9 Ways to Curb Those Food Cravings

You've spent the last few weeks weeding the junk out of your diet. You feel better than you did last month, yet you're a little tired. "Aren't I supposed to have more energy?" you think. As if on cue, you pass the local McDonald's. The smell is arousing. "Yes, it must be lack of protein." As luck would have it, it's Big Wednesday - two Big Macs for $2. Certainly your body wouldn't steer you wrong, so you order away. Habit sways you to throw in fries and a Coke, but that's okay because you've earned it. Besides, you've been listening to your body, and it's craving protein. This can't be wrong. Or can it?

Learning how to listen to your body is a vital step to living an active and healthy lifestyle. Your body is smart; it will tell you what is working and what isn't. Unfortunately, it's also a creature of habit, and old habits die hard. So sometimes when you could use a little fat, it tells you that you need a pint of Ben and Jerry's. You want to conquer these bad habits, yet you know you need to fuel yourself properly. What should you do?

Physiological Cravings versus Psychological Cravings

The ability to tell physiological hunger from psychological cravings is one of the keys to maintaining a lean body, and learning to distinguish which is which is your first step to learning how to conquer your cravings. Eating in response to a psychological craving almost always insures overeating.

Your body will tell you it needs food or a certain food because it's deficient. These are physiological cravings:

Some examples of psychological cravings are:

What to do
Once you decide which type of craving you're having, then make a plan of action. You want to give in to physiological cravings. These happen commonly when you don't eat for long periods of time. They also happen both at the onset of an exercise program or any time you restrict your diet. Often they signal a blood sugar crash, like when you're light-headed. Food cravings can signal different things. Meat cravings come from excessive muscle breakdown when your body wants protein to repair it. Veggies usually signal a vitamin deficiency. Ice cream, or any fat, can signal a fat deficiency. If these cravings are real, eating the right food will calm the craving, even if it's something you don't like. For example, a teaspoon of flaxseed oil might appease your ice cream craving if you haven't been getting enough essential fat. A protein shake may have the same effect as a Big Mac, even though you were sure you needed that burger. These types of cravings should be indulged. You just need to make sure to do it correctly.

Psychological cravings are far more common. This is when you become certain that you'll fall over dead if you don't get some peanut M&M's, now! These are the cravings that need to be resisted at all costs. Here are some tips to help when times get tough: