10 Tips to Crush those Cravings—For Good!

We all get them…those cravings that make you temporarily lose any desire to stick to your transformation goals. You know the feeling—all of a sudden you just HAVE to have ________ {you fill in the blank}. So what can you do when those cravings strike? Here are ten simple ways to crush those cravings once and for all:

1.  Drink at least one tall glass of water when you first feel that craving creeping in. Sometimes when we think we;re hungry, we;re actually thirsty, so quenching that thirst can help control those cravings.

10 TIPS TO CRUSH THOSE CRAVINGS?FOR GOOD with Heidi Powell.
Some Water Bottles I Love:

2.  Eat more veggies. These powerhouse foods are super low in calories and high in nutrients, and they can definitely make you feel fuller! Make sure you have your faves prepped and ready to go for whenever and wherever those cravings hit. You can also “volumize” your meals—and get a head start on those hungry feelings later in the day—by adding extra veggies to your meals.

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3.  Chew sugar-free mint-flavored gum, eat a sugar-free breath mint, or put a dab of toothpaste on your tongue. The mint flavor can actually suppress your appetite, and it tastes quite refreshing too. 😉
4. Eat 5 meals a day—spaced every three hours—like we do in carb cycling. Don’t even give your tummy a chance to get hungry! Better yet, include a serving of protein—and eat it first—with each of those 5 meals.

Eat More Veggies to Crush Cravings -- tips from Heidi Powell

5. Make sure your breakfast carb is as high in fiber as possible. This will help slow down your digestion so you’ll feel fuller much longer!
6.  If it’s a low-carb day, when you’re more likely to crave those carbs, eat a little fat. Yes, you read that right. Eat one tablespoon of your favorite healthy fat (like almond butter, for example), set a timer for 15 minutes, and Voila! That craving should disappear.

Healthy Fats to Crush those Cravings and stay on your Transformation journey! Tips and Tricks from Heidi Powell

7. Call/text a supportive friend. Often, this person can talk you off of that craving-laden ledge! 🙂

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8. Rid your house of your favorite cravings—if they’re not in your house, you won’t eat them. Likewise, stay clear of places where you can find these foods and take an alternate route if you must. If you don’t go there, you won’t eat there!
9. Know what situations trigger your cravings. Boredom? Stress? ______? Put a plan in place of activities you can do—besides feeding that craving—so you’ll know how to handle these situations without resorting to food.

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10. If none of these work, and you’re hitting desperation mode, try one of these as a last resort:

  • A small handful of almonds, then 1 to 2 cups of water
  • 1 tablespoon of peanut butter or almond butter, then 1 to 2 cups of water
  • 1 stick of string cheese, then 1 to 2 cups of water
  • 1 tablespoon of avocado, then 1 to 2 cups of water

Bonus tip: If that craving is one for the record books and none of these options work, try one of these three delicious 100-calorie liquid treats:

  • Root beer float: Ice-cold diet root beer + 1 tablespoon heavy cream
  • Coconut water: 1 cup warm water + 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • Bulletproof coffee: 1 cup coffee + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • Word of warning: Each one of these carry a 100-calorie impact, so only use these as a very, very last resort, limit yourself to one a day, and sip on it slowly—make it last as long as possible!

Cut those Cravings with Heidi Powell

So give one (or all, if necessary) of these a try when your next craving rears its ugly head, because as we all know, caving into those cravings can definitely be a huge roadblock to your transformation success!

Xoxo,

Heidi

Craving more awesome transformation tips like these? (Sorry…just couldn’t resist). 😉 Get many, many more in our new book, Extreme Transformation, on stands now, and get daily workouts and nutrition in our new app!

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Related reading:

Emotional Eating: How to Take Control Once and for All
Combating That Time of the Month
It Really Is All About the Promise
Ask the Powells: How Can I Structure My Meals?
I Cheat Every Day

81 Responses

  1. Instead of having a ‘cheat day’, I have a treat 3x a week and never feel cravings. I’ve lost close to 50 pounds, im in the best shape of my life and I am on my way to becoming a certified spinning and aerobic instructor.

    I really love your show, your website and all the fun tips, thanks !!

