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A man ponders the Apple.

5 Ways to Feel Full Without Overeating

It can be very easy to forget the reason for eating. It’s not for the taste or to get stuffed, but rather because the body needs food to function properly. But that doesn’t make eating any less fun. The problem becomes how to eat enough that you aren’t starving, but not so much that you can’t move for two hours afterward. Here are a few tips for filling your stomach without feeling like you need to throw up.

Drink water. 

Although you don’t want to fill yourself up completely with water, it’s a great way to take up space with absolutely no calories, fat, or carbohydrates. It also makes it easier to go to the bathroom and keeps all of your cells hydrated, which in turn provides you with more energy. Some people even prefer a big glass of water in the morning to a cup of coffee. Instead of chugging soda, keep a glass of water with you. Try drinking two cups before you even sit down to eat, and try refilling your glass more often than your plate. 

Choose high-volume foods.

High-volume foods have lots of water and fiber in them, which fills your body up faster and more efficiently. Fruits and vegetables are great options and also provide you with a wide variety of necessary vitamins and minerals. Try starting your meal with a nice garden salad, instead of fried cheese sticks. You’ll start to feel full before you even start the main course and already have a good dose of nutrients in you.

Avoid refined sugar. 

A candy bar barely curbs your hunger, but an apple can actually tide most people over for a little while between meals. That’s because of the sugar-fiber ratio. Since a candy bar has no fiber in it (like pretty much anything that doesn’t come by its sugar naturally), your body processes it almost immediately. It spikes your blood sugar, and that’s about it. And then it’s gone, and you still want another one. A piece fruit, on the other hand, has the fiber to balance out its sugar, which means your body is slower to digest it, and you don’t wind up feeling hungry as soon as you’ve swallowed the last bite. 

Make a balanced meal.

Now, even though a meal high in protein tends to make you feel more full, if all you have for dinner is a pound of steak, you’re still missing out on many nutrients your body needs. Yes, you feel full, but sometimes you probably still feel hungry at the same time. Which means you eat more. That’s because your body is still craving what it’s missing. So, add oats, rice, beans, leafy greens, have a little bit of everything, so that your body gets a little bit of everything it needs. A recent study found potatoes have a specific starch that makes you feel fuller for longer. So go ahead and splurge and have potatoes with your dinner to hold you over until breakfast.

Eat at the dinner table. 

If you’re going to eat, eat. Don’t find something else to do at the same time. When you’re watching TV over your plate, you aren’t paying attention to what you put in your mouth. In fact, some studies show even avoiding conversation makes you feel fuller because of where your focus lies. You don’t taste it, you don’t really know how much you ate, and you certainly don’t realize when it’s time to stop. So focus on the food. Meditate over it. As you take each bite, think about that bite. Take the time to savor the flavor, instead of just moving on to the next mouthful. You’ll find it takes less to fill you up, especially since you’re paying attention to your plate instead of something else. 

Last Updated: January 04, 2016