andrewFood Cravings. So, you’ve decided to slim down and shed a few pounds and the diet is going great.
You’ve been watching what you eat and you’ve been very good. It’s easy, yes? Well so far so good, but what happens when the food cravings start to kick in?
First of all they are expected in the first few days because your habits have changed and you’re able to deal with the food cravings early on. But, after a week or two you’re getting tired of feeling hungry and it’s beginning to affect your mood. It’s making you irritable and making this whole business of losing weight a miserable one. What can be done?
Well, we can look at a few quick tips that will help with your food cravings and if you take these tips on board, you should be able to see a big reduction in those hunger pangs.
Watch Your Intake of Carbohydrates
A lot has been written about carbohydrates, whether they’re good or bad to eat. It’s a difficult subject to explain, but we do need them as part of out daily intake.
Very low, or no-carb diets are amazing diets to go on, and they do shed the pounds at an alarming rate, but, eventually without introducing some good carbs into the diet, they can become a dangerous way of eating.
We need to recognise the good carbs such as whole fruits and vegetables and beans, nuts and whole grain products that are good for us and realise bad carbs including processed foods, sugar, pastries, white bread, soda and sweets can be pretty destructive to our bodies.
Eating ‘easy’ processed food will bring on food cravings so much quicker than if you eat a healthy good carb diet.
If you find you are eating the wrong sort of carbs, at least lower the intake and balance them up with protein foods such as lean meat and you will notice the compulsion to snack will slowly go away. We are just filling a gap between meals when we eat when we’re hungry, but hunger should be kept at bay if you follow the next tip.
Eat Little and Often
We have all been brought up to be told you must eat 3 meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner, but is that strictly true? The gap between each can vary from 4-8 hours and if you’re active this can be far too long and the food cravings set in, usually half way between those hours.
To keep you from not being hungry throughout the day, eat regularly with small meals. You can afford to eat 6 small meals a day as long as you do keep a control over portion size.
This will stop the hunger pangs coming and will also train you stomach that another meal is on its way in only a couple of hour’s time. The brain will soon get used to this and the food cravings will eventually go away.
The Use of Appetite Suppressants
Many people use appetite suppressants to help them eliminate these cravings. They are an excellent solution to this uncomfortable feeling but should be used responsibly.
If you eat a huge breakfast, lunch and dinner, you will put on weight and no appetite supplement will help you there! Keep your meals to sensible sizes and the appetite suppressants will help you.
Even better if you can exercise during the day, the appetite suppressants will work even harder and give you more energy as well as help you lose weight. The most popular on the market with great reviews is Phen375. This is available to view here.
They do offer a great alternative if you find the food cravings are too much to handle.
Have a Starter Meal
If you feel you will be hungry after you’ve eaten your main meal, try having a starter. A Prawn cocktail or bowl of soup will reduce your hunger levels when you begin your meal.
Always take your time when eating your main meal and chew slowly. This will tell your brain you’re eating more than you really are and it’s also beneficial to your digestive system.
Have Green Tea or a Glass of Water
Green tea is an excellent source of antioxidants and is truly beneficial to your body. It not only increases your metabolic rate it will also reduce your hunger.
With the metabolic rate increased, the fat cells will burn quicker allowing you to lose weight in the process. If you’re feeling the food cravings coming on, have a cup of green tea.
Also, hunger can sometimes be just thirst. You can become dehydrated without knowing it and may mistake the hunger for being thirsty. Have a large glass of water and drink it in stages.
This will make your system feel less hungry and also cleanse it. Water is a marvellous thing and you should make sure you drink at least 6 good glasses a day.
A Good Nights Sleep
This is very important. Your body needs to recover from the day’s exertions and recoup, if you’re only getting a few hours of rest, your body will crave energy and that means more food.
You will probably eat the wrong sort of replenishment the body needs and become even hungrier and the food cravings will be ever present. Make sure sleeping well is one of the main things you do.
You exert hardly any energy whilst asleep so the body doesn’t need as much food for its inner furnace.
So there you have a few good tips to get over those food cravings. We all know what it’s like to be hungry and how easy it is to snack. Following some, or all, of these tips will educate your stomach and brain to not trigger the feeling of food cravings.
Food Cravings
can be beaten…remember, they are only temporary!
