How to Fight Hunger Cravings
Think about this for a second, Even people who are not clinically overweight may still be unhappy with their current physical condition. The problem a lot of people face is not knowing how to cope with the bad times in life without caving in to their emotions. It’s well documented that when we are at our lowest ebb we are also at our most vulnerable. A feeling of being low or depressed leads us to look for cheap fix solutions to our problems – or to seek quick and instant relief for our negative state of mind.
Lets face it we all enjoy eating at least one thing that is not good for us. Whether this be something sweet like chocolate or savory like chips – we all face the daily ritual of temptation. Or sometimes the mentality that ‘just one’ is not going to hurt us. In general just one treat every now and again is not going to do any harm. The problem a lot of people face is being unable to control their cravings and therefore leaving their chances of losing weight hanging by a very thin thread.
The problem with being over weight goes far beyond the physical impact on your health and day to day living. Experts have long documented that people who are overweight can suffer from severe changes to their mood and emotions. This is thought to be down to a couple of reasons. That being overweight produces hormonal and physical changes -or because a vicious circle emerges whereby the individual finds their lifestyle options limited due to their size.
Comfort eating is one of the single biggest contributors to unhealthy weight gain. Of course if the foods being eaten by comfort eaters was fruit and vegetable then from a weight perspective there would be no issue. The fact is that most comfort eating is centered around foods high in fat and/or sugar. Some experts have suggested the reason for this is due to the reward system we become used to as children. Whereby good behavior is rewarded through treats. When it comes to adulthood our brains still associate the feeling of worth and achievement with the consumption of sugary treats. Whatever the reason is we need to break free from our mental bonds and retune ourselves to a more productive way of thinking
Physical cravings may be a result of low fat intake or low blood sugar. For many of us, the mid-afternoon cravings we feel are merely our body's way of telling us it has been too long since lunch and we actually need to eat. A piece of fruit, yogurt, or a handful of nuts can get the blood sugar levels back up and keep us from reaching for the no-no snacks we think we're craving, according to experts.
Emotions play a big part in food cravings, too, When we're stressed, anxious, frustrated, lonely ... all those feelings can trigger our cravings. Nostalgia can add to this because we may have memories of how good certain foods made us feel when we were younger.
So how do we tackle the sugary cravings? Well there are a few ways you can maximise your chances of banishing the sugar cravings for good. First of all you should be prepared for your body to start behaving differently when it's suddenly deprived of the quick-fix sugar hits that it has become used to - its initial response, for example, may be to overwhelm you with feelings of tiredness, This means it might be best best to start your sugar detox at a weekend or any other time when you have a couple of days off and you can give in to your urge to sleep.
And because a hydrated body is better able to cope with any sudden dietary changes, try to drink around 8 glasses of water a day. You'd also be well advised to stop drinking caffeine-containing drinks like coffee, tea, colas and 'sports' or 'energy' drinks because caffeine can disrupt your energy levels, the initial caffeine buzz often being followed by a low that can trigger a craving for something sweet.
Of course don’t think you have to give up on your sugar all together. Remember that fruit contains lots of sugar and can be prepared and mixed into delicious desserts and smoothies that have the added benefit of being healthy for you too. Just remember to not over do it too much you don’t want to end up without any teeth now do you!
