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com, Inc. or its affiliates. Amazon Music Stream millions of songs. Amazon Ads Reach customers wherever they spend their time. ACX Audiobook Publishing Made Easy. And hunger is your body telling you it's ready for fuel. A healthy overall approach to weight management is the way to go. Work with a registered dietitian or registered dietitian nutritionist RD or RDN to determine your unique nutrition and movement needs and goals.

You can even look for RDs with an Obesity and Weight Management credential. This means they've had additional, extensive training and certification in this area. It is vital to note that a sustainable approach to weight management and overall health involves the following:.

A balanced diet rich in the following can help your overall health:. Read on for more information about the uses and safety of appetite-suppressant supplements and foods. Researchers completed a study of adverse events due to supplements.

The reports documented the following in some individuals 25 years and younger:. Moreover, the following supplement categories had a three-fold increase in the risk for severe medical events compared to vitamins:. Some supplements, nutrients, and foods have been studied for managing appetite or changing body composition.

Fiber is a type of complex carbohydrate found commonly in plant-based foods. The human body cannot fully digest or absorb. It's a vital part of a healthy diet and comes in two primary forms:. Overall, fiber appears to decrease appetite by increasing satiety.

Some evidence suggests that psyllium, glucomannan, and agar have the following properties:. Interactions : Fiber can decrease the absorption of certain medications, thereby decreasing how well they work.

Take your medications at least two to three hours apart from fiber supplements. The following includes information on a few different fiber supplements. Psyllium is a soluble fiber that forms a gel-like substance in the stomach, which creates a sensation of fullness and thereby decreases appetite.

Dosage : The daily dose of psyllium is 3 to Side effects : Common side effects of psyllium include stomach discomfort and bloating. Precautions : Do not take psyllium if you have appendicitis or intestinal blockage.

Interactions : Avoid taking the following medications within three hours of taking psyllium. Glucomannan is a soluble fiber found in roots, tubers, and many plant bulbs. Dosage : The daily dose of glucomannan is 2—3 g by mouth. Side effects : No side effects were noted in the studies.

Agar has been shown to reduce body weight and fat in a week study of 76 people with type 2 diabetes. Dosage : The daily dose of agar is g by mouth. Side effects : No side effects were noted in the clinical studies. Getting enough protein from your diet is essential to help build and maintain muscle mass.

Uses : Protein consumption, such as whey protein , has had the following effects. Dosage : The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends that exercising individuals consume at least 1. Average adults need around 0. Precautions : Caution should be taken if you have kidney or liver problems.

Consult your healthcare provider or registered dietitian to determine the appropriate protein intake if you have kidney or liver problems. Calcium and vitamin D are essential for the following:.

Getting calcium from foods is generally better than getting it from supplements. Good food sources of calcium include the following:. Uses : One study examined the effect of milligrams mg of elemental calcium and vitamin D , using international units IU of vitamin D3, on people with the following characteristics.

Calcium and vitamin D supplementation for 12 weeks helped with fat loss. Moreover, researchers suggested that vitamin D deficiency increased appetite. Dosage : The recommended daily amounts of calcium are as follows.

Interactions : Calcium can interfere with the absorption of certain antibiotics, such as the following. Medications used for an underactive thyroid, such as Synthroid levothyroxine , also interact with calcium. Consult your pharmacist about the appropriate timing of taking your medications and supplements.

Vitamin D is best absorbed when taken with a healthy fat. Dosage : The recommended daily amounts of vitamin D are as follows. Interactions : Certain medications, such as Alli orlistat , can block the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin D.

Getting enough vitamin D is important, particularly during darker months or at higher latitudes. Probiotics are the beneficial gut bacteria or yeast. Prebiotics are nondigestible fibers that support the growth of those microorganisms.

Synbiotics refer to the combination of both probiotics and prebiotics. Uses : Supplementation with synbiotics for three months increased the abundance of beneficial gut bacteria in people who are overweight or obese. Inulin , a type of fiber extracted from chicory, is a prebiotic that had the following effects in people with type 2 diabetes:.

