If you find yourself overdoing it when it comes to foods that leave you feeling less than your best - things like candy, cookies, chips, crackers, etc. - try any of these strategies to help you conquer your cravings and reduce your chances of overeating!

1. Eat slowly, without distractions: If you’re prone to eating while you work or during your commute, here’s a fun challenge for you: Put your phone away, close your laptop, pull the car over and just eat. Studies show people who eat distractedly eat more on average than people who eat mindfully. This simple change will help you pay closer attention to your sensations of hunger and fullness and allow you to focus on enjoying your food. 
   
   
2. Keep trigger foods out of the house (out of sight, out of mind). Simply put, you’re putting a barrier between you and foods that don’t support your goals. You’re forcing yourself to make a conscious choice when that 8 p.m. ice cream craving comes on strong - do I really want to put pants on and go get ice cream? Or can I settle for the Greek yogurt in the fridge?
   
3. Focus on addition rather than subtraction. Think: eat more veggies instead of eating fewer sweets. If you are what’s known as a moderator, according to Gretchen Rubin (author of Better than Before and The Four Tendencies), this is the tip for you because telling yourself you can’t have something can sometimes make you crave it even more.
   
   Instead, set a goal of including more of the good stuff - “I’m going to eat a serving of vegetables at lunch and dinner every day” - and see how this goes for you! You just might find yourself not craving the sweet or salty treats as often.
   
4. Solve your lifestyle factors. Lack of sleep, lack of exercise, lack of protein, too much stress: these are all factors that can bolster your cravings. All these habits are connected to how and what we eat. You don’t have to tackle all of these at once. Pick one area and start working to improve it first. Once you’re happy with the changes you’ve made and have built a good habit, move on to the next one.
   
   
5. Change your language about food. Instead of saying “that’s bad” try replacing it with “that makes it harder for me to achieve my goals” or “I tend to overeat that.” It’s amazing how much our own thoughts and words affect our eating habits.
   
   

We hope you'll find these strategies helpful as you go about improving your eating habits. 

If you'd like personalized guidance, support, and accountability to improve your nutrition, give us a call or shoot us a text (316-290-9158) to set up a free 20-minute nutrition consult with Coach Rebekah.