If you're trying to lose weight, and still feel hungry after you've finished eating, you need to find a way to take your mind off the urge to eat. Often when we feel bored or have nothing to do, we feel hungry and immediately eat a snack. Therefore, fight the boredom that arises by focusing on certain activities, and adjust your daily routine to avoid sudden hunger pangs.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Retaining Appetite
Step 1. Drink water to suppress your appetite
Although water passes through the digestive system very quickly, it can still reduce appetite. Drink and keep your body fluids throughout the day to keep the stomach is not empty and hunger can be reduced.
You can also drink hot water mixed with lime juice and cayenne pepper powder, or hot ginger tea. Cayenne pepper helps suppress appetite and keeps the stomach feeling full. Meanwhile, ginger has been used for centuries as a food ingredient that can help the digestive process. Ginger also helps make the stomach feel more comfortable when you feel hungry. Try drinking a cup of hot ginger tea or chewing ginger candy
Step 2. Try eating dark chocolate
Dark chocolate (in small amounts) helps reduce appetite because the bitter taste contained in chocolate can signal the body to reduce appetite. Try enjoying a piece or two of dark chocolate with a chocolate percentage of 70%.
Step 3. Provide a light snack, such as almonds or avocado
Try eating a handful of raw almonds to fill your body with antioxidants, vitamin E, and magnesium. Almonds are also known to promote satiety and help regulate weight.
Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fats which take a long time for the body to digest so they can withstand hunger. Avocados are also a good source of soluble fiber. The fiber turns into a kind of gel as it passes through the intestines, slowing digestion. Slice an avocado and add a little honey if you like a sweet treat. For a salty and savory snack, sprinkle salt and pepper on the avocado and a squeeze of lime
Method 2 of 3: Activity
Step 1. Do a hobby activity
One study shows that activities that require you to focus without moving, such as knitting or crochet, can help break an obsession with food. Try to focus on a hobby that you enjoy, such as gardening, sewing, or painting. By using your hobby as a distraction, you can develop your skills as well as the right way to shift your focus.
Step 2. Try socializing
Don't hide your hunger. Try calling a friend and taking her for a walk or a movie together. Focus on spending time with friends and family, rather than dwelling on hunger pangs.
Schedule regular meetings with friends while you're on your diet so you have a definite distraction for certain days and times. This helps motivate you to go through the day without feeling tormented by hunger pangs, as well as encouraging you to focus on something else than just thinking about hunger
Step 3. Exercise
Doing light exercise such as walking around the house, or more vigorous exercise such as running or jogging can help you feel refreshed and refocused. According to researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, exercise can increase the power of the brain's executive functions, including the ability to think ahead and control distractions. This way, it will be easier for you to stop thinking about your hunger.
Take a yoga class. Yoga can help you deal with cravings and eat food more carefully
Step 4. Keep a journal
Focus your thoughts on daily events or life goals that you write down in a journal. You can also record your eating habits and the moments when you feel hungry, as well as how you felt emotionally in those moments. By writing down your eating habits, you can tell the difference between physical and emotional hunger.
- Physical hunger usually shows symptoms such as a rumbling stomach or feeling dizzy. Meanwhile, emotional hunger arises when you want to eat, but physically you are not yet hungry. By writing down the emotions you feel about food, you can identify triggers for hunger and prevent hunger from occurring.
- For example, you may feel hungry in the afternoon when you are getting bored with work and, therefore, want to have a snack. In this case, you will need to change your afternoon routine so that you don't eat because you are triggered by emotions, such as by exercising or taking a walk in the afternoon.
Step 5. Solve the problem or task at hand
Use time proactively and complete the work at hand. Or, find a job or task to do at home (eg washing the dishes) and finish the job. Instead of looking for food, get a broom, washcloth, or sponge and clean your dishes or the bathroom.
Method 3 of 3: Adjusting the Daily Routine
Step 1. Get eight hours of sleep at night
Lack of sleep can encourage you to snack and overeat that is triggered by anxiety. Sleeping well can help reduce levels of cortisol, a hormone that increases when you feel anxious or stressed. Avoid stress-driven eating by trying to get eight hours of sleep at night.
Step 2. Reduce alcohol consumption
Alcohol often makes you hungry and triggers overeating. Try enjoying a glass of wine or beer after your meal, rather than having it before or during your meal. This way, you'll drink on a full stomach so after that, you're less likely to feel hungry (or want to have a late night snack).
Step 3. Keep snacks and other foods out of your sight
Make it a rule not to go into the kitchen after dinner or, at least, two hours before bed. If you feel hungry during the day, avoid the kitchen or other rooms in the house where food is stored.
