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RESEARCH UPDATE: Trick your body into feeling less hungry
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Are you on a weight loss diet? Here's how to trick your body into
feeling less hungry...
If you're on a weight loss diet, researchers from Pennsylvania
State University have shown that you can "trick" your body into
eating less WITHOUT feeling hungry.
Many people find it difficult to lose weight -- not because they
don't know what to do -- but because they don't like the feeling
of hunger that often accompanies a restricted calorie diet.
While your sensations of hunger are affected by numerous factors,
scientists have established that the volume of food consumed is
directly linked to how full you feel after a meal.
As soon as the volume of food in your stomach reaches a certain
size, it appears that receptors in your stomach send the "full"
signal to your brain.
Publishing their findings in the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, Barbara Rolls and colleagues from Pennsylvania State
University set out to establish if the volume of liquid consumed
30 minutes before a meal affected subsequent food intake.
Test subjects were given one of three different sized drinks
roughly 30 minutes before eating lunch. Although all three drinks
contained the SAME number of calories, they differed in volume.
In other words, some of the drinks had more water in them.
Subjects were given access to a buffet-style lunch that allowed
them to choose a variety of different foods. The table below
shows you exactly how many calories subjects ate at lunch after
consuming the different drinks.
No drink = 1,032 calories consumed at lunch
300ml drink = 758 calories consumed at lunch
450ml drink = 698 calories consumed at lunch
600ml drink = 625 calories consumed at lunch
The results clearly show that the larger the volume of fluid
consumed before lunch, the fewer calories were consumed at lunch.
*Hunger ratings were three times lower following the 600ml
drink, compared to the 300ml drink.
*Feelings of fullness were three times higher following the
600ml drink, compared to the 300ml drink.
Remember that the larger drinks didn't have any more calories in
them. They were simply larger in volume -- containing more water,
along with guar gum (which added thickness to the drinks).
These findings are supported by previous studies, which have
shown that the weight of a meal is closely linked to feelings of
fullness.
So, how can you use this information?
Firstly, make sure to include plenty of vegetables in your diet
(such as broccoli). Vegetables typically contain little in the
way of calories. Compared to other foods, they're also high in
volume.
For example, 44 grams of broccoli contains just 12 calories.
Compare this to a fat-free cookie, which contains 127 calories,
yet weighs just 29 grams. Based on the findings of this study,
the broccoli would reduce your hunger to a greater extent than
the cookie, despite the fact the cookie contains 1,058% MORE
calories.
Low-fat or fat-free foods are typically very light but contain a
LOT of calories. Because they're low in fat, many people are
seduced into believing they can eat as much of them as they want.
Several studies have shown that people concerned about their
weight eat MORE of a food when they're told that it's low in fat
-- completely eliminating any benefit that the low-fat product
had to offer in the first place!
Here's another "trick" that might help:
Roughly 30 minutes before you eat, drink 300-600ml of water. This
will help "fool" your stomach into sending the "full" signal to
your brain.
Reference
Rolls, B.J., Castellanos, V.H., Halford, J.C., Kilara, A.,
Panyam, D., Pelkman, C.L., Smith, G.P., & Thorwart, M.L. (1998).
Volume of food consumed affects satiety in men. American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition, 67, 1170-1177
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DP
Posted by: Triple Threat
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
As I am trying to work on my flabdominals,
this information will come in very handy.
Posted by: 357mag
I just don't believe that water is an appetite suppressant. If you are hungry you are hungry and you need solid food. The only time water can help fill you up is after a meal.
Posted by: Emma-Leigh
LOL - talk about bringing up a post from the past!!
Originally Posted by 357mag
I just don't believe that water is an appetite suppressant. If you are hungry you are hungry and you need solid food. The only time water can help fill you up is after a meal.
It is acutally true - satiety is partially triggered via pure bulk content in your gastrointestinal tract (one of the reasons why lots of fibre fills you up). So, simply, if you drink a lot you will 'fill up' on water, and you will not eat as much as a concequence.
Also, most people will confuse thirst for hunger. The signals for 'I'm hungry' and 'I'm thirsty' often get 'crossed' in the hypothalamus and people will believe they are hungry when they are just thirsty. Therefore, drinking before a meal can also stop these 'mixed messages'.
Posted by: LAM
Originally Posted by 357mag
I just don't believe that water is an appetite suppressant. If you are hungry you are hungry and you need solid food. The only time water can help fill you up is after a meal.
if you are dehydrated it can send false signals of hunger to the brain. so yes water can be an appetite suppressant...
Originally Posted by 357mag