This is the second installment of our series on what a weight loss plan should have in order to result in long-term weight loss. Any plan can cause you to lose weight, but for most people the weight comes back and they have to start all over again, usually with another plan. As a reminder, the four characteristics of successful weight loss
plans are:

1. The plan must avoid cravings
2. The plan must avoid hunger
3. The plan must call for increasing your activity level
4. It must be a plan you can live with for a long time

In the first installment, we discussed cravings, what causes cravings and how to avoid them. In this article we will discuss hunger and how successful plans avoid it. As you recall, cravings are when your body causes you to seek a certain essential food item that it has been deprived of. This can occur even if you are not hungry. Hunger, on the
other hand, is when your body basically needs all the essential food ingredients at the same time.

If you engage in any program that causes you to be hungry a lot, you will end up consuming more calories, regardless of the source, and that will defeat your weight loss effort. So, curbing your appetite is key. Successful plans provide you with the ability to not be hungry. There are two things that reduce appetite most effectively:

· A full stomach and
· Foods such as proteins and fats.

The center of your brain that controls your weight, monitors your stomach size for fullness. It also monitors your blood for food substances that are absorbed from the stomach. It uses this information to create that feeling of satisfaction and to control your appetite.

How do you control hunger? You should strive to get that fullness feeling in the stomach. You want to do this with the least amount of calories. The best way to accomplish this is by taking in fluids, such as water or foods that have high fluid contents, such as fresh fruits. Also, to feel full without adding calories, take in fiber. Fiber goes through the body without being absorbed.

There is a catch to stomach size, however. The larger the stomach is expanded, the faster the food is absorbed and stored. So it is wiser to have many smaller meals, for example, six small meals a day, than 3 heavy meals in a day.

The types of food you eat, also affect your ability to suppress appetite and not feel hungry. Carbohydrates, especially simple carbohydrates, are the foods that are least able to suppress appetite. That is why a meal with no fat and lots of carbohydrates will make you feel full for a short time, while the stomach is full. As soon as the food leaves the stomach, you feel hungry again. Fat, on the other hand, suppress hunger as it reaches your brain. Proteins stimulate a
hormone called glucagon, which also suppresses appetite in the brain.

So, by making sure your stomach is not empty and eating the right types of food, such as proteins and fats, you will avoid hunger and hence take in fewer calories.

Next time we will discuss the concept of increasing your activity level and show that it is an essential part of any successful weight loss program.


Dr. David Nganele empowers individuals with the knowledge to take help them take control of their health. His latest ebook is "How to Choose A Weight Loss Plan That Will Work for You.” Learn more at http://www.aboutdietplans.com.