Three Easy Ways To Prevent and Suppress Cravings on a Low Carb Diet
If you’ve been on a low carb diet for any amount of time, you have undoubtedlyfelt the pangs of hunger that accompanystrong cravings. There are a number ofways in which you can deal with thesecravings and mitigate them in the future; andif you want to be successful on yourlow carb diet, you will do exactly that.
In this article, I will outline three methods youcan use to suppress and prevent those cravings.
The first is very simple: if you want to suppress the majority of your cravings, all you have to do is drink aneight ounce glass of water and then wait. Mostlow carb diets suggest that you drink64 ounces of water each day. One of thereasons for this is to suppress cravings forwater, which are often mistaken for foodcravings.
No matter what your low carb diet is,drinking a single glass of water whenyou have cravings will prevent youfrom eating without breaking your diet.
Another easy way to suppress cravingsis to fill your stomach with low caloriefoods. If your low carb diet allows it, you shouldprepare leafy, green vegetables as asnack–and eat them whenever youhave cravings. I suggest preparing lettuceand cabbage, which you can consume toyour heart’s content without really addingany calories to your diet; conversely, if youconsume sweets in place of them, you couldbe eating 1-2 meals’ worth of calories.
This will give you the feeling of being “full”because it will fill your stomach just as muchas calorie-rich foods would, but without allthe calories.
The last way you can suppress your cravingsor prevent them before they happen is bygetting an adequate amount of sleep at nightor taking a nap during the day. An increasingnumber of studies have shown that peoplesnack during the day as a natural responseto low levels of energy. If you’re lackingenergy because you did not sleep, you mayend up turning to snacks to boost your bloodsugar levels.
In summary: you can suppress your cravingsin three simple steps–drink more water,get an adequate amount of sleep, and eat low-caloriefiller foods in place of snacks.
Benji Paras runs list-of-low-carb-food.com, specializing in the benefits of the low-carb lifestyle. The site contains a treasure trove of information for losing weight, and includes a list of low carb foods along with informative articles and the latest low-carb headlines.
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How To Avoid Gaining the Holiday 7
As the holidays approach, a frequent question from my clients and subscribers is “How can I avoid gaining weight during the holidays”? Their concern is legitimate. The average American adult gains seven pounds of fat between Thanksgiving and New Years Day.
However, with a little know-how and effort youdon’t have to be “average”. In fact, I’ve seenmany people actually lose a few pounds over the holidays and feel great while doing it.
One of my clients said it best, “Greg, I can’t tell you how good it feels to have lost three pounds during the holidays instead of gaining ten pounds as I used to do. My friends are jealous. It’s January 2nd and I’m feeling (and looking) lean and mean. And, best of all, I actually enjoyed the holidays more because I always felt energetic. In years past, inactivity and lots of food made me constantly sluggish and tired.”
Here are a few tips that can bring you into thenew year without any new pounds..
1. Do some type of exercise everyday, preferablyevery morning. Now this can be as simple as a 15 minute walk some days but it’s VERY important that you do something everyday. Physiologically, this keeps your metabolism elevated, helps to control your appetite, and ENERGIZES you!
Mentally, daily exercise increases your mentalacuity for hours after exercise, and it keeps you in a “healthy” frame of mind. Many people tell me that daily exercise helps them to make better food choices because it makes them feel like they are doing something healthy for themselves. Commit to doing at least 15 minutes, butpreferably 30 to 60 minutes everyday during the holidays. I think you’ll be surprised.
2. Don’t deprive yourself of those holidaygoodies that you enjoy. Tell yourself that youcan eat whatever you’d like to as long as it’sin moderation. For example, eat one Christmas brownie instead of five. Take small bites of that brownie, chew it well, savor every biteso you can really enjoy the taste rather thanrushing to swallow it. The same for meals,don’t deprive yourself of the foods you enjoybut eat them in moderation and savor everybite.
3. Have lots of “healthy” foods available atyour home during the holidays. Make a bigfruit salad to keep in the frig when you needa snack. Have some of your favorite veggiesready to eat for when you’re hungry. Make abig salad and keep it ready to eat in thefrig.
4. Don’t allow yourself to get too hungry. Thehungrier you are, the less control you haveover your eating. Always eat some healthy,filling food before going to a party,dinner, or any situation where you will beexposed to lots of tempting food.
5. Strictly limit or avoid alcohol. Alcoholis really bad news!I call it the “triple whammy”! it depresses your metabolism, stimulates your appetite, and it’s loadedwith calories. Alcohol has as many caloriesper gram as fat!
So, get energized with some daily exercise andmoderate food consumption, and REALLY enjoythe holidays.. AND January 2.
copyright 2004 by Greg Landry, M.S.
Author and exercise physiologist, Greg Landry,offers free, unique weight loss and fitnessarticles at his site.. Landry.com
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