Conquering Cravings

64% of the population is either overweight or obese. The majority of these people know they need to lose weight—telling them they have to drop a few pounds is just re-inventing the wheel. What they need is help in knowing how to lose weight effectively. One of the keys to effective weight loss is knowing how to overcome cravings for unhealthy foods. Research has shown that our brains are as vulnerable to food addiction as they are to drug addiction, and that the combination of imagination and memory of past experiences with particular foods can create an obsession for that food.

The first, most basic way to overcome compulsive eating is to eat three meals a day. This will help you avoid the insulin rollercoaster that comes with a sporadic eating schedule. Avoiding insulin surges will help you lose weight more effectively. Also, don’t cut calories out of your diet too drastically, or you’ll fell deprived and then overeat and binge.

At home, throw out any unhealthy foods or foods you have weaknesses for, and don’t buy them again. If they aren’t in the house, you won’t eat them. Drink water at meals, to avoid high sugar beverages such as juice or soda. If you are feeling hungry, try drinking some water and waiting ten minutes to see if you are still hungry. Sometimes, thirst is mistaken by your brain as hunger instead. Eat less sugary foods. Sweets set off cravings more frequently than any other kind of food. (As a side note, women are more likely than men to overeat sweets.) Sugary foods also make you less likely to exercise and more likely to remain sedentary. Food cravings are influenced by images or messages about eating. Therefore, watch less television, avoid vending machines, and avoid food displays in stores.

When you are out, stay away from fast food and large chain restaurants. They tend to be unhealthier. Above all, do not eat at buffet restaurants. There is too much temptation to really go for “all you can eat” in order to get your money’s worth. If you are going to a party, eat a snack before you go, to avoid temptation later on.

Exercise slows overeating, but more so in men than in women. This occurs because exercise, sweet foods (and also drugs and sex) all compete for the same pleasure areas in the brain. Stress eating happens because your brain has learned that it can slow the constant stimulation by stress hormones if it partakes in pleasurable activities. Abdominal fat also releases metabolic signals that slow down the stress response, which perpetuates the cycle. Chronic stress is more harmful than acute stress, and has been shown to lead to weight gain, depression, and gradual loss of brain tissue. Exercise, yoga, and meditation all form the chemicals that activate the pleasure center of the brain. Since they are activities that lower stress and compete with food in your brain, you will be getting two benefits for the price of one. Cope with issues that come your way (or that you create) instead of turning to food for comfort.

It is also important to understand your past eating patterns and adjust them appropriately. If you tend to eat while watching television, turn the television off and do something else, or ride an exercise bike in front of the TV instead. If you are hungry when you get home from work and turn to the quickest food, rather than taking the time to make a healthy meal, start having a healthy snack before leaving work. You have to look at whether or not your meals are balanced. You should be able to go four hours between meals before you want to eat another meal. If you are hungry soon after a meal, but alert, you need to increase the amount of fat or carbohydrates in your meals. If you are hungry and also foggy and sluggish, you have eaten too many carbohydrates. Reduce the amount of carbohydrates you are eating and add more lean protein. (Too many carbohydrates in a meal cause cravings for more carbohydrates, especially sweets.)

You have to learn to set weight loss goals. Use the acronym SMART to set your goals. Your goals should be Specific, Motivating, Achievable, Rewarding, and Tactical. Plan ahead and write down your goals and how you will make them happen. Let your friends, co-workers, and family know what you are trying to do, so they can support you and not try to tempt you with that after-work drink, dessert after dinner, or by buying unhealthy foods at the grocery store. Visualize yourself achieving your weight-loss goals. Do not let any excuses come into your plan—think ahead to any obstacles you might encounter as you try to lose weight, and plan how you will overcome them. If you make a plan and stick to it, you will reach your goals!

References:

Baker, Larry C. “Picking Your Game Plan.” Energy Times, June 2004.

Barclay, Thomas. “Conquering Carb Compulsions.” Energy Times, Jan 2005.

Shapiro, Virginia, DC, and Dan. “Guidelines to a Macronutrient Balanced Meal.” Women’s Nutrition. Wisconsin Chiropractic Association Seminar, Jan 2003.

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