Triumph over your food cravings
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Triumph over your food cravings
“I lost weight once but I found it again in the fridge,” doesn’t this sound like your inner voice talking to you. We all have lustful treats calling our name more often than not. But is it the food that’s pestering us? Of course not - its cravings.
Cravings have both biological and psychological components. The most common foods we crave are sugar, chocolates, salty foods and, for some, cheese. Let's walk through some helpful tips for conquering them!
Strategies for tackling your food cravings:
• Start slow: Deal with one food craving at a time. If sweets are your biggest challenge, choose a particular food to change. Think about your biggest weakness. Is it candy, ice cream, or maybe cake? That’s where you should start making a change.
• Practice mindful eating: Make it a point to eat slowly and without distractions. Do not eat in front of the television or while chatting over the phone. Whenever you eat, engage your senses by noticing colours, sounds, smells, textures and flavours.
• Drink more water: Water fills you up and makes you less hungry. Carry a water bottle with you throughout the day if you can. Keep sipping from it as you go along your day
• Increase your protein: Protein includes foods like lean meat, nuts, eggs, and cheese. When you have a craving for something unhealthy, try eating some roasted chana, a handful of almonds, pistachios, peanuts, or sprouts bhel.
• Find substitutions: If you like chocolate, switch to a small portion of dark chocolate.
• Relieve your stress: Many people eat when they are stressed. Find ways to beat your stress. e.g example, take a walk, practice deep breathing, listen to music, or call a friend when you are craving a certain food.
• Walk away from the temptation: When nothing else works, move away from your temptation. Get out of the kitchen, leave the grocery store, or walk away from a buffet table.
• Avoid getting overly hungry: Try having a healthy snack before going to a restaurant or going grocery shopping. By doing this you more likely to stick to your list and you are less likely to order wrong things at the restaurant.
• Get enough sleep: Sleep deprivation may disrupt normal fluctuations in appetite hormones, leading to cravings and poor appetite control.
• Add a goal periodically: After you start slow and have been successful, add a new goal. For example, if your first goal was to eschew dessert, make your second goal to pack a healthy lunch or add more veggies to your meals.
• Play Mental games: One way to differentiate between cravings and real hunger is to ask questions, such as:
1. Would I eat a piece of fruit?:
This exercise is called the fruit test.
If the answer is yes, the body is likely hungry, and if the answer is no, a person may be having a craving.
2. Is it worth it in the long term?:
Visualizing the long-term consequences of unhealthy snacking or otherwise indulging can help some people to curb cravings.
These consequences may include:
• difficulty losing weight
• health risks
• feeling reduced levels of energy and happiness throughout the day
This exercise can also help a person to see the big picture and remember why they are trying to restrict their intake of certain foods.
I think we can all agree that the strategies above work. But let’s get real. How many will you put into practice today? And, what good is information without action?
Here’s the deal.
Right now, you’re thinking rationally and feel confident you’ll conquer the next craving that comes your way. But…when it comes, it will be tough.
In fact, it’s brutal!
And that’s when your irrational mind takes over. It will say things like,
…No one is watching.
…This is the last time. Or,
…I’ll start tomorrow.
Lack of accountability is a major hurdle to weight loss.
But, how different would that be if you had accountability? If there were someone there?
Daily accountability and support are how we get the results we do.
So if you’re looking to put an end to cravings, why not join today?
We’ll be there with you each and every day—taking information and turning it into action!
