One of the top reasons people break a diet? HUNGER. Avoiding hunger is crucial on any weight-loss program. So having lots of food and preparation strategies that allow you to make super simple, low-calorie/high-volume meals and snacks that will fill you up is key. Anytime you are feeling hungry, or just feel like eating something, remember these 4 program mantras: 

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MORE IS BETTER
Although it sounds counterintuitive, it can be helpful to eat more than the minimum number of foods required on your plan. Eating more can help you stay on the diet longer and lose more weight because it can prevent cravings for high calorie foods that are off your plan. 
 

• ​Give yourself permission to eat extra – Still hungry after dinner? Don’t torture yourself. Eat another entrée or add in an extra shake.

• Pair a shake and an entree at the same meal – This is a filling combination that will just help you feel fuller longer.

• Blend a serving (or two) of fruit into your shakes – Fresh, frozen, or canned fruit can all be used to make delicious and filling smoothies with an extra boost of nutrition.

 

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PUMP UP THE VOLUME
Our stomachs recognize volume, not calories to signal when we are full. Opt for lots of low calorie foods to fill up on. Be strategic and make recipes that yield a lot of food for not a lot of calories. Win-win!  
 

• ​Experiment with blended high-volume shakes – Preparing your shakes in a blender with water and lots of ice creates more volume, which is more filling. And the longer you blend, the creamier it gets.

• Use non-caloric flavorings or beverages – By using diet sodas, sugar-free drink mixes, extracts, calorie-free syrups, coffee, tea, and flavored seltzer, you can use more water and ice without diluting the flavor.

• Churn some HMR Ice Cream – Prepare your shakes in a food processor to make a decadent ice cream. This is the highest-volume – and arguably most delicious – way to prepare an HMR Shake. Try one of our favorites, Double Chocolate Ice Cream, made with fat-free, sugar-free instant pudding mix (e.g. Jell-O brand). To make your ice cream even creamier, use frozen fruit instead of ice to make a delicious soft serve, like our Black Forest Soft Serve Ice Cream recipe. It’s more filling than a regular shake and you can eat it with a spoon.

• Add More Veggies – HMR Entrees go great with vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned). No matter the entree, anchor your plate with at least two full-cup servings of vegetables for more volume, even more nutrition, and all that without a lot of calories. 

• Add Broth to your Entrees – One cup of low sodium broth can not only transform your entrée into a soup for variety, but can also keep you full for longer with more volume. Try our Italian Wedding Soup recipe.

 

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EAT FREQUENTLY
It’s nearly impossible to choose wisely when we let ourselves get too hungry, so don’t even let yourself get to that point. Stay ahead of hunger altogether by making a plan to eat frequently throughout the day. 
 

• Use the BSLSDS eating structure – Think about your day in terms of Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack, Dinner, Snack. Plan it out with the details of those meals and snacks to ensure that you have everything you need each day. Eating frequently throughout the day can help keep your blood sugar steady and hunger at bay.

• Plan to eat every 2-3 hours, wherever you are – Choose food that is part of your diet plan, and more if you need it, and you can eat every 2-3 hours. That also means it’s important to have those foods whenever you are on-the-go, so you don’t find yourself hungry and without an option.

 

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BE STRATEGIC
You know those times when you just feel hungrier than others, or when you just feel like snacking. Think about when those times happen for you and meet them head on with a better plan. 
 

• Plan and prep – If you anticipate a more challenging time of day, prep something ahead of time so it’s all ready the instant you need it. Make a chocolate pudding with a sliced banana and put it in the fridge. Or warm up an entrée and veggies and keep it in a thermos so there’s no decision that needs to be made when temptations arise.

• Make your favorite – having a favorite recipe to look forward to can make those more challenging times a little easier to manage. Try the Orange Creamsicle Shake for a decadent treat that feels like a splurge.

• Always have something you can say yes to – there’s lots of great options that are portable, such as bananas, apples, HMR puddings, and entrees that you like at room temperature, that you can keep on hand for whenever those more challenging times arise.

 

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Keep trying new things until you discover the strategies that work best for you. And if you’ve discovered something that’s really supporting you to stay on track, please share it in the comments below!