FIGHT THOSE CRAVINGS!
By Teresa Evans
www.TeresaEvans.com

It's 9:00PM...
The Ice Cream in the freezer is calling your name...

It's 9:00PM - you've eaten dinner - you aren't quite ready to go to sleep, but the tummy is grumbling. Your refrigerator door is squeaking from being opened and closed so many times. The ice cream in the freezer is calling your name. The cookies in the cupboard seem to be screaming for you. Cravings mostly involve foods that we generally "want" to eat - not necessarily need to eat. It will pass if you can occupy yourself while it does.

What do you do when a craving hits you?

* Get away from the kitchen! Don't you have a load of laundry to do? A magazine to read? A mother to call? A bed to make? A bathroom to clean? It's amazing how quickly you can forget your craving when you're busy.

* Drink 8 full ounces of cold water. Water can make you feel full - plus as an added benefit you hydrate yourself! J Sometimes when we feel like we need to eat - we're actually just thirsty.

* Get out that food diary! Don't have one? What's wrong with you? Writing down everything you eat makes you more aware of what you're putting in your mouth. Write down how you are feeling at that very moment and what type of food you are craving. It will help you to see what type of food you crave when certain moods hit. And writing things down will keep you busy and away from the kitchen.

Okay so let's be realistic...

Sometimes none of this works and you just have to have something. Did you know that if you are craving something sweet - eating something sour will feed that craving? I sometimes will have half of a pink grapefruit when I'm having a sweet craving. Pre-competition I try to stay out of the kitchen - but sometimes I'll grab a spoonful of all natural peanut butter - or even a boiled egg (just the whites!) Half of a low-carb chocolate protein bar sometimes does the trick as well.

Make sure you are eating regular healthy meals. I advocate eating 5 - 6 meals every day. Not huge family style meals. Small, regular meals every 3 hours or so. If you are never hungry - you don't tend to get these cravings. Eating like this helps you to not be hungry! Yes - this takes up more time. I plan my meals the night before and make them and pack them in the fridge. Yes I'm tired at night and sometimes this is the last thing I want to do. But how badly do you want to feel good about yourself? How badly do you want to lose that stubborn body fat? Don't sabotage your weight loss/maintenance program by being lazy.

Research has shown that cravings are generally triggered by psychological or physiological factors, or both. Often our emotional feelings whether they are sadness, boredom, anger or stress will trigger a craving. We women know that during that "pre-menstruation" phase we usually want foods high in sugar or carbohydrates. Why? Simply because our estrogen level is low and our progesterone is high. This hormonal fluctuation can increase our appetite making us grab for the nearest chip or cookie.

GIVE IN every once in a while. But make sure it's every once in a while. Don't mess up your goals. Every time you put something in your mouth ask yourself if this is fuel for your body or if it's sugar in the gas tank of your vehicle! Don't kill your engine!