Conquer Your Cravings: Break the Sinister Cycle That Promotes Overeating

by Julia Malacoff & Jennifer Nickle (for Precision Nutrition)

From ruining your progress to making you feel like a failure, food cravings aren’t your friend (no matter what they say in the ads). In this article, we break down the real reasons you can’t stop over-snacking and explain how to combine smart behavioral strategies with healthy junk food alternatives—so you can finally conquer your cravings.

Have you ever stared at a pile of crumbs, with a belly full of shame, and wondered, ‘How did I let this happen?’ We can relate. Because almost everyone can relate. Besides driving you to eat, cravings can drive you nuts—making you feel like an out-of-control failure who can’t keep from overindulging. But, you aren’t powerless against these urges, even if it seems that way.

What’s the secret to winning the cravings game? It’s not about eliminating your cravings altogether. That’s wishful thinking. The way you conquer your cravings is by outwitting them. How? By understanding why, where, and when they occur and creating a strategic action plan ahead of time. Think of it as learning “junk food jiu-jitsu”. And if you’re ready, you can start today.

Here are some insights to help you understand cravings so you can get off that train for good, followed by some strategies to help you take action.

     Insight #1: The root of your cravings. No one hates on themselves when they crave a salad, a protein shake, or a grilled chicken breast. But most cravings are closely tied to junk food and have little to do with true hunger. Further, each time you indulge these urges you reinforce the behavior, creating a “cravings cycle” that can hijack your progress… and your sanity.

The cravings cycle works like this: First comes the urge (the craving), followed by the behavior (finding a food that satisfies that craving). Then, you get the reward (eating the food you wanted). That last part is accompanied by a release of dopamine, giving your brain a chemical “hit” of pleasure¹.
From there it can snowball: The more often you reward your brain, the more likely it is to stimulate the craving, and the stronger that craving may become.

   Insight #2: Find your trigger. Ever had your mouth water at the mere sight of a McDonald’s drive-thru? Or smell that movie popcorn and make a beeline for the concession stand—even though you swore you’d skip it this time?

Cravings are often brought on by environmental cues such as sight, smell, taste, location, or company. Tracking when and where your cravings occur can you help you figure out what triggers them. From there, you can adjust your environment and habits to disrupt the cycle.

Each time you experience a craving, jot down the answers to these questions:
   1). What are you craving? (A specific food? A certain flavor or texture?)
   2). Where are you? (Note your location, but also any smells or visual cues—like a restaurant billboard or commercial.)
   3). What are you doing? (Driving? Working? Watching TV?)
   4). What are you feeling physically? (Shaky? Lightheaded? Tense?)
   5). What are you feeling emotionally? (Happy? Cranky? Rushed? Anxious?)
   6). What are you thinking? (For instance: ‘I might as well eat this… I’ve already blown my diet.’)
   7). Who are you with? (Be very specific.)

This isn’t a one-time exercise. It might be helpful to actually keep a cravings journal. Try it for a couple of weeks so you can see what patterns emerge. And trust us, there are almost always patterns.

   Insight #3: Identify & change your patterns. Let’s say you tend to reach for ice cream an hour after dinner every night. According to your notes, you’re not even really hungry; you’re just craving something sweet, salty, or crunchy… or maybe a combination of the three.

Or perhaps you’ve noticed that every day after your 2 pm conference call, you saunter down to the office cafeteria “just to see if there’s anything new.” (There’s not.) And you end up with a 500-calorie “treat” you didn’t need or even truly want out of sheer habit.

You now better understand your cravings and just identified a pattern. Now you can disrupt the cycle with these smart behavioral strategies.

   Strategy #1: Give your craving a time out. Yes, the strategy traditionally used with willful toddlers can also work with Rocky Road. Notice your snack urge and sit with it for 10-20 minutes without taking action.

This isn’t about exercising willpower. It’s about pausing just long enough to let your conscious mind say, ‘Hey, I’m in charge here!’ This gives you the chance to evaluate all your options, and make a rational decision, rather than a reactionary one.

Are you actually hungry? Or are you bored or stressed or procrastinating? Does a steak or baked potato sound good, or is it just those donuts in the break room? These are the kinds of questions you can take the time to ask yourself.

Maybe you’re truly hungry (in this case, have a meal or mini-meal). Or perhaps you’re just not having your best day. (Trigger alert!) Think of this as an opportunity to gather more data about your cravings, so you better understand them. (And give yourself a pat on the back for taking that 10-20 minutes.).

     Strategy #2: Choose an activity that doesn’t involve a form of food. What happens if you step away from the freezer and go for a walk, clean up your phone’s camera roll, or make a new Spotify playlist? By immersing your mind or body in an activity long enough, you may run the urge all the way out of your system.

That’s because cravings are more often psychological rather than physical. Intense compulsions such as cravings don’t usually last longer than 10 to 20 minutes. If you’re not really hungry, the craving will likely dissipate.

   You’ve probably even experienced a form of this “diversion therapy” before. Ever get so involved in a project that you actually forget to eat lunch? Or the afternoon flies by, and you didn’t even think about a snack? Same concept, only this time, you’ll do it on purpose.
   Once you sense a craving, choose an activity you can really dig into, such as:
1). Working on a project or pastime you’re passionate about
2). crossing an item off of your daily to-do list
3). Responding to a few emails
4). Calling or texting a friend
5). Playing an instrument or video (or other) game
6). Shooting hoops in the driveway
7). Drawing or coloring in a coloring book.
8). Exercising, gardening, or cleaning
9). Watching some short (but FUN) videos
   Remember, you’re looking to activate and occupy your mind and/or body. While different activities may work better for different people, watching TV probably won’t help (and in fact, is often a trigger).

     Strategy #3: Eat the right foods during the day. Though cravings can happen any time of day, nighttime cravings and overeating are very common. Over the years, our coaches have discovered clients who overeat at night are often restricting their intake throughout the day—knowingly or unknowingly. 

For example, they might be skipping breakfast and having a salad with little or no protein for lunch. By dinner, they could be making solid choices rich in fiber, protein, and healthy fats, but their appetite is already in overdrive, so it’s no wonder they’re feeling snacky before bed. What you eat during the day matters. 

Fiber (especially from low-calorie vegetables) helps fill you up, and protein keeps you full longer between meals. This makes eating a combination of these nutrients, in sensible portions at regular intervals, key for regulating appetite.

Through years of experience, our coaches have found that even small adjustments to eating habits, such as adding a daily breakfast with a healthy dose of protein and veggies—along with reasonable amounts of smart carbs and healthy fats—can help curb after-dinner overeating.

The message here is simple: If you have a voracious night-time appetite, look at what you’re eating the rest of the day. You may find if you do a better job of nourishing your body at other meals, you won’t hear that little “feed me!” voice when you’re about to brush your teeth.