How To Curb Your Appetite & Lose Weight

Your food choices, beginning with breakfast, affect your appetite throughout the day. A calorie-restricted diet with low-glycemic carbohydrates resulted in greater weight loss in obese families, according to a September 2010 study published in the "Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism." The glycemic index or glycemic load of a food refers to the impact the food has on blood sugar response. Eating low-glycemic carbohydrates curbs the appetite so that you'll eat less at each meal. Combine a heart-healthy diet with drinking larger quantities of water to control your appetite and lose weight.

Step 1

Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Eating often keeps your appetite under control. When you eat small meals throughout the day, you avoid becoming overly hungry, so you eat less and lose weight.

Step 2

Choose low-glycemic carbohydrates. Avoid high-glycemic foods such as white rice, white bread and high-sugar foods and beverages. Low-glycemic foods include peanuts, green vegetables, lentils, barely, beans, high-fiber cereals and some fresh fruit such as apples and pears. Protein foods don't raise your blood sugar, and they provide lasting energy to help you feel satisfied while you're losing weight.

Step 3

Drink a pint of water between meals. It will help curb your appetite. Drinking water raises your metabolism, notes a study published in the November 2010 issue of the "American Journal of Physiology." Drinking two glasses of water at once increases the rate at which your body burns calories and reduces your appetite so that you take in fewer calories.

Tips and Warnings

Choose heart-healthy proteins and fats such as chicken, fish, low-fat dairy, lean beef, olive oil and safflower oil. Aim for 30 percent or fewer of your daily calories from fat.
Consult your doctor about any medical concerns.