How to Feel Full on a Calorie Deficit
One of the most common questions I get in my Q&A sessions on Instagram is:
"How can I feel full on a calorie deficit? I'm CONSTANTLY hungry and thinking about food"
Eating at a calorie deficit is temporary; you only need to do it while losing weight. Typically this lasts for 8-16 weeks, and if you don't do it right, this means you have 8-16 weeks of crippling hunger and cravings to look forward to.
But it doesn't have to be that way.
Based on the last few years of figuring out what actually works with my in-person and online clients, in this blog post I'll share the BEST ways of staying full while eating at a calorie deficit.
And this won't be one of those bullsh*t blog posts that just gives you vague information without giving you any real actionable, concrete things you can do immediately after reading.
You know, crappy clickbait articles whose authors get paid by the page view.
Sure, I'll start with the basic principles, but then I'll give you specific examples and ideas that you can take away and put in place immediately.
So here you go: 28 tips for feeling full on a calorie deficit.
General Guidelines
Minimize the calorie deficit
Stop. Eating. 1200. Calories.
1200 is nowhere near enough calories for most people:
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Take your target weight in lb. Multiply by 12. That's how many calories you should eat per day, assuming you're working out 3-5 times a week.
1g protein per lb target weight
Protein reduces hunger and prevents muscle loss while losing weight.
Aim for 1g protein per lb target bodyweight.
Wanna weigh 120 lb? Eat 120g protein every day.
80/20 rule
Get 80% of your calories from nutritious food, and 20% from less nutritious food.
The nutritious food keeps you full, gives you energy, and improves workout performance.
The less nutritious food keeps you sane, minimises cravings, and lets you be social.
Drink 2-4L water per day
Drink more water.
Sometimes cravings can be alleviated by drinking a glass of water.
And sometimes you think you're hungry but you're actually thirsty.
Sleep 8 hours
Sleep deprivation affects your hunger hormones, actually making you hungrier.
Get your 8 hours.
Stop eating when you're not hungry
There's no obligation to finish your meal if you notice you're no longer hungry. Slow down and pay attention to how you feel.
Protein-Specific
Base meals around protein
This isn't as much of a problem for meat-eaters, but vegans and vegetarians - who have fewer protein options - find it tough. Use this infographic to choose a protein source and then base the meal around it.
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Fill 25% of your plate with protein
Tracking calories and protein is the best way of ensuring you're getting enough protein, but if you're not ready for that yet, make sure you fill 25% of your plate with the protein source.
In fact, your plate should look something like this:
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Choose Greek yogurt over regular
Greek yogurt contains almost twice as much protein as regular yogurt.
1 cup of nonfat Greek yogurt contains 120 calories and 23g protein.
Choose chicken breast over chicken thigh
Per 100g, chicken breast contains twice the protein with approximately the same calorie content as chicken thigh.
Get extra-lean ground beef
If a recipe calls for ground beef, get the extra-lean stuff.
Not that fat is bad for you; this is just an opportunity to maximise the protein while minimising the calories.
Snack on protein
1 hard-boiled egg: 90 calories, 6g protein.
Half a can of tuna with a little mustard and black pepper: around 80 calories, 16g protein
1 serving of beef jerky: 80 calories, 14g protein
Drink a protein shake before each meal
I can't remember who I learned this from, but it's so simple: mix 1 scoop of protein powder with water and drink it directly before a meal.
You'll get around 20-25g of protein, it's only 100-120 calories, and the liquid will make you feel physically fuller, limiting the risk of overeating.
I personally use and recommend Legion Athletics whey protein - the cinnamon cereal flavour is delicious. Use the code ROSENTRAIN at checkout for 20% off your first order 😉.
Carb Swaps
Double the greens, half the starch
You might need to eat more greens and less starch.
Cup 1 of your hands. That's how much starch (rice, potatoes, bread etc.) should be on your plate.
Cup both your hands together. That's how much green leafy vegetables should be on your plate.
Another way of thinking about it: make half your plate green and leafy, and a quarter starchy.
Eat a salad a day
Lunchtime is a good time for this.
Grab a mixing bowl, fill it with salad greens, peppers, a few olives, some chicken breast, and a little dressing. That should fill you up until dinner time.
Choose sweet potato over rice
Not that sweet potato is "better".
But 1 cup of sweet potato contains 6.6g fibre.
And 1 cup of white rice contains 0.6g fibre.
That extra fibre in the sweet potato is going to make you feel more full.
Choose oatmeal over cereal
Again, there's a lot more fibre in oatmeal. It'll fill you up more than cereal.
Zero-Calorie Liquids
Sip sparkling water
I'm not sure why this works so well - it's probably because the gas makes your stomach expand and tricks you into thinking you're full.
Drink dark roast black coffee
There's nothing like sipping on caffeinated sludge to reduce hunger levels.
And stick with dark roast if you're using coffee to reduce appetite as it contains less caffeine than medium and light roast.
Drink diet soda
Finding it hard to deal with sugar cravings? This won't work for everyone, but drinking a diet soda can really help.
Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning
If you're always forgetting to drink water, make it the first thing you do in the morning.
Pour yourself a large glass - at least 500ml - and drink it before coffee or breakfast.
Drink a glass of water before each meal
This is a super simple way of making sure you don't overeat at a meal: drink a glass of water before eating. Science backs it up.
Eating Slowly
I mentioned at the beginning of this blog post that you don't need to feel obligated to finish a meal if you're not hungry. But you need to give yourself time to actually recognise whether you're full or not. The solution: eat slower.
Here's how to do it:
Put your fork down between bites
Stop shovelling food into your mouth as quickly as possible. Instead, do this:
Put food on your fork.
Put the food in your mouth.
Put the fork back on the plate.
Chew.
Swallow.
Repeat.
This should slow you down by at least 50%.
20 chews
If putting your fork down is too much, try this instead: chew each mouthful of food 20 times.
Use chopsticks
Shovelling food into your mouth is pretty much impossible if you're using chopsticks.
This works even better if you suck at using them..
Random Tips
Add spice to food
I don't mean just a little spice to give your meal a kick; that can actually make food more palatable and lead to overeating.
I mean enough spice to make you sweat just a touch, and make your lips burn a little. It's hard to overeat food like that.
Just don't go overboard and add so much that you have to run to the bathroom.
Stop working out so much
This applies to a very small minority of people reading this, but look: you don't need to work out EVERY day.
You don't need to get 20,000 steps EVERY day.
Working out this much is making your calorie deficit too big, leading to hunger.
Work out for an hour or so 3-5 times a week. And aim for 8,000-10,000 steps MOST days.
Figure out your go-to meals
Successful dieters repeat the same meals over and over again.
Now, I'm not saying that you need to eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day.
But you should sit down and plan:
2-3 different breakfasts
2-3 different lunches
5-7 different dinners
And then you know exactly what to buy at the grocery store and what you're going to do when you meal-prep.
That's all I've got for you right now. Hopefully you'll be able to use at least one of these tips to start feeling full on a calorie deficit.