Lose weight without feeling hungry – here’s how
In the fight against excess kilos, we often think of dieting. But are diets sustainable? And how can we successfully lose weight without feeling hungry and going without?
Forget dieting! If you want to lose weight, you need to think long term. Crash dieting may promise fast weight loss, but this isn’t sustainable. You starve yourself and as soon as you resume normal eating habits, the scales jump up again – the yo-yo effect.
Our body is clever. As soon as we cut down its energy supply, it switches to energy-saving mode. Its basal metabolic rate decreases. The irksome thing about this is that once we start eating a normal calorie quantity again, the body does not switch back immediately, instead building up fat reserves for the next time food is scarce. Successfully losing weight without going hungry means you have to making lasting changes to your nutrition – such as cutting down on carbohydrates – and exercise regularly. Sorry, couch potatoes, but on the sofa, we tend to burn fewer calories than we take on board.
A radical diet or dietary shift poses the risk of a nutrient deficiency. So be careful. In the case of any doubt, try nutrition counselling or Helsana’s health consultation.
Tips for preventing hunger during weight loss
If you want to lose weight, you need to achieve a slight calorie deficit. You can do so by doing more exercise and eating a balanced, reduced-calorie diet. However, you shouldn’t go hungry. Most people need to retrain their feeling of being full and eat much more slowly and consciously. You get hungry more quickly if you eat the wrong type of food.
These simple rules can help you lose weight:
- Eat a balanced diet of fresh food every day.
- Fibre and protein can prevent hunger pangs.
- Eat mindfully and chew thoroughly – you only start to feel full around 20 minutes after eating.
- Carbohydrates are optimum in the first half of the day, while protein-rich foods are best in the evenings. They are the most filling.
That’s why high-satiety foods can help with hunger during weight loss: wholegrain products, pulses, vegetables, oats, potatoes, eggs, nuts, quark. You should also make sure you’re getting enough sleep and exercise. Both normalise feelings of hunger and activate the metabolism.
Ten healthy yet filling options
- Like smoothies? Mix in two tablespoons of oats or a piece of banana.
- Wholemeal products contain more fibre. They swell in the stomach and keep you full for longer.
- Add to your salad with nuts, chickpeas or quinoa.
- Eat plenty of leafy vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, asparagus or peppers. They contain lots of water and fibre, but few calories.
- An egg in the morning can keep you full for a long time. That’s because protein digests more slowly in our body than carbohydrates.
- Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese or quark have lots of protein and a high water content. This increases the volume in the stomach and diminishes feelings of hunger.
- Pulses such as lentils, beans and chickpeas are very filling. They contain complex carbohydrates that provide energy and are rich in dietary fibre.
- The bitter compounds in rocket, endives, chicory, spinach, fennel and grapefruit speed up the metabolism and make the feeling of satiety last longer. Ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and caraway are also rich in bitter compounds.
- A handful of nuts can quell hunger between mealtimes. Nuts consist of protein and healthy fats, which ensures they are digested slowly.
- Before you reach for a snack: drink some water first and wait a quarter of an hour. Feelings of hunger often come from thirst. Or are you craving sugar? Then peppermint or wormwood tea can help.
Three meals a day are enough, ideally with four to five hours between. Maybe intermittent fasting can help you reach a healthy body weight?
Ever heard of intuitive eating? Nothing is off limits with this eating style. It’s all about listening to your gut feeling. If you know the rules, you can even get rid of some excess kilos. Take a look at the programme here.
The expert in this field provided the editorial team with advice and input for this article. Kristina Stjepanovic (medical assistant and TCM therapist) works in the Helsana Health Consultation Service. She supports customers on questions to do with nutrition and prevention.
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