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Find 30 pleasures to take your mind off food. Ways to solve psychological problems

Three minutes of playing Tetris reduces cravings for food, alcohol, and cigarettes.

J. Skorka-Brown, J. Andrade, J. May "Playing "Tetris" reduces the strength, frequency and vividness of naturally occurring cravings", Appetite, February, 2014.

2. Turn on the imagination

Try to imagine, for example, a rainbow. Or remember some exotic smell. Or just look at the image as a random collection of dots, like what appears on a TV screen that is disconnected from the antenna. You will immediately feel better.

E. Kemps, M. Tiggemann "A Cognitive Experimental Approach to Understanding and Reducing Food Cravings". Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2010.

Unexpected, however effective way. The study shows that after eating, oddly enough, you will want less. The only caveat: there should be a lot of pictures, a couple of images will only whet your appetite.

J. Larson et al. "Satiation from Sensory Simulation: Evaluating Foods Decreases Enjoyment of Similar Foods". Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2013.

4. Go for a walk

Studies show that even a 15-minute walk can drown out the urge to empty the refrigerator.

L. Ledochowski et al. "Acute Effects of Brisk Walking on Sugary Snack Cravings in Overweight People, Affect and Responses to a Manipulated Stress Situation and to a Sugary Snack Cue A Crossover Study". Plosone , 2015.

5. More protein for breakfast

A protein-rich breakfast increases dopamine levels in the brain, which in turn reduces the need for sugary and fatty foods throughout the day. If you skip breakfast or it is not nutritious enough, these cravings, on the contrary, will increase.

H. Hoertel, M. Will, H. Leidy “A randomized crossover, pilot study examining the effects of a normal protein vs. high protein breakfast on food cravings and reward signals in overweight/obese "breakfast skipping", late-adolescent girls". NutrJ, 2014.

6. Be sure to get enough sleep

If a person wants to sleep, it is more difficult for him to resist temptations. The fact is that in a half-asleep state, the activity of the parts of the brain responsible for complex judgments and decisions decreases. The activity of the more ancient and primitive areas associated with motivation and desires is increasing.

S. Greer, A. Goldstein, M. Walker "The impact of sleep deprivation on food desire in the human brain » . Nature Communications, 2013 .

7. Listen to yourself

To resist the obsessive desire to snack, it is important to be in tune with your feelings. If we learn to understand own feelings and with their help to make decisions, we will not only begin to eat right, but in general we will become happier, because we will improve relationships with others and begin to pay more attention to healthy lifestyle life.

B. Kidwell, J. Hasford, D. Hardesty "Emotional Ability Training and Mindful Eating" » . Journal of Marketing Research, 2014.

And three more hints

Tap on your forehead. This will help take your mind off the food.

Think about the future. Try to think well long term consequences malnutrition. An MRI study has shown that such thoughts increase the activity of the brain area responsible for restraint and self-control.

Chew chewing gum. It helps to refrain from unscheduled snacking.

Three minutes of playing Tetris reduces cravings for food, alcohol, and cigarettes.

J. Skorka-Brown, J. Andrade, J. May "Playing "Tetris" reduces the strength, frequency and vividness of naturally occurring cravings", Appetite, February, 2014.

2. Turn on the imagination

E. Kemps, M. Tiggemann "A Cognitive Experimental Approach to Understanding and Reducing Food Cravings". Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2010.

An unexpected, but effective way. The study shows that after eating, oddly enough, you will want less. The only caveat: there should be a lot of pictures, a couple of images will only whet your appetite.

J. Larson et al. "Satiation from Sensory Simulation: Evaluating Foods Decreases Enjoyment of Similar Foods". Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2013.

4. Go for a walk

Studies show that even a 15-minute walk can drown out the urge to empty the refrigerator.

5. More protein for breakfast

6. Be sure to get enough sleep

S. Greer, A. Goldstein, M. Walker "The impact of sleep deprivation on food desire in the human brain » . Nature Communications, 2013 .

7. Listen to yourself

To resist the obsessive desire to snack, it is important to be in tune with your feelings. If we learn to understand our own feelings and use them to make decisions, we will not only begin to eat right, but in general we will become happier, because we will improve relationships with others and begin to pay more attention to a healthy lifestyle.

B. Kidwell, J. Hasford, D. Hardesty "Emotional Ability Training and Mindful Eating" » . Journal of Marketing Research, 2014.

And three more hints

Tap on your forehead. This will help take your mind off the food.

Think about the future. Try to think carefully about the long-term consequences of malnutrition. An MRI study has shown that such thoughts increase the activity of the brain area responsible for restraint and self-control.

Chew gum. It helps to refrain from unscheduled snacking.

Diets always involve various food restrictions. And since food systems are different (including rather hungry ones), sometimes the feeling of hunger torments you very much. Naturally, this leads to breakdowns. How not to think about food while dieting? What will help get rid of obsessive feeling hunger?

