How to Conquer Cravings

Learn to defeat one of the most difficult diet and weight loss obstacles...

You've just spent the last few weeks weeding the junk out of your diet. Brown rice and veggies have replaced Tuesday night all-you-can-eat sessions at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. Flax is part of your daily vernacular, while Crisco conjures up visions of an old John Wayne flick instead of Toll House cookies. In short, you've been good and your body is responding. It feels better than it did last month, yet you're a little tired.

Maybe it's from not eating enough, maybe lack of protein, perhaps what's "supposed" to be good for you really isn't after all. "Aren't I supposed to have more energy," you think. Why am I tired?" As if on cue, you happen to be passing the local McDonald's. The smell is arousing. "Yes, it must be lack of protein," so you pull up to the drive-up window. As luck would have it, it's Big Wednesday—two Big Macs for $2. Certainly your body wouldn't steer you wrong, so you order away. Habit sways you to throw in fries and a Coke, but that's okay because you've earned it. Besides, you've been listening to your body, and it's craving protein. This can't be the wrong decision. Or can it?

The ability to tell psychological cravings from physiological hunger is one of the keys to maintaining a lean body, and learning to distinguish which is which is your first step to learning how to conquer your cravings.

Learning how to listen to your body is a vital step to living an active and healthy lifestyle. Your body is smart; it will tell you what is working and what isn't. Unfortunately, it's also a creature of habit, and old habits die hard. So sometimes when you could use a little fat, it tells you that you need a pint of Ben and Jerry's. You want to conquer these bad habits, yet you know you need to fuel yourself properly. What should you do?

Eating in response to a psychological craving almost always insures overeating. Some examples of psychological cravings are:

• Wanting something sweet after dinner.
• Wanting a hot dog at a ballgame or chips while watching TV.
• You get hungry at the mention of ice cream.
• You can't decide what you want to eat but feel the need to eat something.
• The smell of a comfort food restaurant suddenly makes you hungry.
• Feeling stressed makes you hungry.
• Being bored makes you hungry.

Other times, your body will tell you it needs food or a certain food because it's deficient. These are physiological cravings:

• Feeling like you suddenly have no energy.
• Having a gnawing feeling in your stomach.
• You're light headed.
• You can't stop thinking about meat, or spinach, or even fatty foods, etc.

Once you decide which type of craving you're having, then make a plan of action. For physiological cravings, you want to give in to them. These happen commonly when you don't eat for long periods of time. They also happen both at the onset of an exercise program or any time you restrict your diet. Often they signal a blood sugar crash, like when you're lightheaded. Food cravings can signal different things. Meat cravings come from excessive muscle breakdown when your body wants protein to repair it. Veggies usually signal a vitamin deficiency. Ice cream, or any fat, can signal a fat deficiency. If these cravings are real, eating the right food will calm the craving, even if it's something you don't like. For example, a teaspoon of flax seed oil might appease your ice cream craving if you haven't been getting enough essential fat. A protein shake may have the same effect as a Big Mac, even though you were sure you needed that burger. These types of cravings should be indulged. You just need to make sure to do it correctly.

Psychological cravings are far more common. This is when you become certain that you'll fall over dead if you don't get some peanut M&M's, now! These are the cravings that need to be resisted at all costs. Here are some tips to help when times get tough:

• Eat every 3 hours. Even if it's something small. One of the biggest culprits for psychological cravings is dropping blood sugar. If you keep your levels steady, you simply won't crave the same things. The easiest way to combat cravings is to avoid them in the first place.



• Drink water. Dehydration confuses the body and will often make it feel hungry, especially if it's cool out. A small glass of water each hour will keep your stomach full and keep you hydrated.



• Wait. Real cravings stay with you but psychological ones don't. If you've eaten enough and are hydrated, putting off a decision for 15-20 minutes will help the feeling dissipate.



• Distract yourself. Along the same lines, if you start doing something else the feeling will usually pass. If you've been working in front of a computer but feel the need to eat, do something else. Make a phone call or read the news. Changing your mindset might be all you need.



• Exercise. If you start to exercise and your cravings aren't physical, you'll feel better almost instantly. If it is physical, you'll never be able to really get into your workout, which is a sign that you need to eat.



• Challenge your craving. Some people like to attack things and this type may prefer the approach that is, "Go ahead and take your best shot. I don't need food and I'm not eating!"



• Keep healthy snacks around. Sometimes you just can't take it, especially if you're on a restricted calorie diet. Keeping healthy snacks around will help. Have a piece of fruit or some raw veggies. If it's not helping, you'll know your craving was psychological.



• Change your routine. Habit can affect a craving, so shake up what you do, even if it's just slightly. Turn off the lights in your kitchen and try not to use that room. Change the lighting of your house, move your desk, sit differently, get up every so often and stretch or drink water, do anything different. Forcing simple changes can make it easier to follow through with tougher ones

And when absolutely nothing else works, give in, but RARELY! Every so often you've got to blow it. After all, you're human. And if you didn't enjoy these foods, they wouldn't have become something you craved in the first place. You are going to mess up sometimes. This can be okay if you can limit amounts. Have a square of chocolate instead of a whole bar, a serving of chips (around 20) instead of a bag, half a soda instead of the entire thing. And never let one bad evening turn into a three-day (or three-week) binge! This will work your habitual mind in the right direction and lead to the ability to cut that craving out for good.

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by Steve Edwards, Beachbody Fitness Advisor