  2. 3 in the afternoon, and every night after dinner I want dessert need a little something sweet and lately have not been making the best choices and its always something cake like that I crave ugh

  3. Last Saturday was the first time in 3 weeks of carb cycling(turbo) that I had cravings! I’m so proud of myself though I drank a ton of water and a ton of veggies at dinner and didn’t cave. Come Sunday (reward day) the cravings were gone!! So it was a win win, I didn’t give in and I didn’t go overboard at all on Sunday!! Dietbet weight almost obtained! So excited I’m one pound away from being at the weight I was before my mom passed on Nov 9th!! Still have 2yr old baby weight, but one pound at a time and I’m back to killing my workouts!! Thx Heidi!!!

    1. Try roasted seaweed! That almost ALWAYS satisfies that craving for me.
      And I wouldn’t get the salted kind either because the roasted kind is salty enough for me, but maybe you can try a few different kinds and find your favorite.

  4. Great tips! I also like to make a pot of raspberry hibiscus tea. It is caffeine free and has a natural sweetness with no need for sugar. Slowly sipping my tea and indulging in a juicy book, takes my mind off the cupcakes (my weakness). A square of dark chocolate with peanut butter always curbs my sweet tooth. Nice to know we are all human.

  5. Thank you Heidi. I will try your suggestions. I tend to sabotage myself in the late afternoon/early evening before having dinner. You and Chris are very inspiring. Thank you 🙂

  6. Love the tips and inspiration. I’ve read both of Chris’ Carb Cycling books and notice for women it is recommended 1200/1500 cals respectively for L/H days. Is it understood very active ladies would need more cals? I either run, HIIT and/or do metabolic lifting most days of the week, including half marathon traing and am finding following the classic plan, I’m eating 1400-1500 low days and 1700-1900 high days. Losing an average of 1- 1.25 lbs a week. Any lower cals on low days and im dizzy/super exhausted. Should I stick with this as long as I’m losing fat steadily? I even considered trying the FIT plan but really don’t want to slow my fat loss efforts down, altho the energy and calories would be welcomed! Oh, I’m 5’7″ 140 lbs. Thanks for the help!

    1. Yes, those are the calorie recommendations for women on low and high carb days. If what you’re doing is working for you, and you’re happy with your rate of weight loss, then keep doing that! When you reach your weight loss goal, you might consider doing the Fit Cycle as your maintenance plan, and here’s a post all about weight loss maintenance that might help: https://heidipowell.net/5137/weight-loss-maintenance/. You got this!

  7. I just ran into this last week! I started carb cycling 16 days ago. And last week was a struggle! I wanted everything salty and sweet, BUT I stuck to the plan. Had my healthy fats (almond butter or avocado) and was able to get past it. I’m down 14 lbs so far, and I feel great!! Thank you Heidi and Chris for being such wonderful and honest people. When you guys show us you’re real people too it gives us hope! Thanks!!

  8. Thanks for all your advice! I am so mad at myself and trying to get motivated but can’t ! Last year at this time I had lost 55 lbs doing Medifast and running. I felt great and loved the way I looked. I felt like the woman my husband and kids deserve. Well medifast was to expensive so I stoped and I now have gained it plus more back. I get motivated and then shoot myself down but I’m trying real hard and I love your blog and Instagram page. One day I hope to look 1/2 as great as you. Thanks

    1. Almost everyone I know that has done Medifast (myself included) has gained all or most of it back. It’s expensive and you feel good at the time, cause you’re losing a few pounds a week, but it’s really hard to keep it off. I lost almost 30 pounds before my wedding, and have yo-yo’d ever since (almost 7 years later). The only thing that seems to work is to continually exercise and eat fairly well. I try not to “diet” because that means it’s temporary, but the times when I am consistently exercising and watching what I am eating are the times I can lose or maintain. I am at a phase now where I have been gaining again, so I’m right there with you. I need some motivation!

    2. You just have to take it one day at a time. As hard as it may seem, it is so worth the effort. I am not sure how the Medifast plan works, but I know that any quick diet scheme never worked for me. You have to make lifestyle changes, and continue them, or the weight will creep back on. I exercise twice a day, five days a week, and when I splurged during the holidays, I still gained. You have to be consistent with your food choices and do the best you can to stay on track. It is a daily battle with me. I struggled with eating disorder as a teen, and still have issues with the bingeing, it is a daily struggle to say no to my trigger foods, but I know it is worth the effort. Best of luck to you, and don’t give up

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