5 ways to fight food cravings and keep useless guilt at bay
1. Plan a cheat day
Plan is the operative word here. Limiting carbs is tough. If you’re coming off a sugar addiction, your body is craving the rush. It is not acceptable to declare a cheat day when the craving hits. Instead, schedule it. Pick one day per week and eat something you desire. This does not mean having 3 Snickers bars in a row, but 1 would be acceptable.
2. Don’t have it around
The two most influential changes you can make are
• Stop eating out
• Shop well at the grocery store
You may truly want to change your eating habits, but your body is going to test you anyway. Having junk around is setting yourself up for sabotage.
3. Keep busy
Most people have a 1 to 3 hour window (usually late-night) in which they consume excess calories. Figure out yours and schedule an activity in that period. Write the activity down. Distracting yourself goes a long way.
4. Chew Gum
Keeping your mouth busy is as effective as being physically busy during a craving. The strong flavor kills cravings and lets you decipher if you are actually hungry.
5. Wait it out
Make a promise to wait 15 minutes before caving to the craving. Cravings come on strong, but they ALWAYS inevitably pass, it’s just a matter of time. If you get through those first few cravings, it only gets easier to resist.
Food cravings are one of the most mentally taxing challenges to overcome. Our bodies connect the food we want with the need to eat and this intensifies the desire. It’s crucial to recognize that pushing through a craving is exactly what your body needs.