Weight gain is something that most people can struggle with. The way our bodies work means it is very easy to gain weight if you’re not careful. As a result, it then becomes hard for you to lose weight. So many different factors can influence your weight gain or loss, but one of the most common is simply that you can’t stop eating.
You have breakfast in the morning, but an hour or so later you’re starving. It’s too early for lunch, so you have some sort of snack in between. Then, lunch rolls around and you’re already hungry again, so you eat a lot to try and stay full. But, before dinner time, you have another snack because, guess what, you’re hungry! Even after you have dinner, there’s another snack in the evening to stop your tummy from rumbling.
Consequently, you consume so many extra calories per day, meaning you struggle to lose weight. Not only that, but you could start gaining weight depending on how inactive you are. Therefore, one method to help with weight loss includes appetite suppression. Firstly, what does this mean? Secondly, is it actually a healthy thing for you to do? Let’s find out!
What is appetite suppression?
In short, it’s a tactic to help you lose weight by making you feel less hungry. If you have ever visited a weight loss clinic, this is a treatment they tend to hand out. Medication can be prescribed to help you suppress your appetite, meaning you don’t have the urge to eat.
Does it work?
Well…yes, it does. If your appetite has been suppressed, you don’t have hunger cravings between meals. It also means that you can eat less and still feel full. Therefore, it’s easier for you to consume low-calories meals every single day. Slowly but surely, you reduce your calorie intake, meaning you can lose a lot of weight. It’s a very good method for people that struggle with overeating and never feel full. Especially if you are obese, meaning you can’t take part in physical exercise until you have lost a bit of weight already.
Is it healthy to suppress your appetite?
Yes…and no.
Suppressing your appetite is a healthy thing to do if you are struggling to stop eating. However, it depends on how you suppress your appetite, and how severely you do it. It is healthy to suppress your appetite if it means you eat food and then don’t feel hungry between meals. That is perfectly fine as it means you can still get the calories your body needs to function. You’re still eating healthy and well-balanced meals, but you cut out the excessive calories between meals. When you look at your own weight loss journey, you’ll probably find that your meals are actually healthy and balanced. On their own, they shouldn’t make it hard for you to lose weight. The problems come from the snacks between meals, adding hundreds of calories to your daily total.
So, yes, suppressing your appetite to stop snacking can be a good and healthy idea.
However, it’s not healthy when you overdo it.
Problems start when you overly suppress your appetite to the point where you barely eat. Undereating is just as bad as overeating. Sure, it will mean you lose weight, but it can mean you lose weight drastically. This can lead to a lot of health problems, such as a lack of energy, issues with your skin, and so on. You need to eat, period. Your body is designed to take in energy from the food that you consume. If you suppress your appetite to the point where you’re only eating once or twice a day - and those meals are small - it is not a healthy lifestyle to live.
It’s also not sustainable. The effort required to suppress your appetite this severely is ridiculous. You’d need special medication to do it, and you’d be abusing it by taking it too often. If you want to suppress your appetite, don’t go too far with it. Calm your cravings between meals, but ensure you still have the desire to eat at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
How can you suppress your appetite?
As alluded to above, you can get medication that suppresses your appetite. This will change your hormonal balance to ensure that you’re producing less of the hormone that makes you feel hungry, and more of the hormone that makes you feel full.
However, in most cases, this medication is only prescribed to people that need it. For instance, people that are severely overweight need help losing weight very quickly. The average person doesn’t need this medication as there are natural ways to suppress your appetite and stop feeling so hungry all the time:
- Get more sleep every night - If you’re sleep-deprived, your body produces more ghrelin, which is a hormone that makes you feel hungry. By sleeping more every night, you suppress this hormone and stop feeling super hungry during the day.
- Eat more protein - Protein is a key nutrient that we need to stay healthy, and it’s also great at making you feel full. Ensure your meals are high in protein and you will feel satiated for hours after.
- Eat more fiber - Even more importantly, you need to have high-fiber meals. Fiber is hard for your body to digest, meaning it takes longer for this process to happen. As a result, it stays in your stomach for longer, ensuring you feel full.
- Drink lots of water - Water isn’t just good for hydration, it also helps with satiation. Drinking water will keep your stomach full between meals without adding any extra calories. Therefore, you won’t constantly crave snacks!
So, is it healthy to suppress your appetite? Yes, but only when you do it naturally and to a certain extent. Follow the tips above to naturally feel less hungry between meals, reducing the urge to eat and consume calorific snacks. You will still be hungry at mealtimes, ensuring you don’t restrict your appetite to the point where you barely eat at all. In turn, this can help you lose weight and avoid weight gain!
Leave a Reply