Fighting food cravings

Food cravings are dieters’ worst enemy. All-day you followed your diet up to the letter and in the evening it goes wrong. Hunger is the main cause of food cravings, but there are other elements that can make it worse. Because prevention is better than cure this article suggests ways to prevent these cravings.

#1: Eat at regular time intervals

The signal of hunger is sent to the brain when the blood sugar drops under a certain level. The longer you wait before you eat, the harder your body will scream for food. By eating at regular time intervals you can prevent this from happening. Separating your total intake into smaller meals, every 3-4 hours is a good way to keep your blood sugar level stable.

#2: Understand what triggers your food cravings

Food cravings are often triggered by other factors than hunger. A lot of people eat because they need emotional comfort, feel bored or as a reward for success. If you don’t know what triggers your food craving it can be helpful to keep a food diary and find out. Don’t only write down what you ate and drank but also why and how you felt. Once you know what triggers it you’ll have a better idea of what you need to do to prevent it. For example, if you tend to crave popcorn when you watch a scary movie, go for a comedy instead. If you’re bored at home and open the fridge out of boredom, be aware of it and find something else to entertain you.

#3: Make sure you get enough sleep

Some people have sugar cravings in the evening because they lack sleep. They wake up early, work hard and in the evening push it a bit more to finish some extra work. They crave something sweet because sugar keeps them running through the small hours. Actually, these people would be better off going to bed a bit earlier. A good night sleep will help them feel better in the morning, make them more productive during the day and prevent them from eating sweets in the evening.

#4: Stir away from a sugar addiction

Sugar craving can be a result of sugar addiction. If you can’t imagine your life without a dessert after every meal or without sugar in your coffee, you might be addicted to sugar. It’s not your fault! The food industry encourages sugar addiction by adding sugar to almost every product. Check the ingredients list on everything you eat (yes, also tomato sauce and smoked fish, you’ll be surprised to see what is in there) and try to reduce your overall sugar intake. If you’re brave enough – try the 10 days of no added sugar challenge. The first 48-72 hours are the most difficult but after that, you’ll discover the new flavors in everything you eat.

#5: Don’t be too hard on yourself

Some people on a diet are just too hard on themselves. It’s not because you allowed yourself to eat a piece of chocolate you were not supposed to, your diet is ruined. It is normal to have ups and downs and a good diet doesn’t need to be 100% perfect – it needs to be consistent. Cut yourself some slack once in a while.

Read more:

• Book: “Making weight & Everything Else”
• Cheat days or meals on SuperStarJudo.com
• Blog post: Why do diets fail?