How is it possible to get rid of food cravings? They seem to plague me all of the time, even when I have already eaten. I will be the first to admit that I have a sweet tooth, and that makes it extremely tough to avoid the sudden urge to down a pint of ice cream. However, it can be done. Being strong-willed is extremely important to achieving success in defeating your urges. You have to battle yourself to not dig that spoon into a half-gallon of cookie dough creamery ice cream, and you have to constantly remind yourself that you will be better because you are not taking in 1500 calories at 1 am. While sometimes seeming impossible, it can be done.
My first suggestion is to distract yourself. I often find that if I am having a craving, I can start work on a homework assignment or find some other activity to occupy my mind and make me forget about my love for unhealthy food. This is great because I do not take in unneeded calories. This is especially important because it allows me to dodge extra fat gain associated with eating a large number of calories at night. This is an issue because you have all of those calories in you but you are not doing anything to burn them off.
Another tactic that I use to dodge cravings is to eat something else besides the food you are craving. One great food to use is protein powder because it is low-calorie and it is filling. This is probably my most used tactic because protein is also beneficial for muscle growth. My recommendation is to find a protein flavor that is low in calories but that also tastes good. This can possibly cause you to begin craving those protein shakes, which is something that has happened to me.
My last suggestion is to stay away from sweets and unhealthy food in general. If you avoid them, then cravings will come less and less often since you are not being exposed to those foods. You can slowly ween your body off of unhealthy foods, making yourself healthier while also testing your willpower.
So resist the 1 am urge to chow on unhealthy food. It may be tough, but it is doable and I encourage everyone to at least make an attempt.
I find that whenever I do have a craving and attempt to satisfy it, it never works. Given my history with unsatisfactory cravings, I just stopped giving into them. However, your advice is really good. I usually opt for a smoothie, which are delicious and seemingly healthy. I’m not sure how healthy they actually are. What’s your favorite protein powder flavor? Is eating cake batter protein powder good enough for satisfying a sugar craving?
This was a really great blog post. Overall, your posts all year have been very informative while also easy to follow. I also have a sweet tooth, so it was interesting reading about the ways to avoid cravings.