Appetite Suppressants: EAT THIS Before a Meal to EAT LESS [Preloading]

Appetite Suppressants: EAT THIS Before a Meal to EAT LESS [Preloading]

Video | Preloading | Eat-Stop-Eat | Water Preloading | Protein Preloading | MCT Oil Preloading

One way that weight loss medications work is by suppressing your appetite. You can avoid the cost and side effects of these drugs by following an eat-stop-eat approach to meals and consuming one of the following natural appetite suppressants 30 minutes before you eat. This practice is referred to as preloading, and I explain how to do it in this blog post. 

Appetite Suppressants At-A-Glance


  • Preloading is the practice of consuming something before a meal that changes your perception of fullness.
  • Water Preloading: Drink two cups (500ml) of water 30 minutes before a meal.
  • Protein Preloading: Consume a protein shake, hard-boiled egg, or bone broth (1 to 2 cups) 30 minutes before a meal. 
  • MCT Oil Preloading: Take a teaspoon of MCT oil 30 minutes before a meal. You can stir it into a cup of coffee or tea. If tolerated, increase the amount to 1 Tablespoon. 
  • For additional hunger control, practice an eat-stop-eat eating pattern by prioritizing meals and avoiding snacking. 

Appetite Suppressants: EAT THIS Before a Meal to EAT LESS [Preloading] (Video)

In this video, you’ll learn…

  • What “preloading” means.
  • The importance of prioritizing meals and minimizing snacks.
  • How to preload with water, protein, and MCT oil.

What is Preloading? 

One strategy for reducing the amount of calories you consume in a day is to practice preloading, which is simply consuming something prior to a meal that changes your perception of fullness. 

What is Eat-Stop-Eat? 

To get the most calorie control from preloading, it helps to practice an eat-stop-eat approach to meals. This means prioritizing meals and avoiding snacking. 

It sounds counterintuitive, but when you limit snacking, you feel less hungry. 

A surprising study proved this to be true. In the study, a group of healthy men underwent two diet interventions. For one study period, they ate three meals a day. For the second period, they were fed the same foods split over 14 meals, so they ate something almost every hour they were awake.

When measured throughout the day, hunger was reduced, and satiety and fullness ratings were increased in the low-frequency diet compared to the high-frequency diet (1).

Note: If you are used to eating snacks between meals, you’ll need to experiment with the size of your meals and the preloading strategies that work best for you. 

Prioritize Meals. Avoid Snacking.

Water Preloading

The first preloading strategy involves a drink rather than a food. Drinking water prior to a meal is effective for appetite control and the most accessible method of preloading. 

The question is how much you should drink and when. 

In a study, 50 overweight women drank 500 ml (about two cups) of water 30 minutes before each meal of the day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner (2).

They could also drink water at other times of the day but consciously needed to consume two cups before every meal, and they did this for eight weeks. 

Body weight, BMI, body fat, and appetite score were measured at the beginning and end of the study. All of the parameters improved after eight weeks. 

Water Preloading

If you want to jumpstart your progress and get hunger under control, get in the habit of drinking two cups of water 30 minutes before a meal. It costs nothing, is easily accessible, and naturally reduces your calorie intake. 

Protein Preloading

Protein preloading, as you may guess, involves consuming a protein-rich food or drink before a meal. This helps suppress appetite due to its impact on satiety hormones. Protein increases levels of peptide YY (PYY), which is a hormone that decreases appetite and increases your sense of fullness. A protein preload also reduces ghrelin, the primary hunger hormone, making you feel less hungry before meals.

Pre-meal protein can be consumed in different ways. Examples include using protein powder, eating a hard-boiled egg, or consuming bone broth or soup. 

There are many protein powders and shakes on the market. Whey protein is a good choice because it is easily digested and absorbed and contains the nine essential amino acids that you must take in through your diet. I like Paleovalley products, but other no-sugar-added whey protein products will also help you achieve your preloading benefits. 

An inexpensive and effective alternative is to eat a hard-boiled egg before a meal. If you struggle with the eat-stop-eat approach, grabbing a hard-boiled egg 30 minutes before your meal helps tremendously. It allows you to curb hunger before your meal so you can make the best choices at mealtime. I do this often. I have them ready to eat in the refrigerator, and I simply add salt and pepper. 

Bone broth is another easy-to-use choice. The mass-produced bone broths that you can pick up in the soup aisle of the grocery store are of lower quality when it comes to protein content. That doesn’t mean they are unsafe to drink, but what you save in cost will likely take away from the hunger satisfaction effect of a higher-quality bone broth. 

