Picture this. It’s 8pm and you stuck to your diet today like a pro. But that craving monster is starting to rear its ugly head. It screams, “eat that chocolate bar”. What chocolate bar you ask? Oh, you know. The one you hid in the bottom of the pantry. The one you hoped you’d forget about. But your brain knows it’s there and wants it now! So how do you distract yourself before binging and let that candy bar live to see another day?
Well, you could have someone lock you in a room and keep the key until the craving passes. Or you can use one of these 15 ways to distract yourself before binging turns a day of healthy eating into a day of diet terror.
15 ways to distract yourself before binging
Drink a some carbonated water flavored with fresh fruit
Cut up some fresh fruit and add it to sparkling water. This should give you the hint of indulging without the calorie punch of a full-blown binge. Plus dehydration will send cravings into overdrive, meaning proper hydration will be an amazing craving deterrent.
Eat a small amount of fat with a small amount of protein
Protein and fat are amazing for helping you feel full and stay full. That carb rich, sugary treat will seem less, “I need this now” the more full you feel.
Take a walk
A great way to distract yourself before binging is to get moving. It will stop the momentum of a craving from making you spiral out of control. Walking is great for clearing your head,clearing emotional hurdles, and releasing endorphins. This can make you feel so good, your desire to eat disappears like in a magic trick.
Call a friend
A friend can often be the accountability you need to stop yourself from your own self-destructive behavior. Have a few friends on speed dial who care about you and your health goals. And make sure to reach out before you engage in behavior you know you’ll regret in the morning.
Chew some gum
Sometimes you just don’t really feel hungry. You just really want to chew. And a piece of gum can be exactly what you need to fulfill that chewing urge without eating all those brownies you made for your 6-year-old’s bake sale. Because you know how awkward it’s gonna be to explain your binge to the bake sale committee.
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The exact steps to take to stop a craving from turning into a binge. Right where you need to see it when you’re about to ruin your day of good eating
Clean something
OK, maybe cleaning doesn’t seem like the most glamorous option. So why is this a recommendation? Because once you get started being productive, you’ll be filled with feel good hormones. And you might not want to ruin that feeling by making a mess of your diet.
Watch a comedy show
Laughing is like a workout for your soul. And in relieving stress, it can help curb emotional cravings. And the less emotional cravings, the more likely you are to leave that chocolate bar and move on to more healthy behavior.
Write in a journal
Many times we rush into fulfilling cravings without much awareness as to why. Take a few moments to put your state of mind to paper. This may give you a hint of the emotional cravings that are pushing your brain to bully you into a self-sabotaging binge.
Play with a pet or a small child
Animals and small children tend to see the best in you. And they love your for the simple things. Playing can bring you back to a time of innocence. And can help you let go of the problems that are pushing you to self-soothe with food.
Make a food compromise
A great way to distract yourself from a binge is to give yourself a treat that isn’t nearly as disastrous as that chocolate bar. Craving some salty nachos? Have some salty kale chips. Want to take a swim in a sea of ice cream? Pop some frozen grapes in your mouth. Doing these before binging might keep you cool and in control.
Focus more on what you chew
Many times you feel unfulfilled after eating because you don’t eat very mindfully. So you scarfed down your dinner and now you’re desperate for dessert. Try to slow down and focus on the taste of your food. This will help you get more out of what you eat which will stop you from mindlessly munching through the evening.
Engage in mentally challenging behavior
Think of doing puzzle, a crossword puzzle or maybe sodoku.. Just get your brain working. Think of your brain as a small child who needs entertainment and distraction. You can’t beat a craving if you are continually thinking hungry thoughts. As you focus more and more, your mind won’t have as much energy to crave.
Take a nap
You’ll often hear internal screams for sugar or salty refined carbohydrates when you’re sleepy.So a nagging need for either of these types of foods can be a flashing neon sign that you need some sleep. Take a 20 minute nap. Or if it’s evening, consider (gasp) turning in earlier than usual.
Meditate
If cleaning the clutter out of your home doesn’t work, what about cleaning the clutter out of your brain? There can be so much chatter going on that you can’t clearly hear your true voice. Clearing out all the gunk is a great way to distract yourself before binging. And meditation can bring you closer to your true voice, and help you find other forms of happiness besides food.
Breathe deeply
So many of us are shallow breathers. And how the heck are you supposed to make good decisions when you’re not even taking in enough oxygen? So put your hand on your diaphram (right below your rib cage) and slowly take 10 deep inhales and exhales. You’ll be amazed at how different you feel once you’re getting proper oxygen in your body!
