Hi! I’ve written a blogpost about cravings, listing all the tips and strategies I’ve read in various fitness magazines: www.fitnesstreats.com/2013/04/usual-and-unusual-strategies-for-controlling-sweet-cravings
It’s kind of a long post but you may find some new ideas to control your sweet tooth. 

Hi! Here are a few suggestions to avoid using food as your stress coping mechanism: 

- Limit sweet foods. Blood sugar levels skyrocketing and plummeting cause stress and irritability. When you can’t resist emotional eating, go for veggie snacks (celery sticks, cucumber, carrots). Or chew gum and try blowing big bubbles as a way to relax :) 

- Get a punch bag or try a kickboxing class. It might seem radical, but using a punch bag at home or at the gym is a good de-stressor. Start jabbing away thinking about your frustrations and let go of your unhealthy emotions. Yell and scream if necessary :)

- Identify what is bothering you. Write it down and create a game plan to fix it.

- Don’t sweat the small stuff. Don’t let all the little things add up. They’re not worth it. Period. Just let go.

- Go for a walk whenever you can. When things are getting too much for you, take a deep breath and have some ‘me’ time, whether you’re at home or at school. As soon as you can get out, go and stretch your legs on a brisk walk.

- Do some yoga. Here is a 10 min routine of hatha yoga for relaxation

- Put your favorite upbeat music on and sing out loud.

- It’s good to talk, so get yourself a mentor: an older student or an adult, someone who listens well and isn’t judgmental. Someone with some maturity and life experience who can empathize with you and give you constructive feedback.

Hi Lucy,

Sorry for my very late reply! I also often crave a treat after dinner. Let’s face it: willpower is lower in the evening and we often tend to think that we “deserve” a treat just because we had a busy day. 

• Fruit is a good choice after dinner if you feel like you need something sweet to bring closure to your meal. Try to go for low-calorie, low-sugar fruits like grapefruit, melon, apple, berries. Fruits that are higher in calories like mango or bananas can better be eaten for breakfast, or pre/post-workout. 
   
• Chocolate can be okay as a “meal closer” after dinner if you choose a low sugar dark chocolate and if you’re able to control your portions. This means eating only one square and putting it back. - I personally cannot do that, that’s why I just don’t have it in the house ;). When I want to indulge in chocolate, I go for unsweetened dark chocolate. One of my favorite dark chocolate brands is Lindt Excellence 99% cocoa. It’s really strong and many people may not like it but it’s just awesome to get that big chocolate kick without sugar or artificial sweeteners. 
   
• If you need to be stricter with your diet, herbal tea is the way to go. I like dandelion tea as a natural diuretic to help get rid of water weight (for example if your thighs tend to swell a bit the days before your periods). Sage or lavender tea helps me calm down. I also recently discovered corn tea ; it tastes like pop corn :) I basically like trying different kinds of herbal teas to keep things interesting. You can find many new varieties in ethnic or natural food supermarkets.
    
   
• Finally a way to deal with evening / late night cravings is to distract yourself with something else. Watch your favorite tv-show, read something your really enjoy, get your mind off the thing you crave. Think as if you were babysitting a child. Suddenly the child starts throwing a tantrum because he wants candy, but there is nothing in the house. So you start distracting him using a toy or something else that he likes. Treat your inner child the same way to get your craving out of your mind. 

Hi Gina, 

When you want to eat something although you’re not hungry, it may be because:
1- Even if you’re full, your body may still be craving specific nutrients (iron for example) that you may be missing. In this case you may want to take a closer look at your meals and make sure your diet is well-balanced. When choosing what to eat, ask yourself “is the food I plan to eat something my body needs?”.

2- You eat healthy but you feel the need to chew something or “get your sugar fix”. It’s a bit like a baby who needs a pacifier to calm himself down. It may be because of stress, anxiety, mood swings, emotional issues, or boredom. In this case here are a few suggestions for quick fixes to fight the urge to snack:
- Drinking flavored herbal tea
- Brushing your teeth
- Chewing gum and blowing bubbles
- Chewing licorice roots. (You can find them in ethnic supermarkets).
- Eating celery: one large stalk (11”-12” long) of celery is 10 calories. Eating 100 calories of celery (10 stalks!) is actually very difficult…
- Kissing. Having a boyfriend you physically desire can drastically reduce your cravings -at least for the first few months- because you’ll be craving him and a lot less sweets. But yes, finding a boyfriend is easier said than done :)

The best thing you can do is to look within yourself for what it is that’s bothering you and pushing you to eat. If you’re not hungry but want food, what are those needs deep inside you’re trying to fulfill using food? And how can you fulfill these needs without food? 

Hi Juhi, it’s important for you to make the difference between: 
(1) when you’re hungry and you need a break and a real snack and
(2) when you’re stressed and you feel like you need something to chew on to release part of your stress. When I was a student I used to chew on pens a lot. Study stress made me feel like I needed to chew on something. It’s a bit like being a baby who needs a pacifier to calm himself down. It has nothing to do with hunger. 

Here are some tips:
- Keep low calorie vegetables, such as celery sticks or cucumber on hand. It’s very difficult to overeat them (ps: don’t dip them in anything ;). One large stalk (11”-12” long) of celery is 10 calories. Eating 100 calories of celery (10 stalks!) will take you a little while… 

- Chew gum and blow a bubble every 5 minute or so. It can help you relax :)  

- Try chewing sticks like licorice roots or sugar cane stalks to keep you busy masticating and release tension. You can find them in ethnic supermarkets. www.ehow.com/how_6404128_use-chew-sticks.html

- Drink herbal tea (chamomile, lavender) to calm yourself down and focus.