How to Stop your Cravings
Have you ever felt like a failure for simply having a craving? Or wondered if maybe some people don’t even get them.
The truth of the matter is - the vast majority of people have cravings.
A study published in the journal of Appetite found that 97% of women and 68% of men reported having at least occasional cravings.
Before going any further, let’s take a moment to discuss what exactly cravings are. Cravings are intense desires for specific foods – desires that feel stronger than normal hunger. In fact, you can have cravings and not even feel hungry!
Some researchers have theorized that nutritional deficiencies can lead to cravings. For example, wanting to chew on ice chips is tied with being deficient in iron. Also, craving salty foods can be an indication of low sodium – a very rare condition. It’s important to note that a lot of people with normal sodium levels still crave salty foods.
But for most people most of the time, cravings have little to do with deficiencies. Instead, we crave highly tasty foods that are heavily processed or contain a lot of salt, fat, and/or sugars. Do you know what they all have in common? They contain a lot of calories.
Experts believe cravings are far more complex than simply having nutritional deficiencies. Instead, cravings can be tied to hormones, lack of sleep, our emotions, habits, environmental cues, and so much more.
Even though the reasons are complex, Here are eight simple, and practical steps you can take to minimize your cravings so they are less intense and less frequent.
Ready to crush your cravings?? Let’s get started
Craving Crushing Tip #1 Not Eating Enough
One sure way to open yourself up to cravings is to eat too little. While this may seem too obvious, it’s actually the reason why so many individuals have cravings.
Sure, if your goal is to be in a calorie deficit, then you need to eat less than you are burning. However, undereating can happen if you don’t follow a regular eating schedule and/or “forget” to eat because you’re too busy, skipping meals, or drastically cutting your calories because you want to drop a few pounds fast.
Each of the listed scenarios above can leave you legitimately hangry (hungry + angry) because your blood sugar levels dropped. Because you really haven’t eaten today, this makes you start to think you “deserve” those extra calories by having an extra portion of potatoes, chocolate, Cheese-its, or whatever fatty/sugary food.
This ultimately results in you yo-yo dieting, going off your nutritional plan, and beating yourself up for doing so.
So yeah, you just aren’t you when you hangry as you can be a real jerk to others and yourself. So be kind to yourself and plan on having some fruit, protein bar, or whatever as a snack.
Craving Crushing Tip #2 Not Having a Plan
One of the best ways you can crush your cravings is by having a plan. Yes, this requires you to plan ahead to have healthier foods available. But, here’s the sneaking craving eliminator - you won’t have to spend so much time thinking about food (plus this will help save money by avoiding paying $10+ for a take out meal)
Can you imagine a life without constantly wondering what to have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? If this sounds like you, then it’s no surprise that you’re thinking about food all the time! You’re literally trying to figure out what to eat!
Once you get used to planning and prepping, you’ll be amazed at the peace of mind this will bring you, especially if you’re always cooking for the family.
Make a plan for your meals and snacks ahead of time. Not only will it provide headspace and eliminate the “what’s for dinner?” question/stress, but it will also save you valuable time during the week!
P.S. for more tips and tricks on meal planning, check out this article
Craving Crushing Tip #3 Being Thirsty
Surprise surprise! Another reason to make sure you are drinking enough water throughout the day. In fact, staying well hydrated can help ward off cravings.
You might be wondering “how does water help me with my cravings?” Well, when your body is thirsty, you can interpret that feeling as hunger, which can spark a craving. Staying hydrated throughout the day can help keep your body’s thirst signals on track and in check - as well as keeping you full.
Still not convinced? Well, here are some additional bonus benefits
1) Studies have shown that drinking cold water can help rev up your metabolism fat burn between 10-30% for about an hour after you drink it.
2) Studies have also shown that drinking water before eating can ramp up their weight loss. In one study, researchers fed people aged 55-75 a low calorie diet; half of them drank 500 ml of water before each meal. The group that drank water lost about 2 kilograms (~5 pounds) more than the group that didn’t!
Mack Tip - Drink at least half your bodyweight in ounces every day - even more if you are working out. So, if you are 150lbs, you’ll need to drink at least 75 ounces of water daily.
So, if you feel a craving coming on, drink a glass of water and wait a few minutes to see if the craving does away.
Craving Crushing Tip #4 Being Tired
Did you know, as many as 30% of adults sleep fewer than six hours per night, which is the minimum amount of necessary sleep? Poor sleep quality can have a huge effect on your life by negatively impacting your workouts, recovery, sex life, mood, and dietary decisions. Therefore, make sure you get 7-9 hours of quality sleep every night.
