Wondering how to stop food cravings? You have gone on a diet for the past month and exercised yourself to the maximum. The results are visible; you feel fantastic; everything is fine. Suddenly you realize that sometimes you have extreme craving for food. It is so uncontrollable that you succumb very easily. This is quite disappointing but very common. Here are some tips on how to stop food cravings.
Food cravings can cause any dieter tip off balance. You can even turn into a person who is addicted to food mentally, physically and emotionally. But don’t worry, help is at hand. Read on to know how to stop food cravings.
What is food craving?
Before you know how to stop food cravings, it is important to know the difference between cravings and hunger. Food craving is a strong urge to eat a particular food item. You can get food cravings whether or not you are hungry. This urge is very strong and mostly lasts only 10 – 15 minutes.
Food cravings are more of an emotional need than a physical one. It is seen that most commonly a person craves for high carb foods. These foods can be cakes , pastries , chips , chocolates, desserts , ladoos and other Indian sweets. A lot of people who are addicted to caffeine crave for cold drinks , coffee and tea .
Why do I get food cravings?
1] To seek comfort and warmth during emotional breakouts.
2] Depression and stress may lower serotonin levels and may fatigue the adrenal gland which may lead to cravings for sweets and carbs.
3] Being on a diet can make you crave for things. Specially those things which you know are inappropriate for that time.
Now that you know what food cravings are and how you get them, here are some tips on how to stop food cravings.
How to stop food cravings?
Food cravings can get in the way of your health goals. To stop this from happening, you can follow the tips given below about how to stop food cravings.
Image : Copyright: okssi68 / 123RF Stock Photo
- Know the difference between real hunger and a craving: When you want to solve a problem you attack its roots. As mentioned earlier, hunger is your physical need, while craving is your emotional need and will die off in 10 – 15 minutes, you should never suppress hunger. But its best to suppress your craving if you are watching your weight. It is just a matter of 10 – 15 mins , then the cravings will wash off automatically.
- Know the triggers: Cravings are usually triggered responses. You need to know what makes you crave for a certain thing. Knowing the triggers and avoiding them can help you achieve the health goal. ex – if you crave for sweets post lunch / dinner meals , chew on some fennel seeds / roasted sounf or chew on a sugar free gum immediately after the meals. strong flavors of these foods will divert your mind and you will not crave.
- Distract yourself: Cravings are all in the mind , and hence the key to controlling them also depends on how well you distract your mind. We know that cravings don’t last long, hence when you crave for something, engage yourself in some work or call a friend or go for a walk. Don’t get into watching television. A lot of people tend to crave for food all the more while watching television.
- Brush your teeth – I suggest this to a lot of my clients. and they benefit from it. If you crave for something while you are at home, it is best to brush your teeth with a minty paste. The strong taste of the paste will help you overcome all your cravings.
Image : Copyright: samotrebizan / 123RF Stock Photo
- Don’t starve yourself: Hunger can also trigger cravings. So if you are wondering about how to stop food cravings, the key is in your hand. All you need to do is eat ! Studies have confirmed that people who eat small frequent meals crave less for sugary foods than those who are stuck with 3 meal pattern.
- Don’t skip breakfast: It is advisable that you do not skip breakfast. Consuming high fibre food with lots of liquid for breakfast will assure an energetic day ahead with no food cravings.
- Get enough sleep: In a University of Chicago study, researchers found that people who slept only four hours a night for two nights had an 18 percent decrease in leptin, a hormone that tells the brain there is no need for more food, and a 28 percent increase in ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger. This causes an increase in appetite and a preference for calorie-dense, high carbohydrate foods like potato chips, cookies, etc. So make sure you sleep well for a minimum of 6 hours at a single strech to have a healthy functioning mind and tongue.
- Eat healthy food if you have craving: If you still are struggling with craving, try to go for healthy food rather than junk food. You can grab a carrot instead of french fries, eat an apple instead of a burger and have popcorn instead of potato chips.
Now that you know how to stop food cravings, don’t lose it in front of the cravings.
Nice tips.
What i do is i either drink water or eating a fruit full of water to stop my food craving.
hey payal,
I forgot to mention some points in my previous comment.Its that,I dont eat much too..like I have a diet of 5-6 chapatis a day and eat twice a day dont drink beverages like tea coffee milk etc.I dont take rice,potatoes and much sweet food too but have food outside many times in the restaurants as doing parties with friends and all..I too face food cravings many times plz suggest some ways to control them…
Thankyou
Hi Payal,
I am 17 years old teenager!! My height is 5’4″ and my weight is 80 kgs.
I met with an accident 2 years ago because of which my knee cap was broken I became fine in 2 months but after that I slipped and again got my knee cap critically broken and doctor advised me for bedrest for 1 year I was not allowed to walk even a single step. At that time I was 50 kgs but after the accident I am continuously gaining weight especially getting my butt and thigh size increasing day by day. I cant run for long as my knee starts paining and doctor advised to not to put pressure on it. But because of my weight it pains too. I do exercise a little but not so much. Plz provide me a diet plan for loosing weight as fast as I can with some exercise.
