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Seven Ways to Crush Hunger and Burn Fat

We all want strategies of how to keep our hunger at bay, maximize our metabolism and to be fully satisfied in the process. And thankfully it doesn't mean maintaining willpower of steel or depriving yourself. With these seven strategies from Nutrition and Fitness Expert JJ Virgin, you have everything you need to get the results you desire.

“Manufacturers have conditioned us to believe that even the slightest degree of hunger means we should run to eat something. As a result, we habitually reach for something at the slightest whim—usually a high sugar impact snack.

It isn’t just big food corporations that are promoting that graze-all-day mentality. Some people in the nutrition and fitness world still promote this myth that we should be grazing from the moment we wake up till when we doze off.

Trust me, you shouldn't be. If you eat a meal and feel the need to snack a few hours later, I encourage you to look carefully at what you’re eating. When you’re eating a good balance of protein, healthy fat and slow carbs you should be able to go 4+ hours without eating.

And yes, that includes snacking. I’ve found that snacking sabotages fat loss and fast metabolism. Snacking gives you permission to eat more than you need, and yet paradoxically, makes people hungrier.

Here’s why. Every time you eat, you raise your insulin levels. When you’re constantly snacking throughout the day, insulin levels stay elevated and your fat-burning doors are locked. Taking a food break between meals—along with bringing in 10–12 hours of overnight fasting—encourages your body to reach into those fat stores to burn what you’ve already got.

By the way, a little bit of hunger isn’t the terrible thing that some people imagine. As anyone who has done intermittent fasting knows, hunger is a wave that comes and goes. When you lean into that feeling and allow it to pass—questioning whether you are really hungry or whether that feeling is boredom or stress—you develop enormous strength and resilience.

You Don’t Ever Need to Be Hungry with a Balanced Diet

A balanced diet should contain…

  • High-fiber, non-starchy veggies
  • Good fats
  • Clean, lean proteins
  • Slow, low carbs

Eating this way balances blood sugar and lowers insulin, so the body is better able to access the energy from your fat cells. That trifecta in every plate—healthy fats, protein, and fiber—is the magic formula for fast, lasting fat loss. And you can easily go 4+ hours without eating without feeling the need to snack. 

And for those days when you need some extra support, check out these 7 strategies to put the brakes on feeling hungry so you can create lasting fat loss…

 

1. Upgrade your smoothies.
When people tell me they’re hungry an hour or so after having a shake, I always ask what they’re putting in those shakes. Usually, I encourage them to bump up the fiber and healthy fats, which give shakes that hunger-crushing power:

  • Increase fiber from flax seeds and chia seeds
  • Healthy fats including avocado, coconut, cacao nibs, and unsweetened almond butter add some major wow flavor to your shakes and keep you full longer.

2. Follow the golden rules of meal timing.
What you eat matters, but so does when you eat. Here’s how meal timing should look:

  • Break your morning fast with a smoothie. 
  • Eat a balanced meal every 4–6 hours.
  • Stop eating about 3 hours before bedtime. Have a glass of water before bed if you need to curb hunger.

3. Keep a food journal.
Tracking what you eat keeps you honest and helps troubleshoot any glitches that come up along the way. Let’s say you’re famished at bedtime. Go back and look at what you had for dinner. Did you eat enough? One nice “bonus” about tracking: In one study, people who wrote down what they ate lost twice the weight as those who didn’t! 

4. Step up your sleep and stress management.
When you’re not sleeping well, the tiniest things can throw you off the following day. Stress, in turn, crashes your sleep. Studies show that not getting enough sleep lowers leptin, the hormone that tells your brain to stop eating. Poor sleep also cranks up your hunger hormone, ghrelin. The results?  You’re hungrier (not for wild-caught salmon and Brussels sprouts, either!) and more likely to store body fat.

5. Drink more.
Focusing on hydration can help you eat less at meals and support fat loss. Conversely, being dehydrated can have the opposite effect, making you hungrier.

6. Increase your fiber intake.
You should be getting 50 grams of fiber per day. Most of us don’t get anywhere near that amount. Among its benefits, dietary fiber curbs hunger and cravings, supports gut health, and helps you regularly eliminate.

7. Hone in on your feelings.
When you pay very close attention to what you’re feeling, you may discover that hunger might not actually be hunger. If you ate a balanced dinner and followed your meal plan throughout the day, you’re probably not hungry. You could be bored, stressed out, or thirsty. Could a phone call or a hot bath alleviate the feeling that you’re trying to soothe with that half-eaten pint of butter pecan? Along with your food, track your feelings.” 

The great news is these 7 strategies can easily be woven into your daily routine! These recommendations make up the foundation of our RISE Food Philosophy and we have seen remarkable results by integrating them into our members' lifestyles. 

The best part is it’s all about abundance not deprivation - and feeling truly satisfied with your eating lifestyle. We hope these powerful strategies from JJ Virgin make you feel empowered and hopeful on your journey of maximizing your health and well-being. 

Blessings from all of us at RISE,
Dee and Sean

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