Girls Scout cookies....... why I’m thankful that I am only blessed with boys. I’m pretty sure I would end up buying excessive boxes of girl scout cookies if I had a daughter in girl scouts and justify the cookie shopping spree to “I just want to support my daughter’s fundraiser!” Girl scout cookies seem to be everywhere right now! I can’t even go onto my Facebook feed without seeing yummy girl scout cookies!
A few months ago my fiancé asked me what girl scout cookies I wanted because he was ordering them from a friend at work to help out his daughter. I had done so well this year resisting my cravings and not stopping outside of Walmart and buying ten boxes of girl scout cookies. I thought I was in the clear and very proud of myself. So I told my fiancé that I don’t want any and that he better not bring them home. Just keep the cookies at his work.
Sure enough, last week guess what I see on my kitchen counter…. Six boxes of girl scout cookies. Once tasty food is in my house, it is extremely hard for me to resist. Which is why I only bring healthy food into my house, so that I won’t be tempted to eat something unhealthy when I get cravings. Out of sight, out of mind, right?
Needless to say, I’m pretty sure I have eaten half of the boxes of cookies on my own over the past week. Desperately trying to find a way to stop eating the cookies I finally told my fiancé to hide the cookies. I’m not sure what they put in these girl scout cookies that make them so addictive, but I don’t think it’s legal. Well that lasted for a few days until I was craving the samoa cookies, so I started searching through cabinets until I found the samoas. And, yupp, sure enough, I ate a bunch more.
So if you have serious issues with resisting your cravings like apparently I do with girl scout cookies, here are a few simple ways to prevent or stop unhealthy food and sugar cravings.
Drink Water. Thirst is often confused with hunger or food cravings. ... Dehydration can cause some people to crave salty foods. The solution is simple, drink more water. An 8-ounce glass of refreshing water can also help you feel full and get your mind off your food cravings for the moment. In fact, what you think are food cravings may actually be thirst. Quench your thirst, and the food cravings will go away, too. Keep a water bottle handy throughout the day to make it easy to get your water intake. I personally carry a large mug filled with water and sliced lemons around with me daily. Sometimes I add sliced cucumbers or strawberry's as well.
Eat More Protein. ... To help fend off food cravings, every meal should include some source of lean protein, such as skinless chicken or turkey, fish, eggs, or low-fat cheese. Foods containing protein also help you feel fuller.
Distance Yourself From the Craving. ... This is the out of sight out of mind I was talking about. Ask someone to hide it... better than my fiance did. Ask the person to hide the food like they are hiding a Christmas present! If no one is with you walk out of the room that the craving is in for several minutes and focus on something else. Maybe vacuum, do a few crunches, or organize the closet. Anything to get you into another room and get yourself focusing on something else.
Avoid Getting Extremely Hungry. ... Eat often. A physiological reason, such as hunger, can have you craving food. If you go longer than five hours without food, your blood sugar can drop and your cravings might begin. You can help avoid food cravings caused by hunger by not going more than five hours without eating something. Choose food low in calories and fat to eat every five hours or so. Options under 50 calories include a small peach, 15 grapes, 2 cups of light microwaved popcorn, or five pretzels. Give away word for a $25 gift card to Olive Garden is cookie.
Fight Stress. ... I know it's hard to do, but try different ways to de-stress until you find a way that works for you! Women under stress have been shown to eat significantly more calories and experience more cravings than non-stressed women. Try to minimize stress in your environment by planning ahead, meditating and generally slowing down.
Take Spinach Extract. ... This supplement is claimed to cause weight loss by reducing appetite and cravings. Spinach extract is a green powder that can be mixed with water or smoothies. It is also sold in other forms, including capsules and snack bars.
Brush Up.......Are you eyeing a box of girl scout cookies right now? Is your food craving for a chewy caramel, coconut samoa? You can literally wash that taste right out of your mouth. Get up, go to the bathroom, and brush your teeth with minty toothpaste, then use a minty mouthwash and floss your teeth. Then for the final "I won't eat that cookie"step, apply a pretty pink lip gloss. Once your mouth is feeling clean and fresh, you won’t want to eat that cookie or mess up that lip gloss!