FitSugar

Curb Your Cravings With This Trick

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 10:00:00 PST

Moderation is my eating mantra, and it allows me to enjoy the foods I crave without feeling deprived. Science is backing me up on this too. New research focusing on successfully conquering cravings found eating in moderation to be the key to reducing your hankerings for specific foods.

In its March issue, Fitness magazine reported interesting findings from a recent study. Researchers found that eating daily 150 to 200 calorie portions of your favorite food for two weeks will significantly reduce your desire for it. The study's lead author Jennifer Temple explained, "If you can indulge in treats in a healthy way, you're less likely to feel deprived and overeat them."

How do you curb your cravings?

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Diet Tip: Curb Cravings With Mint

FitSugar — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 03:30:00 PDT

We're always looking for ways to fight cravings when they arise, and one my tricks of the trade is mint.

Yes, mint does wonders to keep my cravings under control as its strong scent is a natural appetite suppressant. I keep a mint scented candle in my kitchen and I like to light it at night. Not only does it keep the house smelling good, I feel like I am less likely to give into late night snacking temptations. Other simple ideas are to sip mint tea, chew sugar-free mint gum, or simply brush your teeth. It may all be psychological, but it works for me so I can't complain. Try it out and see if mint helps keep your cravings under control too. If not, check out some other great ideas for curbing cravings.

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What's the Deal With The Tapping Technique?

FitSugar — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:45:00 PDT

If any of you guys are following Paul McKenna's new show, I Can Make You Thin then you may have heard something about a Tapping Technique for cravings. I know that people follow the show religiously but I can't help but laugh when watching it.

Most recently a co-worker filled me in on McKenna's eight-step (yes, eight steps) technique for getting rid of cravings and wow, what a technique it is. I'm not sure this would work for my cravings other than confuse the heck out of me. Personally, I like your ideas for curbing cravings better than this interesting approach. However if you want to learn it then

The Tapping Technique:

I want you to get the biggest desire for a food that you can right now. If you don’t have a big enough craving, put this technique to one side and come back to it when you’re really feeling it.
Focus on this craving for a moment, and when you’ve thought of that I’d like you to rate your desire for a food on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest. This is important, because in a moment we want to know how much you’ve reduced it.
On a scale of 1-10, how strong is your craving? Remember, if you’re not really craving a bite (i.e. your craving is not at least a 7), come back to this technique later.
Now take two fingers of either hand and tap about 10 times under your collarbone while you continue to think about eating.
Now tap under your eye ten times.
Now tap under your collarbone again.
Place your other hand in front of you and tap on the back of it between your ring finger and your little finger. Continue to think about your desire for food as you do this and each of the steps which follow:
- Close your eyes and open them.
- Keep your head still, keep tapping and look down to the right then down to the left.
- Keep tapping and rotate your eyes round 360 degrees clockwise, and now 360 degrees counterclockwise.
- Remember to keep thinking about the food you were craving as you do this!
- Now hum the first few lines of "Happy Birthday" out loud.
- Count out loud from 1 to 5.
- Once again hum the first few lines of ‘Happy Birthday’ out loud.

Stop and check – on a scale from 1 to 10, what number is your craving at now? If it hasn’t completely gone yet, just repeat this sequence again until it does.

Anyone tried it? If so, I'm dying to hear if it works so share you stories below.

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Easy Ways to Curb Cravings

FitSugar — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 07:30:00 PST

Cravings can get the best of you, so it's best to be armed and ready to go for when you start to feel a craving coming on. You guys gave some great advice for curbing cravings so here are my picks from your fabulous ideas.

What's Your Advice For Curbing Cravings?

FitSugar — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:30:00 PST

Sometimes a reader question comes along that I know you guys could provide a ton of great answers for so I wanted to share this question with you.

"Hey Fit. My new year's resolution is to stop eating so much junk food, especially Skittles but the problem is that I get these cravings and I have a hard time not giving into them. Do you have any tips for curbing cravings so I can finally stick with my resolution?"

