Table of contents:
- 1. Don't skip meals
- 2. Get enough sleep
- 3. The right portion for every meal
- 4. Increase the consumption of fiber
- 5. Think before consuming something
- 6. Doing regular exercise
Do you feel like you have a big appetite? Appetite is actually a perception or signal that the brain receives from the senses when it sees food or drink which is then supported by a "hunger" signal from the body, if the stomach is empty. If not handled properly, a large appetite can lead to weight gain, to obesity. Then how do you suppress your appetite?
1. Don't skip meals
The body works all the time, including digesting incoming food and drink. Therefore, it is not good if you skip meals and eat nothing for more than 4 hours. Eating regularly three times a day, by eating healthy snacks such as fruit, can prevent the body from experiencing hunger. When you skip meals, your appetite will tend to get bigger the next time you eat. This is because you cannot fool your body that you are not hungry and then skip meals. For example, when you skip breakfast, the body releases the hormone ghrelin, a hormone in the stomach that sends signals of "hunger" to the brain and then causes an increase in appetite.
A study reported in British Journal of Nutrition in 2008 found that people who eat three times a day have food satisfaction and satiety for up to 24 hours compared to people who only eat two times a day. Skipping meals only makes your body starve and tends to eat larger portions of food at the next meal.
2. Get enough sleep
Many studies have found that lack of sleep can lead to weight gain because they tend to eat snacks at night. When you are sleep deprived, your body releases more of the hormones ghrelin and leptin. Both of these hormones are hormones that can increase appetite. If you sleep at least seven hours every night, this will lower the levels of these hormones in the body. In addition, people who have insomnia or lack of sleep tend to feel bored at night and end up looking for something to do, one of which is eating or snacking.
3. The right portion for every meal
The function of the senses is closely related to appetite, because appetite arises because of external stimuli, namely the eyes that see food or drink and the nose which smells the delicious smell of food. Therefore, appearance greatly affects the level of appetite. The portion that the eye sees when food is served also affects appetite. A study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition It is evident that people who are served small appetizers and then main meals consume at least 56% less energy than people who are served appetizers and main dishes with equal portions. From this study it can be concluded that the first research group realized that their main meal portions were too large, because they had previously eaten small appetizers.
4. Increase the consumption of fiber
Fiber affects appetite in various ways, namely by replacing foods that are high in calories, increasing chewing movements that make it easier to digest food and causing the stomach to feel full which ultimately reduces appetite. Research conducted in 2001 states that increasing fiber consumption by as much as 14% a day, effectively reduces appetite and makes weight loss quickly.
5. Think before consuming something
Sometimes false hunger pops up and makes you confused whether the hunger is really a signal from the body or just a momentary “eye hunger”. Hunger can arise because you feel bored, stressed, and emotional. If you have eaten in the two to four hours before the feeling of hunger starts, then you are probably experiencing it false hunger caused by your emotions. Moment false hunger it appears, it is better to direct yourself to other things besides eating, such as playing, going out of the house, or doing hobbies that you like. This will reduce your appetite because it takes your mind off the hunger that arises.
6. Doing regular exercise
By doing exercise, the levels of the hormone ghrelin decrease. In addition, exercise increases the peptide YY hormone, a hormone that functions to suppress appetite. A study has shown that sports such as swimming, running and cycling can increase levels of the YY hormone peptide in the body.
The intensity of exercise also determines the level of a person's appetite. A research contained in International Journal of Obesity states that doing aerobic exercise for 60 minutes can suppress appetite more than doing anerobic exercise with the same duration. Aerobic exercise is a sport that is carried out for a long duration and requires continuous oxygen during exercise, such as swimming, cycling, and jogging . Meanwhile, anerobic sports are sports whose oxygen needs cannot be met by the body and are very draining of stamina, such as badminton and weightlifting.
