I confess I am a chocoholic, I love a couple of squares (or a whole bar) with a cup of tea after dinner. If I’ve had a bad day I will increase my chocolate intake, so when I decided to be good for the summer and lose a few pounds I needed to stop the sugar cravings, but how? I did a bit of research and discovered there are a few things you can do to limit the cravings and if you do have them cheat your body into thinking you have had sugar when in fact you have had a healthy treat. Cheeky :)
- De-Stress as we all know stress can make us do crazy things and is very damaging to our bodies, if you are feeling stress it can make you reach for the cookie jar. So try to reduce your stress or take up yoga which will help you relax after work.
- Get your eight hours sleep if you are tired you will be moody and sluggish which will make your body crave sugar to boost your mood and give you energy.
Make an effort to get in your full eight hours each night to stabilize your serotonin levels. - Meal Times, sleep isn’t the only thing that affects those serotonin levels. Properly timing when your body gets nutrients is key to curbing serotonin-responsible sugar cravings as well.
- Exercise your body can crave sugar to combat an energy slump, so stay energized. Getting regular exercise will keep your energy levels up.
- Recognize Boredom & Emotional Issues. Many of us start thinking about, and craving, sweets when we get bored or are feeling down. Make a concerted effort to recognize if you fall into either or both of these patterns.
- Avoid your triggers, if you eat in a pattern at the same time everyday, may you crave sugar after a meal or which watching a DVD or at the 3pm slump with your coffee, so change your habits the first few days will be the worst but work through them.
- Remove the temptation from your home or at least limit yourself to a smaller amount.
- Increase your fiber, it will keep you feeling fuller for longer which will keep the cravings at bay.
Cheats
- Drink two glasses of water and eat an ounce of nuts (6 walnuts, 12 almonds or 20 peanuts). Within 20 minutes, this can extinguish your craving.
- Try a skimmed latte instead of the candy bar, it will be less calories and will fend off your craving
- Eat apple slices, with almond butter and sprinkle with cinnamon, cheat your body into thinking its a sweet treat. ;)
- Eat things like fruit or how about chocolate avocado pudding?