Strategy 1: Eat Filling Foods
Food choice is a huge contributor to being hungry when dieting. A high volume diet will allow you to eat more food, which will help you feel more full.
You might be asking – what makes a food high-volume? Foods that take up a lot of space but are low in calories would be considered high-volume foods. Here is an excellent article on high-volume vs. calorie-dense food choices.
Strategy #2: Fiber is your Friend
Fiber is a valuable resource for limiting hunger while dieting. Focus on fiber-rich whole foods and aim for 14g for every 1000 calories you consume. We recommend being as consistent as you can with your fiber intake to help reduce weight fluctuations.
You can track your fiber intake in MacrosFirst as well.
Strategy #3: Find Your Meal Sweet Spot
Have a regular meal schedule and don’t have too many meals. This one is huge! If your eating is all over the place or you have too small of meals, it can increase hunger. Stick to a regular schedule and aim to eat 3-5 protein-rich meals per day spaced out evenly.
If 3 Meals, every six hours is a good rhythm. If you start at 7am, 1pm, then 7pm or 8am, 2pm, 8pm, etc.
If 4 Meals, every four hours is a good rhythm. If you start at 7am, 11am, 3pm then 7pm or 8am, 12pm, 4pm then 8pm, etc.
If 5 Meals, every three hours is a good rhythm. If you start at 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, and 7pm or 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm, and 8pm.
Strategy #4: Take Your Time
Shoveling food in your face like a competitive eater is not a great strategy. (I’m still working on this) We get it; you’re hungry, but you will be much better off if you slow down. Take your time with each meal, enjoy a few more chews, and talk between bites with friends and family.
Strategy #5: Increase Your Activity
Increasing your activity levels can go a long way to help with hunger. Here’s how.
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It can be a distraction from your hunger
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It can take up some time between your meals
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It will allow you to diet on higher calories
Strategy #6: Don’t Leave your Water Bottle at Home
When being in a deficit, it’s important that you drink enough water. Being dehydrated is often confused with being hungry. Having a glass before each meal will help you feel full sooner, which may help you to eat less overall.
Strategy #7: Keep Yourself Busy
If your mind only focuses on your hunger or next meal, you will only be driving into that hunger further. Instead, find ways to stay busy. If you know your hunger typically hits around the same time each day, schedule some time for a walk. Are the weekends challenging for you? Find a hobby or work on a project. The busier you are, the better!
That’s it for now. Keep a lookout for the next message in this series – macro-friendly food swaps
