12 Mental Tricks to Overcome Cravings

Losing weight is as much a mental process as it is a physical one. And, in most cases, it’s our inability to mentally manage our cravings that causes our weight loss efforts to fall by the wayside. Therefore, the answer is easy – overcome your cravings and you’ll improve your weight loss odds.

At Synergy we specialize in medical weight loss in Wilmington NC, and part of our success is based on our ability to help our clients overcome their cravings. Here are twelve mental tricks that we employ to help our weight loss clients reach their goals. Start using them today!

Stop and Think Before You Act

Every single thing you do over the course of a day requires you to make a decision. Therefore, before you dive into that tub of ice cream, stop, take a breath, and think about what you’re doing. Every important decision requires reflection, and everything you put in your body is an important decision. Pausing before you do will help put things into perspective.

Indulge in Heathier Versions of Your Favorite Junk Food

Mentally, we crave the crunch, sweets, and salts of our favorite snacks. But, these sensations can be reproduced using healthier alternatives. Instead of potato chips try crispy kale chips. Instead of ice cream try blending a frozen banana into a sorbet. Or, just dig in to a bowl of grapes or cherries. Your cravings will be satisfied and you will find that you won’t even feel as if you’re missing anything.

Visualize Yourself Eating

According to a study performed by Carnegie Mellon University in 2010, participants who visualized themselves eating thirty M&M candies before they actually starting eating the candy ate fewer of the candies than those who didn’t visualize eating the candy.

Don’t Deprive Yourself

When you deprive yourself of something, it makes you want it that much more. By allowing yourself the ability to have anything, you’ll be more likely to suffer fewer cravings. The key is keeping your splurges limited to once or twice a week.

Portion Your Snacks

If you had a child, how much of one thing would you put in their lunch box? You should adopt a “lunch box” mentality when it comes to your snacks. Instead of sitting down with an entire bag of chips, dole out an appropriate portion in a baggie. This way, your snacks will last you longer, you won’t feel deprived, and you can account the calories that much easier.

Drink a Glass of Water

Often, thirst is mistaken for hunger. Therefore, before you head for the snack cupboard, drink a glass of water. If you’re still hungry after the drink, then you probably really are hungry. Going for an apple will give you the crunch you desire without the salt, calories, and fat of an unhealthy alternative.

Choose a Cheat Day

If you give yourself one day a week to indulge in your favorite treats, then you will have something to look forward to every week. This will also help you stay on track the rest of the week because mentally, you will feel guilty if you indulge outside of your chosen cheat day.

Identify Your Ideal Distractions

What takes your mind off of your cravings best? Is it calling your mom? Playing a video game? Reading a book? Make a list of your ideal distractions so when a craving hits, you can check your list and do something that will help keep your mind off of your craving.

Use Smaller Plates

We’re a super-size nation, so we want to see a lot of food on our plates. But, a lot of food is counterproductive when you’re trying to lose weight. Instead, try using smaller dinner plates when you plate up your food. This will make smaller portions appear larger and your mind will be tricked!

Resist, Resist, Resist

Think of your resistance like a muscle. Every time you use it, it gets stronger. So, every time you get a craving, resist, resist, resist. Eventually, your resistance will strengthen and cravings won’t have the power they once did.

Don’t Eat with the TV On

When we eat while watching TV, we often lose sight of how much we’re shoveling in our mouths because we’re focused on whatever it is we’re watching. Therefore, turn the TV off at dinnertime. This will help you focus on your food so you can pay better attention to what’s going in your body.

Get Technical

If you’re like most people, you’re never too far away from your smartphone. And, when you’re trying to lose weight, that can be a good thing. There are several motivational apps out there that you can use to help keep your weight loss goals on track or you can set daily reminder alerts on your phone so you can receive an inspirational or motivational note at those tough times of the day when your cravings tend to hit hardest.

Try Medical Weight Loss in Wilmington NC Now for Just $99

If you’re looking for a safe and effective way to lose weight, Synergy Medical Weight Loss provides doctor-supervised weight loss programs in the Wilmington NC area that deliver quality results. All of the appetite suppressants, vitamin injections, and prescription hCG therapies used in our programs are FDA-approved components and effectively proven to help patients lose weight safely. And best of all, it’s just $99 to get started!

If your cravings are making it impossible to lose weight, our medical weight loss in Wilmington NC can help. Call Synergy Medical Weight Loss at Southeastern Healthcare today at 910-477-3945 . We are here to help. With six locations throughout the Wilmington area, we have an office conveniently close to you.