When the stress and hardship of news surrounding a pandemic like Covid-19 hits, it can be hard to resist the urge to turn to food for comfort. Occasionally snacking when you’re stressed isn’t necessarily bad. However, if left unchecked it can cause your weight to grow to be out of control. In case you find yourself going down the path of weight gain, here are some tips to help you get back on track, until you can talk to a medical weight loss specialist:

Delaying
A food craving may feel like it lasts forever, but research has shown that a food craving only lasts around 25 to 30 minutes. So before we give into food cravings we should delay giving into that urge. Start with 5 minutes at a time, and continue to distract yourself. Before you know it 30 minutes has passed and you won’t even remember what you were craving. Your BMI will thank you.

Distraction
While you’re delaying giving into your food craving, distracting yourself will really help you. Finding something to do that brings the same positive feelings giving into cravings does. Reading a book, walking to lose weight, calling a friend, or watching a show can be a great way to distract from your cravings.

Distancing
While delaying and distracting, it’ll be easier to resist your cravings by distancing yourself from food. This helps you cut down on the likelihood of satisfying that craving.

Determination
If your craving is still gripping you and you’ve followed these instructions so far, then asking yourself how this will affect your weight in the long run may be the solution. We know that if we continue to give into those cravings we will regret it later down the road. But when we remind ourselves why we want to lose weight we can remind ourselves why we’re trying to resist our cravings. This determination can be the key to stunting those cravings before they even start.

Decision Making
If all of the points we’ve made above have not worked for you, and you feel like it’s time to give into those food cravings, you must make a decision.

  • How much do I eat? The whole bag of chips or just a handful?
  • Where will I eat them? In my pantry? My car? Or am I going to settle in at the table?
  • How fast will I eat it? Will I eat it quickly and go back to work? Will I chew slowly and savor each bite?

Making these decisions can help you last longer between each craving you give into. By following these steps you can resist your cravings and continue to work towards your weight loss goals.