One of the worst aspects of trying to lose weight is those darn cravings. Why is it when you are not trying to lose weight, you often could care less about food but the minute you set a goal and take steps to achieve it, food suddenly becomes an overwhelming obsession. Well, if you are in the process of losing weight, you can expect you will face cravings so knowing the best way to handle them is essential.
The thing to remember is that while some food cravings are the result of reducing calorie intake and changing to a healthy list of foods, some of it is pure psychological. Okay, so what can you do to cut down or eliminate cravings? Tell yourself that losing weight means making permanent lifestyle changes – not dieting. What happens is that when a person says “diet”, the mind automatically thinks of deprivation. Therefore, you would be far more successful in your quest to lost weight by accepting that you are making changes for life that consist of better food and more exercise.
Speaking of deprivation, you can also reduce food cravings significantly by not torturing yourself. While you will need to determine the method that works best for you, what I did was make my Saturday a “free day”. This does not mean I can get stupid, eating everything and anything in sight, it does mean that if I feel like eating a cheeseburger or having a piece of cheesecake, I do. Typically, on this day, I increase my calorie intake by about 400 calories, going from 1,200 to 1,600. In fact, having a free day is a great tip for keeping your metabolism working at full speed.
Make good foods handy. Part of the problem with food craving is not just taste but texture. For instance, you might be the type of person that loves to crunch on foods. You still can but with different choices. In this case, keep a glass of water filled with cut up celery, carrot sticks, broccoli, and cauliflower. This way, the food will be ready to eat and crunchy. Other foods might include cut up cucumbers with onions, sliced cherry tomatoes, or even dried fruits such as pineapple, banana, and kiwi.
Finally, watch your diet soda. Sure, advertisers will tell you that because it is “diet”, this type of soda will work with you on your weight loss plan. In truth, the sodium in diet soda is extremely high. I personally stopped drinking diet soda and in a matter of weeks, dropped six pounds without changing anything else. I feel better and no longer battle with bloating. If you feel you must drink soda, limit yourself to four cans of regular soda weekly.