4 Ways to Kill Cravings Before They Sabotage You

Kill cravings. Sounds easy and yet if you experience them, it’s anything but. Use these tricks. They’ll get to the heart of physiological cravings. If you’re upset with someone or hating your job and that’s causing your stress-driven cravings, they may help less, but could give you the foundation for making better decisions about what to do about it!

1. Increase your protein and fiber.

Increased fiber intake can kill cravings, especially soluble fiber, can help if portion control is an issue. Studies with greater fiber there is decreased food intake and increased body fat loss voluntarily. The protein helps retain lean muscle even during weight loss, which is important if you’re over 50 so you can keep the metabolism elevated. Increase your fiber intake by including both soluble fiber from veggies and skins of fruit like apples that keep you full, and insoluble sources like oats, beans, and legumes, which help with elimination. In fact, up to 50 grams a day can boost your weight loss without you having to starve, especially if you have significant amount of weight to lose. Increase gradually to avoid discomfort. Flip: Add veggies to smoothies, and fill your plate with them. Start there. Then add chia seeds, hemp hearts, or ground flax seeds to salads and smoothies. 

2. Do 6 minutes of exercise before lunch.

A little bit of movement goes a long ways to kill cravings. If you’ve been sitting at your desk all morning, even if your stomach is growling, take 10 before you eat. Research shows as little as six minutes of exercise within 30 minutes of lunch made subjects choose healthier and lower calorie options. This reduced appetite is related to higher intensity exercise. Moderate to low activity does not have the same appetite suppression and can increase appetite. Flip: Pick a hill near your house and power up it for a minute. Recover down and repeat a total of six times. Alternatively, hop on your treadmill or tackle the stairs in your office building for a minute six times.

3. Get quality pillow time.

If you’re short on sleep you’ll be long on cravings thanks to cortisol. Just a single night of poor sleep can make you vulnerable, so if you’re sleepless more often you’re definitely going to have to battle snack attacks. Kill cravings with some simple habit changes. Flip: Create a bedtime and nighttime routine that helps you relax and keep the same schedule seven days a week. Try the Bedtime app on your phone.

4. Stay hydrated.

The same cortisol hormone that causes cravings due to sleep deprivation will be released if you stress your system by giving it too little water. Drinking more water doesn’t make you a fat burner, but the lack of water can halt fat metabolism and make you a fat packer. Do yourself a simple (easy and economical) fat-burning favor and drink up on pure filtered water. Flip: Make your water more appealing with one of these…

• Squeeze a lemon into your water and add a few drops of liquid stevia for lemonade.
• Add cucumber and mint to a glass of water.
• Infuse your water with watermelon cubes and grapes.
• Try any of the above with sparkling water to help you wean off soda.

Sources:

1. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0155871

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4245573/

3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2084401/

4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18617629