ML Coaching
Everyone knows cravings, that sudden urge for fatty or sweet snacks and fast food, more or less often. It takes real mental strength not to give in to those urges.
You know these cravings and wonder what you can do so they don't even show up in the first place? In this post you'll learn why sudden cravings arise and how you can stop them.
Stopping cravings - but how do they actually happen?
When you feel a craving, you basically hand over control and raid the fridge to stuff yourself with unhealthy, empty calories from chips, chocolate, burgers and pizza. The result is often a guilty conscience, and maybe an uncomfortable feeling of fullness or nausea.
Cravings and strong urges for fatty and sweet food mostly show up in people who are already struggling with their body weight and aren't following a healthy diet, or people who are currently dieting.
When you feel a craving, it's basically nothing more than an alarm signal from your body, telling you that you're missing nutrients. Unfortunately, many people today have forgotten how to truly listen to their bodies and correctly interpret the signals the body gives. That's why a craving can quickly turn into a binge, and we end up eating piles of unhealthy things because we don't understand which nutrients our body actually needs.
As your personal trainer in Zurich, I'm happy to show you how to correctly interpret your body's signals and not mistake a nutrient deficiency for hunger. As part of personal training, I build a nutrition plan tailored to your needs and show you nutrient-rich recipes that help you stop cravings.
Stress and negative emotions - triggers for cravings
Stressful situations or negative emotions can also trigger cravings. Fat and sugar only have a short-lived effect and merely suppress uncomfortable feelings. The problems don't disappear with a bar of chocolate. It's better if, in such moments, you do something good for yourself in a different way. Like going for a walk or taking a warm bath, for example.
If you get hungry in stressful situations, it's because your serotonin level drops. This causes your need for carbohydrates to rise. Instead of satisfying your hunger with sweets, reach for fresh fruit instead. It gives your body not just the sugar it needs, but also valuable micronutrients.
Ice cream and chocolate, with their high sugar content, do drive your serotonin level back up, but that high only lasts briefly. And there's a negative side effect: the high sugar content strains your adrenal glands, which causes more of the stress hormone cortisol to be released. That cortisol makes you feel stressed again, and you might reach for something sweet again. It's a real vicious cycle!
So what can you do to stop cravings?
Tip 1: Eat the right things
If you suffer from frequent cravings, it might be because you're not eating the right things. If you often eat foods low in fibre and high in short-chain carbohydrates, like white rice, white bread and sugary drinks, cravings can result. These foods cause your blood sugar to spike quickly, then drop just as quickly, leaving you feeling low on sugar and craving more.
So make sure you choose natural, minimally processed carbohydrate sources and fibre-rich foods, like potatoes, kidney beans, oats, whole grain bread and fruit. That way you stay full for longer.
Need support with your nutrition? I'm happy to show you, as part of personal training in Zurich, how to support your training optimally with the right nutrition, and stop cravings along the way.
Tip 2: Eat regularly
If you only eat 1 to 2 times a day, your blood sugar can quickly crash and cravings follow. So try to spread several meals throughout the day, to keep supplying your body with nutrients constantly.
If you're craving something sweet, reach for fresh fruit. Unlike industrial sugar, the fruit sugar it contains doesn't spike your blood sugar all at once; it simply doesn't rise as sharply in the first place. Your blood sugar stays elevated over a longer period and doesn't crash again shortly after, the way it does with sugary foods.
Tip 3: Don't mistake thirst for hunger
If your fluid needs aren't met, you can end up with cravings. You sense your body needs something and assume it's hunger. But actually your body doesn't need food at all, you're just misreading your feeling of thirst.
Eating, however, won't satisfy you, so you keep eating more and more. To avoid getting to that point, drink regularly throughout the day. If you're someone who needs reminders to drink regularly, set hourly alarms.
Tip 4: Stopping cravings after exercise
After an intense workout, could you devour a giant pizza and then still have ice cream? Understandable, since you're genuinely hungry. After all, physical activity raises your metabolism and speeds up digestion. Your body's vitamin, mineral and electrolyte stores also get used up.
Once your energy stores are depleted, your brain signals you to refill them. You might feel a strong urge for sugary foods.
Of course you should refuel after exercise. What matters, though, is what and how much you eat. Ideally you eat something two to three hours before your training, so that a light meal is enough afterward, like a yoghurt and a banana, for example. Or plan the meal you want to eat after your workout in advance. That way you won't even be tempted to eat more than necessary.
Let's stop your cravings together
In personal training in Zurich or online personal training in my 360-degree gym, I advise you holistically. I build you a tailor-made training plan and show you how to stop cravings with a healthy diet, while also effectively supporting your training, so you reach your fitness goals faster.
In mental training, I show you how to strengthen your mindset, so you have the strength not to simply give in during moments of craving.
I offer you a free 15-minute phone consultation about personal training. In our conversation, I'll explain how personal training in Zurich or online works.
Just sign up right below. I'll get in touch with you right away. I'm looking forward to it!