Whilst in a fat loss phase its inevitable that you'll come up against hunger from time to time
So here are 7 tips you may find helpful to manage it
1.Eat nutrient dense volume foods with your meal.
Filling up your plate with lower calorie nutrient dense and fibre rich foods really helps fill up your stomach. It also provides you with plenty of vitamins and minerals needed in our diet which may reduce hunger further as our body won't keep prompting to fulfill the need of said nutrients. Good choices are fibre rich veggies like cauliflower, spinach, broccoli, salad items etc... make sure you are consuming this alongside a good amount of protein.
2. Eat your protein
Aim for 1.6-2.2g of protein per KG of bodyweight per day (20% higher if plant based). Protein is highly satiating as it takes a longer time to break down than any other macronutrient. The other macro's in your stomach literally have to wait until protein breakdown is complete keeping your stomach full for much longer. Consume protein at every meal if you can.
3. Eat enough food
This may sound counter intuitive but reducing food intake too much and aiming for too high of a calorie deficit will no doubt leave you feeling very hungry frequently. A good deficit to aim for would be 10-15% of your maintenance calories. Reducing food too much will usually end up in a binge at some point as you are so hungry. Larger deficits have their place but only for a short, sharp shock.
4. Find a macro ratio that works for you
If tracking macro's, have a play around to see how different ratios work for you. Protein should remain around the recommended amount but fat and carbs can adjust to suite you.
You may find higher fat works better or maybe your body prefers filling up on carbs. There's no set rule. Side note- carbs do not make you put on weight, eating too much does.
5. Boredom eating
This is so common. I've made plenty of trips to the kitchen thinking I'm hungry when I'm actually bored. Try incorporating another activity like going for a walk, answering some emails, or something else you enjoy doing. Tuning in for a minute also helps to see if you really are hungry or just trying to fill out time.
6. Drink your water
Although there is some debate about this I personally find that drinking enough water really helps with my appetite. I especially love hot herbal tea's and cold water with lots of ice and some fruit to make it fancy. Sparkling water feels like a treat and you can really make it into a special drink.
7. Intermittent fasting
Although not a magic pill for fat loss, delaying your first meal until a few hours later can really help keep hunger at bay. It means you can eat your meals closer together and usually make them larger as you aren't spacing snacks and meals throughout the day. The most common IF approach is the 16 hour fast and 8 hour eating window. I have written a post on this if you are interested in this method.
Hopefully you've found this helpfull -one more thing, get your sleep. Lack of sleep
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