Thankyou
Hi Bhavya ,
Thank you for reading at Dietburrp. Walking or exercising for 45 mins everyday will help you in a good way to lose weight. as riunning is not possible for you, try to walk on plain surface , that is the safest workout for you till your knees get better . you can also include face workout and arm rotations to get a toned upper body as well.
along with the exercise you also need follow a healthy regime. You can find some basic and important tips for weight loss in this article here – https://www.dietburrp.com/top-10-weight-loss-tips/ if you want me to analyse your regime and plan a diet plan personalized for you, please see this page. – https://www.dietburrp.com/diet-services/
Or You can try following the diet plan mentioned above in the article.- https://www.dietburrp.com/indian-diet-plan-for-weight-loss/ this is a general 1200 calorie diet plan and has helped many. it may be of help to you as well.
Hello Payal,I hope that I’ve found a good adviser to guide me to love weight.I need to lose atleast 10kg in two month’s time.My weight is 61kg and I’m 16 years old.I’ve got a lot of fat collected in my hip region ,thighs,legs and belly.can you send me an efficient South Indian diet plan? Thanks.
https://www.dietburrp.com/south-indian-diet-plan-for-weight-loss-1200-calories/
Hey hi Payal,
This is Reva again.
I am a student and paying that kind of consultation weekly is too high for me.
Could you please give me some suggestions about my diet plan and exercises that will help me with weight loss yet not stressing my knee injury.
Thank you.
please mail all the details at care @dietburrp.com
Hey Hi Payal,
I am 26 yrs old. I have been advised by my doctor to loose 30 kgs of my weight ASAP. My height is 5’1″. My current Weight is 80 kgs.
The reason I need to loose weight is I met with an accident in December 2015. I have to go through a knee surgery in October. According to my surgeon I have become an emotional eater and can’t control my eating habits and craving.
My appetite has increased twice as earlier and I need to loose at least 10 to 15 kgs before surgery as my knee won’t be able to function properly with so much weight.
I know reducing so much weight is impossible but I need help.
My movements restricted as I can’t walk much or do excerise that strain my knee. I am a Maharashtrain and please suggest me diet accordingly and how to stop being an emotional eater.
P.S. I am sorry for the comment before related to addressing your name. It’s an auto type error.
Thank you.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Hi Reva ,
i have mailed you the info about our personalized diet program . although your goal is big , we can try to help you.
Hi Payal. I am kritika my height is 5ft 5 inch’s my current weight is 69 kg I need loose 10kg pls in 3 months cezo m getting married plz help me
Thank you for reading at Dietburrp. Walking or exercising for 45 mins everyday will help you in a good way to lose weight. along with the exercise you also need follow a healthy regime. You can find some basic and important tips for weight loss in this article here – https://www.dietburrp.com/top-10-weight-loss-tips/ if you want me to analyse your regime and plan a diet plan personalized for you, please see this page. – https://www.dietburrp.com/diet-services/
Or You can try following the diet plan mentioned above in the article.- https://www.dietburrp.com/indian-diet-plan-for-weight-loss/ this is a general 1200 calorie diet plan and has helped many. it may be of help to you as well.
hi payal bYank mam
can u give ur contact number for weight loss &diet
for clear information
how to maintain diet
initially I am going to GYM TILL 1 MONTH THERE IS NO CHANGE OF WEIGHT LOSS AT LEAST 1KG ALSO
BY GIVING UR contact number I CN TAKE CLEAR INFORMATION
PLS PLS MAM
TANQ Uhi payal bYank mam
can u give ur contact number for weight loss &diet
for clear information
how to maintain diet
initially I am going to GYM TILL 1 MONTH THERE IS NO CHANGE OF WEIGHT LOSS AT LEAST 1KG ALSO
BY GIVING UR contact number I CN TAKE CLEAR INFORMATION
PLS PLS MAM
TANQ U
Hi Pramod ,
sorry we have on;y online consultations , no phone calls . you can write to us at care@dietburrp.com
I 24 yrs old girl my weight is 80 kg n I wanna loose around 20 kgs plzz suggest me proper veg diet so I can loose weight as fast as I can
Thank you for reading at Dietburrp. Walking or exercising for 45 mins everyday will help you in a good way to lose weight. along with the exercise you also need follow a healthy regime. You can find some basic and important tips for weight loss in this article here – https://www.dietburrp.com/top-10-weight-loss-tips/ if you want me to analyse your regime and plan a diet plan personalized for you, please see this page. – https://www.dietburrp.com/diet-services/
Or You can try following the diet plan mentioned above in the article.- https://www.dietburrp.com/indian-diet-plan-for-weight-loss/ this is a general 1200 calorie diet plan and has helped many. it may be of help to you as well.
Iam a 15 year old teenage and i want to reduce my current weight which is 74kg and my higheit is 5ft 4inch
Hi Mohib ,
Thank you for reading at Dietburrp. Walking or exercising for 45 mins everyday will help you in a good way to lose weight. along with the exercise you also need follow a healthy regime. if you want me to analyse your regime and plan a diet plan personalized for you, please see this page. – https://www.dietburrp.com/diet-services/
Or You can try following the diet plan mentioned above in the article.- https://www.dietburrp.com/indian-diet-plan-for-weight-loss/ this is a general 1200 calorie diet plan and has helped many. it may be of help to you as well.
Hi Payal,
I am shweta, my weight is 73 kg and height is 5 feet 3 inch . Please provide me diet plan to reduce weight as i have maximum of weight on my tummy and reason of my weight is craving for food. Please provide me diet plan and how i can enroll within programe
Hi Shweta,
Thank you for reading at Dietburrp. to get a personalized diet plan kindly see this page – https://www.dietburrp.com/diet-services/ we have also mailed you the details.