A stressful day at work leads you to gobble down a big bowl of cheesy pasta without really thinking about why you are craving the high calorie, high-fat food.  As discussed in part one ‘manage your cravings, manage your weight’ these cravings  are caused by chemicals in the brain that are released when you eat these types of foods and make you feel good providing a rush of euphoria that your brain is looking for.  Outsmart your cravings and understanding what your body really needs by asking these remaining two questions that help you identify the real cause of your craving.

Am I sleeping enough?

The correlation between inadequate sleep and over eating has been highly studied.  A study conducted at the University of Chicago, showed that just a few sleepless nights had a dramatic impact on appetite. The study showed that the sleepless nights caused the hormone leptin, which is responsible for triggering the full feeling, dropped by 18% while ghrelin, a hormone that triggers the appetite, increased by 30%. The hormone changes pushed appetites into high gear, and increased starch based cravings by 45%.

If you’re feeling tired, try having some caffeine, it will help you feel more alert and may help you avoid high-calorie snacks you crave when being tired. If you do give in to a craving, remember to always portion out one serving and put the rest away; this will prevent you from overeating.

Do I have bad habits?

For those who undergo weight loss surgery such as gastric bypass surgery or lap band surgery, breaking bad habits can be one of the more difficult challenges. You may have bad habits without even realizing it, such as eating while you watch TV. When you eat while doing other activities, you are distracted and will continue to eat beyond your body’s signal that you are full, thus eating more than your body needs which leads to weight gain.  Instead, create new habits and only eat at the table. To break the habit, identify the activities you do while eating, such as watching TV or surfing the web, then if you feel a need for a snack or meal while you are doing this activity, force yourself to leave what you are doing and go to the table to eat. This will break the connection between the two and allow you to focus on eating when and how much your body needs.

No matter how you plan to tackle your weight management or weight loss goals, managing cravings can be difficult. Remember to always ask yourself why you are craving the foods, before you dive in. If you are struggling with your weight and would like to find out more about the weight loss outcomes of the range of weight loss surgeries available to you – from gastric bypass surgery to lap band surgery, or to find out more about how Weight Loss Mexico can help you to lose weight, for life,  contact us today.

If you missed part one of ‘Manage your cravings; manage your weight’ be sure to check it out for the other two important questions you need to ask yourself when you are hit by your next craving.