Appetite Reduction Tricks

Whether you want to reduce your real appetite or just take the edge off, these are various things I've either used in the past or still use to help me. We all get hungry, sometimes we get ridiculously hungry, so having a way to reduce the cravings can come in handy.

None of these will completely eliminate your appetite and if you don't pay attention to hunger signals then don't bother anyway because reducing your appetite won't help one single bit.

1. Foods for Appetite Reduction

Apples. Why apples? Pectin for one, plus you get tons of eating fun in a low calorie package. I eat an apple just about every day.

Pickles. Something about eating a pickle when I'm just dying of hunger takes the edge off. Again, low calorie. Some would complain about the sodium, but hey, some would complaint about anything.

Grapefruit juice. Not food, per se, but the sour taste takes the craving for sweet right away. Be sure not to drink grapefruit juice near the time you take medications since it interacts with many meds. Check DrugDigest.com if you're not sure.

2. BiosLife Complete: Fiber

Yes, this fiber product for reducing cholesterol does reduce your real appetite. It forms a gel and bulks up in your stomach which is why they suggest drinking it five to 10 minutes before you eat.

Bios Life Complete also slows the absorption of food. If you are diabetic or experience the sugar highs and lows (get sleepy after you eat?) then Bios Life Complete helps since slowing the absorption stops those big sugar rushes.

3. Herbal Supplements to Reduce Appetite

Hoodia. The plant with so much promise yet so much bogus product, you really have to be cautious where you get it. I've tried several sources and here list the Hoodia Sources I like.

I've played with various herbs for weight loss and found many combinations seem to have some effect although it may just be I'm putting attention on it and drinking herbal tea of any kind puts the mouth off wanting crap (sort of like the pickles or grapefruit juice trick). I personally love the smell of herbs too, sort of grassy and dirt-like but not everyone will agree.

Fennel (dried powder),

Chickweed,

Green tea and Yerba matte are said to be effective but I've never noticed. I do enjoy drinking them though, so no reason not to.

Odd Ball Ways I've Tried to Reduce My Appetite

Cayenne pepper (in capsules) and grape juice. Since this combination has stimulating effects and I figured hey, stimulates reduce your appetite so ...

I think it worked. It jazzed me up anyway, but it can make for some pretty warm bathroom visits, if you know what I mean. Cayenne pepper is quite healthful for those in the know. I'm no expert on hot peppers so this was my only experiment.

Weird Products to Reduce Your Appetite

Appetite Reducing Toothpaste. It can be helpful to brush your teeth because the taste in your mouth changes, but there's no way there can be enough active ingredient in toothpaste to have an effect on your appetite. Think about it. How much ingredient must be in a capsule, and half the time that's not enough so you need three or four capsules. So, they've ground it down fine enough you don't notice the grittiness, so how much can be in that dinky amount on your bruch? Pleeeeze.

Why this isn't likely to be effective: Quantity of product ingested. Think about it--you don't swallow tooth paste, you spit it out. Double duh.

Weight Loss Chewing Gum. Same as above. Do you swallow gum? Probably not. Don't be daft.

Ideas That Could be Explored

5. Scents

Emotional Upset

This works for some of us, but it's not something you can go looking for. You either lose your appetite when you're upset or you don't. Some poor souls actually get hungry, but I just totally lose the desire to eat entirely. In my case though, the upset never lasts long enough for my weight to be affected.

Frankly, total lack of appetite is generally a serious health concern and shouldn't be what we all wish we had (although I know it is when you just want to drop some weight fast).

I'd still recommend using EFT for emotional issues (that's what this site is primarily about, after all). It's easy to learn and use, and if you start using it for everything, then you'll find those emotional upsets start dissolving without the associated eating occurring. Even if it's just less often, it's a start.

Once Banned, Now Back: Supplements That Do Work

Ephedra. Once banned, now back. It's effective, especially when combined with caffeine. People tend to overdue it though, human nature being what it is. If a little is good, what about a whole lot? So after a few illnesses and a death or two the FDA tried to remove Ephedra from the market but guess what? It's a very effective ingredient in many over-the-counter products including cold medicines, so they couldn't keep it off forever. Idiots run the FDA, I swear.

Why the FDA continues to remove OTC (over-the-counter) products yet allow new drugs that have dubious at best records (plus side effects and unknown long-term side effects) is just beyond my comprehension. Actually, I'm surprised I wrote that. I know exactly why the FDA keeps doing this: they are the watchdog organization for the Food and Drug Administration. Notice there's nothing in there about people? They are not a group that looks out for the welfare of the citizens of the United States. Never were, never will be.

The FDA is a group who's total responsibility is to the Food and Drug Companies it represents and monitors. Nothing more, nothing less.

Speaking of OTC products the FDA though should be removed we can turn to PPA ( phenylpropanolamine ). I took this for years, and yes, it reduces appetite. You could take more than recommended and completely eliminate appetite to skip meals or you could just take it as recommended and lessen your appetite to eat more appropriately. Obviously some people abused it.

People abuse beer too but I notice it's still for sale.

So why did the FDA decide to remove PPA from the market when it so obviously was effective for helping with the obesity issue?

Why did it have to go? Same fate as most. It's not under patent and the drug companies make nothing unless you buy their drugs so the FDA tends to get rid of competiting products so you can use the junky weight loss drugs available, until they remove them for causing other illnesses and death that is (like Fen/Pen).

Whatever, don't get me started.

9. PPA

10. Water