Tips to Help You Feel Full

One complaint many people have when trying to lose weight is being hungry all the time. After all, it can take time to get use to smaller portions. Our stomachs stretch to accommodate more food, this is how competitive eaters are able to wolf down large amounts of food, but still have small frames. As time goes on though, your stomach will begin to adjust down to the original size and you'll need less food to fill it up. Until then, there are tips and tricks you can use to help yourself feel full without eating too many calories.

Drink Water

One of the easiest things you can do is to drink a glass of water before you eat. This will help fill your stomach before the meal even begins. There are even people that claim that drinking a glass of ice cold water before a meal can boost your metabolism. The belief is that the body has to work harder to warm itself back up and will burn more calories from your meal. Regardless of whether or not this is the case, water will help keep you full. You may want to consider replacing your meal beverages with water as well.

Slow Down

As Americans, we live busy lifestyles. Unfortunately, it's this type of lifestyle that hurts our waistlines the most. We not only grab unhealthy foods that are convenient, but we also cram them down as quickly as possible. Instead of making record time at lunch, schedule more time to enjoy your meal. Take a sip of water or set down your fork in between bites to slow down the eating process. This will give your stomach a chance to send a signal to your brain telling it that the stomach is getting full. If you eat too quickly, the stomach doesn't have a chance to relay the message and you overeat. This not only leads to indigestion, but added pounds.

Bulk Up Meals With Fruits and Vegetables

Many fruits and vegetables have hardly any fat at all, yet they are loaded with vitamins and minerals. This makes fruits and vegetables perfect for snacks and ingredients in your meals. Instead of having a large plate of pasta with meatballs, cut the pasta portion in half and substitute the meatballs for sauteed mushrooms, peppers and onions. You'll get a lot more food, yet you'll still be eating healthily. The same goes for breakfast and lunch. Add fresh fruit to your morning yogurt and pile on the vegetables when having a sandwich for lunch. Your stomach will thank you and so will that little part of your brain that always wants more food.

Increase Your Fiber Intake

This doesn't mean you should reach for supplements. Supplements are an easy way to add more fiber to your body, but they won't keep you full. However, if you eat foods such as high fiber cereals and oatmeal, whole wheat bread and pasta and produce high in fiber, you'll have an easier time feeling full. The average adult female should try to eat at the very least 20 grams of fiber per day and when you're eating the right foods for a healthy lifestyle, this becomes much easier. Best of all, you won't feel like you're going hungry.

Have Dessert

In many cases, your brain isn't still hungry, it's unsatisfied. Our bodies crave different tastes and textures. By saving some calories for dessert, even a small dessert, you'll have a better chance at staying full. To help make this a reality, keep low-fat and fat-free snacks in the house along with gum and hard candy. Just one piece of hard candy after a meal can make a big difference in being satisfied.

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