Lose Weight With These Five Easy Tips to Conteract Cravings

Controlling your cravings

1. Don’t deny your cravings.

If you’re dying for a chocolate sundae have a small scoop of low fat ice cream with a tablespoon of chocolate sauce. You’ll feel satisfied and less likely to cheat. Keep the treats within reason and don’t over indulge. You don’t need to eat an entire banana split with double fudge and whipped cream topping.

2. Make sure you know what you want to eat and take the time to savor the flavors - satisfy for your craving this way.

If you want something crunchy and salty and then eat something sweet and creamy, the odds are when you’re finished, you’ll still want something crunchy and salty. Think about what you really want. Then take the time to enjoy it. Put the food on a plate and sit down at the table, rather than just eating over the kitchen sink or in front of the TV.

3. Buy small, single serving containers, to control the cravings better.

Yes, they cost more but it’s easy to eat half a big bag of potato chips without realizing it. After you’ve finished the single serving you’ll have to get up and open another one. The odds are you won’t.

4. Learn what a serving size is, to understand the normal way to satisfy a craving.

Most of us think that restaurant sized portions are normal portions and they’re not. For example: a serving of steak is 3 ounces, which is the size of a deck of cards, not the humongous slab served in most steak houses. A serving of pasta is one cup, not the overflowing platter of spaghetti in Italian restaurants. A serving of salad is two cups and more importantly a serving of salad dressing is two tablespoons. One tablespoon on one cup of salad greens doesn’t seem like enough, so the tendency is to add another, and then another.

5. Drink lots of water helps control cravings.

Water is necessary for a healthy body. If you feel the craving to snack, have a glass of ice water instead and then wait 15 minutes. Most of the time the urge will go away. Keep a pitcher of ice water in a handy place where you pass by often. Seeing the pitcher will remind you to drink. Stash bottles of water in your fridge, even keep a couple in the freezer. You can flavor water with slices of lemons, limes or oranges.