Over 35% of the US population are obese, and it’s hardly a surprise that the weight loss industry is so big in the country. While there are any number of weight loss solutions and products in the market, cutting down on the extra pounds boils down to something very simple – stopping the constant craving for food.
Obesity is a direct consequence of people’s effort to stop food cravings. So, how do we stop these food cravings?
Read Our 10 Tips For Preventing Food Cravings and Find Out
Tip 1: Make a List of “Good Foods”
Foods that are rich in protein, healthy carbs, unsaturated fats, vitamins and minerals. Also make a list of “bad food” – you know what they are: cookies, cake, ice cream, white rice, chocolate, etc.
Fill up the refrigerator with foods belonging to the first list, and give away the food items belonging to the second list to a friend or neighbor and never bring them back into the house again. Well, obviously you’ll require a lot of self-control to do this, but make a complete break at the very start, otherwise your cravings will never stop.
Tip 2: Identify The Emotion That’s Linked With The Cravings
If you feel a constant craving for food, there is a reason for that, which is associated with your emotions. People end up giving in to their cravings when they feel lonely, bored, stressed, under pressure or sad.
If you can find out what’s causing you these emotions, and tackle it at the base itself, you will have fewer reasons to get upset about, which would help you control your urge to reach out to the refrigerator.
Tip 3 What to Do When Self-control Fails Us
Try as we might, we cannot bring ourselves to stay away from the leftovers from last night, when we know very well that we shouldn’t.
What you should do is to call a friend home, create your own support network with other people who’re suffering from food cravings and struggling with weight loss issues like you and share your feelings with them. Remember, you’re not in this alone – get your team to help you.
Tip 4 – Get Good Deep Restful Sleep
Very few people truly understand what a wonderful thing it is to have 7 or 8 hours of regular sleep every night. Not only does it mean that we wake up fresh and are fully ready to take on the challenges of the day, but also that we’re less tired.
This is important because we generally crave for food when tired. So if you get enough sleep, you won’t feel exhausted all the time, which would reduce your food cravings by quite a lot.
Tip 5 – Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself!
Many people start off well, control their food cravings for a while, but lose control, gulp too much food in a weak moment, get upset with themselves, feel guilty and lose the will power to continue with healthy food habits.
Most important tip on how to stop food cravings is – just don’t quit! It’s okay if you lose your control once in a while, but don’t let that affect you or feel sorry about yourself – get over it, and next time, stick to the diet.
Also, it’s okay to eat a chocolate or ice cream once in a while – say, on a Sunday evening. Total abstinence is never possible. But, don’t make it a habit.
Tip 6 – Exercise Helps With Emotional Stability
Everybody must do it – if you don’t exercise regularly, you’re living a very unhealthy life, as simple as that. You don’t have to do much – just a 30-minute long brisk walk early in the morning, followed by 10 minutes of simple stretching exercises would work perfectly.
Exercise releases endorphins, which make you happy and significantly brings down your constant food cravings.
Tip 7 – Never Miss a Meal, Never Starve Yourself
That’s the worst thing you could do, as your body would want to compensate later by having too much food. Have regular and moderate meals, at a fixed schedule.
Your meals should be rich in protein, complex carbs, fiber and unsaturated fats. Have healthy, fulfilling, low calorie snacks such as apple, popcorn, nuts such as almond and wheat flakes.
Remember, do your exercise, enjoy food – but be smart about it, and live a long, healthy, fulfilling life.
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