GET YOUR FREE CRAVING BUSTER ACTION SHEET FOR YOUR FRIDGE
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The exact steps to take to stop a craving from turning into a binge. Right where you need to see it when you’re about to ruin your day of good eating!
So there you have it!
Lots of ways to distract yourself before binging. It’s possible to stop the destructive consequences of eating out of control. But it just takes some awareness and some effort. Don’t just tell yourself not to eat a certain food. Do something that will actually help you distract yourself. When you divert your attention, you give your craving less power. And before you know it, you’ll be fully engaged in something else besides destroying your full day of healthy, beautiful eating.
I am not on a diet. These are helpful tips. But, gum kind of makes you hungry after a certain length of time. Other than that, i love them. I love the writing in your journal one. Awesome.
Yes, definitely don’t do the gum one of it makes you hungry. That would totally be a backfire!
Interesting! Been eating a lot lately and started to gain a couple of pounds already. Just can’t help the cravings. These are helpful tips. Thanks for sharing!
I hope you try the tips. Cravings are a pain but there are ways to make them less destructive.
Great tips! Im not on any speicial diet but i tend to have cravings for savoury snacks like chips… and I can definitely try some if the suggestions…
Although I wonder if my cat sees the best in me or loves me for the simple things xD I dont think I should try to find out
I love chips too. I try not to eat too many.
I so need these tips this time of year! the carbonated water one really helps me – when I’m super hungry all I want to do is sleep!
The carbonated water one is one of my favorites too. I used to be a soda addict before I discovered the option.
Great advice Erica. It is easy to confuse thirst with hunger. I must admit I always assumed chewing gum was not recommended due to wind problems and your body being confused with your chewing but not feeling full.
Phoenicia, in my opinion it depends on whether you’re hungry or not. If you’re just wanting to eat something because you’re bored, chewing gum can satisfy the urge. But if you really are hungry then chewing gum make backfire because it may make you eat something sweet instead of healthy. So you just have to be aware of the situation.
Oh these are great tips! I can see how chewing gum might help.
Wow, I’m getting lots of comments about the chewing gum! Glad you liked the tips.
These are all such great tips. I need to keep this post very close by! Thank you.
Yes, keep it close by. You never know when a craving will hit!
Great tips to stop me reaching for any unhealthy food when you are hungry. We have stopped buying sweet biscuits, crisps and bread now that the children have left home. If I do get hungry – we have a bottle with a mixture of raw nuts so that’s what I reach out for. Also drinking cold water or a cup of sugarfree tea sometimes helps as often I am thirsty rather than hungry.
The nuts and the tea sound great. Those are both wonderful ways to deal with cravings!
Marvelous ideas–love the going for a walk and laughing as two of my favorite things. Ever & always. Never thought about adding fruit to water, but that would sure do the trick, too.
OMG, except to meditation rest I need to work on. Need to get back to focusing on health as I have gained some weight 🙁
Sushmita, start by taking small steps like this. That will help.
Wonderful suggestions, Erica. But I’d just like to add that if someone gets a chocolate craving, NOTHING else will satisfy it. the compromise is to keep only healthy chocolate in the house (i.e. a pure dark chocolate bar that is at least 70% cocoa.) I can guarantee that 1 or 2 pieces of such a bar will satisfy the chocolate craving without all the sugar of “chocolate candy.”
Keeping sugar out of your diet as much as possible will help with cravings.
These are great Erica! My weak spot is usually around 2am. No, I’m not normally up then, which is the problem. If I AM it’s because I’m up against a project deadline and like clockwork around 2am I feel like I need something to energize me other than (another) cup of coffee. My go-to solution is a tablespoon of extra-chunky peanut butter. I don’t know if that qualifies for the “small amount fat with a small amount of protein” but it keeps me from heading to the fridge and gives me the lift I need.
Chunky peanut butter is good, Marquita. But you need to read the label. Choose a peanut butter that is just made from peanuts without any added sugar. Then it will be a good late night snack.
After reading the “Chew some gum” and “Play with a pet or a small child” sections I naturally started thinking of dog chews (e.g., rawhide), and wondered, “Are there chews for people?” A relevant Google search brought up some sites that sell ginger chews – maybe those would also be helpful for staving off a food binge.
I love ginger chews! They can be high in sugar though so don’t eat too many!
Ah, if only if I could get as excited about rawhide as my dog!