If you’re trying to curb your snacking or stop overeating, ignoring your body’s hunger signals can be tough. While it might take a little bit of self control and some patience, you can maintain a healthy lifestyle without giving into cravings. If you feel like your hunger or your goal of ignoring your hunger is becoming a problem, consult a doctor to make sure you’re getting enough nutrition on a daily basis.

Things You Should Know

  • Control hunger by drinking more water, incorporating green tea, and hitting all of your key nutrients (through foods like fruit and lean meat).
  • Distract yourself by diving into your hobbies and relationships—for instance, try listening to a long podcast.
  • Take deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth to curb cravings.
2

Drink a glass of water.

  1. When you feel hungry, you might actually be dehydrated. If you start feeling like you want a snack, drink a full glass of water first. Some studies suggest that drinking water before a meal can make you feel fuller faster, too.[2]
    • While drinking water is a good way to curb hunger, drinking sugary drinks isn’t. Sodas and juice can give you a blood sugar spike and then crash, which can really mess with your appetite.
    • By drinking a glass of water, you're allowing yourself time to notice if you're genuinely hungry or if you're feeling hungry because of your emotions.
    • If plain water isn't your favorite, try drinking sparkling or carbonated water instead.
5

Put off eating for 5 minutes.

9

Practice mindful eating.

  1. Try thinking about what you eat when you eat it. When you sit down for a meal, take away all other distractions, like the TV or your phone. As you chew every bite, really think about the flavor and the texture of the food in your mouth. Chances are, you’ll enjoy it much more, and you’ll probably feel fuller for longer.[9]
    • Research shows that people who were taught mindfulness techniques lowered their levels of stress and chronic anxiety, and their levels of stress eating decreased.
    • This is also a great way to cut down on mindless snacking. If you pay attention to what you eat, you can stop yourself before you eat more than you meant to.
    • Try picking out foods that are more likely to satisfy you, too. For instance, an apple with peanut butter is a much more satisfying snack than a sleeve of crackers.[10]
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10

Keep a food diary.

11

Get enough sleep.

12

Maintain a balanced diet.

  1. You’ll feel less hungry if your body has enough nutrients. Try to eat 3 balanced meals per day that include fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Stay away from processed foods and empty calories that can make you feel hungrier over time.[13]
    • A balanced meal includes 1/2 a plate of fruits and vegetables, 1/4 plate of whole grains, 1/4 plate of lean protein, and plant oils in moderation.[14]
    • It’s never a good idea to starve yourself for weight loss purposes. Even if you do lose weight, it’s impossible to maintain, and you’ll be putting your health at risk at the same time.[15]
    • It's normal to feel hungry when your body needs food. If you ignore that feeling for too long, you'll be more likely to binge eat. Instead, it's much healthier to nourish your body with healthy food when you start to feel hungry.[16]
    • Try build your snacks and meals with proteins and healthy fats, healthy fats and carbs, or carbs and proteins.[17]

Warnings

  • If you’re ignoring your hunger to starve yourself or restrict your eating, it can become unhealthy. Consult your doctor or a nutritionist to make sure you’re getting enough calories every day.
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  1. Dina Garcia, RD, LDN, CLT. Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist. Expert Interview. 1 April 2020.
  2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss/art-20047342
  3. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/diets/emotional-eating.htm
  4. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss/art-20047342
  5. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate/
  6. Dina Garcia, RD, LDN, CLT. Dietician/Nutritionist.
  7. Dina Garcia, RD, LDN, CLT. Dietician/Nutritionist.
  8. Dina Garcia, RD, LDN, CLT. Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist. Expert Interview. 1 April 2020.

About This Article

Dina Garcia, RD, LDN, CLT
Co-authored by:
Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist
This article was co-authored by Dina Garcia, RD, LDN, CLT and by wikiHow staff writer, Hannah Madden. Dina Garcia is a Registered Dietitian, Nutritionist, and the Founder of Vida Nutrition and Conscious Living, her private practice based in Miami, Florida. Dina specializes in helping yo-yo dieters and binge eaters overcome food guilt, practice self-love, and rediscover self confidence. She has over 15 years as a dietitian. She received a BS in Dietetics from Ball State University and completed her supervised dietician practice at California State University, Fresno. She is certified as a Registered Dietitian (RD) by the Commission on Dietetic Registration and is a Florida Licensed Dietician/Nutritionist (LDN). This article has been viewed 408,065 times.
136 votes - 57%
Co-authors: 25
Updated: March 20, 2023
Views: 408,065
Categories: Feeling Hungry
Article SummaryX

To ignore hunger, try drinking a glass of water, which can make you feel full without eating. You can also drink green tea, which acts as an appetite suppressant and increases your energy levels. Additionally, try hiding your food in your cupboards, and avert your attention from food commercials, as just seeing food can make you hungry. You can also try seasoning your meals with cayenne pepper, which contains the appetite suppressant capsaicin. For more tips, including how to reduce hunger with the right diet, keep reading!

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