Ways to Eliminate Food Cravings!
Ways to Eliminate Food Cravings
Food cravings can be your worst enemy when you’re trying to lose weight. These are intense or uncontrollable desires for specific foods, stronger than normal hunger. The types of foods that people crave are highly variable, but these are often processed junk foods that are high in sugar. Cravings are one of the biggest reasons why people have problems losing weight and keeping it off.
1. Start your day with a good breakfast
Two new studies present a pretty compelling case about eating a good breakfast as a way to eliminate food cravings throughout the day. For many of my personal training clients that good breakfast consists of oatmeal. The healthy fats in oatmeal trigger the production of satiety hormones in the body, helping prevent cravings for up to 7 hours. Most oatmeals cook very quickly and provides you with lasting energy to start your day. That’s because a cup of cooked oatmeal supplies 6 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber – two nutrients associated with satiety. Feeling full can keep you on track in terms of your weight-loss goals, so you won’t get hungry mid-morning and hurry to the pastry cart at work. Fiber also helps keep your digestive track functioning smoothly. Your cup of oatmeal contains 166 calories before any fruit or sweetener is added.
2. Avoid your craving hot spots
Can’t resist the soft pretzels when you smell them baking at the mall? Unconsciously snack from the pantry while you’re trying to decide what to make for dinner? The most effective mindfulness-based technique in controlling cravings is to simply break your usual habits. Walk on the opposite side of the pretzel shop at the mall (or better yet, avoid that wing altogether) and plan dinner at the office or even in the living room (you already know what’s in your fridge and pantry).
3. Drink Plenty of Water
Drinking water within the first few seconds of a craving can actually dissipate it all together, and wash it away. If you feel a sudden urge for a specific food, try drinking a large glass of water and wait a few minutes. You may find that the craving fades away, because your body was actually just thirsty. Furthermore, drinking plenty of water may have many health benefits. In middle-aged and older people, drinking water before meals can reduce appetite and help with weight loss.
4. Don’t Go to the Supermarket Hungry
Grocery stores are probably the worst places to be when you are hungry or have food cravings. First, they give you easy access to pretty much any food you could think of. Second, supermarkets usually place the unhealthiest foods at eye level. The best way to eliminate food cravings from happening at the store is to shop only when you’ve recently eaten. Never – ever – go to the supermarket hungry.
5. Eat Complete Meals
If you’re eating fewer than 1,000 calories a day or restricting an entire food group (like carbs), you’re putting your body in prime craving mode. Even just three days of strict dieting decreases levels of the appetite-reducing hormone leptin by 22%. “Restrained eaters”—dieters who severely limit calories or certain foods—aren’t necessarily thinner than regular eaters. Restrained eaters are more likely to experience cravings and to overeat the “forbidden” food when given the chance. If you find yourself in need of a snack between meals, make sure it’s something healthy. Reach for whole foods, such as fruits, nuts, vegetables or seeds.
For more tips on ways to eliminate food cravings, lose weight, burn body fat, eat healthy, weight train, or if you’re frustrated with your current level of fitness and have been thinking about hiring a personal trainer, call us today (505) 261-1253.
