When dealing with hunger, there are a few strategies that may help you better manage hunger, curb cravings, and prevent binging.
Choose high-volume foods
High volume foods take up more room in your stomach and may digest more slowly, which can help increase feelings of fullness. If you need some high-volume food ideas, check out the following list:
Hot cereals (oatmeal, buckwheat, cream of rice, cream of wheat)
Fat-free Greek yogurt
Yogurt-based dips
Soup
Cottage Cheese
Quinoa
Veggies (celery, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, leafy greens, zucchini)
Squash (spaghetti, butternut squash)
Scrambled eggs/egg whites
Choose high-fiber foods
If you find yourself still very hungry after eating your daily allowance of protein, carbs, and fat, you may want to mix up your food choices to include more high-fiber foods. Carb options that are higher in fiber will absorb more slowly, helping you feel fuller, longer. Fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans), seeds, and whole grains are all high in fiber and will do much more to satisfy your hunger than sugary cereals, desserts, and other low-fiber carb foods. If you need some specific high-fiber food ideas, check out the following list.
Beans (lentils, black beans, pinto beans, red beans, chickpeas, garbanzo beans, etc)
Hummus
Avocado
Chia and flaxseed
Oikos triple zero yogurt
Berries (blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)
Quinoa and oats
Popcorn
Certain protein bars (quest)
Fiber-fortified tortillas, breads, and granolas
Stay hydrated
Some studies have shown that drinking water before or with a meal may help increase satiety, which could help you better stick to your macro targets.
Eat slowly and mindfully
There may be a lapse in the time between when you’re actually full and when signals of satiety reach your brain. By eating slowly and deliberately, you’ll give your brain more time to catch up. Also, this can allow you to be more mindful when you eat, and you’ll have a better ability to appreciate the amount of food you’re eating and its taste. Mindlessly shoveling down food rarely results in satisfaction.
Be strategic with meal timing and incorporate intermittent fasting
If you’re not hungry in the morning, try waiting to eat until lunch (intermittent fasting). This will allow you to eat more of your calories when you are hungry, and also over a shorter window to give you the illusion of having more food. On the other hand, if you tend to be less hungry at night and hungrier in the morning, eat the bulk of your calories early.
Use high/Low days wisely
If you’re on a weight loss setting, it can be difficult to be hungry and in a deficit every single day. By setting a higher calorie day once or twice a week, you’ll get some much-needed relief from dieting and may be able to better stick to your macros. If you’re active, you might also consider programming your high days so that they fall on your training days.
Take advantage of macro-friendly hacks and recipes
There are a ton of different macro hacks to make your macros stretch further. For example:
Substitute shirataki noodles or spaghetti squash for pasta
Substitute regular pizza crust for cauliflower crust
Substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream
Substitute mashed cauliflower for mashed potatoes
In addition to using these macro hacks to save coveted carbs and fat while knocking out your protein, check out our delicious macro-friendly recipes here.