Holiday Weight Loss Tips

Tip #2: Kill the Sugar Craving in 5 Steps

For the record, I enjoy a sweet or two now and again, especially during the holiday season. And it has been my experience that as soon as I tell myself that I absolutely cannot have something, I want it even more than I did before. So here are 5 quick ways to make peace with (or kill) your cravings:

1. Plan Ahead: If you are a chocoholic, pull out your weekly food plan/calendar right now and schedule in 3 chocolate snacks that you love.


2. Enjoy It: When "Chocolate Hour" is before you, stretch that one ounce piece for an hour! Well, that may be a stretch. Nevertheless, take the time to be one with your chocolate.


3. Find Alternative Sweets: People generally tend to crave sweets after a meal or when they hit that late afternoon slump. You might enjoy some peppermint tea, a one- ounce box of raisins, a piece of fruit.


4. Wait it Out: Cravings are like clouds. They roll in with the winds and out, too. Generally, the 'crave' cycle is ten minutes long. As soon as you see a 'crave cloud' rolling in, call a friend, take a walk, get busy and distract yourself for a mere ten minutes.


5. Give Yourself A Star: Whether you wait out a craving or sit and be one with your chocolate, you have changed a behavior. Seriously, that's bigger than losing a pound and harder to do! So, give yourself a star. Buy a packet of sticky stars and put one on your food journal page every time you do something that shows that your thinking and behavior are beginning to shift.