One of the hardest things to control when you are on a diet are food cravings. Because you are already denying yourself some foods you automatically start longing for them. Have you noticed that you always crave the foods you are not allowed to eat. So how do I control cravings for these foods when I am on a diet.
The initial tactic is to avoid contact with the wrong foods and only have good food in the house. I clear the food cupboard and fridge of anything that is going to tempt me into a food binge. This makes it difficult for the family person but the diet will be a team effort anyway so they will understand.
The second thing to do is surround yourself with permitted foods that you can freely snack. For low fat type diets you can use fruit and vegetables to help you. On a low carb diet like Atkins you can have small pieces of sliced ham in the fridge to munch.
The issue will be that you will not your bad cravings for the wrong food. You may be eating something healthy like a stick of celery but your mind is focussed on cheese or bread. What you have to do is train your mind to crave the good foods instead of the bad ones.
To start with choose a fruit that you enjoy eating. Take the humble apple. Now I like apples and I eat a lot of them but they are what you would call an ordinary food to eat. What I do is say to myself that It is not just an apple. I picture it as a crunchy fresh apple with a glossy red skin that has a bright sweet tangy flavour. Can you taste that apple. By picturing your allowed food in this way again and again you will find yourself craving the right sort of food.
To try this with another fruit imagine a mandarin. Think of it like this. This mandarin just falls out of its peel and smells of the juice that it contains. When you eat your fresh juicy mandarin it just fills your mouth with tangy flavour. So if you are having problems controlling your food cravings try this tactic.
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