Yes, this is another piece of advice you probably hear a lot, but that’s for good reason as getting enough quality sleep can have a tremendous impact on your overall health, energy, and well-being. In fact, researchers found that severely sleep deprived people are as much as 55% more likely to become obese than people who get enough sleep.
Here are four tips to ensure you are getting enough sleep to crush your cravings
Get 7-9 hours of sleep each night. If you have difficulty in creating a sleep routine, then check out this article.
Use a sleep tracker - this is possibly the easiest way to assess and monitor if you are getting enough sleep. Any sleep tracking device will do (FitBit, Whoop, Oura Ring, Apple Watch, etc.) to monitor how much sleep you’re getting and how much restful sleep your sleep actually is.
If you don’t get enough sleep and you feel cravings coming on, acknowledge your sleep deprivation and do your best to ride it out by making sure you get your daily water quota and eat healthy foods.
Make sure to get enough sleep the following night! Far too often, people think they can “catch up” on their sleep on the weekends. Don’t get me wrong, I like sleeping in as much as the next person. However, a few extra hours of sleep will not offset multiple days of sleep deprivation.
Craving Crushing Tip #5 Eating a Poor, Out of Balanced Diet
Truth be told, it doesn’t take long before your diet gets out of control, especially if you:
Drink a lot of soda or other sugary beverages
Focus on calories vs the quality of those calories
Eat a lot of processed foods
This matters because it’s actually the nutrients in your food that keep you feeling full – especially the protein, and fiber. By prioritizing protein and fiber with each meal, you’ll make sure you’re feeling full, satisfied, and energized throughout the day.
Otherwise, your blood sugar can go on a crazy up-and-down ride, which leads to craving foods that give you a quick pick-me-up.
For a balanced diet, I recommend all my online clients stay within these ranges:
Protein intake 20-40% of your daily calories
Fats - 20-35% of your daily calories
Carbs - the remaining portion of your daily calories (between 40-60%
Fiber - 20g for females and 25g for males
Because I know someone is thinking “But it’s carbs that cause my cravings” I want to address this. Many people believe carbs cause them to have cravings, yet that can be because of the type of carbs they are choosing.
Eating or drinking refined, processed carbs can quickly spike your blood sugar up and down. That rapid influx of blood sugar levels can leave you feeling hungry even more!
Refined carbs are found in processed foods, cookies, cakes, most snack foods, and anything containing sugar.
Mack Tip - Studies suggest that artificial sweeteners may trick your tastebuds (and brain) because you taste something sweet but don’t get the associated calories. Scientists believe that this can cause some sweeteners (such as saccharin) to make you crave even more sweets.
Here are four tips to get your diet to be more balanced
Avoid drinking soda, sugary juices, and/or artificially flavored drinks. Check labels for ingredients and sugar content.
Focus on eating unrefined (whole) carbs, such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, and/or whole grains. These food items contain vital micronutrients your body needs, plus they contain fiber, which helps keep you feeling full longer.
Keep your carbs as natural as possible with few additional ingredients. Think potatoes, rice, yams, vegetables, etc.
Make sure you include adequate protein (more on that below) and healthy fats on your daily menu.
Craving Crushing Tip #6 Skimping on Protein
We’re going to take a deeper dive into protein because it’s arguably the most important macronutrient. The reason is simple – it is an essential macronutrient, which means you literally cannot survive without consuming it.
Protein is what helps us rebuild muscle tissues and keep our body systems (Muscles, nervous, and immunity) running optimally. We need protein for enzymes in our body, skin, and hair growth, and many hormones like adrenaline, testosterone, and growth hormones.
Your body needs protein and when it comes to changing your body composition, your body needs protein
Studies show that eating protein can reduce your appetite, stopping you from overeating, and help you reduce cravings
a study of overweight teenage girls found that when they ate a protein-filled breakfast, they had fewer cravings
Another study found that when overweight men increased their daily protein intake to 25% of their daily calorie intake, they cut their cravings by 60%!
Good protein choices include plain Greek yogurt, eggs, poultry, fish, legumes, lean meats, tofu, and plant-based protein alternatives.
Here are three tips on how protein can crush your cravings
Spread your protein intake out over the course of the day by including protein-rich foods at each meal.
Set yourself up for success by eating a high protein breakfast
Mix up your protein choices and find the sources that best help you keep your appetite at bay.
Craving Crushing Tip #7 Getting Stressed
According to the American Psychological Association, roughly 25% of adults rate their levels of stress as an 8 or higher on a 10 point scale.
Stress doesn’t just put you in an overwhelmed mood, it affects your hormones in a way that appears to be linked with cravings, especially with sweet foods.
This study shows that when women, in particular, are under stress, they’ll eat more calories and have more cravings than women who don’t feel stressed!
