As you reduce calories and — more importantly — lose weight, things start to change in your body and brain to make you feel hungrier. While super-restrictive diets are a big reason many diets fail, other plans that might be perfectly good also feel impossible because of this hunger signaling. 

The answer isn’t to quit on weight loss (if that’s your goal), instead, it’s to be aware of the inevitable hunger increase and make sure your diet is loaded with foods that will fill you up. When that happens, and especially when those filling foods are lower in calories, you can crack the diet code and experience weight loss without all the frustration (and endless hunger).

What Foods Fill You Up?

Let’s say your daily calorie intake is about where it should be for weight loss. That means you’ll be in a caloric deficit, the scale should be changing, and — as that happens — your hunger will inevitably increase.

In that case, we’d look to incorporate more foods that enhance your feeling of fullness. Research to date has found that there are three keys to achieving it. (Sadly, none of them are ice cream, pizza, or cheesecake.)

Three things that can help you feel full are protein, fiber, and water. Surprisingly, certain carbohydrates also keep you incredibly full (more on that in a moment).

If you’re trying to ensure mental sanity, adding more protein, fiber, and water will make your life a lot easier.

So, how do you make these diet changes easier? Here’s a simple way to make it happen and feel fuller and more in control of your diet (and hunger) than ever. 

High-Protein Foods That Fill You Up (And Are Lower in Calories)

Research consistently shows protein is the most filling macronutrient, so it’s great to have a serving of it at each meal. If you want to take it a step further, you could set a goal.

“We recommend approximately 0.8-1g of protein per pound of target bodyweight if you are active,” says Born Fitness nutrition coach Natalie Sabin. (Note: Target body weight is what you want to weigh, not necessarily what you weigh currently.)

“Not only is protein satiating, but it’s also muscle-sparing — meaning you’re more likely to hold on to your lean mass when you are in a calorie deficit.”

Meat, eggs, and dairy are all good sources of protein. If you’re trying to stay lower in calories, you’ll want to focus on leaner sources of protein, which means you’ll have less fat. While fat isn’t bad, it is calorically dense, with 9 calories per gram of fat (compare that to just 4 calories per gram of protein). Fattier proteins include things like ribeyes, salmon, and whole eggs. 

To stick with lower-fat protein options, you can include more poultry (like chicken or turkey), low-fat fish (most of the white fish options will work), seafood like shrimp, scallops, or crab, leaner cuts of beef (like sirloin or filets), or egg whites. 

If you are a strict vegetarian or vegan, then rice and beans, quinoa or tofu are all go-to options.

Choose Carbs That Reduce Hunger

According to the satiety index, fresh fruits and vegetables are ideal additions to your diet because they leave you satisfied for longer. Foods like potatoes (yes, white potatoes or sweet potatoes), beans, and oatmeal are all proven to quell hunger longer, which makes sense since all are rich sources of dietary fiber. So are fruits.

Researchers at Penn State University found that when subjects consumed a 125-calorie apple before lunch, they ate 200 fewer calories in the meal that followed. They also reported a greater feeling of fullness.

Add Nuts To Help You Stick on a Diet

You might think that with high concentrations of calories and fat, nuts wouldn’t be a great idea for dieters. But, nuts are a surprising success story when it comes to weight control.

According to obesity researcher and writer Stephan Guyenet, Ph.D., nuts “are less calorie-dense than they might seem because some of their calories pass through the digestive system unabsorbed.”

Basically, he means: When you eat a serving of almonds, which is about 162 calories, your body won’t necessarily take in all of those calories. Some will just pass right through you, a phenomenon that researchers attribute to the nut’s hardness and high fiber content.

This doesn’t mean you should go crazy and gob down handful after handful. There’s a big difference between “not all of the calories get absorbed” and “calorie-free.” (And let’s be clear: nuts are definitely not calorie-free.) Enjoy, but watch your serving sizes here.

Drink More Water Before You Eat

Numerous studies show that consuming water before a meal reduces calorie consumption and increases the feeling of fullness. Many people have heard the “8 glasses a day” rule, but few actually do it.

From wherever you’re starting, see if you can add three glasses to your daily regimen: one before (or during) breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

If you opt to drink during the meal rather than before, try taking a sip between bites.

If you’re doing all of these things, but still feel like you barely make it to lunch without gnawing your arm off, switch up one more thing: how often you eat.

Some people prefer to eat several smaller meals and snacks per day, while others find they do better by eating just 2 or 3 bigger meals.

As we’ve explained before, so long as your calorie total is the same, neither option is better or worse. It’s simply a matter of preference.

