How to lose weight without starving yourself?

The most important things in brief

• Anyone who wants to lose weight knows from the outset that giving up has to play a major role.
• But giving up doesn't have to mean torturing yourself.
• Hunger is not a good guide when it comes to trying to lose a few pounds.
• It's actually possible without a complicated diet plan and with a positive attitude - but how exactly?

You can take it seriously when you lose weight - and yet there are legitimate concerns. We are well aware of renunciation and discipline, but how do we not go hungry if we want to lose weight? To get straight to the point: the most important maxim of a diet is to always eat your fill. Not surprisingly, you should be careful about what foods you're doing this with.

An empty stomach is never helpful

A hungry stomach is not a good guide. In principle, this applies to all situations in life. And that includes losing weight. Those who are constantly hungry always have the feeling that they have to reward themselves for the fight against the pounds. And reward usually means eating something that has way too many calories. Of course, this has negative effects in the long run.

It is obvious that processed sugar, fats and carbohydrates are the wrong means to create a feeling of satiety. Instead, switch to vegetables, legumes, apples and pears, and whole grains. Because vitamins, fiber, proteins and omega-3 fatty acids are firstly healthier and secondly you feel full longer.

Don't look at the scale

If you want to lose weight without starving yourself, the first thing you should do is hide your scale from yourself. Because otherwise you run the risk of standing on the same thing too often - and that usually has frustrating effects, especially at the beginning of a weight loss phase. Because of course the pounds only tumble in the non-visible area at the beginning. So get rid of the scales - and use other means to ensure that you don't get hungry.

For example, by drinking sufficient amounts of liquid. Because water and co. also help to make you feel full. However, you should refrain from energy drinks, lemonade, juices and soft drinks in this context, as they are too high in calories. Unsweetened tea is fine, as is up to four cups of coffee a day.

Sleep is not to be underestimated

It may sound surprising, but it has been proven that if you don't sleep enough, you have a harder time losing weight. Then the body releases cortisol, a stress hormone, and the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin is also increasingly produced. At the same time, when constantly tired, the organism is unable to release leptin - a hormone that creates a feeling of satiety. All in all, the interaction of these hormones increases the feeling of hunger. Unfortunately, ghrelin in particular has another bad quality: the hormone suppresses fat metabolism.

This sets a real negative spiral in motion, because the sleep problems experience a further intensification, which means that less and less leptin is produced. On days when you don't get enough sleep, the brain receives the permanent signal that the body is not yet full - and logically you eat a lot more. Losing weight without starving begins in a way while you sleep - you can do the rest with lots of exercise, the right foods and lots and lots of fluids. And of course with a little perseverance.