However, the effects of inulin on weight and satiety in people who are overweight or have obesity but do not have diabetes are unclear. Dosage : The following dosages have been used in clinical studies.

Side effects : Some side effects of probiotics and prebiotics include the following. Precautions : Some probiotics have caused infections in people with a compromised immune system. Before taking probiotics, talk with your healthcare provider if you have a weakened immune system.

Probiotics and prebiotics are safe during and after pregnancy and lactation. Interactions : Antibiotics can decrease the effects of probiotics. As such, take probiotics at least two hours before or after antibiotics. Green tea contains the catechin potent antioxidant epigallocatechingallate EGCG and caffeine.

Uses : Green tea has been shown to have the following effects. The caffeine in green tea has been proposed to contribute to the following:. Dosage : Green tea extract doses range from to mg per day by mouth.

As green tea contains caffeine, it is advised that you limit your caffeine intake to no more than about mg if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Side effects : No side effects were reported in the studies. Precautions : Green tea may increase the risk of congenital disabilities caused by folic acid deficiency.

Tea can also decrease iron absorption. You may want to avoid drinking it with your meals. Liver problems have been reported with using green tea extract in pill form.

If you have liver disease, consult a healthcare provider before taking products with green tea extract. Interactions : Green tea and EGCG have decreased intestinal absorption—and thus, the therapeutic effects of—some of the following drugs. Animal studies indicate that green tea extract and EGCG increase the extent of absorption of the following drugs:.

However, human studies are needed to confirm these results. ALA is an antioxidant fatty acid that helps the body make energy from sugars.

Uses : Preliminary evidence suggests ALA had the following effects. Dosage : The dose of ALA ranges from to 2, mg per day by mouth.

Side effects : Some of the side effects of ALA are as follows. Precautions should be taken in the following instances. Interactions : ALA may interact with the following medications.

Conjugated linoleic acid CLA is a polyunsaturated fatty acid found in the following foods:. Uses : A review suggested CLA had the following effects.

While the effect of CLA on appetite is unclear, a review of a group of studies indicated that taking 3. Overall, early evidence suggests that CLA could be used for treating obesity in addition to dietary modification. However, further research in humans is needed to confirm the results.

Dosage : The dose used in clinical trials ranges from 1. Side effects : Most reported side effects were gastrointestinal side effects. Precautions : Caution should be taken in people with the following conditions or characteristics.

Interactions : Until more research is done on the drug interactions with CLA, it is unclear how CLA interacts with prescription and nonprescription medications. Uses : Besides other amino acids in whey protein, tyrosine has had the following effects. However, outcomes from the study above are limited because it was conducted in only eight females with obesity.

Further studies with a larger sample size and a more diverse population are needed. Dosage : The specific amount of tyrosine was not explicitly stated in the study, but the dose of the whey protein powder was 45 g dissolved in milliliters mL of semi-skim milk.

More specifically, mL of the drink was given by mouth three times every five minutes. Interactions : Caution should be taken if you take the following medications. Uses : Bitter orange Citrus aurantium contains a chemical compound called p-synephrine, which is known to have the following effects.

Despite its popular use as an over-the-counter weight loss product, the quality of evidence is low to support the use of bitter orange for appetite control and weight loss in humans.

Dosage : The commonly used doses of p-synephrine range from 25 to mg per day by mouth. Precautions : Some studies have shown that bitter orange increased blood pressure and heart rate with long-term use i.

In fact, many of them reduce appetite and can cause weight loss as a side effect. These medications will not be discussed in this post. All of these medications increase serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin regulates mood and affects appetite, yet this can have varying results depending on length of treatment.

Short-term use reduces impulsivity and increases satiety, which can reduce food intake and cause weight loss. However, long-term use longer than a year can cause downregulation of serotonin receptors, which subsequently causes cravings for carbohydrate-rich foods such as bread, pasta, and sweets that ultimately may lead to weight gain.

