If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you probably know that it doesn’t always go as planned. There’s a lot of contradicting information on how to proceed when you can no longer lose weight, so figuring out what works for you can take some time.
You may be looking for answers on how to cut weight as fast as possible, but you need to go about this the right way. It’s not beneficial to lose weight too quickly when you are not consuming nutritious foods that nourish the body. Losing weight quickly is possible and safe, especially if you are consuming plant-based foods that satisfy recommended daily intake of various vitamins and minerals. Be careful about choosing the right approach, be it via diet or exercise.
What can you do about fighting off food cravings? How do you stop eating junk food? And how do you control what you eat while still enjoying your meals? Let’s go over some of the most effective ways to eat better, lose weight, and improve your health safely and effectively.
Managing Stress
If you want to control food cravings and learn how to stop eating unhealthy foods, you will first need to manage the main stressors in your life, as they have just as much impact on your weight as your diet. What’s more, when you’re stressed, you are much more likely to turn to junk food for comfort, so coping with stress or practicing ways to reduce stress hormones can help limit your food intake.
To reduce the stress in your life, try to take regular breaks from work. If you have a long lunch break, consider going outside to walk around, removing yourself from the stressful office setting. Additionally, experiment with mindfulness techniques such as breathing exercises, meditation, or yoga.
The Importance of Sleep
When trying to figure out how to prevent cravings from controlling your life, you also need to consider your sleeping habits, as poor sleep may be one of the culprits behind your animalistic snacking tendencies. Even an extra 30 minutes of sleep can make a huge difference, as sleep deprivation can decrease your metabolic rate, making it harder to release weight.
According to a recent study, sleep deprivation can occasionally cause the brain to activate the same receptors that are responsible for the “munchies” during marijuana use, which can explain the weird junk food desires when you’re exhausted.
Watch What You Drink
Our bodies are mostly comprised of water, so it’s only natural that the types of liquids we consume every day have a significant impact on our health and weight. If you’re stressed about not losing weight, you should examine what types of drinks you typically consume throughout the day, and try to change your habits if necessary.
For starters, you can cut down on sodas and other sweet drinks, as the sugar will add up to a lot of calories throughout the day. You should also limit your alcohol intake, as it not only contains quite a lot of sugar and calories, but also causes cravings for junk food. Try replacing those calorie heavy drinks with water. Drinking more water is another great way to increase your metabolism and curb your appetite.
Distract Yourself to Beat Your Craving
If you really want something unhealthy and can’t figure out how to stop food cravings, you can try to distract yourself until it passes. Distracting yourself can help train your body to stop craving junk food. Most of us have routines that we follow every day or every week, and in many cases, these routines include satisfying various cravings. It can be challenging at first, but over time these distractions should turn into new routines, creating effective habits for healthier eating.
Each person will have to figure out his/her own way to take the mind off cravings. Some people may find that exercise beats the craving, while others may need to dig deeper and do a hormone test to see if hormones are imbalanced.
Reflect and Question Before You Eat
Sometimes, when struggling with how to curb cravings, you may act on impulse rather than reflecting on your eating choices before making them. The next time you have an intense craving, take a moment to ask yourself: is it a craving, or is your body actually trying to tell you that it’s hungry? Or, like we discussed earlier, is your craving caused by exhaustion/sleep deprivation? If you’re really hungry or tired, the best way to take care of yourself is to eat a balanced, healthy meal, not to indulge your junk food craving.
Thoughtful reflection can start with the food you choose to keep on hand. The next time you’re at the supermarket, allow yourself the time to stop and consider what you are about to buy, and why. If it’s not healthy for you, perhaps you could substitute it for something better?
Plan and Track Your Eating Habits
In the previous section, we talked about how even a moment of reflection can help you figure out how to stop yourself from eating unhealthy foods. You can also take it a step further and become more organized – many people have achieved tremendous results using food journals to track everything that they consume each day.
Today, there are plenty of apps that take only seconds to use, and can provide you with detailed nutritional information about what you’re consuming.
Get Out and Exercise
Finally, even though diet is an integral component to weight loss, exercise is equally as important in helping you burn off extra calories, increase your metabolism, and making you feel more energetic and healthier. If you don’t have a lot of experience with exercise, don’t dive into it headfirst, but start small instead. Even taking a walk every day, or riding to work on a bicycle, can be a great start that will give you more confidence, and it might help you graduate to more intense exercise routines later on.
Weight Loss With Dherbs
Dherbs has a number of products that can help you lose weight safely. You can view those products by clicking here. We also have resources like recipes for weight loss smoothies and detox waters that increase metabolism. Explore the site and feel free to contact us if you have any questions!
Vincent Stevens is the senior content writer at Dherbs. As a fitness and health and wellness enthusiast, he enjoys covering a variety of topics, including the latest health, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle trends. His goal is to inform people of different ways they can improve their overall health, which aligns with Dherbs’ core values. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Redlands, graduating summa cum laude. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
