Eating healthy food is the most important part of any fitness regime. Most people who are facing a struggle related to their weight either suffer from overeating or consume untimely junk food. If you want to bring a positive change in your lifestyle and get back in shape, then you should start with your eating habits. Too often, we try to resist temptation and fool ourselves into feeling full to avoid overeating.
You might lose a few pounds after eating less, but it isn’t a long-term or sustainable solution. Cutting your diet and skipping meals is not the right way to stay fit. In fact, it can cause more harm to your body than it’d do good. If you really want to attain a lasting result, then you should start eating healthy food and substitute the nutrient requirement of your body with something gluten-free or non-fattening. To make things easier for you, we have come up with some of the most thoughtful ways that will help you understand how to stop food cravings and let you try other healthy alternatives instead.
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1. Identify your triggers
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Do you ever wonder why we crave for a specific kind of food sometimes? More importantly, wonder how to stop food cravings? It happens whenever our body depicts a deficiency of a certain component and eating a specific kind of food seems like the most obvious alternative. Behind every type of craving, there is always some or other kind of trigger.
If you want to overcome your craving, start by identifying the initial trigger. What is that one component your body lacks and how you can substitute it with something nutritive instead? If you can figure it out, then consider the battle half-won.
It has been assumed that most of the people who crave for chocolate can satisfy their needs by consuming a magnesium-rich diet. Your body never asks you to eat chocolate. It could be asking you to consume some magnesium and chocolate might come as an obvious choice. Similarly, a craving for salty snacks can be fulfilled by eating healthy options like olives, tomatoes, wheat bread, or even seafood. Most of the cravings for junk food can be fulfilled by eating calcium-rich diets. Whenever you think you want to consume more carbs, try to eat non-fried and wheat-rich food choices. By identifying your triggers, you can come up with a perfect combat plan to meet your hunger without gaining weight.
2. Surround yourself with nutritious food choices
There is nothing wrong with having those mid-day snacks to keep you full, but to eat unhealthy food between your meals is definitely not a wise move. It is certainly a healthy habit to eat regularly in an interval of 3-4 hours, but you can’t always have cookies or salty snacks in between.
Instead, you should surround yourself with the kind of healthy food options that would meet your food cravings and will provide a nutritive value to your body at the same time. Have fruits or nuts instead of those cookies whenever you feel hungry. Also, include salads as an integral part of your meal and keep your body hydrated throughout the day to attain productive results.
3. Make yourself happy
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It has been scientifically proven that our food cravings can be caused by our negative mood as well. Having unwanted stress or pressure can trigger you to eat more without being hungry at all. Most of us crave for sugar whenever we feel lonely or anxious. Eating all that junk food does make you feel good (for a short time). Though, in order to move past this problem, you can always avoid stress and look for other mood-boosters instead.
Whenever you feel unhappy and have a craving for chocolate, go out for a walk instead. Meet an old friend or talk to your favorite person on the phone. Visit an explored place or even a nearby park and inhale some fresh air. If you have a hobby, then spend more time pursuing it instead. Draw a sketch, write a poem, or read that epic fantasy novel that has been on your “to-read” list for ages. Go out on a date with yourself and meet interesting people instead of looking for another excuse to eat junk food.
After setting your priorities straight, you will see a significant difference in your life for sure. You would feel not just happier, but lighter as well.
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4. Work it out!
We all know the importance of working out and having a solid fitness routine. Though, you might not know that working out can help you reduce your cravings as well. No, we are not talking about how you can burn your fat by having a rigorous workout routine or how you can stay fresh by walking in the morning. We recommend doing all those pushups and crunches because it can help you overcome your cravings as well.
According to a recent research, by working out, our body releases an enzyme known as endorphins. It is one of those “feel good” enzymes, which has the same effect on our brain as junk food does. You will attain a mental stability and would easily overcome your cravings as well. For at least a few hours, you won’t have the craving to eat anything unhealthy at all. Give it a try and see a visible change in your eating habits.
5. Schedule a cheat day
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Never underestimate the significance of a cheat day. It is what inspires us sometimes. If you would come up with a strict diet plan and fitness regime, things might get monotonous after a while. You would hardly live and will keep fighting a battle inside in order to resist your temptation. Life is for the living and we should enjoy every bit of it.
To make sure you don’t miss your favorite dishes, start by having a cheat day once a week. After a while, move it to once in two weeks (or even a month). If you are getting desirable results, then there is no harm in going out and giving yourself a treat. Sometimes, it is good to break the rules. Your cheat day will help you stay disciplined for the rest of the week and will let you attain a perfect balance.
6. Shop wisely
Being fit is not as easy as it sounds. You need to make an effort. Almost every single day, you would have to make a choice and pick the kind of things that you might not enjoy at times. When you go out for your grocery shopping, include a list of what you are going to buy. Avoid visiting all those aisles that are stuffed with unhealthy food options. You have to resist the temptation in order to regulate your diet.
Focus on green vegetables instead and avoid walking in those middle aisles that are filled with salty snacks and chocolates. Preparing healthy snacks might take some time, but they are any day a better substitute to those fried snacks. Keep them readily available, so that you won’t feel lethargic or opt any unhealthy snack instead.
7. Drink more (and eat less)
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It’s okay to have a craving for all those desirable meals every now and then. Instead of eating it, try to meet your hunger with beverages. Drink something whenever you feel hungry – and no, we are not talking about alcohol here. You should avoid beverages with high sugar content and have something healthy instead. Green tea, fruit juices, or even smoothies can be a great alternative. Prepare some fruit punches and keep them readily available in your refrigerator. Whenever you are hungry, have a glass of these healthy beverages to satisfy your cravings.
If you can’t find anything at all, drink a glass of water. It will not only help you diminish your craving, but will also keep you hydrated at the same time. Homemade soda is another alternative that can be considered here.
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8. Make a plan
Most significantly, you can’t do any of these things and get back in shape without having a solid plan. Include these significant healthy habits in your schedule to attain satisfactory results. The next time whenever you feel hungry, try to wait or indulge yourself in some other activity. Walking will help you take your mind off and will let you exercise a little as well. A five-minute routine of squats or pushups can also be done without any trouble. One can simply fold laundry, do dishes, or complete other household chores as well to move past their cravings.
Take a step up and light a scented candle if you are unable to control yourself. The fruity (or spicy) flavor of it will certainly calm your senses. Try to find some other alternatives that are good for your body. For example, if you are craving for chocolate, try some dark chocolate instead. Dark chocolate bars have high iron and magnesium content and act as an excellent antioxidant as well. Just a few pieces of it can help you tone down your cravings.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to your choices. With these simple tips, how to stop food cravings ain’t gonna be a pestering question at all. Take it one step at a time and attain a perfect balance in your life. It is high-time when you make the right choice regarding your health.
Featured image source: Pixabay, under Creative Commons License
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