If you’re looking for more personalization and hands-on support, our online coaching program may be right for you. Every client is assigned two coaches — one for nutrition and one for fitness. Find out more here. 

READ MORE: 

What To Eat For Breakfast To Fill You Up

Cinnamon Apple Yogurt Parfait With Protein Granola

The Beginner’s Guide To Fat Loss

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post The Art and Science of Foods That Fill You Up appeared first on Born Fitness.

Let that statement settle for a moment. It might be difficult for you to read. Especially after all of the research that has suggested, “fat doesn’t make you fat.”

That statement is still true — up to a point. The role of any macronutrient in your diet — whether protein, carbs, or fats — all walk a delicate balance between being good for weight loss and being good for your general health.

Just because you can go high-fat and lose weight doesn’t mean it’s great for your general health.

In the case of fat — or more appropriately, “healthy fat” — that balance has been lost. Some research has twisted an important fact (you need to eat fat in your diet) with a twisted version of reality (eat lots of healthy fat, from many different sources, and you’ll lose fat and never have health issues).

The reality: there’s a very simple way to know if you should be eating more or less fat in your diet (more on that in a moment). More importantly, many foods that have been recommended as a “healthy fat” aren’t actually that healthy. 

So where does that leave you? Let’s start with a few essential facts about your diet.  

If you prioritize calories and protein, then the amount of fat or carbohydrates you eat is a secondary concern. That’s based on the latest research shows, which shows calories are still king when it comes to weight loss.

In other words, figure out how many calories you need, prioritize protein (usually somewhere between .7g – 1g per pound of your goal bodyweight — although it can be less for some diets, such as if you follow a ketogenic plan), and then fill in the rest with carbs or fats. This is why research shows that both low-fat and low-carb diets help with weight loss. Because both can.

But, where does that leave you when it comes to eating healthy fat? In most cases, you’re probably still confused about what you should eat.

Should you load up on nuts? What about coconut oil, olive oil, and butter?

Just because you can go high-fat and lose weight doesn’t mean it’s great for your general health. After all, we have professors following Twinkie diets and losing nearly 30 pounds.

To understand the “healthy fat” debate, you need to hit refresh on the extremes (“Fat is bad!” “Fat is amazing!”) and take a different perspective. Not only will this new approach give you peace of mind, it’ll also help you understand what you can eat often, what is OK in moderate doses, and what you should completely avoid.  

What is a Healthy Fat?

The thing about the term “healthy” is that everything is relative. The answer will differ from person to person and depend on context.

For example, take the question of whether or not coconut oil is healthy. Start with the baseline: Healthy compared to what?

If the question is coconut oil vs. nothing – i.e. the alternative is starving – then yes, by all means, coconut oil is the better choice.

But if the question is coconut oil vs. another fat source, then you have a debate—one that will have different outcomes depending on the opponent. That’s because some fats are more beneficial than others.

For example, the PREDIMED study, which followed thousands of people over several years, showed that olive oil and nuts were linked with better overall cardiovascular health. By definition, both would be considered healthy fat.

“That was a landmark study because it showed hard events,” says Dr. Spencer Nadolsky, a physician and online health coach based in North Carolina. “Not just some little experimental data showing mechanistic changes in sensitivity, cholesterol or endothelium function. So, at the very least, you can say that olive oil and nuts are probably pretty healthy.”

Nadolsky says the same is true for avocados (and avocado oil), fish, and nut butter. They contain beneficial health properties over and above the presence of fat.

“Olive oil has polyphenols in it and cardioprotective properties, and so do nuts,” Nadolsky says. “We have data on olive oil, nuts, fish oil, and omega 3s.” So those fats are, in that sense, “good” for you.

So what are you to make of other supposed healthy fat sources like coconut oil?

The Coconut Oil Debate (And What it Teaches You About “Healthy Fat”)

The recent controversy about coconut oil started with small studies showing some benefits, which were then taken out of context.  

One study kinda-sorta suggested that coconut oil might inhibit the growth of certain bacteria.

Media translation: “Coconut oil is antimicrobial! Use it to clean your bathroom!” (<-Not true. Don’t do that.)

Another study showed that men who ate more medium-chain triglycerides, a type of fat present in coconut oil, lost a whopping one pound more than those who followed a “regular diet” over a 28-day period.

Media translation: “Coconut oil will make you skinny! Put a shovel of it in your coffee!” (<-Listen, you can do this if you want. But don’t expect anything special to happen.)

