How to stay satisfied in a calorie deficit
If you are trying to lose weight or body fat then you are (or maybe should be ) in a calorie deficit. I know this can be pretty tough, especially as you are just getting started. Your body is used to consuming more calories and it needs a bit to adjust to eating less than you were before. It’s normal to feel a little hungry as you get started but below are some things to help with that and to think about!
Try this:
Focus on foods that you can add instead of taking away! Adding in veggies to your meals gives you a higher volume of food without adding in a ton of calories. This will also help give your body the vitamins + minerals it needs!
Prioritize your protein! Protein leaves your body feeling fuller for longer as it (very generally put) reduces the hormone in your body that tells your brain you are hungry. Some great protein sources to add to your diet are: chicken, fish, lean red meat, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.
Make sure you are getting enough fiber! Like protein, fiber leaves you feeling full for longer. This is because fiber takes longer for your body to digest. Some sources of fiber to add to your diet would be: berries, greens (veggies in general!), apples/pears, oats, etc.
Drink water! Don’t mask your hunger by chugging water, but a lot of times thirst/dehydration cues can be mistaken for hunger. So just make sure you are keeping hydrated!
I’m still hungry…when should I add in more calories?
Again, if you are used to consuming a high amount of calories and suddenly have to decrease, you might experience some hunger. I’d suggest slowly decreasing your calories vs making a drastic cut. For example if you are currently eating 2500 calories/day and then need to drop to 1800/day to be in a deficit, let’s not just straight up cut 700 calories/day at once. Start by dropping 100 calories/day and maintain that for a week, then continue to drop another 100/day and so on until you reach your deficit. For example you’d start with 2400 calories/day for a week, then 2300/day for the next week and so on.
If you notice that you are feeling “hangry” or constantly hungry, lacking energy, an increase in cravings or so on, then consider adding 100 calories/day back into your diet.
If you have an extremely strenuous workout, you may be more hungry than normal later that day or even the next day. Go ahead and give yourself an extra serving of carbs/protein to aid in your recovery - it won’t take away from your progress/results!
There are plenty of other things to add to help keep you satisfied or items to think about if you should add in calories but these are some main points! I hope this helps and if you ever have any questions, feel free to email me at info@jennpappas.com!