Learn to prevent junk food cravings, ways to distract yourself when they do occur and what to do to keep losing weight once you have eaten treats.
Junk food cravings are inevitable and they occur for many reasons. Sometimes the cravings are caused by eating sugar or drinking diet sodas, by watching the food commercials on prime-time TV, being tempted by what you see and smell others eating, because you feel stress and food is your only relief and sometimes for no reason at all.
When losing weight is a high priority, however, it's your job to be prepared for when the cravings hit so you won't need to worry about damage control later.
What Can I Do to Prevent Junk Food Cravings?
- The best defense against overdoing it with mindless snacking is planning ahead. Create a daily and weekly food plan you can stick with.
- Eat breakfast every morning.
- Include daily exercise in your schedule.
- Eat frequent small meals throughout the day to avoid feeling hungry.
- Drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water per day. Thirst is often confused with hunger.
- Stock your kitchen with healthy choices and keep junk food out of your house, office and car.
What Are My Options When I Crave Junk Food?
- Find an alternate activity that you enjoy. What you do isn't important; it can be anything from gardening to rock climbing, as long as it takes your attention away from food until the cravings pass.
- Substitute a healthy snack for the junk food you crave. For example, if you're craving chocolate, opt for a serving of fat-free chocolate pudding or hot chocolate. You'll save calories, refrain from eating sugary snacks and ensure your daily dose of calcium.
- Distract your taste buds. Brush your teeth or chew sugar-free gum.
- Take time to pamper yourself. Getting a manicure or indulging in a steamy bubble bath will reduce your stress and make you feel much better than the junk food would.
What Can I Do If I've Already Given In To the Junk Food Cravings?
- Drink lots of water and/or green tea to help flush the toxins out of your body.
- Get your daily exercise in to keep your metabolism high, making it easier to burn off the extra calories.
- Make healthy food choices at your very next meal. Don't wait until tomorrow or Monday to get a fresh start.
The copyright of the article Prepare for Junk Food Cravings in Weight Loss Motivators is owned by Tracy Rose. Permission to republish Prepare for Junk Food Cravings in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
