10 Ways to Control Intense Food Cravings and Hunger Pangs

Disclaimers: I have in no way been influenced or paid to endorse these products. All recommendations are my own.

I am not a medical professional. Talk to your doctor before attempting any treatments that may affect your health.

Unhealthy food cravings and hunger pangs are an everyday challenge for me. My love of food and regular snacking blows out my calorie count for the day, even before dinner. My hunger pangs have even led me to take appetite suppressants – with disastrous results. Unfortunately for me they have quite the opposite effect causing extreme hunger and irritability (pity my husband). Exercise also stimulates my appetite, leading me to overeat and replace the calories I just worked so hard to lose.

My quest for a healthier lifestyle has helped me to gain a better understanding of my constant food cravings. Although hunger pangs are still an everyday challenge for me, I have found a number of strategies that enable me to take control of my appetite and achieve my weight loss goals. I hope that they can help you too.

1. Smell Some Cocoa

When I read that smelling chocolate can suppress the appetite, I was sceptical. Usually when I catch the scent of something chocolatey it gets my stomach gurgling. However, when I took the time to read the research published in 2010, it got me thinking. By using dark chocolate, 85% cocoa with 12.5g/100g of sugar, they were able to successfully satiate the appetite of participants simply by having them smell it. So I gave it a go and it worked! But I don’t always have dark chocolate in the cupboard as that sort of thing disappears quickly in my household. So I experimented and found that smelling a good quality cocoa also successfully satiates my sugar cravings. As I always have cocoa in the cupboard, it’s a great solution for me. It has such a strong scent that it fulfils my cravings for something chocolatey.

This study also found that melting a 30g (1 ounce) piece of dark chocolate in your mouth satiates appetite. So if you are planning on eating some chocolate as a special treat, make sure you choose a dark chocolate and let it melt on your tongue – don’t chew it!

2. Avoid Smelling Food That Is High in Sugar and Fat

Research carried out on binge eating has shown that smelling high sugar, high fat food can provoke an increase in appetite. So if you can, avoid all situations where you may be confronted by these smells and try to hold your breath as you walk past the fast food restaurants and bakeries!

3. Drink a Large Glass of Water

Did you know that we often mistake thirst for hunger? Drinking a large glass of water when you feel hungry not only suppresses your appetite but also provides you with the essential hydration your body needs to boost your metabolism and assist with weight loss.

When we are dehydrated, it affects the functioning of our kidneys which filters toxins from our body. This in turn puts added pressure on the liver to take some of this load which then affects its ability to carry out its usual job of metabolising fat, an important function for weight loss. Many people don’t realise that they are exacerbating their dehydration by consuming drinks containing caffeine, such as coffee, tea and coke. They act as diuretics and can affect our ability to lose weight. Try reducing your intake of caffeinated of drinks and replace them with water instead.

Not a Fan of Water?

Try adding a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime to give it a pleasant flavour with the added benefits of vitamin C.

The benefits of water don’t stop there. Did you know that drinking a glass of water 30 minutes before a meal can prevent you from overeating? So no more excuses! Grab that glass of water and drink it down.

4. Eat a Small Tub of Low Calorie Yogurt

Yogurt is a great low calorie snack that helps to satiate your hunger and keep your appetite in check. Research has shown that it can also help you to lose weight. Those on a calorie controlled diet that included yogurt as a daily snack lost more weight that those that didn’t. They also retained more lean muscle mass which helps you burn more calories and maintain weight loss.

Yogurt is also excellent for controlling sugar cravings. You may think yogurt a poor substitute for that donut craving, but once consumed, the yogurt can really help to reduce, if not stop, the sugar cravings. But be careful when buying yogurt because most of the low fat options usually contain a ridiculous amount of sugar to help them taste better. Try buying the natural yogurt with only 1-2% fat and no sugar. If you haven’t eaten this kind of yogurt before you may initially struggle with the absence of sugar, so try adding some berries to sweeten it. This happened to me but after sticking it out for a week, my taste buds actually grew accustomed to it and now I really enjoy it. It’s also great for you stomach and well being because it is a natural probiotic.

Make Your Own Healthy Fruit Yogurt

Add natural yogurt 1-2% fat, sugar free yogurt and your favourite berries to your food processor. Blend until combined.

You can save a lot of money by making your own using yoghurt starter and a yoghurt maker. That way you also get to control what goes in it.

5. Immerse Yourself in Other Activities

Distraction is a great strategy for those of us who get hungry simply because we are bored or crave the enjoyment of our favourite flavours in our mouth. Instead of eating, try going for a walk, ringing a friend or jumping on the computer, anything that takes your mind of your hunger pangs. After 20 minutes of being distracted you’ll soon find those hunger pangs dissipating.

Distraction techniques are really the key. A recent obesity study found that tapping your forehead for 30 seconds reduced the intensity of cravings. It also led to the greatest reductions in food image vividness.

