Curb Those Cravings!

Summer is right around the corner and with that comes hot, humid weather.  Is your body ready for those short shorts, tight skirts, tiny tanks, or lest we forget the itty-bitty bikini?  Any person can have a body that looks amazing in those little summer numbers.  A huge roadblock to getting that beach-ready body is that feeling of hunger and the inability to overcome those pesky cravings.  No one is immune to food cravings, myself included, but there are some things you can do both to satisfy your cravings AND get a beach-ready body.

Give In To Your Craving...But Know Your Limit!!
If your truely craving a certain food that you have deemed "unhealthy", the worst thing you can do is to tell yourself you can't have it.  Think back to when you were a kid and your parents told you that you "can absolutely NOT have that chocolate cake!"  And what did you eventually do?  You ate that cake anyway...as much as you could get your hands on.  Alright, maybe that is actually a true story from my childhood, but I'm sure most of you can relate at least a little bit.  I mean, let's be real, if someone tells you that you can't do something its human nature to respond with "yes I can...watch me!"  This includes internal struggles within yourself dealing with food as well.  If you completely deny yourself certain foods that you feel should be off-limits, it will end up backfiring on you at some point.  Denying yourself certain foods will most certainly equal excessively overindulging on those foods at some point.  Why not let yourself have a bite or two and then ask yourself if you really want any more?  Usually when we crave a certain food it is beyond a biological urge and is actually an emotional urge.  Take a spoonful or a forkful and check yourself: do you really want another bite?  Or another 8 bites?  Internalize these feelings.  Maybe after you explore how you really feel all you need is a bite or two to squash that craving. 

Pump Your Craving With Protein

I don't know about you, but I hear all the time that a great, healthy mid-morning or afternoon snack is a nice piece of fruit or vegetables.  But my goodness, if that is all I have for a snack, my tummy is growling within 1 hour.  Brightly colored fruits and vegetables are a great mid-morning or afternoon snack, but a great way to increase your satiety after eating these healthy bites is to add a little bit of protein.  Protein will make you feel fuller and keep you full longer becuase it takes your body more time and energy to break down a protein compared to a fruit or a veggie.  So if you eat an apple, carrot, or celery, why not add a little bit of peanut butter or cream cheese?  Maybe you can put some yogurt on top of your berries.  But lets be real here, who really craves fruits and veggies on a daily basis?  So, maybe today your craving chocolate...have a dark chocolate bar with almonds.  Or what if your craving ice cream...add some almond butter on top and mix it in.  Do you crave savory foods, like chips or crackers?  Add a tiny piece of cheese or hummus on them.  Adding that protein to your cravings will help curb your cravings and trim your tummy. 


Fill Up On Fiber
So, lets say your craving a juicy steak or mouthwatering macaroni and cheese for dinner.  Something that contains a good amount of saturated fat and is, unfortunately, your vice.  A great way to offset your inevitable overindulging on your favorite rich foods is to start with some fiber.  Have a huge salad before your meal.  Order a starter salad in the restaurant and eat the whole thing before you start on your meal. If your going to a place where you won't have an opportunity to have some veggies at the restaurant or party, you can eat a handful of carrots, celery, or zucchini (or any veggie, really) before you go.  Filling up on these fibrous veggies will make you feel full and won't add to your calorie count for the evening, or any part of the day, for that matter. 

Mind Over Mouth

There are always those times when there is food sitting in front of us that we know we just don't need.  Thats the time you need to use your mind over your mouth and tell yourself "no!"  As adults we should be able to take some of the control away from our food and put it back onto ourselves.  What a liberating thought: you control what you eat, not your food!!  I gaurantee if you say no to a certain food, the craving will pass and you won't even be thinking about it after a few minutes.  Additionally, once you are able to say no to some of your cravings, you will start curb the cravings and think of all the calories you will be skipping in the process!

Using these four rules of thumb, you can curb your food cravings and makeover your body so you can feel comfortable wearing those fun, flirty summer clothes we all love to sport!