Cravings. Something we all have, and something that takes over our brains only to pull us closer to the temptation. And before we know it, your weight loss regiment is out of the window as you’re laying on the couch drinking bottles of coke and stuffing your face with chocolate chip cookies. There are theories as to what makes you crave certain foods, but this article will focus more on not what causes them, but how to control them. The following are some ways in which can help push you away from these temptations and take control of your food cravings.
1. Avoid tempting foods
While you may think that treating yourself to those foods which you crave so much every once in a while might not be so bad, they have a bigger impact than you may think. According to expect Marcia Pechat, “You crave what you eat, so if you switch what you’re eating, you can weaken your old cravings and strengthen your new ones”. This means that when you had cravings for pizza, soda, and sweets before, you can switch to some healthier suggestions in order to turn your diet around. It’ll take some time for your body to adapt to this change, but it’ll be worth it.
2. Get rid of any potential triggers
If you can still see a lot of unhealthy foods in your cupboards that tempt you when you look in them, throw them away. Don’t just throw them away, destroy any evidence of you owning them. This will help you feel good about not eating unhealthily and hopefully help stop you from buying unhealthy foods in the future.
3. Drink water and eat nuts
Make sure that you drink plenty of water and eat a variety of nuts. According to experts, if you drink two glasses of water and eat one handful of nuts, whether they be almonds or walnuts, in the space of 20 minutes, your appetite will decrease and you’ll feel less urge to eat your cravings. Nuts also help you to get rid of excess body fat. If you take a step back and look at this, then you’ll notice that you’ll be eating less but satisfying your appetite which means you’ll be losing more weight.
4. Drink some coffee
Coffee is a fantastic substitute for cravings. Instead of looking in your cupboards or going to a vending machine for a sugary snack filled with calories, get a cup of coffee. While it won’t make you less hungry it will help distract you from your cravings and help your mind ease away from your cravings.
5. Relax
Stress eating can be a problem for many people, especially those with jobs that require a lot of hard work. Instead of stress eating find some ways to relax in order to manage your stress properly, instead of filling yourself up with calories and putting on more weight.
6. Have a sleep
If you’re feeling tired during the day and are getting closer to the idea of stuffing your face with high calorie foods, take a nap instead. If the kids are at school and won’t be home for a few hours, turn on the TV, put your legs up, and close your eyes.
7. Brush your teeth more often
According to expect Molly Gee, brushing your teeth is a fantastic way to divert your attention from fulfilling your cravings. “When you have a fresh, clean mouth, you don’t want to mess it up.”, says Molly.
8. Keep yourself distracted
Find something to distract yourself. If you ever find yourself craving a greasy cheeseburger or a slice of cake, you might not even be hungry and it is most likely your brain playing games with you. According to John Foreyt PhD, who went to Baylor College of Medicine, “Cravings typically last ten minutes.”. With that in mind, within those 10 minutes find something that can distract you. Go for a run, maybe listen to some music, or even tidy up the house. Anything that satisfies you will do.
9. Don’t starve yourself
No matter what, never starve yourself to try to lose weight. This won’t help you at all and will instead help you put weight on. By starving yourself you are making your body think to itself that it should burn less energy. It will also slow down your metabolic rate and help maintain the levels of fat that you have already consumed. Don’t starve yourself, instead eat regular healthy meals on a schedule so that your body gets used to it.
10. Plan in advance or resist the temptation
If you are finally going to reach forward and treat yourself to a slice of chocolate cake, alter your diet slightly so that you don’t consume more calories than usual. If you are going to have a slice of cake after your dinner, lessen the portions you eat throughout the day so that you don’t have a higher intake than usual.
