This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

4 Ways to Zap Hunger

If you’re on a fat loss diet plan, striving to see the fastest results possible and kick your fat loss into overdrive, one thing that you will inevitably deal with at some point is hunger. This is perfectly normal to experience on any diet plan, but the fact is that some diets definitely promote higher hunger levels than others.

Last week we discussed how different forms of exercise can effect hunger. This week I'm going to give you 4 tips to beating that hunger. If you’re not careful in selecting the right approach, you may find yourself ravenous 24/7, making it almost impossible to stick to your game plan.

Let’s look at the top four current ways that you can combat hunger in a hurry so that you can put this problem behind you.

Find out what's happening in Brookfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Go For Some Coffee

Find out what's happening in Brookfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The first way to calm your hunger pains is to sip a cup of coffee. Not only does the hot liquid tend to calm hunger incredibly well but the caffeine can also cause some reduction in hunger and, more importantly, it can speed up your metabolic rate while boosting your energy levels.

This does tend to be a very good thing as far as fat loss is concerned.

Just be sure it’s a cup of plain black coffee (you may add a no-calorie sweetener such as Truvia) and not a gourmet coffee beverage with a high amount of sugar and fat added.

Use caution! You don't ever want to overdo your caffeine intake nor do you want to start pounding coffee if you are sensitive to stimulants, have heart issues, or have other diseases/illnesses/ailments that require you to stay clear of caffeine.

Lastly, don't reach for that coffee too late at night if you are sensitive to caffeine. It will ruin your sleep, which is also an important variable to our health and body transformation.

Add More Soluble Fiber To Your Diet

For your carbs, the next thing you will want to do is make sure that you are adding enough soluble fiber to your diet plan. This form of fiber is found in whole grains such as oatmeal or brown rice, along with beans and legumes.

This form of fiber will slow the digestion of food in the body and also help to keep blood sugar levels more stabilized, which is integral for keeping hunger in check.

Choose The Protein And Healthy Fats Combo

Moving along, when it comes to your meal selection, more often than not go for the protein plus healthy fats combo. This combination of food is going to be the best support against hunger and keeping you satisfied for hours to come.

Just be sure to choose healthy fat sources so that you aren’t putting yourself in harm’s way.

What About Intermittent Fasting?

Finally, one of the trends over the past couple of years in the diet industry is intermittent fasting. There are all sorts of versions of this, but it generally comes down to not eating for an extending period of time, then a controlled feast at some designated point. More and more people are starting to do daily or weekly fasts as a means to help control their body weight and reduce the amount of stress associated with meal planning and preparation.

This is a more extreme approach for sure. It seems that for some people, it’s just what they needed to see success. They find that once they start the fast, hunger dissipates and they can easily make it through the day without eating until their next scheduled meal.

To my personal training clients, this is something that I DON'T recommend. It's a lazy man's approach to nutrition. And one that does not stimulate the metabolism. I do predict in a couple of years that it will be a flash in the pan.

Conclusion: there you have a few quick strategies to help you combat hunger. Try one of these out next time you feel the urge to eat coming on.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?