Appetite suppressants are prescribed drugs or medications that work on brain chemicals which are responsible for hunger and appetite. It raises the level of some chemicals in the brain which controls both mood and cravings for food. So if you want to lose weight then you must include appetite suppressants to reduce food intake level.
For weight reduction, the primary focus areas are diet control and workout. However, it is very difficult to stick with a controlled diet plan if you fail to suppress your frequent cravings for snacks and other meals of the day.
Also, all the hard effort that you give towards daily exercise routine go into vain when your daily meal intake level remains more than its necessary level or amount. In both the scenarios to make your endeavor towards workout and diet plan effective, an appetite suppressant works as an effective tool to speed up your journey to weight loss.
So prescribed appetite suppressants must be considered a vital part of your weight loss plan along with full concentration on other factors to make sure that your efforts will get its desired result in the form of an effective amount of weight reduction.
However, these medications should not be taken for a longer duration otherwise chances of side effects also persists with its long term usage.
So for the safe side non-prescribed or natural appetite suppressants are also a reliable option as these also works similar to the prescribed appetite superstations without any risk of side effects.
Health Benefits of Appetite Suppressants
Table of Contents
Aids in Weight Loss
The primary benefit of taking appetite suppressants is that it helps you in losing weight faster by suppressing your frequent hunger. One study on appetite feeling has revealed that the most of appetite or cravings arise out of some brain chemistry which boosts the hunger hormone in the body.
It proves that not every appetite arises out of your body necessity for nutrients or foods. So it is very important that you suppress those frequent cravings for unhealthy food products especially if you are on a diet plan for the weight loss purpose.
So if you are sick and tired of your hardcore dieting and workouts sessions then include a prescribed or natural appetite suppressant in your regular routine to ensure healthy weight reduction at a very shortest duration.
Reduces Cholesterol Level
Unhealthy foods intake such as unhealthy fats, highly processed meals, and snacks slowly and gradually increases your cholesterol level in the body leading to high cholesterol health concerns develops which is a chronic condition.
However, with the usage of an appetite suppressant, one can get rid of this health problem by reducing their daily intake for those foods which are bad for their cholesterol level in the body.
Reduces Blood Pressure Level
High blood pressure is nowadays one of the most common health issues which are the root cause of many life-threatening diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc. What you eat every day and its quantity both contributes to your blood pressure level in the body in some or other ways.
However, by taking the appetite suppressants you can easily cut the intake of all those meals and snacks which are bad for your BP level as a result of it you easily manage to reduce your blood pressure level through its help.
Reduces Risk of Heart Diseases
High cholesterol level, high blood pressure, and overweight issue are all interlinked with each other and all of them get a trigger with an unhealthy diet routine leading to cardiovascular or heart disease growth which is a life-threatening condition.
In this context, appetite suppressants work as an effective tool to prevent such a chronic health condition throughout your life as it prevents you from eating foods which are unhealthy for your heart and other organs of the body.
Prescribed Appetite Suppressants
For reducing or controlling appetite there are many FDA approved medications or drugs which can only be availed with a doctorâs prescription. These pills target to hunger level and its frequency which helps in weight loss plan without putting much effort. Some of the prescription appetite suppressants are mentioned below.
Liraglutide (Saxenda)
The Liraglutide (Saxenda)is an injectable medication which curbs the hunger hormone in the body as a result of it people gets a feeling of fullness and eat less than their usual meal doses. It helps in weight reduction by suppressing appetite. Moreover, people who are suffering from weight-related health problem are also prescribed with this appetite suppressant.
People who are suffering from any weight-related health concerns like obese, type 2 diabetes, cholesterol, high blood pressure are generally prescribed for this injectable medication so that their weight can be reduced to a normal level in order to relieve those chronic health concerns.
Lorcaserin (Belviq)
Lorcaserin (Belviq) is a prescription appetite suppressants pill that works on brain receptors by activating serotonin which is also known as happiness hormone. It helps to boost your mood and make you feel full even though you have eaten very less quantity of food.
By regulating your hunger it helps in reducing weight and other weight-related health concerns. People who fall in the category of obese or are overweight but contain the symptoms of obese are prescribed with this diet pill.
Naltrexone (Contrave)
The Naltrexone (Contrave) is a combination of two medications which directly affects the central nervous system or brain which is responsible for releasing the reward system after you eat anything. That means the feeling of goodness you usually derive after eating some food will not remain the same after the consumption of this appetite supplement medication.
So you will automatically reduce your intake when your brain will not give a signal of good taste. Also, it controls your appetite, temperature, etc. This medication is primarily prescribed for the weight loss purpose along with a restricted diet plan and exercise routine.
Phentermine (Qsymia)
The Phentermine (Qsymia) is a combination of two medications. It works as a stimulant for controlling your appetite level so that you will feel less hungry and even with small diet intake your stomach gets feeling of fullness. It is very effective for reducing weight by controlling your appetite.
The Topiramate is another medicine that is used along with Phentermine. It promotes the feeling of fullness and reduces your normal hunger level. It is commonly used as a headache and seizures medication.
Apart from the above-mentioned prescription appetite suppressants, there are many supplements which claim to work as appetite suppressants drugs. However, these are not FDA recognized so there is no surety regarding their effectiveness. Other than that there is no FDA approved over the counter appetite suppressants medications.
Natural Appetite Suppressants
The prescription appetite suppressants though work effectively in reducing appetite but they often contain the risk of side effects with its long term usage. So for safer side to reduce or to control your appetite you should consider the natural appetite suppressants which are made of natural ingredients.
