How to Make Hunger Work For You on a Diet - Discover 3 Easy Ways

"I can't lose this weight because I am always too hungry." Have you ever said this to yourself? Hunger is a signal the body gives you to remind you to add some fuel to the furnace. It is in place so you don't forget to eat and get too low on energy. Hunger is a good thing yet you might find yourself getting upset about being hungry when you are on a diet. There is a way to work with your hunger to make weight loss a lot easier. Below I have defined 3 steps you can take today to use hunger to your advantage.

1. Know Your Hunger Number:

Your goal is to learn to work with your natural hunger signals but in order to do this you must first reconnect with true hunger and its varying degrees. A great way to do this is to take the next couple of days and rate your hunger. Rating your hunger is simple when you use a hunger scale which is simply a scale from 0 to 10 with "0" meaning you are absolutely starving and "10" meaning you are stuffed. Take a break from what you are doing about 5 times a day and assign yourself a hunger number by asking yourself, "How hungry is my stomach on a scale of 0 to 10?" This seems simple but if you have been out-of-touch with this sensation for a long time it might be hard to pinpoint, just stick with it and by the end of the first day you will be much more competent.

You will notice that there are many different levels of hunger, you are not simply hungry or full, but in fact your level of hunger can range anywhere in between and this information can help you make better eating decisions as you will see as you continue reading.

2. Eat By Your Hunger Number - Not the Clock:

A common cue we take from our environment that tells us we "should" eat is the clock. If you have been programmed to eat lunch at noon and dinner at 6 then you will find yourself doing just that out of habit, but what if you have a low hunger number at 11am? What if your hunger number indicates that you are still full from an afternoon snack at 6:00 pm? One way to let your natural hunger signal work for you is to eat when you are hungry instead of eating because the clock says it is time to eat. Remember, hunger is a signal that your body needs fuel, it doesn't care what time of day it is. Give your body what it needs and start experimenting with different amounts of food and different types of food to see what keeps you satisfied longest. A hint is found in the next tip below.

3. Eat Foods That Stay In Your Stomach Longer:

These would be foods that contain protein, good fat or high-fiber. You are best off to avoid eating refined or simple carbs alone when you are trying to lose weight. This would be foods like pretzels, bread, baked goods, crackers, cookies, chocolate or candy. The reason is that these foods are digested in a flash and leave your stomach very quickly causing a rapid spike in blood sugar levels. Your body then jumps into action to lower your blood sugar back to normal but in its haste often causes the blood sugar to drop too low and then guess what? Your body says, "Send more food!" To avoid this hunger rollercoaster eat foods that empty slowly out of your stomach such as protein-rich meat, cheese and nuts; good fats such as olive oil and canola oil; or high-fiber foods such as vegetables and beans. These foods will digest slowly and cause a slow rise in blood sugar levels, keeping you satisfied longer.

Hunger is not a bad thing or something to be feared when dieting. By learning to work with your natural hunger signal you will keep your blood sugar levels even and stay satisfied throughout the day and best of all you will prevent overeating due to getting too hungry.

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