Curb Those Cravings: How to Deal with Those Pesky Cravings

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Tips to help deal with cravings:

It’s not unlikely that the foods you crave may be high in sugar, fats and carbohydrates — such as pizza, chocolate, cake, chips and ice cream. These guilty pleasures can get the best of us all! Cravings can derail your efforts at weight control and may lead to binge eating, but you can learn how to manage them and stay on course with these tips.

1. Eat small portions of the food you crave
2. Eat something healthy first
3. Keep the food you crave out of the house
4. Change your thoughts and reflect on a favorite activity or another enjoyable image opposed to the food
5. Find a distraction-Cravings will usually pass within 15-30 minutes
6. Chew sugarless gum- This can help reduce hunger and cravings for sweet/salty snacks
7. Get enough sleep
8. Choose a healthier option to satisfy your craving with a low-fat- yogurt, pureed fruit, nuts, or frozen fruit

Distinguish Cravings from Hunger

Have you noticed that when food temptations strike, it often has more to do with your mood than when you last ate? You may crave food to relax, relieve stress or boredom, soothe anger, or cope with loneliness, sadness or anxiety. Indulging in cravings during these emotional times may lead you to eat too many high-calorie, sweet, fatty foods.

Everyone has a food craving at times and yes, chocolate is at the top of most people’s list. The first step to managing your cravings is being able to identify when you’re truly hungry. Learn how to recognize the difference between a craving and hunger.

Cravings:

1. Are typically the comfort foods we love like salt, sugar and fat
2. Can be emotionally driven by things especially during difficult times
3. Can cause feelings of euphoria at first but are quickly followed by feelings of guilt
4. Can increase for women during pregnancy or menstrual cycle.
5. Can increase during times of dieting
6. Can occur after recently eating
7. Is often done to pass the time (Boredom)

Hunger:

1. Usually experienced after not eating for a few hours
2. Can cause rumbling in the stomach, headache, weakness
3. Isn’t for just one specific type of food
4. Can be satisfied by a healthy snack or meal.

If you have a craving, distract yourself. Try calling a friend, listening to music, taking a walk or bike ride, reading, or writing. If a negative feeling is causing your craving, use positive self-talk, exercise or a fun activity to improve your mood.

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About Us: At Custom Made Weight Loss we believe so much in the saying that prevention is better than cure. We have been in this practice for years, and the experience we have gathered so far shows that weight management can be a key source of prevention. That’s why we are in the best position to help you. We have a team of experienced professionals that can provide a complete and customized weight loss program, with a holistic approach, designed to help you achieve your weight loss goals.