Control Your Cravings

Sometimes you may be sitting around the house and think that you just want some chocolate, potato chips, or a soda. Surely, some of you are already triggered and walking toward the fridge. Stop and fight those cravings. Many people will slip up and because they slip up will use that as a reason to slip up even more because “I already messed up, I may as well go all the way!”

It may seem impossible to drop some of your favorite foods cold turkey but sometimes it’s just a matter of willpower. If you can last an hour or so you’ll usually find that your craving has gone on its own or that you’ve talked yourself out of it. But there are strategies for when you can’t get rid of a craving.

New Habits

Some of your cravings are due to being a creature of habit. You may be used to watching your favorite television shows with a pint of ice cream with you. You developed those habits, so it’s reasonable to say that you can break them as well. It takes time but your body may actually adjust and begin to crave the healthier foods that you love. For instance, instead of picking up a candy bar, pick up some liquidnutrition supplements.

Emergency Stash

This isn’t an endorsement of an emergency stash of candy or bad foods. It’s an endorsement of an emergency stash of high protein foods, like nuts, and water. Both high protein foods and good old H2O will help you curb hunger in general. Sometimes, if you have some liquidnutrition like a supplement or shake, that will work as well. Curbing hunger will keep your brain from turning on and telling you that you need food (and maybe even convincing you that you need bad food.)

Cut Back on Caffeine

If you’ve had caffeine on an empty stomach, you know exactly how unpleasant it is. You may get nauseous and lightheaded and eat something out of desperation. This desperation will kill a diet in a heartbeat. Caffeine also gives you a terrible crash that triggers your brain to tell you that you need sugar or fat quickly.

Combine Healthy and Unhealthy Foods

Chocolate bananas, caramel apples, and cream cheese on celery all sound wonderful, don’t they? Don’t feel guilty about it. If you feel like you absolutely need to have some baby carrots dipped in ranch dressing, do it from time to time. Don’t overdo it and work on phasing out the unhealthy portion of the snack, but it is quite all right to let it happen from time to time.

Sleep

One of the biggest triggers for fat and sugar is fatigue. Your brain turns on and yells that it needs a quick boost of energy and you’re more than happy to oblige with late night snacks. Instead of doing that - take a nap. You’ll feel refreshed and the craving will likely be gone.

Chew Gum

Gum can help you reduce cravings by giving you a quick taste of sweet and minty flavors as well as making you chew. Any smoker can tell you that sometimes the motion that is associated with your habit is the hardest to break. For smokers the motion is putting their hand to their mouth (hence why some smokers use carrots to quit); for people who have a hard time with foods, the motion they’re used to might be chewing. Either way, being mindful of your strategies can help you defeat cravings.