The antidepressants with the highest risk of causing weight gain are amitriptyline, citalopram, mirtazapine, nortriptyline, trimipramine, paroxetine, and phenelzine.

Antipsychotics can also be categorized into two classes: typical and atypical antipsychotics. Both classes can cause weight gain, but they differ in that atypical antipsychotics cause fewer movement disorder side effects.

Like antidepressants, antipsychotics affect the chemical messengers in the brain associated with appetite control and energy metabolism , namely serotonin, dopamine, histamine, and muscarinic receptors. In addition to causing weight gain, antipsychotics can also impair glucose metabolism, increase cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and cause hypertension, all of which can lead to metabolic syndrome and worsen obesity-related diseases.

Emotional eating is eating as a way to suppress or soothe negative emotions, such as stress, anger, fear, boredom, sadness and loneliness. Major life events or, more commonly, the hassles of daily life can trigger negative emotions that lead to emotional eating and disrupt your weight-loss efforts.

These triggers might include:. Although some people eat less in the face of strong emotions, if you're in emotional distress you might turn to impulsive or binge eating, quickly consuming whatever's convenient without enjoyment.

In fact, your emotions can become so tied to your eating habits that you automatically reach for a treat whenever you're angry or stressed without thinking about what you're doing.

Food also serves as a distraction. If you're worried about an upcoming event or stewing over a conflict, for instance, you may focus on eating comfort food instead of dealing with the painful situation.

Whatever emotions drive you to overeat, the end result is often the same. The effect is temporary, the emotions return and you likely then bear the additional burden of guilt about setting back your weight-loss goal. This can also lead to an unhealthy cycle — your emotions trigger you to overeat, you beat yourself up for getting off your weight-loss track, you feel bad and you overeat again.

When negative emotions threaten to trigger emotional eating, you can take steps to control cravings. To help stop emotional eating, try these tips:. If you've tried self-help options but you still can't control emotional eating, consider therapy with a mental health professional.

Therapy can help you understand why you eat emotionally and learn coping skills. Therapy can also help you discover whether you have an eating disorder, which can be connected to emotional eating.

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Products and services. Weight loss: Gain control of emotional eating Find out how emotional eating can sabotage your weight-loss efforts, and get tips to get control of your eating habits. By Mayo Clinic Staff. Show references Duyff RL.

Reach and maintain your healthy weight. In: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Complete Food and Nutrition Guide. New York, N. Whitney E, et al. Weight management: Overweight, obesity, and underweight. In: Understanding Nutrition.

Belmont, Calif. Braden A, et al. Eating when depressed, anxious, bored, or happy: Are emotional eating types associated with unique psychological and physical health correlates?

Spence C. Comfort food: A review. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science. Hensrud DD expert opinion. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Amazon Business Everything For Your Business.

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Do you eat to feel better or relieve stress? These tips can help you stop emotional and stress eating, fight cravings, and find more satisfying ways to feed your feelings.

Many of us also turn to food for comfort, stress relief, or to reward ourselves. And when we do, we tend to reach for junk food, sweets, and other comforting but unhealthy foods. Emotional eating is using food to make yourself feel better—to fill emotional needs, rather than your stomach.

In fact, it usually makes you feel worse. Afterward, not only does the original emotional issue remain, but you also feel guilty for overeating.

Eating may feel good in the moment, but the feelings that triggered the eating are still there. You beat yourself for messing up and not having more willpower. Compounding the problem, you stop learning healthier ways to deal with your emotions, you have a harder and harder time controlling your weight, and you feel increasingly powerless over both food and your feelings.

But no matter how powerless you feel over food and your feelings, it is possible to make a positive change. You can learn healthier ways to deal with your emotions, avoid triggers, conquer cravings, and finally put a stop to emotional eating.

Before you can break free from the cycle of emotional eating, you first need to learn how to distinguish between emotional and physical hunger.

