Food Discipline is an extension of self-discipline. If you can control your hunger pangs, chances are that you will be able to instill overall self-control. If you can control your hunger which is a primary instinct, chances are that may have greater self-control with not just your behavior, but also exercise greater control over your thoughts. Why does food have such a big impact on us? Well, the reason is, when we eat food, our brain processes certain chemicals that give us quick energy and makes us feel excited and happy. Food gives us a warm, comfortable feeling that hardly ever wears thin. So, here’s how you can control your cravings and not let cravings control you.

Do Something Productive

Whenever you feel a craving hitting the roof, try and do something productive. An idle mind can induce you to enter a food temptation heaven. You may often notice that when you are busy working on something, you may forget about food and cravings. The cravings hit you when you are watching TV, that’s when all the diet hara-kiri starts. So, the next time you get a chocolate or cookie craving, take a walk or stay active. Keeping your mind and body active will help you get greater control over your belly calls.

Stick to the Basics

More food does not necessarily mean more fun. So, let’s simplify it further. Say, you are extremely thirsty, you need just the first few sips of water to satiate your initial thirst. But if you keep on sipping the water, it will fail to give you satisfactory results. It is pretty similar in terms of food. The more you consume will not mean you will get greater satisfaction out of it. You will get greater satisfaction with just the first few bites, of course, if you savor every bite.

Drink Plenty of Water

60% of the adult human body is made up of water; so we need to drink adequate amounts of water to replenish the water we lose every day. Apart from replenishing lost fluids, it can help you control calories and detox your body. Drinking water helps you stay full, without having to eat every time a hunger pang hits you. Keep a water bottle in your bag and keep it beside your desk all day. Hydrate yourself as much as you can.

Eat More Healthy Foods

You can cut down your calories intake by substituting. For example, when you feel like you need to eat something sweet, rather than eating more cookies or brownies, you can have more fruits. You can replace the fries with steamed corn, tuna sandwiches, or burgers loaded with veggies. You can even have nutrition bars instead of cookies made out of refined flour.

Cut down your intake of junk food as much as possible. So, cut down foods such as bacon, hot dogs, or ribs. You also need to cut down foods such as cookies, candies, brownies, or foods containing refined sugar. You don’t have to eliminate these foods, instead have them as occasional treats.

Cut Down Your Portion Size

While having meals, you can always use smaller plates so that you automatically eat a lesser amount of food. Eating in controlled quantities will help you enjoy your food even more. It’s only when we start eating unthinkingly, do we tend to eat more. When it comes to eating the right way, you can incorporate the Japanese style of eating. The Japanese style of eating is quite different from the SAD (Standard American Diet), as they are not big on portion much like the Americans.

A Cheat Day Always Works

A controlled eating pattern maintained throughout the day deserves a cheat day at the end of the week or ten days. Treat yourself with the food you love, or the food you have been craving all week and have been ignoring the craving calls throughout the week. Food gives your pleasure and if you eliminate all the foods you love, you will take out the joy of eating; that kind of diet hardly works at the end of the day.
So, start incorporating more food discipline into your plan.

Discipline works great for you, even when it comes to food. So, stay disciplined and indulge a little from time to time.