You get the idea. The nutrition industry consistently exhibits “irrational exuberance” about the benefits of certain foods. Combine that with marketing hype and a little myth, and before you know it, you have a “superfood.” 

In coconut oil’s case, the superfood train had well left the station in many people’s minds. And it was picking up steam until the American Heart Association released a report advising against the consumption of coconut oil. Suddenly, EEEERT!

The onslaught of ominous headlines denouncing coconut oil was immediate and ubiquitous. It’s a knee-jerk reaction that says if a food isn’t good, it must be bad.  That’s freaking out about a food’s supposed risks.

By and large, no single food is going to make or break your diet. You’ve been taught to view foods as “good” or “bad,” but that’s a gross oversimplification.

The biggest concern cited in the AHA report is that coconut oil is high in saturated fat. But anyone who’s even casually glanced at a coconut oil nutrition facts label would know that—it’s stated right there. And while saturated fat has been blamed wrongly for a lot of health problems, it’s also not something you can eat in any quantity. 

So what’s your move? Start with a better understanding of saturated fat.

“There are all sorts of different types of saturated fatty acids. It’s not just one molecule. Just as there are multiple polyunsaturated fatty acids—omega 3s, omega 6s, and so on—there are multiple types of saturated fatty acids, and they all have different effects on the body in the body,” says Nadolsky.

So saturated fat on its own isn’t a problem. Neither is cholesterol, necessarily. Whether or not a problem arises depends on the condition of your body—and especially your arterial walls—and how many lipoproteins you have in your system.  

“How does atherosclerosis (the hardening and narrowing of the arteries) actually happen?” Nadolsky asks. “Think of your arteries as a canal, the lipoproteins as boats, and cholesterol as those boats’ cargo. The more lipoproteins you have, the greater of a risk you run that the boats will go crashing into the canal’s walls. And when that happens, it causes the beginning of atherosclerosis or plaque build-up.”

Even if you don’t have a lot of “cargo” (cholesterol), you can still run into trouble if your canals are full of boats (lipoproteins).

So if you really want to know how much saturated fat you can have, go see a doctor and test your lipoprotein levels (apoB/LDL-P).

This will indicate how much eating saturated fat affects your body. Yes, that requires a visit to the doctor. But it’s worth it. And a lot better than playing a guessing game.

Healthy Fat vs. Available Fat (The A-Ha! Moment)

But what about this “MCT” everybody talks about when they discuss coconut oil? These are the “medium-chain triglycerides,” which people tout as a fat-burner because of the way the fat is broken down in your body.

To be clear: MCT can have health benefits as a healthy oil, but its reported benefits of melting fat from your body are significantly overstated. As we mentioned, when you look at the data from the study that is used as evidence of MCT’s fat-burning power, it shows that MCT oil led to just one pound of additional fat loss.

Second, the oil used in that study had a far greater concentration of MCT than what you’ll find in coconut oil. When researchers examined whether coconut oil had the same effect, they found that it did not affect fat oxidation in the same way. Bottom line: If you want to burn money (MCT ain’t cheap) for an extra pound, that’s your choice.

As nutrition researcher Alan Aragon pointed out in his research review, a curious detail about the studies cited in the recommendation is that some of the most damning studies of coconut oil used a hydrogenated version of the stuff. That’s an important point because hydrogenated anything isn’t healthy for you. “Hydrogenation of vegetable oil is a well-established way to [turn] a relatively neutral oil into a threat to cardiovascular health,” Aragon writes.

But it’s pretty easy to avoid this problem: Simply buy the extra virgin version of any oil you buy, coconut oil included. (If you stop reading this article right now, that’s a tip that will provide some insurance to upgrade your shopping behavior.)

So where are we left? Is Coconut oil good for you? Is it bad for you? The answer is: It’s neither.

“You will not receive any magical benefits from eating coconut oil,” Nadolsky says. “Coconut oil is not going to kill you, either, so long as you’re not eating gobs and gobs of it.”

That answer holds true for a lot of other fat sources, too. Most of them are what they are: a source of fat, the most calorie-dense of all macronutrients. (Proteins and carbs have four calories per gram, while the same unit of fat packs nine calories.) They can be helpful for greasing pans when you’re making eggs or pancakes. And, it’s fine to consume them in moderation.

Fat is an essential nutrient. Your body requires it in order to survive. 

“Butter and coconut oil are not ‘bad’ for you,” Nadolsky says. “They are perfectly acceptable fat sources. But you shouldn’t go out of your way to eat more of them. There’s no proven benefit to doing so—and there are some documented risks.”

