Food cravings can be extremely overpowering, no matter how sure you are that you want to stick to your weight loss plan. Here are seven ways to help overcome them.
#1 Don’t skip meals
Skipping a meal is a bad idea when trying to lose weight. Even if you do it in an attempt to lower your daily caloric intake, the point is, you’re going to be hungry and probably end up eating all the wrong stuff.
Instead of filling up on snacks and junk food, eat a healthy meal that will deliver solid nutritional content to your body. In doing so, you’ll be able to keep cravings at bay.
#2 Be honest with yourself
Before you go to reach for a snack, ask yourself: Am I really hungry? If you are really hungry, you should be able to make a healthy choice. If it’s just a craving, you will probably try to reach for something sweet or sugary.
When you identify it as a craving, do something else to get your mind off food. If you aren’t sure, you should get in the habit of doing something else for the next ten minutes (or more) and then, if the hunger comes back, go and eat something.
#3 Drink water
Sometimes when we think we’re hungry, we’re really just thirsty. When that’s the case, it’s usually best to drink a glass of water and wait a few minutes. See if your hunger is still there. Oftentimes, it will disappear and you’ll end up going to do something else.
In the case that it doesn’t go away, go and find something healthy to eat to fill yourself up before it turns into a binge where you eat something unhealthy.
#4 Get outside
While on the topic of distracting yourself from food cravings, one thing you can do to get your mind off your stomach is to get outside and go for a walk. This is ideal because, not only will you get fresh air and some physical activity, you’ll also get to get away from the kitchen all together.
While on your walk, you’ll be able to recenter your mind and focus. Remind yourself of why you’re trying to lose weight and think about the healthy food choices you can make in case you really are hungry.