How to Lose Weight Without Cravings in the Long Term

Cravings make losing weight difficult for many. But where does the feeling of cravings come from? And what is the best way to satisfy the excessive hunger for sweets and salty foods in the evening? What physical and psychological aspects underlie the cravings, and how does knowledge about it help you lose weight in the long term? We will look at this in this post.

What causes cravings?

Most people are probably familiar with the craving for chips while watching TV, sweet cakes for snacks, or chocolate after dinner. If it is only a slight taste in some, the desire can be much stronger in others. This is often due to a rapid rise in blood sugar levels – but this is not always the reason.

To understand how cravings arise, a look at satiety may make sense. Because satiety regulates food intake. In this way, it helps to keep the weight in a healthy range. However, satiety is influenced by several factors .

The interplay of the brain, hormones, and the digestive system

The human thinking organ plays a central role in several levels of satiety. On the one hand, signals from the stomach and other organs are sent to the brain.

This is explained simply using the example of the stomach: if you eat a large portion for lunch, your stomach will be stretched. This in turn lights up the sensors and causes them to communicate with the brain via the nervous system. In this case: stop the hunger; we don't have much room left!

In the brain, the signals of the sensors are now processed and finally returned in the form of hormonal instructions. Thus, the brain communicates with the organs, and the feeling of satiety occurs ^​1 .

On the other hand, the reward system plays an important role. Here, too, the hormones are involved. Dopamine, for example, is considered the happiness hormone. If you now eat particularly sugary or fatty foods , dopamine is released ^​2 .

This is also the reason why you like to grab a bar of chocolate, especially when you're in a bad mood: the brain strives for happiness.

1. Blood sugar level

But that's where the vicious cycle begins. Because if you surrender to your desire, it leads to a rise in your blood sugar level. Chocolate consists mainly of empty carbohydrates. The high sugar content and the lack of nutrients cause your blood sugar to rise rapidly.

As a compensation, the pancreas releases insulin – which causes your blood sugar level to fall rapidly again, and you are therefore hypoglycemic. This leads to hunger again – welcome to the vicious circle!

2. The nutrients

This is where nutrients can help. Because the blood sugar level is primarily driven by empty calories; for example, by sugar-rich foods.

Eating plenty of fibre , complex carbohydrates, and vitamins, on the other hand, has a positive effect on your blood sugar – an excessive rise and fall in blood sugar is avoided, and you can escape the vicious circle.

3. The water balance

An important aspect that is often underestimated is the water balance. Drinking too little can lead to a feeling of hunger. Although your body craves water, the communication is not that clear.

Instead, many people think of thirst as hunger. The worst thing would now be to resort to sugary or salty snacks. But that's exactly what many people do when they just want to have a "quick snack". The problem with this: salt and sugar make the body even more dehydrated – the desire for fluid continues to increase.

4. The role of sleep

Therefore, you should make sure to drink enough water in the morning. Because at night, your body loses a lot of fluid. But sleep is not only important in this context.

In addition, lack of sleep can increase the feeling of hunger. This happens via many factors. On the one hand, your mood may be worse – to counteract this, your brain craves food. A classic trap of the reward system.

On the other hand, lack of sleep has been shown to increase the release of the "hunger hormone" ghrelin. The hormone gets its name from its appetite-boosting effect. Since it is related to the circadian rhythm, it is significantly influenced by sleep ^​3 .

The question arises: how can we use this knowledge to avoid food cravings? Let's take a closer look at the biggest influencing factor – nutrition.

Cravings due to improper nutrition

The wrong diet can not only delay the feeling of fullness unnecessarily, but it can also explicitly stimulate the appetite. Of course, if you want to lose weight, that doesn't exactly play into your hands.

Mistake 1: Eating too little

Many people make a crucial mistake when trying to lose weight: they eat too little. Few people consider that this cannot work permanently. Therefore: listen to the natural saturation signals.

Mistake 2: too few nutrients

Thus, we have already arrived at the second mistake. It is about satiety. Since this is highly dependent on the nutrients supplied, we should take a closer look at it.

As a rule of thumb, you can remember: fiber, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals saturate very well . A varied diet with colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats can help you lose weight.

The satiety of sugar and empty carbohydrates, on the other hand, is much more limited and lasts only a short time. This is also the reason why you should avoid white flour products and fast food when losing weight. Because they are both usually high in calories but low in nutrients. This causes your blood sugar to rise sharply and, in the worst case, leads to cravings.

Types of cravings

You've probably noticed that there are different types of cravings. Sometimes your body craves something sweet, while other times it craves salty snacks. But why is that?

The craving for sweets

Your body usually craves chocolate, gummy bears, and the like when it is hypoglycemic. As we already know, blood sugar levels are crucial for this.

Hypoglycaemia can occur if you have eaten too little or if your meals were too high in calories and at the same time too low in nutrients.

Cravings for saltiness

This type of craving can occur when you are deficient in nutrients. For example, if your body lacks minerals such as sodium or potassium.

The reason for this can be, among other things, serious diseases – for example, issues with the adrenal gland, blood pressure problems, or diabetes. In most cases, however, the cause is much less dramatic. A common trigger can be strong sweating – for example, if you have been active in sports.

Cravings in the evening

The most common food cravings occur in the afternoon or evening. Especially when you're exhausted after work, your body craves simple rewards. This brings us back to the happiness hormone dopamine.

Why do cravings affect our customer success?

The reason why cravings affect your customer success so much is simply explained. By eating the wrong way, you are consuming too many calories.

This usually manifests itself in the form of a higher fat content in the body – you gain weight. That is why it is so important to avoid constant hunger when losing weight in the long term. Let's see how you can do that.

Stopping cravings: 5 tips & tricks against cravings

In order to specifically avoid cravings, a balanced diet often helps very well. However, hot breakfasts and certain superfoods such as oats can also help with long-term weight loss. We would, therefore, like to give you the most important tips and tricks below:

Read about another five reasons why you should opt for a hot breakfast when losing weight .

Hot Breakfast Says Cravings Are Combatant

I'm sure you've noticed our tip to go for a hot breakfast. The reasons for the recommendation are varied.

So a pleasantly warm porridge in the morning will protect your digestion. In addition, a long-lasting feeling of satiety is initiated. This is ensured by the oats contained in the porridge. It is rich in complex carbohydrates, fiber such as beta-glucan and healthy micronutrients.

Keep insulin levels in balance & thus avoid binge eating

Balanced insulin levels can be crucial in preventing binge eating and helping you lose weight.

To prevent your blood sugar from rising and falling too quickly, you should avoid high-sugar foods. For some products, this is easy, but for others, the sugar hides. Therefore, we have listed some of the most typical traps:

Of course, biscuits, cakes, ice cream, etc., are much more obvious. It's best to pay attention to the ingredients on the back of the pack when you next shop. If sugar is one of the first ingredients, you should stay away from it.

As an alternative to sweetening food and drinks, you can use sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners such as stevia, for example, do not affect your insulin levels ^​4 .

But fresh fruit or dates can also provide the desired sweetness. Although they contain fructose, the many phytonutrients and fiber avoid a sharp increase in blood sugar ^​5 .

Proteins – the enemies of cravings

Last but not least, it is important to highlight the proteins. Although protein is more likely to be associated with muscle building, proteins are also excellent. Both can help you lose weight in a targeted way.

A high-protein breakfast – such as porridge with high-protein nuts and seeds as a topping – is a real filler. In addition, a high-protein diet increases your fitness – especially if you exercise regularly to speed up your weight loss.

Therefore, protein should not be missing from your diet. Thus, we wish you good luck in losing weight!