Eating less doesn’t have to be a painful experience as long as you’re eating foods that sustain you and keep hunger at bay. The following foods are not only good for you and spur on weight loss, they’re designed to fill you up and keep you feeling that way longer than other foods.
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1. Pumpkin
The thick consistency of pumpkin gives it that stick-to-your-ribs feeling and it’s one vegetable that will stay with you for awhile. It’s a good source of fiber, and will help regulate your digestive system.
Although pumpkins are in season in the fall and make a great food for the winter, they can be found year round and used as part of your healthy eating to fill you up on less food.
Choose Vegetables, Choose Slimness
You simply can’t go wrong by filling up on vegetables. They do a great job of displacing less healthy foods, and most of them won’t put a dent in your calorie or carb counts for the day. This means they can play a part in any healthy eating program, and should take up the most room on your plate.
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2. Greek Yogurt
The extra protein in Greek yogurt compared to regular yogurt is what sets this apart and can really help you feel fuller faster. Not only that but the bacteria it contains is beneficial to the digestive system which can add further assistance to your weight loss endeavor.
Greek yogurt is a part of many diet programs because it will help you reach your protein needs for the day which can be a big help if you’re doing any type of strength training.
Try adding low-fat Greek yogurt to a smoothie to make it even smoother and to bump up the protein that it contains.
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3. Beans
Beans are full of fiber and digested slowly by the body, and for those reasons they make a smart choice to round off any meal.
They’re also full of vitamins and minerals, which will help you meet your daily nutritional requirements for potassium, iron, and magnesium.
Beans make a great addition to chili, soups, and stews and act as a thickening agent and texture enhancer. When you have one of these hearty recipes you’ve likely noticed that they keep you feeling full for a long time after the meal is complete.
Legumes Fill You Up
Beans are just one of the legumes that do a good job of making you feel full and keeping you that way for awhile. You can also eat soybeans and lentils for a similar effect, as they both provide plenty of fiber as well as some protein.
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4. Apples
Aside from being one of the healthiest foods you can eat, apples will help you fill up without weighing you down. If you find that you’re still hungry after a meal, try finishing things off with an apple, or even half of an apple.
It’s the fiber in apples that does the job of filling you up, and the vitamins and minerals it contains that help contribute to a healthy lifestyle and effortless weight loss.
If you want a smoothie that will help you stay full try adding an apple to the mix. The natural sweetness of the apple helps with the taste, and if you leave the skins on the apple you’ll be getting the pectin found within.
The Special Substance in Apples
Apples have a unique compound found in their skins called pectin. This is an antioxidant that provides general health benefits as well as specifically being able to help bring down cholesterol numbers and balance blood sugar levels.
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5. Dark Chocolate
This one may sound counterintuitive at first, since chocolate is often pegged as a food that should be avoided if you’re trying to lose weight. However, research shows that dark chocolate can be an effective way to lower the total amount of food eaten at a meal, and help give you a feeling of satisfaction.
Dark chocolate contains antioxidants that milk chocolate does not, and it is also a good source of magnesium, an important mineral if you expect to get results from your weight loss efforts.
Pass on Milk Chocolate
Unlike dark chocolate, milk chocolate is loaded with sugar which makes you crave more and more of it even after your urge for chocolate has subsided. These extra carbohydrates will leave you hungry again in a short period of time.
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6. Avocado
The healthy fats in avocado make you feel satiated, and provide essential health benefits including helping to burn fat. A meal that includes healthy fats will leave you feeling fuller than a meal that does not, and avocado is a quick and easy way to add them quickly to any dish.
Avocados are also a good source of fiber, another reason they’ll help you feel full and help you to lose weight.
You can’t beat avocados when it comes to adding a food to your diet that will help with weight loss. The fiber alone is a big help, but they’re also a potassium booster and have additional vitamins and minerals for better overall health.