Some effective natural or homemade appetites suppressants are mentioned below which will directly impact your hunger level without affecting your health anyway.
Drink Enough Water Before Each Meal
Researches show that if you drink one or two glasses of water before a meal you feel fuller and satisfied just after eating a very small intake of your meal. Also after eating there is no feeling of hunger or cravings appears with this before meal drinking water technique.
Just like plain water if you have a liquid starter also such as soup then also you will eat less than you normal diet limit as this liquid starter easily promotes the feeling of fullness with a very little meal intake.
So for reducing or controlling your appetite make a habit to drink a glass of water before each meal to suppress your hunger naturally. Also drinking plenty amount of water in a day has many health benefits along with promoting weight loss.
Workout before a Meal
Several studies have proved the workout practices just before a meal works as a natural appetite suppressant as it helps in reducing your hunger level and easily promotes the feeling of fullness with a very smaller dose of a meal.
It gets possible because after exercising especially high-intensity exercises your body automatically suppresses the hunger hormone (ghrelin) which are responsible for the appetite feeling and increases the level of fullness hormones such as GLP-1 and PPY.
Eat a Ginger before Meal
Ginger is known for its many health benefits. Out of this list of benefits, one more added feature of ginger powder is discovered for health and that is its stimulating effect on the digestive system which works as a natural appetite suppressant.
It was discovered in a study on some people that their appetite level reduced in an effective amount when they started their first meal of the day with a ginger hot drinks.
When you consume ginger powder before any meal you will get a feeling of fullness which helps to reduce your regular food intake as your stomach feel less appetite. Moreover, you get satisfied easily which avoids you from overeating.
Eat Enough High Fiber-Rich Foods
Fiber foods donât breakdown in the stomach too fast as other foods do. So it stays in your stomach for longer duration leading to promote the feeling of fullness which prevents your frequent cravings for snacks and other unhealthy diets.
So if you want to suppress your appetite naturally then you must eat more amounts of high fiber foods to suppress your hunger naturally and safely.
People who include more fiber-rich meals in their breakfast or in their heavy meals, their daily intake level reduces in a significant amount which helps a lot in weight reduction plan in a drastic form.
Some common high fiber rich foods include almonds, whole grains, vegetables, chia seeds, apples, avocados, pulses, and beans.
Eat More Protein Food
One study on obese people has revealed that the group of obese who ate more high protein diet in their meal for two weeks reduced their weight double than those who avoids eating high protein meals.
This clears that the consumption of protein meals promotes the feeling of fullness more than the other meals so it automatically controls your appetite. Also, the next meal doses get reduced when someone already had a protein-rich diet in their breakfast.
Another benefit of taking protein meals is that it doesnât let you reduce your muscle mass even though you follow a less calorie diet for the weight loss which is an amazing benefit for people who are planning for weight loss but donât want to lose their muscle mass.
Some healthy high protein-rich diets that you must try as a natural appetite suppressant include eggs, soy products, beans, peas, Greek yogurt, lean meats, etc.
Drink Coffee
Coffee is primarily known for its refreshment properties which develop after drinking this hot beverage. However its benefits are much more than its refreshing properties, the suppression of appetite is one of those.
Researches show that drinking coffee before meal especially decaffeinated coffee can reduce or controls your hunger up to three hours after its consumption.
So you can easily suppress your appetite by drinking one hot cup coffee as it promotes the feeling of fullness by releasing appetite suppressing hormone (PYY level) in your gut. However how much hunger reduction is possible by drinking coffee needs much more study in this particular area.
Use Mindfully Eating Technique
One common mistake that many people around the world do while eating is instead of focusing on their meal they mostly remain distracted which is one of the key reason for eating more than the usual or normal limit.
However, you can prevent this problem by implementing the mindfulness eating technique which implies to stay focused on your meal throughout the eating process.
When you maintain focus your stomach gets full much earlier than other time when you remain distracted. This early feeling of fullness is only possible through this mindfully eating technique which is nothing but a natural form of appetite suppressant.
Eat on a Small Size Plate
How much you eat in your meal is also get a trigger from the psychological effect which remains affected by many factors such as the size of your plate that you use for eating purpose matters a lot to impact your daily intake.
When you reduce your plate size you naturally get a feeling of fullness even with a lesser quantity of food that you used to eat with your older and bigger plate.
So try this natural appetite suppressant method for suppressing your frequent hunger by getting satisfied with a reduced dietary intake through the help of a smaller size plate.
Avoid taking Stress
It is proved in researches that mental stress has a direct connection with the hunger causing hormone in the body known as cortisol. So when you take more stress then this hunger hormone is released in your body leading to promote appetite frequency or food cravings.
Though the effect of stress varies from person to person with respect to releasing hunger hormones still in most of the cases it impacts to raise food cravings resulting in more than usual count and quantity of diet intake in the affected person.
So for the safer side, you must apply stress bursting or stress releasing practices in your day to day life for preventing its worst effect on your health and for avoiding its appetite trigger which can promote weight gain and other health issues.
Both prescription and natural appetite suppressants to reduce food intake are best and effective in their own ways. However, before using any of them you must consult with the nutrition specialists for getting earlier and desired results and for preventing any risk of side effects.
[expand title=”View Article Sources“]
- https://www.webmd.com/diet/appetite-suppressants#1
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320625.php
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/18-ways-reduce-hunger-appetite
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