At long last the scientific and medical community is catching on to the idea that fullness makes a big difference in the ability to take off weight and keep it off. [Editor's note: I have been saying this all along] Fullness makes you less likely to overeat. It makes you less likely to feel deprived. And you might even be able to eat more volume and still lose weight. Here are four simple things you can do to get that happy, full feeling in your tummy:
1. Start your meal with soup, salad or fruit -- these are typically low-calorie foods that stunt your appetite while filling your stomach.
2. Eat more protein. Protein is more satisfying that carbohydrates and fats. Eggs, for example, are a particularly satisfying source of protein, and people who eat eggs at breakfast have greater weight loss than people who eat a bagle with the same caloric value.
3. Drink water before meals. Overweight older women who drank 2 cups of water a half-hour before a meal, ate 74 fewer calories (on average) than when they didn't drink the water. The reason why water works as a calorie reducer is still not fully understood. It's thought it might have something to do with helping to delay the emptying of the stomach.
4. Eat slowly. "There's some evidence that slow eaters tend to feel more satisfied and eat less." Slow eating allows more time for satiety signals to reach the brain, which takes abot 20 minutes.