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Sometimes, people find that they want to eat more food than their body needs. Some treatment plans for people living with obesity take appetite into account, but everyone experiences it differently. Some people with this chronic disease take appetite suppressants that may or may not be safe. Others try to manage this issue by making changes to their daily lives.
As it turns out, there may be differences in the hypothalamus (a part of the brain) in people diagnosed with obesity that may cause them to want to eat more food. However, it’s still possible to learn how to curb your appetite in significant ways. These lifestyle changes are safe and support your overall health, as long as you talk with your healthcare provider about how to fit them into your routine.
Eating more dietary fiber can help lower your appetite and make you feel more satisfied with what you eat, which is called satiety. Fiber helps your gastrointestinal tract send messages to your brain that say you’re full and satisfied.
Foods that are high in fiber include many fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Some of these are also foods that have fewer calories, so you can eat more of them, get the fiber you need, and feel full, all while lowering your calorie intake.
Some people may find that drinking more water, especially before eating, helps curb their appetite so they don’t consume as much food and don’t end up overeating. There are a few studies that support this, but they aren’t long term, they’re very small, or they focus on animals.
Staying hydrated is helpful on its own. If it also helps your appetite, that’s even more reason to drink plenty of fluids each day.
Eating protein, especially early in the day, may help you feel less hungry later on. It may also help lower your blood sugar levels later in the day, if this is something you’re monitoring or have concerns about.
Try to get about 28 grams of protein in your first meal of the day by including foods like eggs, Greek yogurt, or low-fat cottage cheese. Researchers believe that protein helps control appetite because it takes longer to digest than carbohydrates do. However, that doesn’t entirely explain why it seems that the effect lasts longer the more protein you eat.
Not getting enough sleep at night can increase your appetite. When you have sleep issues, it makes the hormone that stimulates your appetite (ghrelin) go up, while the hormone that tells you you’re full (leptin) goes down.
Improving your sleep may be particularly important for people living with obesity. If you have this diagnosis, you’re more likely to also deal with sleep apnea. This can make sleeping well difficult when it’s not treated. People with sleep apnea have more issues with an imbalance between ghrelin and leptin. This can cause them to not only eat more, but also to eat high-fat foods when they’re hungry. Finding a treatment option for sleep apnea, then, and improving your sleep in general, could act as an appetite suppressant.
There are many things you can do to focus on your food and enjoy it while you’re eating. These may help you eat less because you’ll be more in touch with what your body needs and how you feel when you’re full.
Focus on only eating at mealtimes and sitting down at a table without distractions. If you do this and you’re still hungry between meals, plan healthy snacks and eat them intentionally, instead of snacking while doing something else. This can make healthy eating more likely.
Eating slowly can also help you notice when you’re full. It can take up to 20 minutes for your body to signal fullness, and paying attention to your meal helps you recognize those cues instead of missing them.
While there are some hunger and fullness cues that everyone experiences, it can be easy to miss them if you aren’t looking for them or you’re not sure what you’re looking for. Using a hunger scale can help you figure out if you’re actually hungry and what cues your body uses to tell you when to eat.
To use a hunger scale effectively, you’ll want to stop and check in with your body any time you feel like you want to eat. Look for sensations like:
After you’ve evaluated your body, rate your hunger on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is extremely hungry and 10 is very full. You should try to eat when your hunger is somewhere between a 4 and a 6. Waiting until you’re lower than that can cause you to overeat.
Physical activity can also help you regulate your appetite. It can help you feel more full after you eat, though some people will experience this to a greater extent than others.
While more studies are needed to understand when, how, and why exercise helps manage the appetite, researchers believe that moving your body regularly should help at least some with appetite management. Since it’s also part of a healthy lifestyle, exercise could have additional benefits, too.
Stress is connected to gaining weight. Constant stress causes the body to release a hormone called cortisol. Among other things, cortisol tells the body to eat more. If the stress continues long term or the body doesn’t shut down the cortisol when it’s gone, you can get stuck in a state where your appetite is high. Because stress also causes people to eat foods that are higher in sugar and fat, they can end up gaining quite a bit of weight.
Reducing stress may be key to managing your appetite. You can figure out how to do this in a way that works for you. Close social connections can help lower stress levels, as can exercise and meditation. There are many ways you can reduce stress and, in turn, lower your appetite and make healthier food choices.
If you feel like your appetite is out of control and you aren’t sure where to start, talk to a healthcare professional. They should be able to help you figure out strategies that will help you feel full and satisfied while eating less.
A doctor can also connect you to other medical professionals who can help. A therapist or a support group can help you manage stress, for example, while a registered dietitian can help you figure out how to add more fiber and protein to your diet or change your eating habits. Your doctor is a resource you should use when you’re wondering how to curb your appetite in a way that’s healthy and works for you.
On MyObesityTeam, people share their experiences with obesity, get advice, and find support from others who understand.
How do you manage your appetite safely while practicing a weight management plan? Let others know in the comments below.
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