Other Sources of Healthy Fat
If you’d like to up your intake of healthy fats in an effort to get full more quickly at a meal, there are certain foods that will get the job done better than others. Salmon is a good source of healthy fat, as are eggs.
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7. Almonds
The combination of protein, healthy fats, and fiber found in almonds is a sure winner when it comes to filling up the void and making you feel contented.
A one ounce serving of almonds gives you 14% of the fiber needed for the entire day, as well as 12% of your protein requirements. It also contains 9 grams of monounsaturated fat, a healthy fat that the body needs, and one that will help burn fat in the body.
That same one ounce serving of almonds contains 163 calories, so you don’t want to get carried away and eat so many almonds that it becomes counterproductive to losing weight.
Other Nuts Work Too
It’s not just almonds that do the trick, any nut or seed that his high in both protein and fiber will keep you from feeling hungry again before it’s time. Try pistachios, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds for a filling snack that will assist you in losing weight as long as you keep portion sizes in check.
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8. Oatmeal
Start your day off with bowl of oatmeal and it will be several hours before you start getting hungry again. This is especially true if you combine it with other healthy foods like blueberries or raspberries, both of which provide added fiber and antioxidants.
One type of oatmeal that’s rising in popularity is steel-cut oats. This is a type of oatmeal that contains even more fiber since more of the oat is left intact during processing and it is a whole grain.
Go with Classic Oatmeal
Steer clear of instant oatmeal, especially the kind that comes in different flavors. Instant oatmeal is processed more than whole rolled oats and won’t provide the same effect. Artificial flavors and added sugar go into the flavored varieties of oatmeal and are best avoided for weight loss.
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9. Protein Powder
Drinking a meal replacement shake as an actual meal replacement or as a snack between meals is a reliable way to stave off hunger and keep you away from having additional food.
Protein powder is a great way to get your required amount of protein for the day, and can help you build lean muscle which in turn boosts your metabolism and helps you burn fat 24/7
Adding protein powder to a smoothie is a great way to add more protein and thicken it up, and can even make it taste better if you go with a protein powder that has a nice flavor.
Choose Your Favorite Protein Powder
There are many different protein powders to choose from, and each has their own features and benefits. Whey protein is the most popular, but there is also soy protein, egg white protein, and more. Check out our full page of various protein powders and see which one resonates with you.
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10. Eggs
Eggs can be confusing because one source will tell you that they’re not a good food to eat for weight loss, while another will say that they should be eaten almost daily for optimum nutrition. The great egg debate rolls on, but there’s one thing that can’t be argued: eggs fill you up.
If you’re worried that eggs will make it harder for you to lose weight, consider using just the egg whites until you reach your goal weight, and then reintroduce the yolks back into your diet.
One convenient feature of eggs is how easy and quick they are to prepare. They can literally be cooked up in a matter of minutes and you’ll have a warm satisfying meal if you toast some whole-grain bread along with them.
The Magic of Eggs
The reason eggs work so well when you’re trying to lose weight is that they contain a good balance of protein and healthy fat. They can be cooked up in a pinch to keep yourself away from junk food and other cravings, helping you stay on track and moving in the direction of your goal.
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11. Chicken Breast
Chicken breast is a high-quality form of protein that will help balance out a meal and provide you with energy so you can make it through your day.
Chicken breast is one of the most popular foods in the United States, so it’s very easy to keep some stocked for use in a number of different recipes. For a satisfying meal you can combine foods on this page together, such as a grilled chicken breast with a side of beans for a carb and a side of grilled pumpkin for the vegetable.
Eat Lean Protein for Sustained Appetite Control
Chicken breast works because it’s a lean protein, and there are others you can enjoy as well and get the same benefit. Try turkey breast or lean grass-fed beef and you’ll feel great for a long time after the meal. You’ll also be helping to put the body in a state that burns fat and builds lean muscle to restructure your physique.
You may also love our list of negative calorie foods