|
Back to Blog
Watching mouths devour the rich, creamy chocolate bar, whilst trying to resist the overpowering feelings of temptation. 'Maybe just one piece' your mind tells you, the urge to eat is getting unbearably stronger. You may be able to relate to this situation, whether you've been living a healthy lifestyle for a while or have just began trying to eat healthy. Whatever your dietary conditions are, you will probably have cravings for unhealthy and healthy food throughout life. I'm not going to write this and lie by saying that it's going to be easy, because sorry it's not always going to be. If you're craving food which you class as healthy, then go eat it! However, if you're craving food which you know is unhealthy and you want to resist the urge to eat the specific food, carry on reading to find out my tips on making the urge to resist cravings easier. Set yourself an example by sticking to your word Often if you find yourself in situations where you're the only person in the room who eats healthily, you may feel pressured into eating the foods which you don't want to eat. However,I've found what works for me is remembering any comments I've ever received about how healthy I am and remembering the feelings of joy I experience when I'm able to lift more weights or complete more pullups. By remembering how I felt during these situations, I think to myself how happy I will be if I resist the craving. Some thoughts which usually run through my head when surrounded by others eating unhealthily is 'the people who look up to me because of my self control would not appreciate if I couldn't control myself in such an easy time like this' or 'I have an example to set for myself as there are no other healthy role models here, I should become the rolemodel for myself and others without having to mention to others about what they're eating, as it is their choice after all'. As you can see by the way I typed that, when I'm in challenging positions I'm able to motivate myself easily, but some thoughts may be controversial depending on the food. On the other hand, i've noticed by using this method of encouragement to resist cravings, that I stick to my word and plan of eating healthy which makes me feel happy. Think about the futureSometimes when I'm on the edge of deciding whether to eat a specific food, I'll think about how it will impact me. Your future goals should be clear and important to you, therefore if you aren't motivated by where you want to be, perhaps you need to set your goals differently. Don't forget that after you eat something you didn't want to, you may experience feelings of guilt or stupidity. But try not to beat yourself up over it, the majority of people know the feeling when you've let yourself down. It is also good to know what guilt feels like so perhaps you can think to yourself how bad you may feel once you've eaten the food. Maybe you could even try to turn this around and not think badly after you've eaten something you shouldn't have. You could do this by being mentally strong and determined to strive, therefore it is just a part of your learning journey. You could think about the short-term future too, for example how it would benefit you by waiting until the weekend or a specific date when you think it is acceptable to have a 'cheat'. Sometimes when I'm on the edge of deciding whether to eat a specific food, I'll think about how it will impact me. For example, take a look at the table I made.  Thinking about alternativesSometimes the best way of getting over cravings is through distraction, as often people eat when they're bored (which is okay, but not if they're eating unhealthily or eating foods they don't want to eat). Some things which may help to distract yourself if you're tempted to eat something unhealthy are:
Mental barriersI think that a huge part of getting over cravings is developing a positive, determined and self-controlled mindset. You may not be able to live healthily if you're attitude towards everything is going to be weak, negative and acting as if something takes 'effort'. I recommend if you've failed to start eating healthily many times, to start slowly. Write out your goals, what you might crave, what you should eat instead, foods you could perhaps place somewhere else to prevent you from eating them and most importantly how much you want the life you're trying to gain. If you aren't prepared to fight for what you want when trying to eat healthily, then you may find yourself stepping backwards, defeated by your own mind. Don't forget that many people who are high in the fitness industry all had to start from somewhere, I had to start from somewhere, your role model had to start from somewhere. But in order for progress to be made, changes must be made and these changes must not be reversed (no matter how hard it is, as remember your body can conquer anything, it's your brain you have to convince). You'll have to trust me on this one... Its about time I revealed my very first photos taken (September 2015) When I first began eating healthier again back in 2015, times were tough when resisting cravings and I remember the feelings of how I was so addicted to unhealthy food. I remember that the first month when I started my plan, I found it incredibly difficult to even go a few hours without some form of junk food. But eventually, every time I resisted a craving, the cravings slowly went away. Bit by bit, I didn't even occur to me when the last time was that i'd eaten a specific food. I mean now and again I definitely had slip ups which resulted in me eating junk, but afterwards I'd step my game up and return back on track. I paid the price of guilt when I ate food I didn't want and I can truly say that I paid it so much that now I don't feel the need to eat junk in the slightest. However, every saturday if I am up for it, I will eat some form of junk. But the cravings for unhealthy food no longer put stress upon me as I only crave foods like fruit, vegetables, chicken (oh no I'm hungry now), cheese and carbs (I am ADDICTED to bread, but as long as I'm happy with my diet then I don't really care). The image attached to this paragraph is me in 2015, the day I began my plan (I never thought I'd still be taking progress pictures 2 years later!). I look so young on the images and my muscles are definitely more tone now, I will eventually post an image of a before and after, however it may be better to post in September when it has been exactly 2 years. Thanks for reading this post, I hope i've helped as much as I can. But its all up to you now to make those final craving decisions!
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |