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At Healthfully, we strive to deliver objective content that is accurate and up-to-date. Our team periodically reviews articles in order to ensure content quality. The sources cited below consist of evidence from peer-reviewed journals, prominent medical organizations, academic associations, and government data.
- FamilyDoctor.org: What It Takes to Lose Weight
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: Healthy Eating Plan
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: Healthy Eating Plan
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Low-Energy Dense Foods and Weight-Management: Cutting Calories While Controlling Hunger
- Nutrition Review: Dietary Fiber and Weight Regulation
- Nutrition Review: Dietary Fiber and Weight Regulation
- Medline Plus: High-Fiber Foods
The information contained on this site is for informational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for the advice of a professional health care provider. Please check with the appropriate physician regarding health questions and concerns. Although we strive to deliver accurate and up-to-date information, no guarantee to that effect is made.
How to Stop Hunger Pains When Dieting
When you go on a diet, no doubt you're excited to lose weight. In fact, you're probably so eager that you're willing to cut way back on what you normally eat so you lose weight faster. While your intentions may be in the right place, your eagerness to lose weight may lead to extreme hunger pains. The key to losing weight is to find the right balance between calorie reduction and hunger control.
Calories Count When Fighting Hunger
If your weight-loss diet is causing you to feel too hungry, you may not be getting enough calories. To lose 1 pound of fat a week, you need to create a 500-calorie deficit each day by either eating fewer calories, burning more calories or a combination of both. Following a low-calorie diet can help you create this deficit. In general, most women can lose weight on a 1,000- to 1,200-calorie diet, while men and women who weigh more than 165 pounds can lose weight on a 1,200- to 1,600-calorie diet. If your current calorie-restricted diet is leaving you too hungry, increase your daily intake by 100 to 200 calories.
- If your weight-loss diet is causing you to feel too hungry, you may not be getting enough calories.
- If your current calorie-restricted diet is leaving you too hungry, increase your daily intake by 100 to 200 calories.
Think About Energy Density
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Energy density refers to the number of calories a food item contains compared to its weight. Foods with a low-energy density have fewer calories in a larger volume and therefore fill you up on fewer calories. For example, you can have a 1/2-cup serving of high-quality vanilla chocolate chip ice cream for 290 calories, or more than 6 cups of watermelon for the same number of calories. Low-energy-dense foods contain high amounts of water and tend to be high in fiber 5. Fruits, vegetables and broth-based soups are examples of low-energy-dense foods.
- Energy density refers to the number of calories a food item contains compared to its weight.
- Foods with a low-energy density have fewer calories in a larger volume and therefore fill you up on fewer calories.
Get Your Fiber
Getting more fiber in your diet also helps you fight hunger pains when dieting. Fiber increases meal satiety and keeps you feeling full long after you've finished eating. According to an article published in "Nutrition Review," getting more than 14 grams of fiber for more than two days decreases calorie intake by 10 percent and can help promote a loss of almost 5 pounds over a four-month period without making any changes in your usual calorie intake 4. It is recommended that you get 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day. Foods high in fiber include fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans 5.
Eat More Often
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When trying to lose weight, you should eat regularly to help control hunger and keep energy levels up. While most people do OK eating three meals and one snack a day, you might be better off eating five to six small meals throughout the day to help control hunger. On this type of meal plan, you're eating a 200- to 250-calorie meal -- depending on your weight-loss calorie needs -- every two to three hours, which might help prevent you from feeling any hunger pains.
- When trying to lose weight, you should eat regularly to help control hunger and keep energy levels up.
- While most people do OK eating three meals and one snack a day, you might be better off eating five to six small meals throughout the day to help control hunger.
Snack After Your Workout
Working out is a good way to burn off extra calories, but it can leave you feeling extra hungry afterward. To control your post-workout hunger pains, drink plenty of water and have a snack within two hours after you exercise. A good snack should include some carbs and protein, such as a whole-wheat English muffin topped with low-fat cheese or an apple with a tablespoon of peanut butter, to replenish energy stores and promote muscle recovery. For calorie control, keep your post-workout snack to fewer than 200 calories.
- Working out is a good way to burn off extra calories, but it can leave you feeling extra hungry afterward.
- A good snack should include some carbs and protein, such as a whole-wheat English muffin topped with low-fat cheese or an apple with a tablespoon of peanut butter, to replenish energy stores and promote muscle recovery.
Related Articles
References
- FamilyDoctor.org: What It Takes to Lose Weight
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: Healthy Eating Plan
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Low-Energy Dense Foods and Weight-Management: Cutting Calories While Controlling Hunger
- Nutrition Review: Dietary Fiber and Weight Regulation
- Medline Plus: High-Fiber Foods
- Haagen Dazs: Vanilla Chocolate Chip: Nutrition Information
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Watermelon, Raw
- University of California San Diego: Smart Snacking for Adults and Teens
- A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals - PubMed
- Estimation of energy expenditure using prediction equations in overweight and obese adults: a systematic review - PubMed
- Validity of predictive equations to estimate RMR in females with varying BMI - PubMed
- Appendix 2. Estimated Calorie Needs per Day, by Age, Sex, and Physical Activity Level - 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines | health.gov
- Protein intake and energy balance - PubMed
- Increased Dietary Protein as a Dietary Strategy to Prevent and/or Treat Obesity
- Effect of protein overfeeding on energy expenditure measured in a metabolic chamber - PubMed
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- A high-protein diet for reducing body fat: mechanisms and possible caveats
- A high-protein diet induces sustained reductions in appetite, ad libitum caloric intake, and body weight despite compensatory changes in diurnal plasma leptin and ghrelin concentrations - PubMed
- The effects of consuming frequent, higher protein meals on appetite and satiety during weight loss in overweight/obese men - PubMed
- Dietary Strategies for Weight Loss Maintenance - PubMed
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- High Compared with Moderate Protein Intake Reduces Adaptive Thermogenesis and Induces a Negative Energy Balance during Long-term Weight-Loss Maintenance in Participants with Prediabetes in the Postobese State: A PREVIEW Study - PubMed
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- Effects of fruit and vegetable, consumed in solid vs beverage forms, on acute and chronic appetitive responses in lean and obese adults - PubMed
- Sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain in children and adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis - PubMed
- Resolved: there is sufficient scientific evidence that decreasing sugar-sweetened beverage consumption will reduce the prevalence of obesity and obesity-related diseases - PubMed
- Adverse metabolic effects of dietary fructose: results from the recent epidemiological, clinical, and mechanistic studies - PubMed
- Water-induced thermogenesis - PubMed
- Water drinking induces thermogenesis through osmosensitive mechanisms - PubMed
- Water-induced thermogenesis and fat oxidation: a reassessment - PubMed
- Immediate pre-meal water ingestion decreases voluntary food intake in lean young males - PubMed
- Water consumption increases weight loss during a hypocaloric diet intervention in middle-aged and older adults - PubMed
- Tea catechin and caffeine activate brown adipose tissue and increase cold-induced thermogenic capacity in humans - PubMed
- Caffeine enhances activity thermogenesis and energy expenditure in rats - PubMed
- The effects of caffeine intake on weight loss: a systematic review and dos-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - PubMed
- Caffeine intake is related to successful weight loss maintenance - PubMed
- Preserving Healthy Muscle during Weight Loss
- Exercise acts as a drug; the pharmacological benefits of exercise - PubMed
- The essential role of exercise in the management of type 2 diabetes - PubMed
- A Systematic Review of Exercise Systematic Reviews in the Cancer Literature (2005-2017) - PubMed
- Benefits of exercise training on cardiovascular dysfunction: molecular and integrative - PubMed
- Exercise in the treatment of clinical anxiety in general practice - a systematic review and meta-analysis - PubMed
- The effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on appetite: A randomized controlled trial - PubMed
- Effects of low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets: a randomized trial - PubMed
- Effects of low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets: a randomized trial - PubMed
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- The Effect of Low-Carbohydrate Diet on Glycemic Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus - PubMed
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Writer Bio
Jill Corleone is a registered dietitian and health coach who has been writing and lecturing on diet and health for more than 15 years. Her work has been featured on the Huffington Post, Diabetes Self-Management and in the book "Noninvasive Mechanical Ventilation," edited by John R. Bach, M.D. Corleone holds a Bachelor of Science in nutrition.