Appetite Control
I usually find myself writing about specialized ways to shed fat, either through articles that focus on metabolism or provide prescriptive aerobic advice espousing the best times to hit your cardio to drop body fat and the best levels of intensity. In terms of cutting up and losing body fat, a big part of the picture boils down to eating less, i.e., gaining control of your appetite. That’s what this piece is about; it’s about finding ways to feel full faster or longer, allowing you to tame your appetite so you can shed more body fat by eating less food and calories.
Carbohydrates are the first nutrient to leave the stomach so a meal comprised of only carbohydrates will leave the stomach quickly and lead to hunger. Protein and dietary fat not only digest far slower than carbohydrates but prevent carbohydrates from rushing out of the stomach, therefore making you feel “full.” This is reason enough to avoid carb-only meals. They ignite hunger and can lead to cheating, gorging and overeating. Additionally, when you eat carb-only meals, you increase your insulin levels, which convert the meal to mostly sugar.
2) Start with Protein
Let’s say you’re dieting and a meal calls for a carbohydrate-protein meal comprised of rice and a chicken breast. If you feel like you’re starving and could eat a small elephant, opt for the chicken first, followed by the rice. The reason: consuming protein before anything else exerts a greater appetite quelling effect than carbs alone or, in this case, a combo of carbohydrates and protein.
3) Really Graze
Bodybuilders know multiple meals result in better results – more muscle with less body fat – than fewer meals. In terms of appetite control, breaking your meals into 6 per day and even 8 per day can have a huge impact on appetite. That’s because every time you eat, even a very small meal, the appetite center of the brain is stimulated and relaxes a sometimes urgent appeal for more food or an overwhelming desire to eat. Constantly eating, of course within your daily calorie requirements, will not only tame the appetite, but help accelerate a loss in body fat.
4) Fine Tune the Protein
Yes, you really do need only 1 gram of complete protein per pound of bodyweight to build mass. However, that number can change and should go up if you find yourself ravenously hungry following this golden rule for protein consumption. When you increase your protein – let’s just say you eat another 70 grams a day above and beyond the 1 gram rule – just back down on your carb consumption by 70 grams. Proteins satisfy the appetite while carbs generally increase it, so re-adjusting your protein-carb mix is an easy step to keep the appetite down.
5) Use Fiber Supplements
Soluble Fiber adds a gel-like substance to the stomach to delay the entry of carbohydrates into the intestines. This slowing effect alters the amount of insulin secreted and insulin has been touted “the hunger hormone.” When fiber delays carb digestion and modifies insulin secretion, you’ll not only lose the urge to overeat, but will feel better because spiking insulin levels often result in drops in energy levels.
7) Use 5-HTP
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan or 5-hydroxy-l-tryptophan) is a natural supplement that converts into a chemical called serotonin in the brain and helps to suppress the appetite. One study published in the Journal of Neural Transmission in 1989, showed 200 mgs taken 20 minutes before each of 3 daily meals caused a 22% decrease in carbohydrate consumption. Try 20-40 mgs twice daily.
Tyrosine & Caffeine
The amino acid tyrosine, when taken on an empty stomach, can increase levels of noradrenaline in the body to act as a mild appetite suppressant. Throw in caffeine and you enhance the effect, especially when used on a completely empty stomach. Caffeine compounds the noradrenaline boosting effects of tyrosine and also liberates free fatty acids from fat cells. Both free fatty acids and glycerol – the by product of fat breakdown – help short circuit the appetite control center located in the brain. A good bet is to use 2 grams of tyrosine and a cup of coffee in the morning 45 minutes before eating and repeat the process in the early afternoon.
9) Use Satietrol
Cholecystokinin (CCK) is produced in the duodenum of the small intestines during digestion and is thought to strongly influence appetite. A product called Satietrol contains a special milk protein called glycomacropeptide, which research has shown to help curb the appetite. Taken with the first meal of the day, Satietrol can help curb the appetite and aid in a drop in food consumption.
10) Histidine
Here’s a not–so–popular amino acid that recent research has shown to help suppress the appetite. It’s thought that histidine influences the hormone leptin, which influences control over hunger. Histidine gives way to histamine, which decrease food consumption. On the flip side, drugs that block the release of histamines lead to increases in food consumption. This explains the appetite boosting effects of Periactin, an anti-histamine and a drug underground gurus have touted as a chemically supported approach to eat more and bulk up Try 500 mgs of Histidine 3 times daily to help control the appetite.
11) Hoodia
Hoodia is a succulent common to the African Kalahari desert. For thousands of years, the local Bushmen have used this herb to decrease the appetite. No they are not trying to diet and lose fat, but are trying to avoid hunger and fatigue allowing them to work longer. It appears there is some merit to this idea, as South African Scientists have shown it to contain chemicals to trick the brain into thinking it is full.
12) Simmondsin
Here’s another interesting herb with strong appetite suppressing qualities. Simmomdsin is an active chemical found in jojoba seeds. Jojoba is a shrub found in the Sonoran desert of Arizona, California and Mexico. The seeds contain liquid wax used in cosmetics and high temperature lubricants. Simmomdsin seeds contain a high amount of protein (25%), and it was theorized that they would be an inexpensive way to increase weight of farm animals. Surpise! When the animals were fed the jojoba seed husks, they actually ate less!