Secrets of satiety while dieting

Most importantly, you need to choose a diet that will be as comfortable as possible for you. For example, someone loves sweets and cannot feel full without them. In this case, you should choose a diet that allows you to eat fruits, dark chocolate, dried fruits or healthy pastries in small quantities (the American sweet diet involves eating sweets for breakfast). Or someone does not feel well without meat and fish, of course, it is worth choosing a diet that includes these particular products. Therefore, the secret to satiety is that you enjoy the diet.

Be sure to include in the diet foods that help dull the feeling of hunger. These include: various cereals, nuts in moderate amount, flax seeds, mint, lemon balm, green tea, water, parsley, cumin, bananas, legumes, dark chocolate, broccoli, salmon, bran, cinnamon, ginger. These products reduce sugar levels (cinnamon), give a long feeling of satiety (fish, broccoli) or soothe (mint, lemon balm). Each product acts in its own way, but the result is the same - the feeling of hunger becomes weak or disappears altogether.

You can add bran, cinnamon or flax seeds to dishes, cook cereals or bean dishes every day. Or just drink various herbal teas. It will be very useful to drink a cup of mint tea with a spoon of honey or a slice of dark chocolate before going to bed.

And one more little secret. During the diet, it is necessary to remove foods that stimulate appetite from the menu. These are various spices, hot sauces, alcohol, chips, sweet carbonated drinks and packaged juices, crackers. Instead of various seasonings, you should use any fresh herbs. As for the rest of the products, they are absolutely not healthy, so they should be excluded from the diet altogether. Juices should be prepared on their own, crackers can also be dried in the oven.

Don't want to feel hungry? Then it is worth developing good habits. The main thing is to stick to them regularly.

So very good habit- drink a lot clean water. Water helps to dull the feeling of hunger, it is not for nothing that it is advised to drink it before meals. Drinking a glass of water half an hour before the start of a meal, you can significantly reduce the portion size and remove excessive appetite.

Another good habit is to eat often. If you eat fractionally every 2-2.5 hours, then it is simply impossible to get hungry. Of course, portions should be small, but even one spoonful of porridge will not help to remove hunger. It is best if there are three main meals and three snacks during the day (morning, afternoon and before bedtime). Main meals are larger than snacks.

If it is difficult not to eat in the evening, it is worth making a habit of drinking a cup of green or herbal tea. This must be done slowly. You can diversify the drink with a slice of lemon and a little honey. A kind of ritual will help reduce the feeling of hunger.

You can follow this menu:

breakfast: a glass of water, after 30 minutes - porridge with berries, green tea;
snack: fruit salad;
lunch: a glass of water, later - vegetable soup, chop, salad, tea with lemon balm;
afternoon snack: cottage cheese with fruit;
dinner: scrambled eggs with vegetables, kefir;
before bedtime: Mint tea with a spoonful of honey.

What other habits will help you forget about food? Normal sleep at least 7-8 hours a day. Lack of sleep leads to overeating and slow metabolism. If you sleep little, then you are more awake, which means you want to eat more often. Naturally, this leads to the fact that the feeling of hunger will torment more and more often. And I don't want to eat in my sleep. Therefore, it is worth going to bed no later than 23.00 and waking up no earlier than 6.00. In addition, sleep affects the hormones that control satiety and hunger. Therefore, it is worth accustoming yourself to sleep not for 5 hours a day, but for 8 or at least 7 hours.

What else will help not think about food while dieting? Of course, interesting activities! If you have a hobby, then it's time to pay more attention to it. It doesn't matter what it is. Knitting, drawing, reading, photography, horseback riding, mountaineering, crossword puzzles - whatever you like will help you forget about food. After all, you will be passionate about your hobby, which means that other thoughts will gradually fade into the background.

Of course, if favourite hobby- sports, then it will be easier to lose weight. Naturally, any active hobby will help you clean up faster. overweight and not just forget about the feeling of hunger. But other activities will help take your mind off food.

No hobby? Not scary. Think about what interests you. Maybe go shopping or meet friends? Or do houseplants? Or maybe you are attracted to the study of foreign culture and languages? So, if you want to eat, it's time to do it. Any interesting activity will distract from other thoughts, including about food. Even watching movies can help, the main thing is not to take a plate with different delicacies to the TV. Just enjoy the movies.

What else will help you forget about food? Walking on fresh air and any exercise stress. Both of these activities help the body get more oxygen, improve metabolism and at the same time stop suffering from hunger. During the diet, it is very desirable to do light exercises every morning, and go for a walk in the evening. You can walk during the day, for example, at lunchtime. But in the evening it is much more useful to walk, because it is at this time of day that hunger often wakes up. And an evening walk helps dull it. After it, you no longer want to eat a harmful sandwich or fried potatoes, a cup of tea is enough. Fall in love with walking, make it your favorite activity, and this will help you not only forget about hunger, but also become slimmer.

