Fill Up On Less Calories

As yet, no one has invented the diet allowing us to eat to our heart’s content yet not gain weight. One of the main drawbacks of following a diet regime is a constant feeling of hunger which can easily lead to overeating. Of course, if you’re following a healthy weight loss regime you shouldn’t be feeling hungry all the time. But it’s bound to happen from time to time. So what’s the answer?

Fortunately, it’s actually very easy to fill yourself up while eating fewer calories. They key here is what you are eating. But don’t worry, it doesn’t require eating six lettuces! Try some of the following solutions to see how well you can fill yourself up while eating fewer calories.

Turn Vegetables into Soup

Vegetables can be somewhat boring or bland on their own. Making them more palatable often involves covering them in fattening sauces or adding butter for example. Another way of making your vegetables more tasty and far more filling, is to turn them into soup. Soups are a lot more satisfying than plain vegetables plus you’ll be consuming extra liquid in the form of  stock, leaving you far too full to eat much more. And as long as you don’t add any extras such as cream or croutons, you’ll find it much easier sticking to your diet.

Eat the Right Carbohydrates

There’s no need to cut right back on your carbohydrates when you’re on a diet. Carbohydrates are essential for providing enough energy and should make up the largest part of your diet. However, by eating the right type of carbohydrates you will feel full on fewer calories. This means eating carbs with a low GL (Glycemic Load). Foods such as porridge, oat cakes, quinoa, wholemeal rye bread and brown rice all take longer to break down during the digestive process.

So, rather than the quick release of energy obtained from eating highly refined foods like white bread, sweets and pastries, foods with a low Glycaemic Load release their energy more slowly, making you feel full for longer. And as a bonus, foods with a low GL have the effect of stabilising your blood sugar levels so you’ll feel less inclined to snack on a high calorie junk later.

Go Raw

If you like vegetables, try eating them raw instead of cooking them. There are numerous benefits in doing this. Of course vegetables are filling in themselves. But the act of eating them raw rather than cooking them, means the body has to use more energy in processing those vegetables into a more digestible form. When food is cooked, vegetable fibres are broken down, making it easier for us to digest them.

Not cooking food makes the digestive system work harder and for a longer period, which in turn will burn off more calories. And because this food is slower to pass through your stomach, you’ll feel full up for longer.

Filling yourself up doesn’t have to mean eating too many calories and putting on weight. By choosing your food wisely, you can easily fill yourself up on healthy food and stay full for far longer than stuffing yourself with highly processed or refined foods. You’ll find it easier sticking to your diet and hopefully losing weight at the same time. This is also a good resolution to keep when simply trying to maintain your weight.


© Diets and Calories 2011