If you are on a weightloss journey, then you might know how hard it is to control hunger. It can happen for a number of reasons.
A sudden drop in calories, not eating enough, lack of good sleep and sometimes being dehydrated can lead to hunger feelings.
But the most likely reason why you’re always hungry when you start a diet has to do with hormones.
You see, there are hormones that send signals to your brain and tell you when you need to eat, or when you don’t.
And when these hormones are unbalanced, it could result in that hungry feeling.
But there is a way to stop this feeling from occurring. And it’s really pretty simple:
It’s to increase your protein intake.
Studies show that when you switch out carbs and fats for protein, it may better control your appetite, therefore keeping those hungry feelings away.
One reason for this is a better balance in your blood sugar levels. More stable blood sugar can cut down on hunger feelings.
The second way protein helps is by balancing out your “hunger” (ghrelin) and satiety (leptin) hormones.
Satiety simply means satisfied, and you have specific hormones that help with this.
By increasing these hormones, you could have less hunger feelings and better overall meal satisfaction.
So, if you’re just starting out on a diet, and you’re feeling hungry all the time, you may need to increase your protein intake.
You can do this by eating more lean meat, fish, free-range poultry and eggs, dairy products like cottage cheese and mozzarella, plant-based protein sources and protein shakes.
If you’re able to substitute some of the fat or carbs in your diet with protein, it may lead to better meal satisfaction and help keep hunger away.
Your coach
Michał