Hunger Cues and Satiation/Satiety
One of the hardest parts of dieting is fighting off the continuous urge to eat your favorite foods and snacks. Satiation is the process of feeling completely satisfied and brings the eating session to an end. Satiation is one of the most important factors of dieting because if one is satiated it is that much easier to avoid overindulgence in food in the current moment. Satiation allows you to feel satisfied after your meal; holding off hunger cues for longer and allowing for a more structured approach to eating. This continued process allows you to establish more regulated eating cues and helps prolong eating between meals and avoid temptations as they arise. Satiety is the feeling of fullness which allows us to resist the urge to intake more calories. Both of these are incredibly important to control food cues and hunger patterns.
Feeling satisfied is one of the most important factors in dieting because over a period of time if you can learn to listen to these hunger cues you can better regulate your own eating patterns leading you to easier weight loss and or weight maintenance. One of the best ways to better understand this process is by looking into the food satiety index. This index shows that foods that are high in protein and fiber rank the highest in satiation, second being real foods and last being refined carbs or fat. Using this index you can better formulate your diet structure to help regulate food intake and feel fuller for longer.
Some helpful tips and tricks for overall food intake are listed below
● Out of Sight Out of Mind - Try your best to avoid having food in your house that can lead to temptations and cravings.
● Smaller Plates/Bowls or In Sight in Mind- Planning out the food ahead of time and laying it out on smaller plates/bowls allows you to visually see a full plate of food.
● Slow Down Consumption- Pace yourself when you are eating and allow for 15-20 minutes of eating. Drink plenty of water during and prior to your meal.
● Food Volume- Low calorie high volume foods like popcorn, dark leafy greens, and strawberries are fantastic low calorie options.
● Identify your trigger foods - Identify foods that you have a hard time resisting and frequently overindulge on.
● Find a healthy alternative to your favorite foods to control cravings and lower calories ● Establish meal times and come up with a consistent eating schedule for yourself
Hopefully the information and tips above helped you in some way. Dieting is hard and losing weight can be an incredibly difficult challenge. Stephanie and myself at Ryan Howard Coaching are here to help you through this journey. If any of this information resonated with you and you're looking for an easier approach to dieting feel free to comment below or reach out for a free consultation!
-Ryan