There are many of us that eat because we are lonely or bored. We may even have experienced some kind of loss, creating a void that we try to fill with food. Instead, we need to look for more positive and fulfilling ways to meet our needs such as a new hobby, spending time with family and friends or joining a club. Understanding and acknowledging this can help us realise that food is not the answer to our problems and only serves to cause us more mental and physical suffering in the long term.

6. Change Your Way of Thinking

How many of us feel hungry at set times of the day? Is this because we are hungry or because we have conditioned ourselves to eat at these defined periods of time? Take the time to ask yourself, what does “feeling hungry” mean to me? Does it mean that my stomach is empty and my body needs sustenance? Or is it that I just don’t feel “stuffed full” and could therefore fit more food in? This is certainly how it was for me. I had to reset my thinking because my signal to stop eating was when I could no longer stuff anything more into my stomach. I had to learn to recognize what being “comfortably full” was and realize that if I stopped eating at this point, I could still feel satisfied.

Sometimes our hunger is purely psychological. Ever found yourself craving food after watching TV commercials? Often we don’t even notice that this type of marketing is having an effect on our feelings of hunger. Day to day we are bombarded with unhealthy food images (billboards, sides of trucks, shop displays etc…). We are so accustomed to seeing them that we are no longer consciously register them. However, we don’t realise the influence that these images are having on us at a subconscious level. Being aware of these marketing tricks and how they attempt to control your appetite can help you to overcome these types of food cravings.

7. Don’t Be so Hard on Yourself

If you do end up giving in to your cravings, don’t beat yourself up about it. It will only cause you to feel like a failure and lead you to give up on your healthy eating goals. It’s important to understand that nobody is perfect, we all have our slip ups. We must forgive ourselves and see it for what it was – a minor deviation from our path. Just get straight back on that path and keep moving towards your goal. It is also important to take the time to learn from our mistakes. Ask yourself, what led you to give in to your cravings? What was happening at the time? How were you feeling? If the situation was to arise again, how you would respond differently?

When I attend events I find myself presented with lots of temptations. I used to go nuts and eat everything, even food that I would never even consider buying or making myself because I didn’t actually like them much. I was just eating it because it was there in front of me (and free!). But now when I find myself in these situations I stop and think, is there anything on this table that would actually be a real treat for me? Is there something that I would consider one of my favourites? I ask myself “am I actually hungry and do I really need to eat right now”? I take the time to honestly answer these questions. If my answer is “yes”, then I will indulge myself and take a (small) piece. I find this helps keep my eating in check by preventing the cravings from building up and causing me to gorge at the next opportunity I get.

Tip: If there is more than one thing I want, I either choose one favourite, or take a little portion of each. Then I don’t feel like I’m missing out.

8. Eat Low Calorie Snacks That Are Both Filling and Satiating

These foods contain a lot of water which fills up the stomach and increases satiety. This can help prevent you from indulging in your unhealthy food cravings and deviating from your calorie plan. They are also full of vitamins, nutrients and other health benefits. Try the following delicious foods:

• Watermelon
• Lettuce and leafy greens
• Celery (Be aware that some people have an allergy to celery)
• Grapefruit (Grapefruit should not be consumed with some types of medications, check with your pharmacist or Doctor.)
• Broth
• Cucumbers
• Tomatoes (cherry tomatoes are an especially delicious snack)

9. Eat Nutritious, Filling Meals

Experiencing hunger pangs an hour after eating? You need to start eating filling, nutritious meals to help you feel fuller for longer and prevent hunger pangs between meals. Try to avoid foods that are high in sugary carbohydrates, as they don’t keep you feeling full and satisfied for very long and before you know it you’ll be eating again. Try including the following foods in your meal plan:

• Oatmeal
• Broth based soup
• Legumes such as beans, lentils, chickpeas
• Avocado
• Eggs

10. Don’t Keep Unhealthy Snacks in the House

Knowing that I have snacks in the cupboard causes intense cravings, even when I’m not actually hungry. When grocery shopping I try to completely avoid entering the snack aisle, otherwise the temptation is too strong. I accept that I struggle to resist the lure of junk food, so why make it worse for myself? I also take the time to eat before going to the supermarket. This can really help you avoid impulse purchases.

References

American Chemical Society. (2010, August 23). Drink water to curb weight gain? Clinical trial confirms effectiveness of simple appetite control method. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 21, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100823142929.htm

Drewnowski A. Metabolic determinants of binge eating. Addictive Behaviors (Nov-Dec, 1995), 20 (6), 733-745

Massolt, E. T., van Haard, P. M., Rehfeld, J. F., Posthuma, E. F., van der Veer, E., & Schweitzer, D. H. (2010). Appetite suppression through smelling of dark chocolate correlates with changes in ghrelin in young women. Regulatory peptides, 161(1), 81-86.

Zemel, M. B., Thompson, W., Milstead, A., Morris, K., & Campbell, P. (2004). Calcium and dairy acceleration of weight and fat loss during energy restriction in obese adults. Obesity research, 12(4), 582-590.