental changes to your lifestyle.
This article we’re going to examine the issue of hunger and discover how we can manage our hunger and prepare us for long-term success with our diet.
Appetite Hormones
The body’s appetite is controlled by our hormones, the brain and fat cells. These components work to ensure we get sufficient energy to fulfill our everyday needs, but not so as to cause us to become overweight. You might be asking yourself – why do we face an obesity crisis that is so prevalent in the industrialized world? Unfortunately, our bodies aren’t yet adapted to the constant availability of digestible, energy-dense food items which overpower our biological signals.
The hormones that regulate appetite can be divided into two groups. The ones that encourage the feeling of satiety or cause us to feel fuller, are known by scientists as anorexigenic hormones. The hormones that cause appetite are referred to as orexigenic. CCK, GLP-1 and P are among the most well-known hormones that indicate to the brain that we are full, while ghrelin is the only hormone that causes us to feel hungry.
Leptin is an unique appetite hormone due to the fact that it is found in the fat cells in our body. When we gain weight and gain weight, we produce more leptin. The brain is signalled that we have sufficient energy reserves and it affects our the appetite. This is also true when we shed fat, our appetite increases.
This will also cause a lot of confusion as it could suggest that we are secured against the effects of overweight. If however, body fat levels are elevated for long periods duration, brain cells are able to resist lesptin’s effects so our brains believe that the levels of fat are normal. The result is no reduction in appetite. Therefore, it is essential for our health that we act swiftly if we feel in poor shape.
After we’ve learned the fundamentals of appetite regulation It is now time to examine the ways we can ensure that this extremely sophisticated system is working to our advantage.
Follow a Diet
While some hunger-related cravings are normal as we reduce our intake of calories There are certain ways to reduce the severity of hunger.
Protein
Protein is perhaps the most essential nutrient you can be concerned with when you are trying to lose weight. This is due to three primary reasons.
First of all, losing weight could increase the danger losing muscle mass because our bodies frequently turn to the protein within our muscles for fuel. This is something to avoid at all cost, since muscles burn a lot of calories every day, even when it is at rest. Thus losing muscle mass could result in a slowing of your metabolism and that’s not ideal to lose weight. By increasing your protein intake the body won’t have to rely on the muscle tissue to generate energy.
To enhance proteins capability to guard against a slowing metabolism, consuming protein actually increases metabolism. This is due to the fact that the body must work harder to process protein for digestion, which nutritional experts refer to as a high thermogenic effect. The body typically uses 20 to 35% of the protein’s calories to absorb it! This is in contrast to carbohydrates between 5 and 10 percent and fats 2-5 percent. Therefore, people who follow an incredibly protein-rich diet generally have more calories burned per day.
The last but not least is that protein is known as the macronutrient that fills you up, as it does not just increase the hormones that make us feel fuller as well as suppress ghrelin for a prolonged period of time. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that people who follow a diet that is high in protein do not feel as hungry and snack less, as well as having an overall lower consumption of calories.
After we’ve used the phrase “a high-protein diet’ many times, it’s the time to find out what really means. As of today adults are advised that they consume 0.8g of protein for each kilogram of bodyweight. For a person who weighs 70kg this is equivalent to 56g daily.
Fibre
Fibre is a kind of carbohydrate which is passed through the body and is not taken in or digested by the small intestinal tract. However, it is documented that a lot of us are far short of the recommended amount of 30g daily intake with 17g for males and 16g for females being the average.
In addition, a fiber-rich diet decrease the chance of developing colon cancer, but it also helps keep cholesterol and blood sugar levels under control. Another benefit that is well-known about fibre is its ability to boost the size of stomachs, leading to less appetite. Incredibly, many fibre-rich food items are also rich in water, which, as we’ll discover in the coming days, is also beneficial in reducing hunger.
To ensure that we’re meeting the recommended intake of fibre Choose wholegrains instead of refined grains. You should aim to consume 5 portions of vegetables and fruits every day. Seeds, nuts legumes, dark chocolate and nuts are excellent sources of fibre to consume often.
High Calorie
In the earlier section that increasing the amount of stomach food is a fantastic method to keep hunger at the bay. When it comes to controlling appetite the issue of energy density is a subject which is frequently brought up. Energy density refers to basically the amount of calories that an item of food supplies per grams. When trying to lose excess weight, it’s suggested that you, for the major portion, eat food items with an energy density that is low.
Most often, food items with a low fat content and high in water and fibre, are those that have the least energy density. For instance, a large mac burger has an influx of calories at 540, yet weighs less than 180 grams! Compare this to a melons, which provides approximately 50 calories per same 180g. Although this isn’t a perfect illustration, it shows the importance of being able to choose your daily calories wisely and to not spend the equivalent of a quarter on a burger that does never fill you up.
Profoundly Tasteful Food varieties
As we discussed in the beginning food items that are high in energy that are tasty can create chaos on our appetite reactions because the effect they have on our reward system in our brains is overwhelming the appetite hormones. They are easy to overeat and we need to ensure that portions are not too large. It is more difficult to say than done since these food items are difficult to consume in a moderate manner. To ensure that you don’t hinder your weight loss goals, it is recommended to eliminate junk food from your diet.
Fluids
It is possible that your body can be confused between feeling thirsty and hungry. Since the two can result in feeling dizzy and weak. Drinking fluids not only ensure that we stay well hydrated and enable the body to operate properly and function normally, but it also adds mass to our stomachs, which can help to lower appetite hormones. If you haven’t had a drink for the past few days and are beginning to get hungry, it might be worth taking a sip of water and observing what your body’s reaction.
In a typical day, 2-2.5L of fluid should suffice for the majority of people to be adequately well-hydrated. This is a possibility for any fluid, not just water. From a weight loss perspective it is advised that the majority of your fluid consumption is from calorie-free drinks. Sugar-sweetened drinks can be harmful to our health, but also they do little to curb appetite.
A Workout
Many people view exercising as ineffective for weight loss because they believe the calories burned off are compensated through eating more food throughout the day. Even though exercise does not generate as much energy as some people believe it does reduce appetite. It’s all about the type of exercise, however, as was demonstrated by an investigation conducted by Loughborough University in 2012.
A healthy group of males was recruited and enlisted to participate in three different tests in random order. The first trial was a ‘control’ trial in which the participants did not exercise and ate buffet meals for 3.5 hours and 7 hours following their break. The second trial saw participants complete one hour of cycling before eating meals, and the final trial consisted of a sprint pattern, which was and followed by buffet meals.
The study not only measured the amount of food consumed in the two meals however, they also analyzed appetite hormones and asked participants to assess their appetite levels. It was discovered that the hour-long cycling sessions not only burned a significant amount of calories, but also reduced appetite to a greater degree than the sprint-based cycling. This resulted in the participants having a greater energy deficit that is the main goal when trying to lose weight.
The psychological and physiological advantages of interval training are not to be discounted, however this study and many others prove that when it comes to a weight-loss program that continuous exercise like an hour-long bike exercise is most efficient.
Summary
In conclusion, losing weight is a top priority for the majority of us, however most of the time our appetite puts on a show that is difficult for even the strongest of willpower. This article should have provided the simple changes which can be made to increase your chances of success, to enjoy the benefits of your weight loss.
