CRAVINGS BEHAVE LIKE WAVES: THEY BUILD, CREST, AND THEN DISAPPEAR.

IF YOU CAN “SURF THE URGE”, YOU HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF BEATING IT.

If you are here, you are probably looking for ways to get your unhealthy food cravings under control. In this blog, I will be sharing 10 helpful tips to help you with your next “wave” of guilty pleasure! 

Food cravings are normal, and it is perfectly fine to enjoy what you crave in moderation. However, it can become a problem if you don’t take these food cravings under control. 

One minute you are innocently going about your day … the next minute, you are dying to have a cupcake! Before you know it, you are licking frosting off your fingers! What just happened? You experienced a strong food craving and willpower wasn’t the answer! These urges are fueled by “feel-good” brain chemicals such as dopamine that are released when you eat these types of foods. Creating a rush that your brain seeks over and over. What you need is a plan that stops this natural cycle and helps prevent unwanted weight gain. 

The next time you are hit with an irresistible urge for double-chocolate brownie, ask yourself these four questions. With these questions get to the root of the craving and use these ten helpful tips tailored to control your trigger. 

1. Am I Stressed Out?

When you are under pressure, your body releases the cortisol hormone, which signals your brain to seek out rewards. Our thought process is that “comfort foods” loaded with sugar, fat, and calories “applies the brake” to my stressful day. When you reach for food in response to negative feelings such as sadness or anger, you create a powerful connection in your brain telling it you found a solution. The food gets coded in your memory center as a solution to unpleasant experiences or emotions. Face the same problem again, and your brain will likely tell you “Get the Cheetos.” 

cheeseburger. But what happens shortly after you are done eating the “comfort food” that was supposed to calm you down or take your stress away? 

Think about it! And ask yourself … Do I really feel better? Is my stress gone? or Do I feel guilty now? 

If your food cravings are stress related, try these tips before giving in and grabbing an unhealthy treat!

SMART TIP: Call a Friend. Pick up the phone, call someone you are close with to get your mind off a craving and rant about your stressful day. Talk it out … let it out … Food is not the answer! 

SMART TIP: Stimulate Happiness. Play your favorite song, sing along, and dance to your favorite upbeat playlist. This can provide a distraction and emotional release. 

SMART TIP: Wait it Out. Thankfully, cravings will not last a lifetime. We can say that cravings behave like waves. They build, crest, and disappear. If you can “surf the urge,” you have a better chance of beating it. 

SMART TIP: Choose the best distraction. “What you’re really craving is to feel better.” Try Exercising, taking a shower, getting on Instagram, watching tv, calling a friend, or going for a walk. Try this: Identify your current emotion: bored, anxious, or mad by filling in the blanks. “I feel _____ because of _____ .” Then find an activity that releases it. If you are stressed, channeling nervous energy into a workout can help. If you are upset over a problem at the office, call a friend for advice. 

2. Have I Been Eating Less Than Usual? Is My Diet Too Restrictive?

If you are eating fewer than 1,000 calories a day or restricting an entire food group (like carbs), you are putting your body in ultimate craving mode. Even just 3 days of strict dieting, can reduce levels of the apprentice-reducing hormone leptin. Restrained eaters are more likely to experience cravings and to overeat the “forbidden” foods when given the chance. Making certain foods like carbs off-limits can lead to obsessing and bingeing. 

SMART TIP: Safely, Lift any bans! Eating a healthy, balanced diet is key when it comes to repetitive unhealthy cravings. Consult a nutritionist or check out Motrition’s health plans [add a link] to get support with planning your healthy diet. You can also plan ways to enjoy your favorite foods in controlled portions and moderation. Get a slice of pizza instead of a whole pie or share a piece of cheesecake with a friend.

SMART TIP: Don’t “eat around” cravings. Trying to get rid of a craving with low-calorie, non-related food groups might not work. For example, if you are craving a milkshake, eating a plain bowl of Greek yogurt probably won’t cut it. Especially if you have been depriving yourself. If you are not choosing your healthier substitutions wisely, you may even take in more calories than if you’d just had a reasonable portion of what you wanted in the first place. Munching on five crackers, handful of popcorn, bag of pretzels, all in the name of trying to squash cravings for potato chips is more harmful. Choose satisfying healthier food substitution or practice portion control. 

3. Am I Getting Enough Sleep?

Wondering why you can’t say no to a doughnut after tossing and turning all night? A few sleepless nights may be enough to drop your levels of leptin hormone which signals satiety while boosting your levels of ghrelin, and appetite-triggering hormone. Those two changes alone can cause your appetite and food cravings to kick into overdrive. It doesn’t help that when you’re exhausted from too little sleep, you may be less inclined to head out for your morning walk or afternoon yoga class. This can get you caught up in a frustrating and hard-to-break cycle of eating too much and moving too little.

SMART TIP: Have some caffeine. It can help you get through the day without any high-calorie pick-me-ups. It won’t solve your bigger issue of chronic sleep loss, but it’s a good short-term fix until you get back on track with your sleep. If you are experiencing chronic sleep deprivation, be sure to seek professional support to help you get back into your healthy sleep routine. 

SMART TIP: Portion out a serving. You might not have the energy or the concentration to fight off a food craving, so try this trick! Before you dig in and go crazy, dole out a small amount of the food you want and put the rest away. 

4. Am I A Creature Of Habit?

Seemingly innocent mindless routines, like eating popcorn while watching TV, create powerful associations. It’s safe to say that our brains love routines. Either good or bad! The thought of letting go of a pattern can cause a fear response, but once the food hits your lips, the fear response shuts off. What can we do to break these mindless eating routines?

SMART TIP: Eliminate sensory cues. Smells, sights, and sounds all act as powerful triggers. Watch TV in your basement or bedroom so you are far away from the kitchen and the snacks. Also, try not having unhealthy foods and snacks in your fridge or pantry. When they are not your sight, it is much easier to avoid them compared to that bag of chips sitting in your pantry waiting to be opened. 

SMART TIP: Shift your focus. Talking about distractions, here you can distract your brain by diverting your attention to something visual not related to food, like e-mail. 

It might seem impossible to take control of your unhealthy food cravings, but it is all a work in progress. Look through these tips, write down which one works for you, write down the questions, and when that food craving hits start asking yourself the questions and apply the tips.