Sunday, September 6, 2009

Cravings - All in your head!

It's true! Lack of serotonin, a chemical produced by your brain, can cause you to cave into cravings. Your serotonin levels may be reduced due to lack of sleep, stress or even sunlight. Also, if you are eating poorly and not exercising, it's likely your level of serotonin will be down as well. This can lead to a case of the tireds, which in my case and likely yours, means that you are more likely to give in on your diet.

What can you do to curb the cravings?

--Boost your serotonin levels by eating a balanced diet. Foods like turkey, chicken and brown rice help to produce serotonin.

--Go for a walk! Or do some other activity to keep yourself busy while the craving passes.

--Get an appropriate amount of sleep.

--Figure out what you really want. Are you bored, tired, sad, angry? Or, maybe you are just plain hungry. If you truly want the food you are craving, it's best to just eat it! Plan for it within your daily calories and enjoy it! If you put it off, you are likely to "eat around" it, then eat it anyway, eating more calories that you typically would have in the first place.

--Keep an anchor with you at all times. This is a token or a picture that will remind you why you want to reach your health goals.

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