You know you shouldn’t but there’s a bar of chocolate, a hunk of pie or a slice of cake with your name on it. But before you reach for that calorie-laden temptation, take a step back… and think.
Do you want to be healthy? Do you want to be at your optimum weight? If the answer to either of these is yes, then you need some strategies to cope when cravings strike.
• If you are genuinely hungry, then eat. But be careful what you reach for. Soup is ideal as long as it is not high in fat or cream. Sit down at the table with the soup in a bowl and drink it slowly with a spoon. (Soup and Satiety. Physiology and Behavior. R Mattes. 2005.) Soup and Satiety
• But before eating, have a drink. Often you might interpret the signs as hunger but you are in fact thirsty. Clinical studies have revealed that this is often the case (Cybex Research Institute and others). Have a glass of water, a mug of green tea or a long, low-calorie drink. Water as appetite suppressant
• Always plan your meals in advance. This way you are much less likely to raid the fridge and larder for food and plump for something high in fat, sugar and calories.
• Take more exercise. Over-eaters Anonymous found that even moderate exercise helped to reduce appetite. Overeaters Anonymous
• Change your eating habits. An interesting study by the Monell Center revealed you crave what you are already eating. In this research volunteers drank dietary-supplement beverages. It was hard at first, of course, but by the end of just five days, cravings for trigger foods had considerably lessened. By the end of the study, the volunteers were actually asking for the supplements. You crave what you are already eating – so make sure it’s healthy.
•Start each day with breakfast that includes protein, like milk, yogurt or even the traditional bacon and eggs are fine. But be good and grill the bacon and poach the eggs. Purdue University research found lean protein at breakfast kept you more satisfied than eating it at any other time of the day. Purdue University research papers
• Oscar Wilde famously said: “I can resist everything except temptation.” If this is the case, then make sure you have nothing too calorie-tempting in your house. And if you do succumb to the temptation to buy something you really shouldn’t be eating, then ruin it. Yes, pour something disgusting over it, dump it in water or smash it to smithereens. The Nutrition and Weight Management Center at Boston Medical Center says not to worry that you have wasted money because ‘if the cookies don’t go into the garbage, they’re going straight to your hips.’ Boston Medical Center research
• Distraction is often a powerful tool to take your mind off food. Go out for a walk, listen to music, call a friend, switch on the TV or start reading a book, for example. Cravings typically last ten minutes, says John Foreyt, PhD, of Baylor College of Medicine, so if you can think of something else for those 10 minutes, the cravings should pass.
Eat an orange or grapefruit every day. These citrus fruits help keep blood sugar levels stable and they are high in fiber. The Nutrition and Metabolic Research Center in San Diego found that those who ate half a grapefruit with each meal lost an average of 3.6 pounds in three months. Research by John Foreyt
• Another tip for cutting down on nibbling high-calorie snacks between meals is to go nuts. Michael F. Roizen, MD, advises you to drink two glasses of water and eat one ounce of nuts. He says this can stop craving fatty or sugary snacks by changing your body’s chemical make-up. Nuts and other tips
===================================
Disclaimer: The materials and the information contained on this channel are provided for general and educational purposes only and do not constitute any legal, medical or other professional advice on any subject matter. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new diet or treatment and with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, promptly contact your health care provider.