Well, I think it depends on where you are in your blood sugar levels at the time you actually imbibe in the caffeinated treat. For me, if I drink coffee on an empty stomach, it is likely to act as a “tide me over” til I can get some food in me. That’s usually the first thing I do in the morning, and it really doesn’t make me hungry, it just makes me feel happy!

But if I drink coffee after I’ve already eaten and maybe I’m not full but I’m also not completely void of all food in my stomach, I feel like it actually can make me more hungry. For most people, caffeine does act as an appetite decreaser, and that is why it is included in just about every diet supplement under the sun today.

There is validity to it. However, there is also validity to the fact that once you crash off of one of these highly energized supplements, you may become totally ravenous, eating everything in sight and essentially undoing the entire day you went with eating the right things from being on the supplement and not eating a lot.

Using caffeine as a means to abate hunger is a tricky thing. It  can definitely work for a while, but you have to be careful how much you’re taking in and how often as it is a highly addictive substance. I’ve noticed that if I even wait a few hours before having my typical morning coffee, I can a banging headache that is very hard to get rid of.

Use it wisely, and don’t abuse it, and it can be a terrific way to help control appetite.

Here’s a few rules to follow for a healthy marinade that won’t add tons of calories, fat or sugar to your healthy chicken and other leans cuts of beef or pork that you’d like to remain healthful when grilling off the fat :

1.)  You should probably forgo the premade marinades on your store shelves and instead opt to make your own. This way you have complete control over the ingredients.

2.)  When making your own, avoid sugar and instead use a naturally sweet vinegar as your tenderizing ingredient. Try using white wine, red wine or apple cider vinegar. These not only add a touch of sweetness, but they also help break down the fibers in meat and make it more tender and juicy as well as more flavorful. They also help to get the marined all the way in the meat for better penetration.

3.)  Use sea salt if you want to use salt. It is slightly lower in actual sodium than regular table salt, and has additional healthy minerals in it that table salt is totally devoid of.

4.)  A great marinade is home made Italian dressing made with pure organic virgin olive oil.  Olive oil is a healthy fat, so it’s ok to get that fat in  your meat.  The spices in Italian dressing lend themselves well to flavoring just about any type of meat.  I like to let my meat soak a minimum of two full days before using. This way it really soaks up enough of the marinade to be super-tender.

You can even marinade meat then freeze it right out of the grcoery store or meat market.  This works very well.  Then, you can just thaw it out and have a fast, ready to go meal that’s healthy and tastes delicious without waiting all that time for it to marinade.

When your blood sugar is out of balance, your brain and body signal you to eat because it feels that it is “out of fuel” and needs more.  This is where a very common household staple comes in.  I’m talking about apple cider vinegar. This common household product which is used in recipes, dressings, marinads and a bevy of other common recipes, has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity over the past decade.

This is because it’s multiple uses have become of note to many interested in the field of natural health and wellness. Among its many uses is a natural appetite suppressant and blood sugar stabilizer. It can help regulate your glucose within minutes of taking it.

It also has other powerful properties such as helping treat acid reflux and indigestion, helping a sluggish digestive system, clearing the skin, it’s great for giving you hair a natural sheen when applied topically, and it’s also implicated in about a bazillion other health uses.

Another very common staple is found in most people’s cabinets, lazy susans and pantries. It is a spice that is used a lot in breakfast foods, cookies, cakes, pies, you name it. The spice I’m speaking of is cinnamon, which I recently spoke about for it naturally blood sugar stabilizing qualities.

Cinnamon has been found to help regulate insulin levels. It has even shown promise in helping diabetics control their blood sugar levels – specifically to help keep them from going in the stratosphere which is dangerous for anyone.

If I want a quick fix and appetite suppression, I put a few sprinkles of this on my tonge. Be careful not to choke yourself, and have water handy so you can drink it right after.

Speaking of water….this simple beverage in and of itself can be an excellent appetite suppressant. Why? Because it helps to hydrate the body, and often times when we think we are hungry we are actually thirsty. Our body often misinterprets these signals, and we end up eating when really we are just thirsty and need to be hydrated.

I’m still pretty much the same gal today, with some differences. Obviously, my fast as a speeding train metabolism has slowed down with age, so I no longer have the luxury of being able to just nibble away all day long like when I was a kid.  I also think that since I have a desk job, I really have to watch my calorie intake now.

When I was younger, I was always running around, playing outside and just busy being a kid.  Remember, I grew up before video games became popular and I actually had to entertain myself with friends and games when I was a kid, so it greatly benefitted my metabolism to always be hyper and moving.

Nowadays, I really have to use good old fashioned willpower to keep me from eating too many calories every day.  I of course also use the power of natural appetite suppressants and other tricks and tips I’ve learned over the years on how to keep my appetite lower so that I don’t feel like I want to die all day long.

I’ve also learned that I have to eat protein and a good source of fat (read how omega 3 fats help control diabetes) with every meal in order to keep me fuller for a longer time. This definitely contributes to me not overdoing it, and not needing to snack on something all day long, which saves me quite a few calories.

It’s those moments before bed, after I’ve digested my smaller dinner (I eat a smaller dinner so that it doesn’t just sit in my stomach all night without being burned off, so I tend to go to bed a little hungry every night), is when I really need the willpower to kick in.

I’ll sometimes eat a pickle, which hardly has any calories, or I’ll drink a small glass of a stevia- sweetened drink so that I can at least feel like I’m eating something.  That at least helps me to keep it at bay along with my willpower.  I also use self hypnosis when I’m in particular need to add to my own sense of willpower to not eat as much.