Proof: women who report being plagued by cravings tend to have higher body mass indexes, finds a recent Appetite study. And while you can’t necessarily control how often a sweet (or salty) treat makes your mouth water, you can determine whether or not you actually eat it. Check out these five surprising tactics to curb your cravings morning, noon, and night. Your early-morning temptation: You lock eyes with a giant scone in the pastry case while ordering your coffee.Your tactic: It’s tough to just not think about the buttery treat that’s staring you in the face…unless you think about something better, that is. Since cravings tug at your sense of sight and smell, you can actually distract yourself by thinking of a pleasing image or aroma, finds Australian research published in Current Directions in Psychological Science. (How about your dog’s goofy grin or your husband’s sexy cologne?) “You could even carry around a scent you really love—like in a tiny perfume bottle—and actually enjoy the smell for real when you have a food craving,” says New York psychologist Susan Bartell, PsyD. MORE: How To Get Your Partner To Support Your Weight Loss Efforts Media Platforms Design Team Photo by Mitch Mandel Your mid-morning temptation: Your boss throws a last-minute project your way, and the pressure has you reaching for the stash of cookies in your desk drawer.Your tactic: Most of us think that we gravitate towards comfort foods when we’re stressed, but what we really resort to are habits, since stress eats up the brainpower you’d normally use to make healthier choices, says Wendy Wood, provost professor of psychology and business at the University of Southern California. In one recent study, Wood found that participants who habitually nibbled on healthier fare in response to stress tended to fall back on those behaviors (instead of eating junk) when the going got tough. So start forming a healthier stress-eating habit, like eating a single square of dark chocolate—which is portion-controlled, good-for-you, and packed with tension-taming magnesium. (Or consider these 9 other mood-boosting foods.) Your post-lunch temptation: You sip on a diet soda to perk up—and find yourself desperately wanting a candy bar.Your tactic: It might sound bonkers, but try a small amount of something with real sugar—like a handful of dried fruit—instead. When your brain senses that you ate or drank something sweet, it expects calories to follow. And when that payoff doesn’t happen—like after downing a can of diet soda—you’ll likely be fueled to keep eating, says a review published in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine. “In my practice, I see that artificial sweeteners tend to be less satisfying,” says Felicia Stoler, RD, author of Living Skinny in Fat Genes. “They seem to magnify cravings and the drive to satisfy calorie and blood sugar needs.” MORE: This Is Your Body On Diet Soda Your after-dinner temptation: Everyone wants to go out for ice cream. How can you refuse?Your tactic: Change the way you say no. When health-minded participants in a recent study published in the Journal of Consumer Research were asked to choose between chocolate candy or a more wholesome granola bar, those who said ‘I don’t eat chocolate,’ were more likely to opt for the granola bar than those who said ‘I can’t eat chocolate.’ It’s a tiny twist in phrasing—but one that can lead to big psychological payoffs. “It’s about decisions and prioritizing wants,” Stoler says. “You’re totally empowered and in control by saying ‘I don’t’ versus some external force preaching ‘can’t.’ " MORE: 25 Snacks That Won’t Leave You Hungry Media Platforms Design Team Photo by Travis Rathbone Your before-bed temptation: You’re up late clearing out your DVR, and suddenly need chips. Lots of chips.Your tactic: Get thee to bed. Your body is actually wired to crave high-calorie stuff after 8 p.m.—making it even harder than usual to fight the urge to chow down, finds a small study published in the Obesity. You’ll be doing yourself a favor to help cope with tomorrow’s cravings, too: Sleep deprivation actually impairs the part of your brain that’s responsible for making complex decisions while powering up the area that responds to rewards, says a recent Nature Communications study. In other words, you’ll have less trouble remembering why cupcakes for breakfast isn’t a fantastic idea. MORE: 52 Snacks For A Flatter Belly
