Are You Feeling Hungry on Nutrisystem? Here’s 7 Tips
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Are you constantly feeling hungry on Nutrisystem? I felt like I was starving during my first week, but then I found a few tricks to help me stay feeling full!
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Why Am I So Hungry on Nutrisystem?
The program, especially that first Turbo Takeoff Week, is low in calories.
Only you can decide if it’s a normal level of hunger or not, but some of your hunger could be mental because you’re used to eating until you are really full or have come to crave that after dinner snack. Ask yourself – am I hungry? thirsty? feeling stressed? before eating something.
They also expect you to mix in vegetables throughout the day which can help with not only the hunger but also with your fiber intake too.
You should also be drinking plenty of water. This will help with your hunger, too!
7 Tips to Not Feel Hungry on Nutrisystem
1. Drink Water
As I mentioned above, drinking water can help you feel full and even help with losing water weight.
Staying hydrated is also essential to curbing your appetite and increasing your energy. Aim to drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day.
For example, if you weigh 200lbs, you’d drink 100 ounces of water per day. Also, drinking 16 oz before a meal can help you feel more satisfied.
2. Focus on Complex Carbs
Have you ever eaten a sugary yogurt or candy bar and felt more hungry after eating it? Simple carbs, like sugar and white flour, can cause your blood glucose levels to spike and crash – which is what makes you feel hungry and even a little tired.
Complex carbs take longer to process in your system, and therefore, keep you feeling fuller longer!
You can have certain fruits on Nutrisystem too!
3. Eat Healthy Fats
It can be tempting to reach for low-fat or fat-free options, but studies have shown people on a low-fat diet get hungry more often than other weight-loss programs.
Eating a small amount of avocado, olives, or nuts can help you feel fuller longer.
4. Get Your Sleep
Sleep is so important to so many areas of our health, and we often blow it off. Not only will you not eat while you sleep – you also allow your body’s appetite hormones to reset and align.
Also, the National Institutes of Health found that when you sleep less, your body produces less leptin. Leptin is the compound that tells your brain you’re full. So not only are you awake longer to have time to eat, you might even feel more hungry!
5. Notice Stress and Emotional Cues
A lot of the time, we’ll reach for food when we aren’t actually hungry. This can be because it is habit, or we’re feeling a certain way.
Keep a food journal not only tracking your food but your mood and energy level for a week, too. This could help you identify areas where you could replace emotional eating for a going for a run or picking up a good book.
6. Remind Yourself of Your Goals
Losing weight is tough, and nutrition is probably the hardest mentally for me to really get down.
Nutrisystem is great because it’s convenient, allows you some of your favorite foods, and can help you lose weight. With that said, ANY diet or lifestyle change can be a hard. Remind yourself that you’re working towards a goal, and it’ll be harder to not hit it versus the discomfort you’re feeling now.
7. Eat High Volume, Low Calorie Foods
Most vegetables are great low calorie, high volume foods. This just means you can eat a lot of them without packing on calories! Munching on carrots, celery, or cherry tomatoes is a great way to cut your appetite.
You could also cook down vegetables into a soup or stew to keep you feeling full longer!
Not sure on all this lingo?? You can find out what Free Foods & Extras are on Nutrisystem and what foods are consider PowerFuels!
Can you have pickles on Nutrisystem?
For some reason, pickles get brought up with a lot of diets. Maybe it’s because it was a cucumber at some point, and they’re pretty low calorie (about 35 calories).
You can have pickles on Nutrisystem though! You just want to keep in mind that pickles are really high in sodium so you may find that you’re holding onto water or see the scale bump up after a pickle-day. :P
Did you know we’ve shared a TON of resources about Nutrisystem?
We’ve both used Nutrisystem in the past to help us hit our goal weight!
It’s just so convenient, simple, and effective! If you’re struggling to “diet” this is such a great option!
You can grab your favorite meals here or compare the cost of Nutrisystem’s plans here.
We also put together a post about how many calories you typically eat per day and a comparison of Jenny Craig vs Nutrisystem.
Worried about the price? Check out this post!