Being hungry can be one of the worst things ever, your tummy is growling and you have no energy, the quick fix is eating something and that something is usually not something healthy… Here are a few tips to outsmart your hunger so that you are not giving in to cravings.
Hunger hormone
Leptin is a hunger hormone that is released into your blood when you eat and tells you when to stop eating. Being overweight can produce too much leptin which leads to you becoming resistant to higher levels, therefore you can still feel hungry after a meal as the brain is ignoring the “I’m full” signals. One thing that actually helps with keeping leptin levels on a normal level is exercise, not only does being active assists the body with losing weight/staying at a healthy weight, but exercise actually regulates the release of leptin. Another thing that impacts is getting enough sleep so make sure to get seven to eight hours of rest every night.
Appetite hormone
Ghrelin is the opposite of leptin, it is the appetite hormone. When you have not eaten for a while, ghrelin levels are high, but when you eat they stay low while your body digests the food. Both exercise and sleep (same as leptin) can assist with keeping ghrelin levels on a normal level.
Stress
Cortisol is a stress hormone well-known for the fight-or-flight response during stress, it gives us an extra boost of energy but unfortunately, it also activates cravings for high-carb and high-fat food. If you are continuously stressed that contributes to high cortisol levels, which can then lead to calories being stored around our waist which contributes to dangerous tummy fat. Exercise can help you to deal with stress, and getting enough rest and time to relax is important to keep those cortisol levels at bay.
Lack of water
Thirst often gets confused for hunger, when you are feeling the cravings coming, have a big glass of water or two before eating something and the hunger feelings might disappear. Keeping hydrated every day should be a habit, therefore having a water bottle with you at any time, both when you are awake and sleeping, can help you with this. This is extra important as we head into summer in a couple of months. Remember if you are feeling thirsty, you have let it go too long between water breaks, so have a sip now.