It is often very difficult to change your eating habits. Sure you want to eat less but you also want to eat better. When I was trying to lose weight, my target goal for daily calories was about 1,500. Now 1,500 calories is 1,500 calories, whether you’re eating steamed broccoli or bags of candy. The problem is, that if you spent all your calories on soft drinks and candy not only will you have zero nutrients, you’ll also be hungry again very very soon.
A trick that I have learned is to indeed eat fewer calories, but to spend these calories on food that is more filling. If you can eat 1,500 calories of vegetables or lean grilled chicken breast then your hunger levels won’t return nearly as quickly. Sugar sure tastes great, but it is literally empty calories; it won’t fill you up unless you eat a ton of it, and then only for a little while. If you can train yourself to eat food that is filling but may not taste as good, then you are letting your tastes buds carry the burden of your diet. Sure, it may be hard at first to eat foods that don’t have the same taste you are used to but it is a lot better than those sharp hunger pangs. Your taste buds won’t complain nearly as loudly as your empty stomach would.
Tips for filling foods:
-Look for foods that are high in protein. Protein is a key nutrient that is much more filling than carbs or sugar.
-Drink lots of water. Water, as opposed to soft drinks, juice, or other sweetened drinks, has 0 calories and leaves your stomach feeling just as full.
-Eat your veggies. Vegetables contain very little calories. Even if they aren’t particularly filling by themselves, you can eat a lot of them and still stay under your daily calorie budget.
