If you want to lose weight or just improve your health in general, one of the first things you will need to do is to cut down on sugar and starchy foods. Unfortunately, this is not always easy, as both men and women tend to have carb and sugar cravings.
Now, as you can imagine, this makes it quite difficult to reduce the number of carbs you eat, let alone give them up for good. Fortunately, there are several solutions to this problem. You may find it difficult to stick with these steps in the beginning. However, you are guaranteed to feel a lot better once you have finally been cured of your carb cravings.
Here are some tips you can make use of:
Give Up Carbs Completely
The real issue with carbs is that it is a rather a slippery slope. This is because once you eat even a little, there is a good chance that you will be craving even more. You will find that this is especially true with unhealthy, starchy carbs. When you eat even a few grams of these, you experience a spike in your insulin level. This, in turn, causes your body to crave even more carbohydrates. It is this phenomenon that makes cutting out carbs completely such a good idea.
It is important to understand that you will probably have an even greater hankering when you first cut out all carbs. This can last from a few days to a couple of weeks. However, you will find that you aren’t yearning for carbs anymore, once this period is over.
Switch Focus to Good Carbs
The truth is, not all carbs are created equal. It is imperative that you are able to distinguish between the good and bad types so that you know what you can eat and what you should avoid. As a rule of thumb, try to stay away from all processed carbs. This includes white rice, most breads, baked items,and cereals.
What you can continue to eat, though, are fruits and vegetables that are packed with nutrients and have a high fiber content. Consume leafy greens like spinach and Brussels sprouts as well as cruciferous vegetables. To maximize the effects of good carbs, think about maintaining a low glycemic-load diet. This means determining whether the glucose-raising effect of a certain food is balanced out by the number of carbs that it contains.
Get Enough Sleep
Have you noticed that after a poor night’s sleep you are more likely to yearn for foods that have a high carb and caloric value? Well,getting plenty of sleep can help you overcome this effect. If you sleep for seven to eight hours a night, you are better-equipped to make good decisions regarding your diet. As a result, you will be able to swap out all those unhealthy carbohydrates for foods that are both healthier and more satiating. So, when you begin your low-carb diet, make it a point to increase the number of hours that you sleep.
Eat a Larger Number of Small Meals – Maybe
For some time now, there has been a constant debate regarding the number of meals you should eat a day. Some experts are staunch supporters of eating four to six smaller meals throughout the day. However, medical professionals continue to believe that three larger meals are best. So, who is right?
Well, if you are someone who tends to crave carbs or sugary foods quite often, then eating many small meals may be the answer. When you eat with fewer intervals in between,there isa lesser chance for your blood sugar level to drop and thus, result in fewer cravings. Just remember to monitor your calorie intake so that you don’t go over your recommended amount.
Of course, for some people, three meals a day is a much better choice. In the end, you will need to experiment a bit and figure out what is right for you. Then, stick to the plan that results in fewer carb cravings.
Track Your Carbohydrates
One of the main reasons people tend to overindulge in carbs and sweets is that they just don’t realize how much they are eating. After all, can you really remember how many grams of carbs there are in your foods, along with the glycemic index attached to it? Fortunately, there are a lot of apps out there that can take care of this for you. Download an app that carefully monitors everything you eat. This way, you will be able to determine whether you are going over your allocated amount or not.
Plan Your Meals
On a similar note, you should also begin planning your meals for the week. If you try to choose foods on the spur of the moment, there is a good chance that you will reach for a carb-packed dish. However, if you take time to plan and cook meals for your week (or day), you will be able to carefully choose what you should and shouldn’t eat. By doing this, you can monitor your meals in such a way that you are only consuming the appropriate number of carbs.
What to Do When the Cravings Hit
Let’s be honest, it doesn’t matter how careful you are, you will often be hit by hunger pangs that can only be satiated by carbs. So, what can you do in these situations rather than just give in?
Ease Your Sweet Tooth with Fruits
For some people, the idea of completely giving up all forms of sugar can seem like a nightmare. You may feel this way if you have a sweet tooth and enjoy some chocolate or dessert every now and then. Well, in this case, you may want to consider switching over to fruits to make the transition a little easier.
At the same time, you should be aware that fruits tend to contain a fair number of carbohydrates themselves. So, if you are going to indulge, make sure that you eat just enough to stay within your allocated number of carbs. There are also some fruits that are considered to be low-carb options. These include strawberries, avocado, watermelon, cantaloupe, and peaches. Fruits should be a viable substitute for sweets as long as they are consumed in moderation.
Change the Fantasy
Carb cravings can come out of nowhere. You can be at your desk, at work, and then suddenly you might be hit with a mental image of a chocolate cake. Now, there is a good chance that the daydream doesn’t end there. In addition to picturing this slice of cake in vivid detail, you can probably even imagine what it smells like, tastes like, and feels like on your tongue. It is these fantasies that will get you in trouble and make you give into your hankerings.
So, how can you stop this? If you can’t get that piece of cake out of your mind, try conjuring up something completely unrelated, like a rainbow. You should focus on this image for a while until the hunger pangs are gone. If it is taste and smell that you are having trouble with, go and take a sniff of something that it is the opposite of food. Hand soap or something similarly fragrant should do the trick.
Distract Yourself
Whenever you feel the need to eata burger or a slab of chocolate, find a way to distract yourself. This could mean drinking some water or chewing sugar-free gum for a while. Or, if possible, you could go for a run or take up some other task. The whole point of this process is to move your thoughts away from food so that you won’t have to deal with the cravings for too long.
The good news is that there are more than a few ways to help you curb your carb cravings. Unfortunately, you won’t find them quite as easy to execute. However, with a bit of self-restraint and planning, you should fulfill your goal quite soon.
