Try These Methods to Stop Food Cravings

A food craving can be a challenge for anybody to deal with, but for those individuals who are actively trying to lose weight, it can be a major impediment to your progress. Unfortunately, it is often when you are trying to restrict yourself and to eat healthier that those unhealthy cravings most often arise, and you find yourself dreaming of all the things that you know you should not have. Finding ways to stop these cravings in their tracks may seem impossible, but there are methods that you can use to give you the willpower to get over them without losing your sanity.

One of the first things that you can do when a food craving strikes is to ask yourself what other factors are at work that could be making you have that craving. Are you genuinely hungry or thirsty? Is it time to have a meal or a snack? If so, then the answer is simple. Avoid your craving and scope out a healthy alternative instead. Even a glass of water can go a long way towards helping a craving go away.

Stress can be another major factor in making cravings crop up, so stopping and asking yourself whether something is stressing you out before you indulge can also be helpful. If you find that you’re stressed, you can stop yourself from reaching for that snack and stress eating. Notice how that works? Try doing other things to alleviate your stress – listening to music, going for a jog, taking a bath, or whatever else helps you.

And do realise that sometimes the best method is to learn when to go ahead and to indulge – but to do so responsibly. When you’re losing weight, it can be tempting to try and cut things out completely. However, certain foods – especially favourite foods – stay in your brain’s memory centre, and won’t immediately go away. Trying to avoid snacking on potato chips by snacking on alternatives may actually make you eat more in the long run if you keep eating in an attempt to satisfy that craving. So instead, have a much smaller portion of the thing you’re craving. Sometimes it’s okay to give in to a craving. Just do it the right way.