There are really only two fats you should avoid all the time: Trans fats (but you already knew that), and nuts — if you have an allergy (you knew that too).

For nearly everything else—butter, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, corn oil, and so on—you can feel free to eat them within moderation, and without guilt. These are the “available” fats. You’re not bringing your body one step closer to death by eating them. You’re also not doing it any big favors. You’re simply supplying it with an essential macronutrient.

Are there “better” or “healthier” sources of fat? Yes.

Olive oil, nuts, and seeds contain polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats with demonstrated health benefits that have held up in studies. But that doesn’t mean you need to only eat them.

You should also know that simply adding a “healthy” fat source to an otherwise crappy diet (one that’s high in calorie-dense packaged foods and low in fruits, vegetables, and whole foods) will not make you healthier. In fact, it could make you less healthy if the additional calories you pile onto that crappy diet take you over your daily caloric intake, and lead to fat gain.

“If you do it in the extreme, you could see extreme changes,” Nadolsky says. “And not in a good way.”

The Quick Guide to Healthy Fat (AKA What You Should Eat)

READ MORE: 

How Much Fat Should I Eat?

Do Carbs Actually Make You Fat?

Winning the War on Hunger: Practical Solutions to Overeating

The post Healthy Fat: Which Foods Should You Really Be Eating? appeared first on Born Fitness.

Yes, kale. The same kale that has a whopping 30 calories per cup, is packed with fiber, antioxidants, and calcium, and could help fight inflammation and provide cardiovascular support.

Damn you, kale, for being so unhealthy.

This is the Internet, and at this point I’m supposed to link to the anti-kale article. But I don’t want to send any traffic to that site because that would only perpetuate the damage that’s been done. This isn’t about whether kale is healthy or not (it is), this is about a bigger issue and one that is slowly but surely tearing at the seams of health content.

So I’m drawing the line and doing what I rarely do: criticizing the specific work of another journalist. And it won’t be pretty or nice.

The author argues that kale makes the so-called fat list because,

“Kale is barely edible until it’s sprinkled with raisins and drizzled with salad dressing.”

By that reasoning, technically every food will make you fat and we just stop eating. If we are to judge foods based on how we can manipulate them, we’ve created a trapdoor that will make you second guess every single thing you put in your mouth and dump you in a dietary dungeon of doubt.

That’s not only dumb. It’s dangerous.

Kale Is Not the Problem

If kale is off limits, where are we to draw the line?

That’s the main problem with this article, which in total listed 11 foods, including:

• Hummus
• Grapes
• Nuts
• Green juice
• Coconut water
• Gluten-free snacks
• Supergrains
• Raw foods

I don’t know about you, but I eat all of these foods frequently and for a reason: they are good for you. The problem is the article leverages “science” and pull-quotes in a misleading context that makes these foods seem like they might be bad.

They are not.

If we are to follow the advice of this article, we should now avoid fruits, vegetables, nuts, gluten-free foods, veggie juice, grains, and anything that isn’t cooked.

As the author is quick to assert, “Foods that pack nutritional benefits may also pack on the pounds.”

Really?

Guess what? It’s not just foods with “nutritional benefits.” Overeating anything will pack on pounds. So why steer people away from foods that have so many health benefits?

I don’t know when it happened, but we’ve made eating nearly impossible and are creating eating disorders in people who have orderly eating habits.

On one side we have people saying, “Don’t eat these healthy foods because they have too many calories and they’ll make you fat.”

On the other side, we have people saying, “Avoid these foods and eat as much of you want from the ‘approved’ list and you’ll be just fine.”

Both arguments are flawed.

This article is everything that is wrong with the health and fitness industry. That’s why I need to call out the offenders for allowing this crap to be published. A line must be drawn.

This wasn’t some blog. It was a major magazine doing an even more major disservice. And they should be embarrassed for publishing this food-shaming post. Here’s why: Writing health content comes with a social responsibility. People will read this and instead of consulting with a nutritionist or doctor, they’ll treat it as gospel. Maybe not everyone, but enough people that it will impact eating behaviors in a very dangerous way.

So if you’re unwilling to respect and acknowledge that responsibility then you just shouldn’t be creating health content. You want to know why people are frustrated by diets and workouts?

Because of advice (like what’s found in the kale article) that’s confusing, damaging, and creates a bad relationship with food.

Most people don’t have a background in fitness or nutrition. They read lists like the one in the kale article and trust the “reputable” sources.

I have no doubt that the editors of the article would defend their decision by saying readers should “read between the lines” and understand context. The only line I read was, “these 11 foods will make you fat.”