To add insult to injury, stress causes your body to release excess cortisol, which can lead to weight gain, especially in the belly region!
Here are three tips to how you can manage your stress to crush your cravings
Be proactive! Instead of being reactionary, plan ahead and find a few stress-relieving activities you can do every day - go for walks outside, meditate, journal, pray, etc. Find what works best for you!
Include 5-10 minutes of deep breathing techniques to help activate your body’s relaxation response.
If you find yourself dealing with stress-related cravings, recognize the situation you're in and take 10 big, slow breaths. This will allow you to take a moment to recollect yourself. After those 10 breaths, if you still want to eat, then eat.
Craving Crushing Tip #8 Your Environment and your Emotions
Do you know what triggers your cravings? You might know a few of them, but i would bet that there are a few unconscious triggers making you crave certain foods.
Here’s a few obvious cravings you might recognize: craving pizza when at Happy Hour with friends, wanting some chocolate, ice cream or snacks when you are bored.
While those were obvious, you might also have some hidden triggers or habits. For example, you might have a glass or two of whiskey on the rocks to unwind from the day. These triggers seem automatic, so you don’t even think about them.
Once you are aware of your triggers, you can anticipate them and have a plan in place for when they strike.
A few other common triggers we haven’t covered yet:
Having snack food in the house
Feeling angry or lonely
Feeling happy or wanting to celebrate a birthday, promotion, or any “wins”
Associate certain foods with specific activities (Pizza and bowling, buttery popcorn and movies, wings and beers with football,etc.)
Here are six tips to how you can manage your stress
Take notes of your cravings and the circumstances surrounding them. Watch for patterns
If possible, avoid keeping trigger foods in your home. If there’s food in your house, you or someone you love will eventfully eat it.
If you must have a trigger food in your home because of your significant other, family, or children, place those snack foods on the top shelf or in the back of the cabinet. Keep those trigger foods out of sight so they don’t tempt you. Out of sight, out of mind.
Distance yourself from your cravings. Go for a walk, brush your teeth, have a big drink of water, or whatever you need to do to change up your behavior until it passes.
Be mindful. Before you give in to a craving, ask yourself why you want it. Are you hungry? Are you feeling emotional? Are you feeling stressed?
If you do decide to eat the food, create a distraction-free zone. Turn off the TV, put your phone down, and eat the food, chewing slowly and thoroughly.
Craving Crushing Tip #8 Underfueling for your Workouts
You’ve probably heard that exercise can help reduce your appetite and cravings. For the majority of individuals, it definitely does!
However, if you exercise intensely or frequently, it can actually cause cravings in some people
Studies show that people who regularly work out intensely have higher metabolism than those who do more moderate workouts or don’t work out at all. This study found that men who did a vigorous 45-minute workout boosted their metabolism for the day by 37% compared to a day they didn’t work out.
With that being said, everyone responds a little differently, If you’re not sure whether or not this applies to you, watch your appetite on days you work out. You might notice that your workout days make you more hungry than days you don’t work out.
Here are three tips to how you can manage your stress
If you feel extra hungry on your workout days, plan ahead by eating a small balanced meal after your workouts.
Have healthy food options available - preferably foods that are high in fiber, protein, and healthy fats to refuel your body and keep you satisfied.
If you think you may be overdoing it with your workouts, consider scaling back.
And that’s it! That’s how you can crush your cravings.
Ultimately, it boils down to 3 major steps by doing the following:
Improve your diet by prioritizing healthy, minimally processed foods that are nutrient-rich and contain adequate amounts of protein, fiber, and smart carb sources.
Give your lifestyle a feel-good makeover by actively practicing stress management activities (going for walks, meditations, etc.) and getting plenty of sleep.
Actively practice self-awareness and mindfulness. learn your cravings triggers and address the underlying issues that might drive emotional eating.
As you can see, it is absolutely possible to crush your cravings and stay on track for the results you want!
It’s all about making a few healthy habit tweaks and listen to your body’s cues. That is the best way to create results that last a lifetime.
The Next Step:
The goal of this guide (and online coaching) is to empower you through education.
I want to help you stop guessing when it comes to making sustainable progress and start achieving the results you desire.
So, what is your next step?
Realize that all the knowledge you’ve gained from this guide doesn’t equal real change.
If you’re fed up with how COVID fucked up your year, invest in a coach.
If you’ve read LITERALLY DOZENS of guides like this in the past and still haven’t made the change nor the confidence you want, invert in a coach.
If you’re overwhelmed by the content in this article, invest in a coach.
If you cannot be consistent with the strategies within this article, invest in a coach.
If you are ready for a change, I’m here to coach you.