I was searching ways to stop craving junk food because I find myself at certain times of the day craving a sweet treat, but I know in order to have the beach body I want, I can’t have certain foods. So I turned to good old Google and came across an article in Womens Health  (yes, I’m reading a woman’s magazine) that had some really helpful tips on how to kick junk food cravings.

1. Set mini goals. One of the main reasons diets fail is because we set our goals too high. It’s nice to have an end goal, but try setting smaller goals in between to make the journey seem less intense. For instance, make a log and set a goal that, for one week you’re going to eat clean with no sweet indulgences, and once you achieve that goal, repeat it for the next week. This will allow your body to register that eating healthier makes you feel better which in turn makes every other aspect of life seem better.

2. Find a motivator. If the only reason you want to eat healthy and lose weight is to fit into your jeans, that might not be enough. Most people stop and revert back to old eating habits once they can fit into the jeans they couldn’t wear for 5 years. Remember, healthy eating is a lifestyle change, so make a log of every headache, backache, acne breakout, or heartburn, and you’ll notice that eating healthy improves your quality of life and health.

3. Don’t fret mistakes. So you ate a doughnut at the office because they were free. It’s not the end of the world, you can’t go back and change it, so move on and don’t fret it. Just set a goal that the next 5 meals you eat are clean and free of sugary foods, that way you’ve eaten healthy 80% of the time.

4. Don’t skip breakfast. It’s an old saying that many people ignore, but breakfast is the most important meal of the day and skipping it is doing you more harm than you think. Your body goes into a fast mode as you sleep and when you wake up, you need to replenish the nutrients your body burned during sleep. (Yes your body burns calories while sleeping.) So allow yourself extra time to eat a well balanced breakfast in the morning and be sure to stay away from the sugary lattes and muffins.

5. Restock your pantry. Go into your pantry and look around, if it’s mostly sweets and foods high in saturated fats, chuck it. Yes, it’s a waste of money, but what’s more expensive…a bag of potato chips or triple bypass surgery? Restock your pantry and fridge with fruits, nuts, vegetables, whole grains, chicken, tuna, and other high protein low fat foods. This will ensure that late night cravings are fulfilled but not with sweets but almonds or an apple.

6. Don’t be fooled by names. Just because the cookie package says it’s made with organic cane sugar doesn’t mean it’s healthy. It’s still a cookie and it still won’t get you into beach body shape. Natural sugars like honey still raise your blood sugar just like white sugar, meaning it’s still doing the same thing to your body. If you crave a cookie and you plan on eating a “organic flax seed chocolate chocolate chip cookie” just eat a regular cookie and accept the fact that you have deviated from the path. A cookie is a cookie no matter how you make it.

7. Trick your brain. If you have just eaten an hour ago, but you suddenly crave a sweet treat, change your environment. Even if it’s standing and stretching at your desk or walking around the office, you need to trick your brain into not thinking about the craving. Or do what I do, and drink a glass of water every hour. You’ll be getting up to use the restroom every so often so you are constantly changing your location thus getting your brain off the craving.

There are many things you can do to kick the junk food cravings, and if you’re like me and you want to get that beach body everyone talks about, remember these words…”If I want to have the body I’ve always dreamed of, I have to eat clean and train dirty.” That simply means, eat the right foods and exercise hard in order to achieve the success you’ve always wanted. Eating healthy is a lifestyle change, and it’s hard. But it can be done and you CAN do it! I’d love to hear your stories as I myself am currently on this journey of changing my body and life, feel free to email me your stories to cj@mix1051.com and I’ll gladly share mine!