4 Ways to Reduce Hunger When Using Meal Replacement Shakes
Generally speaking, when it comes to following a healthy and balanced diet, there is no substitution for healthy and nutritious whole foods. With that said, though, for times when people are physically unable to eat, or when people are looking to drop a considerable amount of weight, meal replacement shakes can be very useful. Nowadays, there are heaps of different meal replacement shakes, all packed full of healthy ingredients that the body requires. If you’re following a diet requiring the consumption of these shakes, hunger will likely be a real problem. To help prevent feelings of hunger, and to stop you getting ‘hangry’ here’s a look at 4 simple ways to reduce hunger when using meal replacement shakes.
Drink coffee – Okay, before we go any further, it’s important to mention that coffee contains caffeine, which is a stimulant. It can temporarily increase your heart rate, and can leave you feeling alert and energized. Too much caffeine can be dangerous and can lead to trouble sleeping. With that said, a couple of cups early on in the day can be beneficial when fighting hunger. Coffee is a natural appetite suppressant, so drinking a cup or two can help you fight hunger. The only catch is that it would need to be black, as sugar and milk both contain additional fats and calories.
Keep busy – If you’re on meal replacement shakes and are constantly feeling hungry, time will pass by at an extraordinarily slow rate. One minute can feel like an hour, and one hour can feel like a day. If it’s the evening, you’ve finished work and have completed your chores etc, the last thing you want to do when hungry is sit around, constantly thinking about how hungry you are. To take your mind off of the hunger, try to keep busy. Tackle the cleaning, do those jobs you’ve been putting off, read a book, watch a film, do a puzzle. Basically, do anything you can to keep yourself busy and take your mind off of the hunger.
Fill up with water – Water is essential when it comes to your health and well-being. It is also very useful for times when you’re looking to lose weight, especially via meal replacement shakes. Throughout the day, make sure you’re fully hydrated and have drank plenty of water. Whenever you feel the pang of hunger, drink a glass of water. To help make your shakes fill you up for longer, drink a glass of water after one of your shakes. Ideally, mineral water is healthiest, although filtered water is also useful.
Exercise – As if you needed yet another benefit of exercise, now you have it. Exercise has been found to serve as a natural appetite suppressant. Exercise has been found to suppress the production of a hormone in your body known as ghrelin. This is known as the ‘hunger hormone’ because it is a hormone secreted when we feel hungry. To make things even better, levels of Leptin also increase after exercise. Leptin is a hormone we produce to tell the brain that we’re full, so it is a natural appetite suppressant.