You get cravings right? I don’t know about you, but I sure do. Cravings creep up on us because we are human and that’s what cravings do. They like to hit us especially in the evening, don’t they? Yea, we may get them during the day from time to time as well. Those cravings are usually just for a taste of a particular food item, or to eat a particular place for lunch.

 

For example, I love eating at Whole Foods for lunch, or even dinner. Call me cray cray, but I crave all the fresh salad toppings they have there.  You crave salad, Candace? Lol, why yes I do, because I love vegetables! I also crave sweet and salty things. When I do crave them, I have them. As you already probably know that the longer you withhold said craving the stronger it gets. Am I right or am I wrong? 

 

So, this craving thing, it’s bugging you at night! We eat dinner, maybe go for a walk, read a bit, and then turn on the TV to catch a favorite show. All of sudden, boom cravings come rolling in. Fear not, you walk over to the cabinet and grab those delicious salty and yummy Lays BBQ chips. I love Lay’s BBQ chips – ha! Sit back down on the couch and munch away while watching Greys Anatomy.  The show ends, and you look down at the bag, and it’s almost gone! Uh-oh. We immediately go into damage control.

 

We swear we won’t do it again and plan to just go to bed instead of giving in to the craving, or we will eat some diet-friendly food. You know the Frankenfood? Ack! Right? 😀 Oh, girl, I used to keep an endless supply of 100 calorie snacks, low carb, or low-fat snacks. Looking back, those snacks didn’t really satisfy in the long run. Soon after, I would be hunting for something else, or having a second serving of it.

 

Don’t fight the cravings, embrace the cravings. Exactly that, embrace it!  What do you mean? You want me to succumb to them, give in to the cravings? Sort of! Figure out why these cravings keep plaguing you. First, drop the guilt and shame. It’s normal to have cravings and two; it’s normal to crave things when we are not adequately fed.

 

Get curious with yourself, so to speak. I know getting curious with yourself might sound weird, but it really means to be your own diet detective. Diet, as in what your food choices are, or how you eat.

 

Ask yourself a few questions about the earlier day of events. For example – what did I eat at breakfast, did I have protein at every meal today, how was my carbohydrate and fat intake, and lastly, did I drink enough water? Just a to name a few! Here’s another great question – did I eat enough today, or when was the last time I ate?

 

I can guarantee, most folks have possibly eaten breakfast or lunch, one snack- maybe, and that’s it until dinner. So, basically one meal for the day and now dinner. Ooooh, talk about hun and cravings!

Do you see the big picture?! Cravings are part of the body’s natural physiological or psychological response to being underfed, bored, and just downright hungry.

So, what do we do? We figure out what we need, what our bodies needs from us. It may be more sleep – a better night’s rest or several, or to stop dieting – if you are and feed the body adequately. It may be actually eating what you are craving so that you can take the edge off.

So for example, that bag of lays trips, get a serving out. Close the bag and put away. Savor every bite and why you are at pair a protein shake or something with the chips.

Eating what you’re craving is not a bad thing. Eat it, be mindful, and move on.

To help conqueror the craving or cravings in the future – 1 – don’t ban foods that you love, find a way to incorporate them in your nutrition.

I like to call them #SatisfactionEats or #LilEats! Satisfaction or Little Eats help take the edge off and keep you in your power. Power to choose a healthier option or the sweeter treat and be okay with it and no guilt. Banning foods does more harm than good in the long run. So instead of trying to avoid the said food, incorporate it here and there to ward off overeating attacks.

1. Sleep – Catch them zzz’s girl! Sleep is so good for you on all fronts. Lack of sleep will mess with our hormones ghrelin and leptin. These two hormones affect weight control. They get all funky and out whack when sleep is not a priority – lack of sleep, burning that midnight oil. Not getting enough sleep affects the hormonal balance of appetite and hunger. So, you know the rest of the story. The next day you are craving things, and willpower is gone because you are tired and just want something easy.
   • The solution: No other way to say it – get in the bed, get more hours of sleep or at least get a better quality of sleep.

 

2. Fact- eat enough food to support your activity level. Simply eat! Take a look at your nutrition as a whole. Are you eating enough? How much protein? Protein is a huge macro we tend to skimp out on it or think we are actually getting enough and we aren’t.

 

3. Stop fighting and restricting cravings because you will eventually give in, and that’s when we go to Binge City. Restricting and cutting calories too low will eventually backfire and ain’t nobody got time for that, because then we feel like we have to do damage control, right? Nope, not a healthy way to go about it. Remember, be the detective with yourself. Listen to your cravings.

• Craving ice cream? Okay, cool! Haven’t had it in a while? Well, have it instead of banning it. Get a small serving. Refer to satisfaction eats above! Grabbed this little sweet treat from Dairy Queen the other day!

It was just enough to satisfy my love for ice cream; I even shared a few bites with my hubby. #lileats

1. • Sometimes, we’ll have the sweet or crunchy treat and sometimes when a craving hits we reach for a piece of fruit and protein shake. All is okay, and a choice that should be made without judgment, and definitely should be enjoyed!

 

At the end of the day, it comes down to eating enough calories to support

your activity level and your healthy weight! 

 

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