Is Fibre Good For Weight Loss?

When you are losing weight you are bombarded with many different and often conflicting ideas. However, when you ask the question ‘Is fibre good for weight loss?’, you will find that weight experts will agree that fibre is on your side when trying to shed some pounds.

Not only is it good when trying to release some fat, fibre also helps to prevent several other health conditions such as constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, heart disease and some cancers. I remember going on school camps as a young Physical Education teacher and my colleague would shout out to the children – eat lots of cereal it keeps you regular! And she was right! Not only does it help regular ‘movement at the station’, but breakfasts with high fibre mean they move through your body more slowly and leave you feeling fuller for longer.

How does fibre help you lose weight?

Fibre makes you feel full

Because of its fibrous texture, it is bulkier making your body feel full. If you had a peek at last week’s blog you read about the carrots which have a great amount of fibre vs something without fibre such as a can of Coca-Cola and just how it curbs your appetite.

It also leaves you feeling fuller for longer as fibre moves slowly through your body, leaving you that feeling of fullness longer. Some other cool processes happen such as the reduction of insulin due to the slower release of sugar. If that sounds a bit geeky, the only thing you need to know is that when insulin is high it puts your body into fat storage mode. When you are trying to lose weight, you don’t want the body in to store the fat, you want the body to use its current store for fuel.

Fibre helps gut bacteria

Gut bacteria is the new buzzword, and for good reasons. Fibre helps gut bacteria to stay happy (for want of more scientific jargon). When the gut bacteria is happy it helps your hunger hormones tell you when you are hungry and when you are full. Foods such as flour and sugar can prevent these hormones from giving you these messages, which means you feel hungry often and full less often. As you would agree, not conducive to weight gain as you will eat more food than your body requires for fuel. Excess food will be stored as fat.

Fibre foods for weight loss

So now you are all on board to start adding more fibre into your week for weight loss, you are wanting the list, right? The good news is you probably include fibre in your meals now, you just might need to add a bit more. Research around the world shows that the average person does not eat enough fibre. So, there is definitely room to increase it for most people on a weight loss journey.

I am always keen to advise you on experimenting with which fibre feels great in your body and that you enjoy eating. Long term weight loss happens when you create new routines and habits over time that you will continue to do. The other reason not to be in a rush to bulk up some types of soluble fibre like chia seeds is that soluble fibre can swell up to 10- 12 times its size, which may cause you to feel a little bloated or at worst with some tummy cramps. So, the ‘Everything in moderation rule’ applies. Here are some great sources of fibre below.

Vegetables – especially leafy ones and leave the skin on where you can.
Fruit – skin and seeds too where appropriate – I don’t think eating orange peel is very tasty!
Wholegrain – brown rice, some cereals, quinoa
Nuts – the golden rule is a palm-full is a good serving – more on this next week’s blog
Seeds – I love sunflower, pepita, chia and flaxseeds in my homemade granola or pop them in a smoothy for more crunch. Click HERE to to take you to my homemade granola recipe.
Oats – so good in granolas, overnight oats, or my latest use of oats is in a homemade oat snack I make for my kids. I am not a mum who bakes, so anything homemade has to be quick and easy!
Legumes and pulses – like chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, and lentils

You might notice I did not include bread in my great sources of fibre. The reason being is it contains flour and flour is not a food I recommend for weight loss. If it is something you enjoy, choose whole grain. Switching bread up for a leafy green salad with some seeds, nuts chickpeas and other vegetables has been something that my body enjoys and helps me feel fuller for longer. It does take a bit of a mind shift, but feels great when you change the habit.

Lastly, make sure you drink enough water to ensure smooth passage for your fibrous foods if you know what I mean. Water will be absorbed by some forms of fibre and help its movement through your body.

How to put fibre in your diet

Experiment with changing up your breakfast once or twice a week. Try overnight oats, granola with real fruit or a breakfast omelette full of vegetables.
Change a processed snack to a piece of fruit or a palm-full of delicious nuts.
Experiment with adding another vegetable to dishes you love to make now.
Add a salad to each meal to get some extra fibre.
Experiment with brown rice instead of white rice on occasions.

Is fibre good for weight loss? – A resounding heck yes!! And it has a host of other added benefits. So up your fibre to keep you regular and help your weight loss journey.

Changing long time habits can seem challenging and your brain may have some resistance. This is normal. If you look at it as an experiment and something you are doing to take care of yourself, you will find this a more enjoyable process.

If you still have some reservations and need the support and step by step process to manage your emotions and mind around losing weight and want to know all the tricks… then schedule a discovery call with me by clicking here. This is a FREE no-obligation call where you can talk to me about your current challenges and decide if weight coaching is the thing that you need to get you in a body that you love.

Have a beautiful Day

Is Fibre Good For Weight Loss?