It’s been said that there are only two kinds of people in the world: those who eat to live, and those who live to eat. But is your appetite a true force of nature, or is it something you can control?
Food cravings are powerful. It’s almost as if your body is screaming out for food. But if you’re prepared, you can overcome these cravings with tricks like the ones we have prepared below.
Be aware of what causes the cravings
The easiest way to tame cravings is to understand their emotional trigger and target it. Because cravings are triggered by your emotions, it’s easy to train yourself not to feed those feelings.
For example, let’s say you’re craving ice cream because you’re stressed. Instead of eating ice cream, try going for a walk. Studies show that exercise can do wonders for stress levels. The walk itself is going to tire you out. But all that movement will help take your mind off of your cravings.
Delay
If you experience cravings, don’t restrict or deny them. Just delay indulgence. When you’re hungry, your body tells you it wants food. It’s not going to wait until you’ve eaten something unhealthy. Instead of trying to ignore your hunger, just delay gratification and give yourself permission to eat something healthy instead. Make that healthy food something high in protein and fiber, like high-protein yogurt, egg-white omelet, or oatmeal with fruit.
Eat breakfast
If there’s one meal that just about everyone skips or skimps on, it’s breakfast. But skipping breakfast could be a huge mistake. Skipping breakfast can cause you to have cravings later in the day, which can prevent you from sticking to a healthy diet.
Skipping breakfast, especially if you’re not eating anything else until lunch, also leaves you susceptible to overeating at lunch. And, of course, a growling stomach is one of the hardest ways to stick with it when trying to lose weight.
