One of the main reasons people have a hard time losing weight is that they are eating foods that don’t help them feel full. So, they end up eating more throughout the day.

What foods are the ones that don’t help you feel full for long? While you might think it’s salads and “light” foods, it’s actually the opposite. Foods with no nutrients are the ones that don’t make you feel full for long.

So, in this post, I’m giving tips on how to stay full longer, whether your goal is to lose weight or just to overall be healthier.

How To Stay Full Longer

Eat meals that are high in protein

Protein-rich foods make you feel full longer. So, strive to eat more meat, eggs, and plant-based proteins such as tofu, chickpeas, beans, etc.

While people who eat meat usually don’t have that many issues with eating lots of protein, vegetarians and vegans do face that problem often.

So, here’s a protein-rich plant-based meal you can make and use as an idea if you don’t eat meat (or if you simply less like eating a meatless dish):

Protein Powered Lentil Salad and Grapes

471 calories

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Lentils, cooked - 115 calories

• ½ Cucumber, small - 16 calories

• ½ Bell pepper, red - 18.5 calories

• 1 cup Leafy greens, arugula, raw - 5 calories

• ¼ Onion, red - 13.75 calories

• 2 Tbsp Almonds, slivered (Tbsp) - 78 calories

• 1 Tbsp Olive oil (Tbsp) - 119 calories

• 0.6 Tbsp Red wine vinegar (Tbsp) - 1.8 calories

• 1 Salt, dash - 0 calories

• 1 Pepper, dash - 0 calories

• 1 cup Grapes, red - 104 calories

Instructions:

1. Cook lentils as instructed in package.

2. Chop all vegetables (besides arugula) into small pieces.

3. In a bowl, mix all ingredients (besides grapes).

4. Have grapes on the side.

5. Feel free to use any other nut/seed you prefer (roasted & salted are fine!)

6. Note: 0.67 Tbsp = 2 tsp

Eat high-fiber meals

Foods that are high in fiber are more filling than foods that are low in fiber, which means they make you feel fuller longer.

Those foods are fruits and vegetables, high grains, and legumes.

Eat nutrient-dense foods

As I mentioned above, nutrient-dense foods make you feel full longer. So, eat lots of fruits and veggies, as they have tons of nutrients and are very healthy for you.

Drink water

Water is not only very important for overall health, but it helps keep you full. It’s also important for weight loss. You can also drink a glass of water before your meal because it helps you not overeat.

However, don’t just drink water before meals - drink it all the time. Something not a lot of people know is that when you’re dehydrated and your body is craving water, your brain doesn’t always understand the signals it’s getting right away, and it ends up thinking you’re hungry, when in fact you’re just thirsty.

So, avoid being dehydrated.

Get enough sleep

Lack of sleep is known to increase your hunger and cravings, so try to sleep 6-8 hours per night.

Avoid skipping meals

Skipping meals obviously makes you feel hungry, and that usually leads to overeating later.

Avoid sugary and processed foods

These types of foods can cause rapid spikes in blood sugar levels, which leads to a quick crash and increased hunger.

Eat healthy fats

Healthy fats also keep you full for longer. Food like avocados, olive oil, nuts, greek yogurt, etc. are important parts of your diet for many health reasons, and as a bonus, they help you feel full for longer.

So instead of saturated fat, choose healthy fats.

Add more volume to your meals

Eating more food obviously makes you stay full for longer. So, add more vegetables and fruit to your meals - that way you’ll add volume (which helps you stay full) without adding many calories (which supports your weight loss goals).

For example, side salads are a great way to add volume to any meal.

Another great volume food is a big salads as a meal - they can be huge, without having thousands of calories. Of course, when eating a salad as a whole meal, include protein and healthy fats in it as well, besides the veggies.

Here’s an example of a filling salad which is perfect for lunch or dinner.

The Actual Jennifer Aniston Salad

566 calories

Ingredients:

• 1 Egg, large - 72 calories

• 6 oz Chicken thigh, boneless, skinless, raw - 190 calories

• ½ cup Beans & legumes, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), cooked - 134 calories

• 2 Tbsp Cheese, Parmesan, shredded (Tbsp) - 42 calories

• 4 cups Leafy greens, lettuce, raw - 20 calories

• ½ cup Tomatoes, grape - 16 calories

• 2 Uncured bacon, slice - 88 calories

• 4 tsp Red wine vinegar (tsp) - 4 calories

• 1 Salt, dash - 0 calories

• 1 Pepper, dash - 0 calories

Instructions:

1. Spray a pan with an oil spray. Slice chicken into strips, and bacon into small pieces. Cook chicken and bacon for ~10 minutes on medium-low heat, until cooked through.

2. Hard boil egg by placing it in a small pot with water (have water level 1 inch above egg), turning the heat to medium, bringing the pot’s contents to a boil, and boiling for 9 minutes.

3. Drain and rinse garbanzo beans, if canned. 

4. Slice tomatoes in half. 

5. Mix all ingredients together. Note – using 4 tsp (not Tbsp!) red wine vinegar.

6. No chicken? Use more beans. No bacon? Use turkey or soy bacon, or avocado or oil. No dairy? Use a dairy-free cheese, avocado, or more bacon.

Try a low-carb diet

Low-carb diets can help regulate blood sugar levels, which helps stop cravings and hunger.

If you’re not familiar with the term, a low-carb diet is just what the name suggests - a diet that’s low in carbs, but high in protein and healthy fats.

The most popular low-carb diet is the keto diet.

Here’s an example of a delicious low-carb meal:

Chicken Scampi with Spaghetti Squash

550 calories

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Squash, spaghetti - 90 calories

• 6 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw - 190 calories

• 12 Tbsp Parsley, fresh - 0 calories

• 1 oz Cheese, Parmesan, shaved (oz) - 111 calories

• 1½ Tbsp Butter (Tbsp) - 154.5 calories

• 2 Tbsp Lemon, juice - 4 calories

• 1 Garlic salt, dash - 0 calories

• 1 Red pepper flakes, dash - 0 calories

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Using a knife, poke holes in the spaghetti squash and wrap with damp paper towels. Microwave  ~5 minutes or until soft enough to cut in half.

3. Scoop out seeds of spaghetti squash.

4. Line baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper, spray it with an oil spray.

5. Bake spaghetti squash, cut side faced down, for 35 minutes.

6. Shred spaghetti squash with a fork when it has cooled down for a few minutes.

7. While spaghetti squash is baking, add butter to a medium sized pan. Heat on low until butter has melted. Add in lemon juice and cheese.

8. Slice chicken into bite sized pieces. Cook chicken for 8-10 minutes on medium heat, until cooked through.

9. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

10. No chicken? Use tofu, fish, or beans. No dairy? Use oil instead of butter, and dairy free cheese.

30 Foods That Help You Feel Full For Longer

• Whole grains (quinoa, brown rice, oats, etc.)

• Vegetables

• Apples

• Lentils

• Beans

• Chickpeas 

• Pears 

• Meat

• Fish

• Eggs

• Tofu

• Tempeh 

• Greek yogurt

• Cottage cheese

• Avocado

• Olives

• Olive oil

• Coconut oil

• Chia seeds

• Hemp seeds

• Pumpkin seeds

• Flaxseeds

• Edamame

• Strawberries

• Oranges

• Grapefruit

• Melon 

• Blackberries 

• Hummus

• Popcorn