Five Basics for Appetite Control

Does your appetite seem to be on over-drive? For most people this is one of the hardest steps in weight reduction. Many people have a diet that consists of pretty good food choices; they are just not in-touch with portion size and ways to eat which can help reduce the waist line. Check out these five simple tips for keeping it in control.

1. Divide and Conquer Your Appetite - To prevent getting overly hungry, try turning one regular-sized meal into multiple, smaller meals. For instance, if you normally eat soup1 and sandwich for lunch, eat your sandwich at lunch, then heat your soup later as an early afternoon snack. Or, "go halves2" and eat half of both your sandwich and soup serving now and the rest a few hours later.

2. Fill Up on Fiber - If you are feeling especially hungry when you sit down to a meal, you will likely take oversized portions or go for seconds. To avoid overdoing it, try filling up with fiber-rich3 vegetables before you eat any other types of foods. They may normally serve as side dishes, but using veggies as an "appetizer" is a low-cal, high-fiber way to control your appetite. If you still want seconds, another serving of veggies is ideal for rounding out your meal in a healthy way.

3. Be a Kid at Heart (or, at the Table) - Sometimes we confuse appetite with a sense of deprivation. If you have been foregoing many of your favorite foods recently, perhaps you think you are hungry when you're really not. You may be craving those preferred foods while you are forcing yourself to eat only what you "should." Remember how as a kid you ate all your favorite foods first and left that pesky little pile of broccoli until the last second? Just for today, eat only the foods that you really want and leave the rest -- your membership in the clean plate club is officially revoked.

4. Eat Enough at Mealtimes - Regular, healthful snacks4 are a great way to keep your appetite in check, but snacking just isn't for some folks. If you only eat three meals a day, you need to make sure you are eating enough at each meal to hold you over until the next one. If you are following a diet plan5 that includes snacks, add those missing calories into your meal instead. Be sure to include protein such as eggs, lean meat, or fish in each meal as it will provide a longer-lasting sense of satiety and keep your energy level up.

5. Eat "Slow" Snacks - Remember that it takes up to 20 minutes for your brain to get the "signal" that you have eaten and are full. The longer it takes to eat something, the better. Choose foods that require a lot of chewing when you feel likely to overeat6. Here are some ideas for snacks that will slow you down: Baby carrots with low-fat dip, Reduced-fat cheese on whole grain crackers, Air-popped popcorn, Microwaved apple with cinnamon on top, Baked tortilla chips with salsa or fat-free bean dip.

Coach D Notes: My motto has always been to “eat smart” – that is, eat the right foods at the right time, & in the right amount. Slow down when you eat. Eat only when you are hungry. Don’t be afraid to leave some on your plate…wrap it up & safe it for later in the day. Even most endurance athletes have a tendency to overeat. They believe that since they are always training that it means that they should always be eating. Just look around at the number of people you know who work out regularly but still have trouble with weight loss. This is a predominant issue with endurance athletes. As our bodies become well-trained machine they will actually require fewer calories to produce the same work level. It is like having the consumption of a 4 cylinder motor that performs like a big V8!

*Note: This article was adapted from About.com
Links related to this article:
1. http://weightloss.about.com/library/blquicktips7.htm
2. http://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart/qt/blgohalf.htm
3. http://weightloss.about.com/b/a/256894.htm
4. http://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart/a/aa090506a.htm
5. http://weightloss.about.com/od/morediet1/All_About_Diets.htm
6. http://weightloss.about.com/c/ht/03/02/How_Prevent_Overeating1044888248.htm