Effective Tactics In Managing Cravings For Weight Reduction

Trying to lose weight is often stressful. It requires you to break out of your comfortable routine. It can often feel like you are depriving yourself of a lot of things.

In addition to that, when you're bored, most of your thoughts would likely be centered on food. Hence, your cravings increase. You are not necessarily hungry, but you have this insane desire to eat something. When this happens, it's often difficult not to give in, which can also be dangerous. It often leads to a binge that ends in a serious guilt trip.

Indeed, managing cravings to lose weight is never easy. Even people with iron willpower falter when it comes to food. So, for a weight loss journey, it always helps to be armed with strategies that target the stress of the process. Here are eight tips recommended by nutritionists, and health and wellness professionals.

1. Know your triggers

Identify all the reasons why your cravings occur or intensify. Do you always pass by a French bakery on the way home from work? Do you watch eating or "mukbang" videos on YouTube? Do you feel the need to eat when something unpleasant happens? Do you often meet friends at a hip brunch place?

These are some of the common triggers for uncontrollable cravings. You may have others. But, the important thing here is to know all of these so you can come up with tactics to avoid them. For instance, you can start taking a different route home, so the delicious scent of freshly-baked pastries won't lure you into the bakery. Or, watch other kinds of YouTube videos instead — preferably those that don’t involve food.

2. Stock up on healthy snacks

When a craving or true hunger strikes, it's always better to have healthy snacks with you. You want to make sure that when you cannot resist the urge to eat, you can eat something that will not jeopardize your weight loss initiative.

Fresh fruits are always good to have. Ditto with nuts, beans, and vegetable chips. Not only do these have fewer calories, but they are also packed with nutrients that can improve your health while you're shedding the pounds.

It's important to note, too, that when you have healthy snacks handy, you can prevent yourself from opting for junk food choices that you can quickly get from fast-food restaurants.

3. Keep yourself hydrated

Most people are guilty of confusing thirst with hunger. So, any time you have a hankering for food, drink first and wait a minute or two. For some, a full glass of water is enough to change the idea that they are hungry.

So, drink more water. When you do, you'll find yourself reaching for snacks less frequently.

4. Replace the need to snack with a beauty treatment

A lot of women find that a beauty service such as a spa facial treatment works like a charm in steering their attention away from food. The treat feels luxurious, and the beauty enhancement derived from it can reinforce the will to do what's right for one's self.

Therefore, when you are feeling a little stressed monitoring your weight loss, de-stress by heading to a wellness center, and give yourself a break.

5. Aid the process

What's the point of modern technology if you do not use it? Boost your weight loss results by signing up for a treatment that will do just that. Instead of yielding to the desire to snack, how about a slimming therapy that can increase your metabolism and get rid of water weight?

Typically, weight loss services do not just help you shed off inches off your waist and hips, but they also detoxify your body. This means that the treatment can address other health concerns caused by stress, such as dull or acne-prone skin, headaches, and tummy trouble.

If you have the financial means to get weight loss aid from professionals, use them. This will benefit you immensely, especially in how restricted with food and activities you tend to feel when you want to improve your health.

6. Get plenty of sleep

Sleep is a great escape from the different stressors of everyday life — so, go to bed early. If you have trouble sleeping most of the time (which, by the way, can contribute to weight gain), see your doctor and inquire if you could take melatonin to make sleep come easier for you.

Getting enough hours of sleep and at the right time can do wonders for your overall health. According to doctors, hitting the sack at 10 PM will allow your reparative hormones to do their job properly. They will take care of body pains and repair your skin.

And, of course, you cannot miss the benefits of hushing down your cravings and waking up more refreshed and clear-headed to face a brand new day.

7. Do not stress about cheating

When you do end up eating more than you should, do not wallow in guilt. Instead, treat the new day as the best opportunity to outwork the impact of falling into temptation. There's nothing like a more intense workout at the gym the following day to put you back on track.

Most mistakes in life can be corrected, or be used as a learning experience. Thankfully, bingeing because of cravings does not leave permanent damage.

Also, perhaps it would be better to brand cheat days as treat days. This way, you will feel like you deserve to have what you've been craving. You'll be able to appreciate the food more and relish every bite instead of just stuffing yourself with it.

8. Stay busy

There's nothing like a packed schedule to make you forget about cakes, pies, and all the guilty pleasures you want to indulge in. When you have different goals to work on for a day, you will not have much time to think about anything else.

So, aside from taking the time to exercise after your work hours, pick up new hobbies that do not involve food. Perhaps, learn Tai Chi and improve your discipline. Or join a book club. Make cleaning your house a daily task as well. Make your hours more purposeful instead of filled with food fantasies that can make you feel frustrated.

These tactics are all so simple, but they can place you in the best position to win over cravings and lose weight. Implement these, and there's no doubt that you will see the results you want, not just on the weighing scale but also in the overall quality of your life.

AUTHOR BIO

Vandana Luthra founded VLCC in New Delhi, India as a beauty and slimming services centre in 1989. Today, it is widely recognized for its comprehensive portfolio of beauty and wellness products and services and also enjoys a high level of consumer trust. The VLCC Group's operations currently span 330 locations in over 150 cities and 14 countries across Asia and Africa.