You can tell the quality of bone broth by the amount of protein per serving. For example, a mass-produced bone broth has about 2 grams of protein per cup (240g). The same amount of broth from a high-quality brand like Kettle & Fire has 9 grams. 

If bone broth alone does not thrill you, you could make it into a soup. A study had subjects preload their lunchtime meal with a low-calorie soup made of broth, vegetables, and butter. Female participants preloaded with 1.5 cups of soup (129 calories, 3.7g of protein) and male participants preloaded with 2 cups of soup (172 calories, 4.9g of protein) (3).

When the soup was eaten 15 minutes before their meal, the study participants reduced their total energy intake at lunch by 20%. Even though the soup had calories, they consumed fewer calories overall. 

Protein Preloading

Preloading with protein is a great way to control hunger. When consumed before a meal, it can reduce overall calorie intake. It can also stabilize your blood sugar so you do not get post-meal spikes that can trigger further hunger. 

The quick trick I use is to eat a hard-boiled egg 30 minutes before a meal, but you could opt for a protein shake. If you are looking for a warm, comforting way to combat hunger over the winter months, enjoy one or two cups of bone broth or soup 30 minutes before a meal. It will feel like you are eating more, but it will likely reduce your overall calorie intake. 

MCT Oil Preloading

This third preloading strategy can work with any whole-food diet but is most compatible with a keto or low-carb diet. It involves consuming MCT oil before a meal. 

MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides. MCT oil is a high-quality fat that comes mainly from coconut oil. It is a great fuel for not only your body but also your brain.

This unique fat suppresses appetite by rapidly increasing your body’s production of ketones, which have appetite-suppressing effects. MCTs are digested quickly and converted into ketones by the liver. 

Like protein, elevated ketones can suppress levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and enhance the release of peptide YY (PYY), which promotes feelings of fullness

Additionally, MCT oil provides quick energy without causing large blood sugar fluctuations. And again, like protein, this helps stabilize energy levels and reduces cravings, preventing overeating during the meal. 

MCT Oil Preloading

While more research will help narrow down the best way to preload with MCT oil, one study found that the oil’s appetite-suppressing benefits may be strongest when consumed an hour or less before eating (4).

An important note is that while MCT oil can help curb your appetite, it can also have a laxative effect on your body, especially if you are a new user. You want to start with a small dose to see how your body reacts.

If you’d like to try MCT oil, start with a teaspoon 30 minutes before a meal. You can stir it into a cup of coffee or tea or just take it by itself. Your body will adapt to the oil, so you may find that you can increase the amount to a tablespoon. 

One more note: quality matters when it comes to MCT oil. You want a brand that contains C8 and C10 because your body most easily converts those into ketones. I use Left Coast brand. 

Takeaway 

This blog post shared foods and drinks you can consume before a meal to naturally reduce your appetite and overall calorie intake. 

Thirty minutes before a meal, consume one of the following: two cups of water, a hard-boiled egg, a protein shake, a couple of cups of bone broth or soup, or a teaspoon of MCT oil. 

Feel free to use a combination of these appetite suppressants throughout the day. For example, you could drink water before breakfast, take MCT oil before lunch, and eat a boiled egg before dinner. Whatever works for you and your lifestyle is fine and will give you the hunger control edge you are looking for. 

For the best results, avoid snacking by practicing the eat-stop-eat eating pattern. I know it sounds backward, but when you prioritize meals and limit snacking, you feel less hungry. 

Thank you for reading and have a wonderful week!

References:

(1) Munsters, Marjet JM, and Wim HM Saris. “Effects of meal frequency on metabolic profiles and substrate partitioning in lean healthy males.” PloS one 7.6 (2012): e38632.

(2) Vij, Vinu Ashok Kumar, and Anjali S. Joshi. “Effect of excessive water intake on body weight, body mass index, body fat, and appetite of overweight female participants.” Journal of natural science, biology, and medicine 5.2 (2014): 340.

(3) Flood, Julie E., and Barbara J. Rolls. “Soup preloads in a variety of forms reduce meal energy intake.” Appetite 49.3 (2007): 626-634.

(4) St-Onge, Marie-Pierre, et al. “Impact of medium and long chain triglycerides consumption on appetite and food intake in overweight men.” European journal of clinical nutrition 68.10 (2014): 1134-1140.

About the Author

Becky Gillaspy, DC, is the author of The Intermittent Fasting Guide and Cookbook and Zero Sugar / One Month. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with research honors from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1991.

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