Are you trying to help people or just earn more page views?

I hope the traffic was worth it because each click of this page led to another person frustrated and confused about what they are supposed to eat and what to believe.

So instead of continuing to castigate the stupidity, let’s do something about it and provide diet advice that will empower rather than terrify and confuse.

Use Knowledge, Not Fear

The health and fitness industry needs to take a stand. It needs to work harder to bridge the gap between science and mainstream media. We need to do a better job of providing information people can use, trust, and understand. And we need to stop sending so many mixed messages.

In the world of health and fitness, using “absolutes” is absolutely stupid.

So let’s start with a simple concept that should help: We need to stop trying to blame one food group for making people fat or causing obesity. That’s not why people are gaining weight. And if you take it one step farther, there really isn’t much of a debate of good and bad foods.

Most people actually know what is bad for them.

Many lifestyle and behavioral issues contribute to the battle between weight gain and loss. We eat too much food. Food marketers make it hard to know what good for us. And most of us don’t understand the deep psychological reasons why we struggle to eat better and for good reason; it’s highly personalized. Combine that with lots of sitting, tons of daily stress, less exercise, and declining sleep, and you have everything needed for a society battling weight gain.

Yes, some foods are more likely to be unhealthy and be bad for any type of weight loss program. And yes, some people need to be wary of what they eat less so because of the “dangers” of the foods and more so because of psychological dependencies and triggers of how eating of food (think desserts) might trigger an uncontrollable urge to eat much more of those foods.

But to label a food as bad or fattening is more of a disservice than help.

There’s a time and place for dessert, gluten, grains, packaged foods (think yogurt or protein powder, for example), and whatever else might be on the next numbered-item danger food list.

What’s most important is that the majority of your diet is based on whole food sources: fruits, vegetables, nut, legumes, animal proteins, and yes, even starches and grains (I eat bread and don’t think most have any reason to avoid it…of course, assuming no sensitivity or allergy.)

If 80 to 90 percent of your daily intake (total amount of calories consumed) was filled with those foods, then the remainder could be left for what you wanted.

I realize that doesn’t leave a ton of room to splurge each day. But let’s put it this way: you could eat a small dessert every single day. This isn’t a strategy that will work for everyone because they can’t limit it to a just one dessert, but that fact remains that if only 10 to 20 percent came from those bad foods, you could still lose weight. I’ve seen it happen with literally thousands of people.

The Only Diet Advice You Really Need

Your job is less about trying to remove every potentially dangerous food, and more about understanding your own body, what works for you, what foods trigger eating issues, and what food sensitivities you may have.

If you’re worried that you’re sensitive to gluten, get tested and know for sure. The same can be said for lactose, nuts, and any other sensitivity- or allergen-containing food.

If you don’t like grains or feel like crap when you eat them, then go ahead and avoid. But there are mountains of research that show they’re not inherently bad, so we shouldn’t apply a person preference to a global standard. I don’t care how many books are written: grains are not bad. And they don’t make everyone fat. That’s not an opinion; it’s scientific fact.

The same can be said for the calorie equation. Yes, other factors can impact how your body processes calories, but saying calories don’t matter is like saying the earth is flat. We have too much science that says otherwise.

Instead of fighting over who is right, the world of health and fitness needs to stand together and create clarity. Offer a buffet of options rather than casting one diet approach as night and the other as day. Extremist suggestions are not the long-term solution for the vast majority of people.

Stop presenting “magic solutions” and promises of a removal mentality, and start addressing the lifestyle factors that makes it hard to lose fat. Spend less time making up solutions, and more time making weight gain and weight loss easier to understand.

Right now people are frustrated because they are confused.

And that confusion is creating a lack of control and a universe of doubt, disbelief, and discouragement.

We are getting fatter not because of what we don’t know but, instead, because of what we think we know. Too many messages. Too many competing ideas. Too much inconsistency and extremes.

Want to know what really makes people fat? Misinformation.

Want to put someone on a diet? Start with news outlets and journalists that are feeding you a daily dose of bad information that is contributing to the problem.

It’s not the carbs, the sugar, the high fructose corn syrup, gluten, fat, or any other singular nutrient that is fueling the obesity crisis.

It’s the messages and information we share that ultimately leaves most people searching for magic bullet solutions that won’t work in the long run.

Simplify the message. Cut back on the serving sizes of misinformation, and then we’ll see a shift that starts with a healthier mind and converts to a healthier body.

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post So Now Kale is Bad For You? appeared first on Born Fitness.