Tips for Dealing with Cravings

 

Confession time: even for bona fide weight loss mavens, sometimes that sweet tooth grabs hold and just won’t let go. As easy as life would be if we all lived in vegetable gardens surrounded by treadmills, the reality is that temptation is everywhere, every day. So when your own mind betrays you by getting stuck on an unhealthy food craving that it can’t shake off, it can threaten to take down an entire week’s worth of hard work and discipline. As editors at No-Name Fitness with personal experience, we’ve been there time and time again, so over the years, we’ve picked up a few tricks.

 

Distract Yourself

 

Here’s the thing about cravings: they’re all mental. So try to get your mind off of those donuts by getting it busy with other things instead. Fair warning, though: it’ll need to be something pretty engaging, like a challenging mental puzzle or an intense movie. Working on a snooze-inducing project or catching up on your housekeeping probably won’t cut it.

 

Work Out

 

Yeah, we know, you’re sick of hearing that your least favorite activity is the answer to everything—we’re right there with you. But in this case, it actually is a win/win. Not only is a workout a great distraction (see suggestion #1), but after you’ve powered through a tough session in the gym, you may find that you’re a lot more motivated to make the most out of those calories you burned by not wasting them on junk food. And, if all else fails and you still find yourself overpowered by that craving, at least you’ll have burned off a few calories so that if you do give in, it won’t do as much damage.

 

Indulge, But in Moderation

 

Nobody’s perfect, and you don’t need to resist every single temptation that comes your way. Weight management is all about balance, so find ways to give yourself a little joy without going too far. Anything that comes in small, individually-wrapped pieces is a plus. For instance, if it’s chocolate that you can’t get off of your mind, Hershey® Kisses give you highly concentrated indulgence, but they’re easy to put down after two or three.

 

You’ve heard it a million times, but we’ll say it again: successful weight loss needs to be a long-term lifestyle change, not a temporary diet. The goal is not to torture yourself, but to find little ways to be healthier while still giving yourself permission to live life to the fullest.

 

Have you found any of your own tactics for beating tough cravings? Join in the conversation on our Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages.

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Notes:

Project Description: Blog for a weight loss/fitness website

Targeted Audience: Adults who are working toward weight loss