3 Easy Ways to Stay Full When Dieting

If you've ever seriously tried to lose weight, then you know how it goes. Sometimes it can seem like you are never full and are existing in this constant state of hunger - it can really suck, let's be honest. However, I've got some tips for you to help manage that hunger and make the process a little easier.

Before we get to my tips for staying full while dieting, I wanted to take a second to address hunger itself because there are a lot of misconceptions and just plain bad information out there. 

There are some folks who claim that hunger is a bad thing and that you should never experience any kind of hunger. However, this just isn't true. Feeling hungry - especially when dieting - is completely normal and part of the process. Your body does not like change and it wants to stay right where it is, which is why it has a whole host of protective mechanisms (like hunger signals) to keep you right where you're at. When you are dieting and trying to lose weight, you should expect to be hungry.

Anyone who claims that you shouldn't be hungry when dieting is simply being untruthful, and I'd be willing to bet that they are trying to sell you some type of product or diet with promises of you never being hungry... 

A little discomfort in the form of hunger is perfectly fine, and the sooner we can accept that and come to terms with it, the easier the process will be. However, I do realize that the easier something is the more likely you are to adhere to it. So if we can make the dieting process easier and increase adherence by managing hunger, why wouldn't we?

Here are a few ways that I have found to be the most effective at managing hunger while dieting - enjoy!

1. Carbonated Beverages

Zero calorie, carbonated beverages can be a great tool to help manage hunger when dieting. This can be in the form of sparkling water, diet sodas, whatever you like. If you know me then you know that my recommendation would be Fresca, and that anything other than Fresca is just a subpar beverage...but hey, to each their own...

The carbonation and extra fluids can be effective at keeping you full and satisfied, and the sweetness from a diet soda can be great for curbing that sweet tooth. There was even a study in which participants replaced sugar sweetened beverages with either water or diet beverages. At the conclusion of the 6-month study, the researchers found similar rates of weight loss between the two groups. In fact, the diet beverage group actually experienced higher rates of weight loss on average compared to the water consuming group (although the difference wasn't statistically significant) (1).

Weight loss over 6 months. DB=Diet Beverage Group WA=Water Group (1)

​But what about artificial sweeteners?

This is a pretty common concern whenever diet sodas are brought up, but there is little to no evidence suggesting that they are detrimental to health or weight loss when they are consumed in a reasonable amount. If you are drinking a couple diet sodas a day you'll be just fine (2). 

Check out this video I did for Instagram giving a quick breakdown of artificial sweeteners and diet sodas if you haven't already!

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A post shared by Clayton Foster (@clayfost)

2. Eat Your Protein and Your Fiber

Along with the muscle building/preserving benefits of a high protein diet and the cardiovascular health benefits of adequate fiber intake, both of these are extremely satiating. Meaning they will help you stay full and satisfied longer than other nutrients - which is a huge plus when dieting!

Now before you go load up on protein and fiber, you have to realize that it's not necessarily a "more is better" situation. Too much of either can cause GI distress, and could potentially take away from the consumption of other needed nutrients. 

As far as protein goes, somewhere around 1g/lb seems like a safe, middle of the road bet for most (maybe a  little higher for those who are extremely lean and little lower for those who are not very lean) (3). 

As for fiber, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends 25g/day for women, and 38g/day for men.​

3. Eat for Volume

Finally, if you want to feel more full when dieting you need to eat for volume. Which basically means opting for foods that are less calorically dense. 

We will start with an extreme example.

Let's say you've got 33 grams of peanut butter. That's going to give you about 190 calories.

Now, let's compare that with spinach.  33 grams of spinach is going to give you about 25 calories. It would take approximately 240 grams of spinach to equal the same amount of calories that you get from a serving size of peanut butter (33 grams).  

You can imagine how much space that 240 grams of spinach would take up in your stomach compared to 33 grams of peanut butter. 

From Precision Nutrition

Like I said, comparing spinach to peanut butter is extreme, but you get the point. This extra volume of food is going to help keep you feeling fuller, longer for the same amount of calories. Which is a big win when you are dieting. 

This is usually going to be accomplished by adding in more vegetables (I love doing big salads or adding broccoli slaw to my rice) or making substitutes for similar foods that are less calories dense. For example, if you were to compare strawberries to bananas. Both are great, nutrient dense fruits. However, there is a big difference when it comes to their caloric density. 100 grams of banana is about 90 calories, while 100 grams of strawberries is about 40 calories. That means you could eat over double the amount of strawberries for the same amount of calories. Small changes like this can make a world of difference and are one of the best ways to improve adherence and consistency. 

Ultimately it's going to take some experimentation on your part to figure out what you enjoy and what fits, but I think these are great strategies that everyone could benefit from using. 

Find what works for you, be consistent, and results will follow.

-Clayton

References
1. Tate, Deborah F et al. “Replacing caloric beverages with water or diet beverages for weight loss in adults: main results of the Choose Healthy Options Consciously Everyday (CHOICE) randomized clinical trial.” The American journal of clinical nutrition vol. 95,3 (2012): 555-63. doi:10.3945/ajcn.111.026278
2. Magnuson, B A et al. “Aspartame: a safety evaluation based on current use levels, regulations, and toxicological and epidemiological studies.” Critical reviews in toxicology vol. 37,8 (2007): 629-727. doi:10.1080/10408440701516184
3. Helms, Eric R et al. “A systematic review of dietary protein during caloric restriction in resistance trained lean athletes: a case for higher intakes.” International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism vol. 24,2 (2014): 127-38. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2013-0054