6 Key Ways To Conquer Your Cravings

1. Drink water.
Thirst is often confused with hunger or food cravings. If you feel a sudden urge for a specific food, try drinking a large glass of water and wait a few minutes. You may find that the craving fades away, because your body was actually just thirsty.

2. Chew gum.
Sometimes all it takes is chewing a piece of gum to curve a sugar craving. Chewing gum occupies your mind and can take your thoughts off of your craving..and before you know it, the craving has passed. There are so many different flavors of gum, from root beer float, cake pop, pumpkin spice, to basic mint. With all of these options, beating your cravings with this method is almost a sure thing.

I do advise chewing sugar-free gum in moderation….as the sugar alchohols have some pretty…undesirable effects. From experience, two packs a day… is too much.

3. Eat regularly — have structure
 It is important to be eating regularly (every 3–4 hours). By doing so, this keeps us from getting too hungry. When we get to a point where we just want to eat, we start to care less about WHAT we are eating and simply just want to to satisfy out hunger. Having structure in your diet and planning you meals eliminates the factor of spontaneity. By already knowing what you are eating you will be less tempted and less likely to experience cravings.

4. Distract yourself.
Have you ever started thinking about how great a cheesy slice of pizzawould be as everything around you begins to morph into what looks exactly like pizza. And before you know it your Pizza craving has been taken to another level and now your co-workers are starting to look a lot like pizza, and everything around you is now “SCREAMING ALL THE PIZZA!!” And at this point all you want to do is run to the nearest pizza place and devour an entire all meat pizza with extra cheese, stuffed crust, and EVERYTHING ON TOP…. and a side of ranch (Midwestern thing, I think). Haha we have all been there…maybe a little less dramatic, but nonetheless, we have all dealt with cravings.

• Wait it out. Believe it or not, sometimes the best way to deal with food cravings is to wait it out. If you simply ignore it and move on, it may disappear. If you can convince yourself it’s mind over matter.

5. Eat more protein
Eating more protein may help reduce your appetite and keep you from overeating. This will not only help reduce your cravings, but it will also help you feel full and satisfied for longer. Tim Ferriss recommends in his bookThe 4 Hour Body that eating 30 grams of protein in the morning helps you feel more full throughout the day, helping with weight loss.

6. Get Enough Sleep
Your appetite is largely affected by hormones that fluctuate throughout the day.

Sleep deprivation disrupts the fluctuations, and may lead to poor appetite regulation and strong cravings (23, 24).