This can be trickier than it sounds, especially if you regularly use food to deal with your feelings. But there are clues you can look for to help you tell physical and emotional hunger apart.

Emotional hunger comes on suddenly. It hits you in an instant and feels overwhelming and urgent. Physical hunger, on the other hand, comes on more gradually.

Emotional hunger craves specific comfort foods. But emotional hunger craves junk food or sugary snacks that provide an instant rush. You feel like you need cheesecake or pizza, and nothing else will do. Emotional hunger often leads to mindless eating.

You feel satisfied when your stomach is full. Emotional hunger often leads to regret, guilt, or shame. The first step in putting a stop to emotional eating is identifying your personal triggers.

What situations, places, or feelings make you reach for the comfort of food? Most emotional eating is linked to unpleasant feelings, but it can also be triggered by positive emotions, such as rewarding yourself for achieving a goal or celebrating a holiday or happy event.

Ever notice how stress makes you hungry? When stress is chronic, as it so often is in our chaotic, fast-paced world, your body produces high levels of the stress hormone, cortisol.

Cortisol triggers cravings for salty, sweet, and fried foods—foods that give you a burst of energy and pleasure. The more uncontrolled stress in your life , the more likely you are to turn to food for emotional relief.

Stuffing emotions. Boredom or feelings of emptiness. Do you ever eat simply to give yourself something to do, to relieve boredom, or as a way to fill a void in your life?

You feel unfulfilled and empty, and food is a way to occupy your mouth and your time. In the moment, it fills you up and distracts you from underlying feelings of purposelessness and dissatisfaction with your life. Childhood habits. Think back to your childhood memories of food.

Did your parents reward good behavior with ice cream, take you out for pizza when you got a good report card, or serve you sweets when you were feeling sad?

These habits can often carry over into adulthood. Or your eating may be driven by nostalgia—for cherished memories of grilling burgers in the backyard with your dad or baking and eating cookies with your mom.

Social influences. Getting together with other people for a meal is a great way to relieve stress, but it can also lead to overeating. You may also overeat in social situations out of nervousness. You probably recognized yourself in at least a few of the previous descriptions. One of the best ways to identify the patterns behind your emotional eating is to keep track with a food and mood diary.

Every time you overeat or feel compelled to reach for your version of comfort food Kryptonite, take a moment to figure out what triggered the urge. Write it all down in your food and mood diary: what you ate or wanted to eat , what happened to upset you, how you felt before you ate, what you felt as you were eating, and how you felt afterward.

Maybe you always end up gorging yourself after spending time with a critical friend. Once you identify your emotional eating triggers, the next step is identifying healthier ways to feed your feelings. Diets so often fail because they offer logical nutritional advice which only works if you have conscious control over your eating habits.

In order to stop emotional eating, you have to find other ways to fulfill yourself emotionally. You need alternatives to food that you can turn to for emotional fulfillment. BetterHelp is an online therapy service that matches you to licensed, accredited therapists who can help with depression, anxiety, relationships, and more.

Take the assessment and get matched with a therapist in as little as 48 hours. Most emotional eaters feel powerless over their food cravings. You feel an almost unbearable tension that demands to be fed, right now! But the truth is that you have more power over your cravings than you think. Emotional eating tends to be automatic and virtually mindless.

Can you put off eating for five minutes? Or just start with one minute. Don't tell yourself you can't give in to the craving; remember, the forbidden is extremely tempting. Just tell yourself to wait. While you're waiting, check in with yourself.

How are you feeling? What's going on emotionally? Even if you end up eating, you'll have a better understanding of why you did it. This can help you set yourself up for a different response next time. Allowing yourself to feel uncomfortable emotions can be scary. To do this you need to become mindful and learn how to stay connected to your moment-to-moment emotional experience.

This can enable you to rein in stress and repair emotional problems that often trigger emotional eating. When you eat to feed your feelings, you tend to do so quickly, mindlessly consuming food on autopilot. Slowing down and savoring your food is an important aspect of mindful eating, the opposite of mindless, emotional eating.

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