FemCoreNutrition: How to handle the TEMPTRESS! in the office!

TEMPTRESS! in the office.

One minute, you're innocently going about your day—the next, you're in the clutches of desire. Your object of lust: a chocolate cupcake with buttercream icing. Next thing you know, you're licking frosting off your fingers.

What just happened? You were struck by a food craving. In a study from Tufts University, 91% of women said they experienced strong food cravings. And willpower isn't the answer. These urges are fuelled by feel-good brain chemicals such as dopamine, released when you eat these types of foods, which creates a rush of euphoria that your brain seeks over and over. What you need is a plan that stops this natural cycle—and helps prevent unwanted weight gain.

The next time you're hit with a greedy urge for a double-chocolate brownie, ask yourself these four questions to get to the root cause, then follow our expert tips tailored to your trigger.

1. Ask yourself: Am I stressed out?

When you're under pressure, your body releases the hormone cortisol, which signals your brain to seek out rewards. When you reach for food in response to negative feelings such as anger or sadness (like potato chips after a fight with your spouse), you inadvertently create a powerful connection in your brain.

Do this:

Stimulate happiness. "Women especially have a profound emotional reaction to music," notes Bulik. She asks her clients to create upbeat playlists to listen to whenever a food craving strikes. The songs provide a distraction and an emotional release.

Wait it out. "People give in to cravings because they think they'll build in intensity until they become overwhelming, but that's not true," says Bulik. Food cravings behave like waves: They build, crest, and then disappear. If you can "surf the urge," you have a better chance of beating it altogether, she says.

Choose the best distraction. "What you're really craving is to feel better," says Linda Spangle, RN, a weight loss coach in Broomfield, CO, and author of 100 Days of Weight Loss. You've heard the trick about phoning a friend or exercising instead of eating. But "taking a solo walk won't help if you're feeling lonely," says Laurie Mintz, PhD, a professor of counseling psychology at the University of Missouri. Instead, identify your current emotion—bored, anxious, mad—by filling in these blanks:

"I feel ____ because of ____." Then find an activity that releases it. If you're stressed, channeling nervous energy into a workout can help; if you're upset over a problem at the office, call a friend and ask for advice.

2. Ask yourself: Have I been eating less than usual?

If you're eating fewer than 1,000 calories a day or restricting an entire food group (like carbs), you're putting your body in prime craving mode. Even just three days of strict dieting decreases levels of the appetite-reducing hormone leptin by 22%. Experts note that "restrained eaters"—dieters who severely limit calories or certain foods—aren't necessarily thinner than regular eaters; they're actually about 1 to 2 BMI points higher, or the equivalent of 10 to 20 pounds, as their self-imposed food rules often backfire.

Do this:

Plan ways to enjoy your favorite foods in controlled portions. Get a slice of pizza instead of a whole pie, or share a piece of restaurant cheesecake with two friends.

Don't "eat around" food cravings. Trying to quell a food craving with a low-cal imitation won't satisfy your brain's memory center. For example, if you're craving a milkshake, yogurt won't cut it—especially if you've been depriving yourself. You may even take in more calories than if you'd just had a reasonable portion of what you wanted in the first place. Munching five crackers, a handful of popcorn, and a bag of pretzels, all in the name of trying to squash a craving for potato chips, will net you about 250 more calories than if you'd eaten a single-serving bag.

3. Ask yourself: Am I getting enough sleep?

In a University of Chicago study, a few sleepless nights were enough to drop levels of the hormone leptin (which signals satiety) by 18% and boost levels of ghrelin, an appetite trigger, by about 30%. Those two changes alone caused appetite to kick into overdrive, and cravings for starchy foods like cookies and bread jumped 45%.

Do this:

Have some caffeine. It can help you get through the day without any high-calorie pick-me-ups. It won't solve your bigger issue of chronic sleep loss, but it's a good short-term fix until you get back on track.

Portion out a serving. You probably don't have the energy to fight it, so try this trick: Before you dig in, dole out a small amount of the food you want (on a plate) and put the rest away.

4. Ask yourself: Am I a creature of habit?

You may not realize it, but seemingly innocent routines, such as eating cheese popcorn while watching TV, create powerful associations. "The brain loves routine. The thought of letting go of these patterns can cause a fear response in an area of the brain called the amygdala. "Once the food hits your lips, the fear response shuts off in a heartbeat.

Do this:

Eliminate sensory cues. Smells, sights, and sounds all act as powerful triggers. Watch TV in your basement or bedroom so you're far away from the kitchen full of snacks.

Picture yourself healthy. Try Maurer's "stop technique": Every time the food you crave pops into your head, think, Stop! Then, picture a healthy image (say, you lean and fit). After a while, your brain will dismiss the food image and the craving will subside. "One of my clients did this four or five times a day, and within 2 weeks, she stopped turning to sweets every night after dinner," he says.

Shift your focus. Australian researchers found that distracting your brain really does work. When a food craving hits, divert your attention to something visual not related to food, like typing an email.

Conclusion:

The more we eat healthy, the less natural it feels to reach for a piece of cookie or a bag of chips when we get hungry. It is then not a matter of depriving ourselves or forcing ourselves, but simply a conscious recognition of respecting what feels the best for our body in the long-term run.

When we eat healthy, we physically feel good. We mentally have more energy to do the things that matter. When we are both globally conscious and personally healthy in our eating choices, we are contributing to the welfare of the planet. Our decision to practice healthy eating habits has so many consequences in so many ways.

Eating healthy, after all, is not about losing your ability to enjoy indulgences. It is a matter of gaining so many things that will affect you for the rest of your life: a longer life, a wholesome sense of self-esteem and the joy of respecting your body for all that it does for you. Amen!