When I’m talking about cravings I’m essentially talking about those really crazy feelings you might have when you see or even think about a certain type of food.
So it really doesn’t matter if you have the greatest nutrition and weight loss plan in the world if your cravings prevent you from following it! This can be especially true when it comes to the holiday season because no matter where you look sweets, crisps and drinks seem to be everywhere.
So is there anything a person can do to overcome these nasty cravings when they strike?
While it was really hard at first, through time and experience I’ve learnt some really cool tricks that have helped me to overcome all my cravings whenever they come about.
But before we get into the details there is something really important that I need to share with you.
The reality is that indulging in an occasional treat isn’t what will prevent you from losing weight. It is when you keep indulging over and over again over a long period of time that causes you to gain weight.
One of the best ways to really overcome your cravings over the long term is to just be aware of them when they occur.
If you can do this then you really don’t need to have some really strong willpower or go on a really restrictive diet which forces you to just eat salad for days on end.
The more you are able to embrace the cravings you have the better you are going to get in terms of actually overcoming them and making better food choices in the long run.
The next thing you can do is analyze all your eating habits as of now. If you are eating really good foods about 80% of the time then don’t worry too much when you indulge in the occasional treat because… you will not gain weight.
If you are one of those people that happen to experience cravings for the wrong kinds of foods several times per day then this could be a sign that you need to tweak your nutrition plan a little. If you are in this category then go work on your eating plan because the following tips will be of no use to you.
A lot of the times the reason that your body is craving certain foods is because they are starved of the nutrients that they require. That means you are either not eating enough food over the course of any given day or the foods you are eating don’t have enough solid nutritional value.
Believe me you need not worry because once upon a time I used to be in that situation.
The best way I found to overcome this situation was to get myself a food journal. This way you will be able to really prepare yourself for any cravings that do come.
Some Solid Tips To Help You Overcome Your Cravings and Succeed
1. Be Precise – Know exactly what your body is craving for.
Are you feeling the urge to eat something salty, sweet, crunchy, or fatty? The more aware you are the better you will be able to overcome the particular craving.
2. Question Why – Know the reasons why your body is asking for particular food.
Here are a few questions that I ask myself to get a clearer picture as to why I am craving for something…
- Have I eaten properly?
- Is being bored the reason that I am craving for this junk food?
- Am I feeling a little stressed out?
- Has something happened to make me feel extra emotional?
- Am I just tired and in need of sleep?
- Am I dehydrated and need water?
3. Make a Decision – You need to get control of yourself and refuse to eat the junk that your craving.
You need to start thinking about all the terrible feelings you will experience if you eat that junk and give into your cravings… feelings like guilt and failure. Just keep playing those feelings in your mind over and over again and believe me pretty soon you will have overcome those nasty urges.
4. Walk Away
Just step away from where you are right now, grab a bottle of water and engage in a different activity. Do this and believe me within a few minutes you will not feel the cravings anymore.
Some Other Tips…
1. Whenever you feel a craving coming on, just step away from whatever it is you were doing and start thinking about something completely different. It really doesn’t matter what activity it is, just do something else.
2. A lot of the times when you are feeling extremely hungry and craving for a certain piece of junk you are in actual fact thirsty. By drinking water not only will you fill up your stomach but you will be preventing your body from getting dehydrated which is really important!
3. If you’ve just gone through a stressful situation then you need to calm down a bit because the moments right after it are really dangerous. These are the times where you will naturally want to grab any sort of comfort food to make yourself feel good. So next time you feel a little stressed out just take a little walk and cool down. You will note that you won’t feel a craving if you do this.
Believe me if cravings for junk foods is an issue when you are trying to lose baby fat then try out the tips that I’ve shared with you in this article. You will be amazed at what you manage to achieve.
And trust me if you are doing okay with your diet and fitness regime 80% of the time then you need not be so harsh with yourself all the time. Just keep moving forward every single day, trying to get better and better at controlling your cravings.
