Having a terrible feeling of food cravings and hunger that lasts for a few days to a few weeks perhaps is the hardest part in almost any diets. Food cravings are the dieter’s worst enemy. It’s one of the reasons why a lot of dieters have a problem losing weight and keeping it off.
What is food craving?
A food craving is an intense desire for a specific food that seems uncontrollable. It’s much stronger than normal hunger and may last only for about 5 to 20 minutes. Food cravings are a major roadblock for people who are trying to lose weight.
What causes food cravings?
One way to fight food cravings is to understand where they came from. When we think of food cravings we sometimes think they’re the result of physical needs for a certain type of food. However, our cravings are more of psychological and physiological causes that originate from the reward-processing activity of the brain. Craving for sugary and carb foods stimulates the release of “happy hormone” which makes you feel good and another hormone to calm and relax you. An imbalance of these hormones can cause food cravings.
What are the factors that can contribute to food cravings?
Food cravings happen for a variety of reasons. If you find yourself daydreaming about a certain food during your diet, you’re not alone. Some people use foods as their means of coping with stress and emotions while others eat out of boredom or loneliness. Other factors include:
- Highly emotional situations
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Body needs for hunger
There may be other reasons depending on personal needs and situation. Cravings are often for processed foods and junk foods high in salt, fat and sugar.
Stress and food cravings
A lot of people handle stress from everyday lives with food which is why they need the HCG Diet. It’s an amazing weight loss program that will allow you to lose a large amount of weight without being hungry. It allows your body to use the calories from your stored fat as a source of fuel but this doesn’t mean your body isn’t used to cutting out on certain foods. Unhealthy cravings may still occur on the HCG Diet. The good news is, the HCG Diet will teach your brain and your body how to handle food cravings healthily.
Tips to handle food cravings on the HCG Diet
- Occasional indulgence
Allow yourself to indulge with your food cravings once in a while rather than every time it strikes. When we totally restrict ourselves, it could set us up to binge or overeat later. Now, if you crave for pizza then have one. This will teach you how to satisfy your cravings otherwise, you could end up craving for pizza most of the days during the HCG Diet.
- Load properly
Loading properly is the best way to battle with your unhealthy food cravings during the first few days of 500 calorie diet. You load for 2 days with the highest fat foods to allow the HCG to build up in your body.
- Have an emergency craving plan
Learn how to listen to your body and mind to know what the underlying causes of your cravings. If you are in a difficult situation, take a deep breath, find a different activity or call your friend until your craving is gone.
- Remove all temptations
Remove anything you may be tempted to eat during a craving. Get rid of foods that contain a lot of sugar and fats.
- Walk
Walking can distract you from the cravings. Walking can elevate your mood by increasing the production of endorphin and serotonin levels in your body. When you are in a good mood you think positively in solidifying your dieting goal.
- Get enough sleep
The amount of sleep you have can affect your cravings and your control over foods. Getting enough sleep gives your body ample time to rest and restore your mental health.
- Look for the source of your cravings
Looking for your craving source is one of the first things that you should do to fight your cravings. Find a way to stimulate yourself whenever you’re bored or lonely. You’ll find that you’ll have a lot more power to control your cravings once you learn how to deal with it.
- Wait for cravings to pass
Most cravings only last 5 to 20 minutes. So, when cravings strike, remind yourself that you only have a few minutes to hold back and you can make it.
- Learn how to relax
Food cravings strikes to satisfy emotional needs like reducing anxiety and stress. If you find yourself craving for foods because you are stressed, follow these simple techniques below:
- Close your eyes and don’t squint. Remember that it only takes 5 to 20 minutes for your cravings to pass.
- Take a deep breath
- Focus on the sound and feeling of your breathing
- Clear your mind and feel your stress flow away
- Only eat something when you are truly hungry
Learn how to identify true hunger from emotional hunger first. Evaluate how you feel. If your hunger comes gradually and you feel like you can wait a little bit without guilt then you can eat something. However, if it comes suddenly and you feel like you need to eat all of a sudden then that’s emotional hunger. When you eat, just make it sure that you’re eating only the HCG Diet-friendly foods.
- Cut out on sugar
Using sugar while on the HCG diet is prohibited for a lot of reasons. If you want to sweeten your foods then use only the approved HCG Diet sweetener like Stevia.
Supplements to help you overcome food cravings
- Chromium– is proven to be effective in keeping your blood sugar level stable. Keeping your blood sugar stable helps you fight your food cravings.
- Glutamine– helps balance your blood sugar level, improve your protein metabolism and heal the lining of your gastrointestinal system. Glutamine is also known to help deal with food cravings.