How to feel fuller when trying to lose weight?
Staying full and satisfied is a major key to successful weight loss. Fortunately, there is a lot we can do about it.
Protein –
Protein is a very satiating macro-nutrient, meaning it will keep you full for a long time after eating it. This is because it takes a long amount of time to be broken down by your body. Due to the difficulty in digesting protein, it also requires more energy to break down which is known as the thermic effect of food. Basically, digesting protein burns more calories than digesting over types of food such as carbs.
Healthy Fats –
Healthy fats are also extremely satiating, while being incredibly nutrient dense. They provide slow release energy which will sustain you for a long period of time, helping you to feel full for longer after a meal while dieting.
Volume –
Eating for volume is probably the absolute best way to stay full when dieting. This is choosing foods which have a large physical size, but don’t contain many calories. The best examples of these are things such as vegetables and salads. These are great as they take up a lot of space in your stomach allowing you to physically feel full, but they contain very little calories which will greatly help towards goals of weight loss. A large increase in vegetable intake paired with a mild decrease in carbohydrate intake can be a great way to kick start weight loss.
Satiety Index –
Following on from volume eating is the satiety index. This is a scale that was created from a nutrition study based around how filling 100 calories of different types of food are rated as a percentage, with white bread creating the base of 100%. By having knowledge of this scale, you can choose food options which are incredibly filling for less calories. For example, the most filling food found on the satiety index is boiled potatoes which were ranked at a huge 323%, with the next best option being Ling Fish at 225%.
You can find the satiety index here: http://ernaehrungsdenkwerkstatt.de/fileadmin/user_upload/EDWText/TextElemente/Ernaehrungswissenschaft/Naehrstoffe/Saettigung_Lebensmittel_Satiety_Index.pdf
Fibre –
Fibre is another secret weapon when it comes to staying full while dieting. Foods which are high in fibre are generally low calorie and high in volume, meaning you will feel fuller when eating fewer overall calories. The insoluble fibre consumed in these foods is not digested by the body which is why it helps bowel health. Because of this, the calories from the food eaten are even lower. Also, when you eat fibre, it will hold onto water. This means that if you eat a high fibre meal along with a glass of water, it will be much more filling – taking up a lot more physical space in your stomach.
This was just one of the questions covered in our latest “Let’s Talk: Nutrition” talk with Ash. Keep your eyes peeled for our next talk and if you have any questions feel free to grab Ash in the gym.