So share your best tricks for curbing cravings in the comments section below. I can't wait to see what you guys come up with as I have recently rediscovered Reese's Pieces and could use a few new tricks myself.

Nighttime Fasting: A New Way to Lose Weight?

Shape — Thu, 24 May 2012 04:09:52 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. This week Shape turns to Cynthia Sass, a registered dietitian with master's degrees in both nutrition science and public health.

If you couldn’t let anything cross your lips from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m., but you were allowed to eat anything you wanted for eight hours a day and still lose weight, would you try it? That’s the apparent bottom line of a rat study published in the journal Cell Metabolism, which recently stirred up the weight loss pot.

Top 50 Summer Diet Foods for Weight Loss

Scientists put groups of mice on different diet regimens for 100 days. One group of rodents ate healthy food while animals in two of the groups chowed down on high-fat, high-calorie feed. Half of the junk food eaters were allowed to munch whenever they wanted to while the others only had access to feed for the eight hours they were most active. The conclusion: even though they ate a fatty diet, the mice who were forced to fast for 16 hours were almost as lean as those who ate the healthy fare. Interestingly, the round the clock junk food eaters became obese and developed health problems, even though they consumed about the same amount of fat and calories as the time-restricted junk food fed mice.

See if a nutritionist thinks nighttime fasting works after the break!

42 Percent of Americans Obese by 2030, 4 Easy Tips to Help You Steer Clear

Lizzie Fuhr — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:14:35 PDT

At the second annual Weight of the Nation conference in Washington, we received word on the state of obesity among American adults. The good news? The growth of obesity of Americans has slowed from the record pace of the last 30 years. The not-so-good news? While 36 percent of today's adult population is obese, that number is expected to rise to a whopping 42 percent by 2030.

However, researchers are hopeful; study leader Eric Finkelstein believes that with continued anti-obesity efforts, this estimated percentage of the population can absolutely flatten out. If you want to steer clear of the 42 percent, keep reading for some straightforward lifestyle tips to help you stay fit.

5 Fast, Easy, and Seriously Cheesy Dinners

Lizzie Fuhr — Sun, 06 May 2012 07:00:03 PDT

Every once in a while, the only thing that can curb my comfort-food cravings is a decadent recipe starring cheese. Whether I'm out and about at work or play, a little indulgence can go a long way - especially if it's a fast and easy meal to put together! For five tasty meals that are fast, easy, and seriously cheesy, just keep clicking and prepare to be hungry.

3 Ways Cottage Cheese Can Help You Lose Weight

Jenny Sugar — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:53:15 PDT

In order to lose weight, eating low-calorie protein is a must. Protein offers sustained energy, satiates your hunger, and curbs sugar cravings. After you eat a protein-packed food, you feel so satisfied you don't have the urge to reach for extra bites, and this translates to weight loss. Choosing low-calorie, low-fat protein sources is a must and while Greek yogurt has gained a lot of recognition, don't leave out the unsung hero of the protein world - cottage cheese. Here are some ways this simple food can help you drop pounds.

Breakfast: High-Protein Addition
You know how after you eat a bagel for breakfast it's tough to shake that sluggish feeling all morning? Protein has the opposite effect. It offers you energy for hours, so you feel bright-eyed and ready to tackle the day. Eggs and yogurt are popular choices, but for something a little different, whip up a smoothie and you guessed it - add cottage cheese to the blender. For 81 calories, four ounces will add a whopping 14 grams of protein to your glass. The blender will puree the cottage cheese into a smooth consistency, so your taste buds won't even know it's in there. Not into smoothies? Enjoy a bowl of cottage cheese topped with fruit for fiber and sweetness, and nuts for even more added protein.

Keep reading to find out two more ways cottage cheese can help with weight loss.

Savory Sight: Double Chocolate Bundt Cake

Yum Community — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 03:05:00 PDT

Curb your chocolate craving with this decadent Bundt cake recipe from Whipped.

Find the recipe on her blog and share your own food photos and ideas in our YumSugar community.