Feeling fuller throughout the day is one of the keys to successful weight loss.

When we're hungry, we're more likely to eat whatever is convenient and tasty, regardless of how good for us it is.

In this article we discuss why staying fuller longer is important for weight loss and detail six simple strategies to ensure you stay fuller longer each day.

Why staying fuller longer is important

There are some very good reasons why it's important to ensure that we aren't constantly feeling hungry, including:

• When we're feeling really hungry, we are much more likely to eat whatever is convenient, including junk food, unhealthy snacks and high calorie, high fat, high sugar foods like chocolate, biscuits and potato chips.
  
  
• When we're feeling really hungry, we are much more likely to overeat and eat quickly so that the likelihood of us consuming too many calories throughout the day is high.
  
  
• The longer we stay hungry, the hungrier we become and the longer it takes our hunger to subside once we begin to eat.
  
  
• When we are hungry often, food can become the dominant thing we think about and we can start to become obsessed with food and eating.
  
  
• When we often go hungry, our average metabolism can be lower than normal and as a result we may not be burning the maximum number of calories throughout the day.

For all of these reasons, allowing ourselves to become hungry constantly can be counterproductive to our weight loss goals.

But there are strategies that we can adopt to ensure that we don't go hungry while losing weight.

Here are six of these strategies:

Strategy 1 - Eat a high fibre breakfast

Eating a high fibre breakfast gets us off to a great start and helps ensure that we feel full until lunchtime.

Great high fibre breakfast choices include:

• High Fibre, Wholegrain Breakfast Cereal
  
• Porridge / Oats
  
• Low Fat Muesli
  
• Poached Eggs and Baked Beans (low-salt) on Wholegrain Toast
  
• Wholegrain Toast with Low-Fat Spread
  
• Fresh Fruit Salad, including Bananas, Apples and Oranges
  
• Yoghurt and a Glass of Low-Fat Milk

Strategy 2 - Eat a protein packed lunch

Foods high in protein, like those high in fibre, are digested slowly and help us feel fuller longer.

Therefore it makes perfect sense to include foods which are good sources of protein in our lunch menu.

Good high protein choices for lunch include:

• Meat and Salad Wraps
  
• Chicken Salad Sandwiches with Wholegrain Bread
  
• Cottage Cheese and Salmon Crispbread
  
• Chicken Breast Salad
  
• Tuna, Turkey or Egg and Salad Pita Bread
  
• Pasta with Tomato Sauce
  
• Grilled Chicken Breast with Vegetables
  
• Low Fat Yoghurt with Fresh Fruit

Strategy 3 - Eat healthier Snacks

If you still get the munchies between meals eating a high fibre breakfast and a protein packed lunch, make sure you snack wisely and choose healthier snack options such as:

• Protein Shakes
  
• Mixed Nuts
  
• Low Fat Cheese / Yoghurt
  
• Fruit
  
• Protein Bars
  
• Glasses of Low Fat Milk
  
• A Fresh Fruit Smoothie

Strategy 4 - Don't Scrimp on Dinner

If we scrimp on dinner, chances are we are going to be hungry later at night and reach for unhealthy snacking options.

Good dinner choices to keep us feeling satisfied include:

• A palm sized piece of Lean Meat with Vegetables
  
• A palm sized piece of Fish with Salad
  
• A palm sized piece of Chicken with a Small Baked Potato
  
• A small plate of Pasta with Vegetables and Tomato Sauce
  
• A bowl of stir-fried Brown Rice and Vegetables

Strategy 5 - Eat smaller, more frequent meals

Eating five or six smaller meals throughout the day can often be better than eating three larger meals.

By eating more frequently, there is less time between meals and less chance that we'll experience intense hunger.

In addition, eating more frequently can help raise our metabolism and therefore burn the maximum number of calories throughout the day.

Strategy 6 - Drink Plenty of Water

Drinking plenty of water is important for at least three reasons if our goal is to stay full throughout the day.

Firstly, drinking water ensures that we don't mistake hunger for thirst and eat food when our body is actually trying to tell us that it is dehydrated.

Secondly, drinking water between and with meals helps us feel full by helping to fill our stomach.

Thirdly, with all the protein and fibre we'll be eating throughout the day, it is important that we drink water so that we can more easily digest our food and avoid digestive problems such as constipation.

Conclusion

Feeling fuller throughout the day is one of the keys to successful weight loss.

When we're hungry, we're more likely to eat whatever is convenient and tasty, regardless of how good for us it is.

In this article we discussed why staying fuller longer is important in helping us achieve weight loss and detailed six simple strategies to ensure you stay fuller longer in your quest to lose weight and maintain a healthy diet.

Good luck with weight loss goals and thanks for visiting weightloss.com.au.

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