Handling hunger and cravings aren’t easy to handle for any average person, but it becomes even harder if you’re devoted to your fitness regime. This is because a healthy lifestyle involves giving up all the sugary and savoury snacks we’re all guilty of enjoying. There’s simply no room for empty calories and fatty foods when you’re trying to look and feel your best. That being said, it can be hard to get your head into the right mindset. What’s more, this kind of regime can often become straining after a while so cravings naturally occur. There’s no sense undoing all your hard work, so follow this advice to be able to conquer your hunger.
1. Get a healthy amount of sleep
Everyone knows that sleep is one of the better things you can do for your body. This is the time when it heals and prepares for the challenges of the upcoming day. When you’re a fitness guru, sleep should become even higher on your list of priorities. If it’s not, you’ll just end up exhausting yourself.
In this scenario, your body will look for other ways to stay functional and it’ll make you crave cheap and easy food which will fuel it, at least for a little while. Those foods will just make you more tired after around ten minutes, though.
2. Plan your meals ahead
Planning your meals is one of the most reliable ways to kick cravings for good. This way you will be giving yourself no time to act on those cravings if they occur. You can sit down every night and plan out exactly what you’re going to eat the upcoming day, then do your best to prepare in advance.
Or you could choose another method, and that’s grocery shopping and preparing meals for the entire upcoming week. This is a more frugal and time-saving option, but it doesn’t suit everyone. It’s all up to you and your habits.
3. Know your emotions
This is the step towards solving the problem at its core. Cravings and extreme hunger come from a place of negative emotions, most often. When we’re talking about a fit person with a strict diet, that negative emotion is most commonly stress. The need to stuff your face with high-calorie food which is easily digestible and tasty can be a sign that you don’t know how to process stress.
Every time you start craving something, you should ask yourself how you’re feeling. Reflect on the day you had. If it was particularly long and stressful, you need to work on those emotions. Perhaps it’s a good idea to workout in these times as the physical activity will help release the tension from your muscles. This will also aid your body in coping with stress, potentially eliminating your cravings right away.
4. Choose healthy alternatives
There are some alternatives to conventional foods that you can choose to alleviate your cravings. For example, instead of milk chocolate, you can switch to dark chocolate. It doesn’t taste completely the same but will provide you with the nutrients and sugar you’re craving. You could also try making various healthy desserts yourself.
Post workout snacks are especially important because this is most likely when you’ll be having the most cravings due to fatigue. You can conquer this with healthy sugars in fruits. Of course, having fruit doesn’t sound as appetizing as munching on your favourite candy. That’s why you can blend it together with some healthy and tasty vegan protein powder. It’ll give you a post-workout boost and add some protein to your day while making you forget all about your cravings because the taste will hit just the spot.
5. Stay hydrated
When working out, one of the most important things to do is stay hydrated. The water helps you sweat and leaves your body nourished. It also makes you feel less exhausted afterwards. Not only that, but hydration is also very helpful when it comes to stopping cravings and hunger.
When you are thirsty, your brain can send signals that you’re feeling hungry instead, making you crave all sorts of unhealthy things. So, make sure to drink enough water, especially after a workout session. This should stop you from feeling hungry and subdue your cravings. It’s also a good trick for whenever you start craving something.
Conclusion
As you can see, being on your best behaviour hunger wise doesn’t have to be impossible. All you need is some self-control and will-power, then you’ll be able to conquer any craving or sudden wave of hunger. Remember that you’ve worked hard to get to where you are now and that it wouldn’t be worth it to just throw it all away for a few measly minutes of sugary pleasure. We’re confident that you’ll be able to keep acing your fitness regime with these handy tips.
