How to Control Appetite. Stop Overeating!

Still can't tell what true hunger feels like? Set your watch. Moderate to full-fledged hunger (our ideal window for eating) is most likely to hit 4 to 5 hours after a balanced meal. Waiting too long to eat can send you on an emergency hunt for energy—and the willpower to make healthful choices plummets. "Regular eating keeps blood sugar and energy stable, which prevents you from feeling an extreme need for fuel," says Kate Geagan, RD, author of Go Green Get Lean: Trim Your Waistline with the Ultimate Low-Carbon Footprint Diet.

Looking to add some flavor to your food and noncaloric drinks? Forget the sugar; there are plenty of spices and flavors that will make your food both tastier and healthier. Vinegar, which has been shown to lower the glycemic index, (meaning you metabolize the food more slowly) adds acidic flavor to salad dressings, sauces and roasted veggies without a lot of calories.

For sweet-smelling warmth, add cinnamon to everything from coffee and smoothies to chili. Like vinegar, cinnamon slows the rate at which food transits from your stomach to your intestine—this keeps you full longer, and helps prevent the post-meal slump.

Coffee has many benefits for health and sports performance — and may also help decrease your appetite.

Research shows that coffee increases the release of peptide YY (PYY). This hormone is produced in the gut in response to eating and promotes a feeling of fullness.

Scientists believe that PYY levels play an important role in determining how much you’re likely to eat.

Interestingly, decaffeinated coffee may produce the highest reduction in hunger, with effects that last up to three hours after consumption.

A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition tracked the diets of nearly 900 adults and found that when people ate more fat, protein, and carbohydrates in the morning, they stayed satisfied and ate less over the course of the day than those who ate their bigger meals later on. Unfortunately, many Americans start off on an empty stomach. In one survey, consumers reported that even when they eat in the morning, the meal is a full breakfast only about one-third of the time.

In addition to tiredness and brain fog, mild dehydration can cause a sensation that’s easily mistaken for hunger. On the other hand, liquid calories such as juices and sodas don’t fill you up, and their rapid digestion causes insulin spikes. So pass on the sweetened drinks, and stick with sparkling or still water—you can flavor it with lemon, strawberries or cucumber if you want, but don’t pack your drinks full of calories.

Aim to drink at least three-quarters of a gallon of water a day. Also, be sure to drink a glass about 20 minutes before each meal to take the edge of your appetite.

The bitterness of dark chocolate is thought to help decrease appetite and diminish cravings for sweets.

Researchers also believe the stearic acid in dark chocolate can help slow digestion, further increasing feelings of fullness.

Interestingly, the simple act of smelling this treat might produce the same effect.

One study observed that simply smelling 85% dark chocolate decreased both appetite and hunger hormones just as much as actually eating it.

Nevertheless, further studies are needed to examine the effects of dark chocolate on feelings of fullness.

When you swallow food, there’s a sizable delay before you feel any satiation from it. This delay is usually between 10-30 minutes. Because of this delay, we tend to eat more food than we really need. And the faster we eat, the more we tend to consume, particularly later on in a meal.

The solution: Chew each bite 10 times. Following this simple rule will cause you to eat more slowly, allowing your mind to catch up to your stomach. You’ll also enjoy your food more when you take the time to savor it.