If you use all the means that help reduce hunger and forget about food during a diet, you can lose weight without any problems. Frequent and fractional nutrition adequate physical activity a large number of water and interesting activities - all this is easy and very useful.

Among the variety of methods of dealing with overweight eat pretty interesting option- listen to relaxation music for weight loss. In addition, regular listening to certain songs will save the result. This is the point of view of scientists.

The thing is that in addition to the food absorption reflex, nature endowed a person with a sense of rhythm, respectively, the pleasure of eating can be compared with physical satisfaction from your favorite composition.

Many spa therapists are already guided by this principle, using specially designed sets of programs for relieving fatigue with the help of melodies and at the same time for skin care.

Music for Weight Loss: What the Scientific Research Says

Scientists have confirmed that pleasant melodies act on the brain akin to chocolate. Both the first and the second increase the synthesis of the hormone of happiness - dopamine, which is known for its ability to cheer up. It turns out that with scientific point of view, listening to certain compositions is a rather useful activity.

In a study involving 217 volunteers, physiologists from McGill University in Montreal found that melodies affect a person's well-being in the same way as chocolate. Upon reaching the peak emotional experiences the music sends shivers down your spine, and your brain activates the production of the hormone of pleasure.

At this time, a person feels both joy and satisfaction at the same time. However, in order to achieve such an effect, the music must be liked by a person. At the very beginning of the experiment, the participants were given to listen to melodies that seemed exciting to them. Then came the neutrals.

After that, alternated the first and second. Then it turned out that the level of dopamine in the blood increases by 9% when listening to your favorite songs.

One of the professors who conducted the experiment claims that goosebumps or slight tremors are external indicators of the highest delight. At such moments, special scanners recorded the maximum release of dopamine into the blood.

But at the same time, the participants in the experiment were asked to bring discs that included only instrumental music. The fact is that verbal accompaniment in songs can reduce the effect and cause unwanted associations.

A music psychologist from the University of London claims that they have made an important discovery - music, as an abstract stimulus, can cause the same biochemical reaction in the body as a real one. physiological process(food).

Now it is clear why music has been highly valued since ancient times: everything is based on biology.

Listen online music or player for weight loss

Can any benefit be derived from the above? Replace food with music? Does it make sense during weight loss and healthy eating? That is, can it be used to curb a false sense of hunger when you want to eat something forbidden by the diet?

How else can you! It is not for nothing that numerous beauty salons carry out procedures using music. Visitors to such establishments in the sessions listen to pleasant and relaxing compositions online or on discs that increase the effectiveness of substances acting on the skin.

What about weight loss? Of course, music will not be able to make the products consumed by a person less caloric and burn fat on their own. But listening will perfectly distract the losing weight from the desire to eat a prohibited product, thereby facilitating diet food which is sometimes quite harsh.

If earlier man ate a sandwich or a bun out of boredom or because of stress, then you should turn on your favorite tunes! Such measures should help to avoid such negative moments, distract from food, tune in positive tone. Experiments carried out on this basis have shown that such a measure is effective.

This technique is not only useful, but also pleasant. Entire programs have been developed that involve listening to music for weight loss, getting rid of fatigue and relieving stress during relaxation, dancing, and fitness.

As you can see, the process of getting rid of excess weight is not necessarily associated with deprivation, restrictions and displeasure. You can always find something to make it more pleasant.

What is the best thing to listen to?

Melodies can not only replace food, but also be used during sports. Exercises for weight loss are performed to the music much easier and more enjoyable;
They choose only their favorite compositions, because only such ones will improve mood, bring joy and facilitate the process of weight loss. Everything that comes to hand for this will not work. Even fitness to music for the process of losing weight should be carried out with appropriate musical accompaniment;
Even if any composition is a favorite, it does not always cause positive emotions. Such melodies are definitely not suitable;
For normal listening, for example, while relaxing, cooking, cleaning, it is better to choose calm and positive compositions. For these purposes, according to experts, relaxing instrumental music without verbal accompaniment is best suited;
During relaxation or exercise, it is not recommended to use harsh, annoying melodies that have lyrics and cause negative emotions;
However, there are always exceptions. Favorite song with words can work better than any instrumental composition. So it’s worth experimenting a little to understand what is easier to lose weight with.

Where to listen?

The good thing is that you can turn on the melody at any time and almost anywhere. It doesn't matter how the day is, what the weather is, whether the person is at home or in public place. It is not necessary to go to an expensive spa to have a complex of musical procedures. This technique can be successfully used at home.

Fitness to music, morning exercises or hygiene procedures, cooking or washing - all these activities should be accompanied by positive melodies that contribute to weight loss.

In any case, listening to them will bring pleasure, distract from obsessive thoughts about food and cheer you up.

Refraining from food is a real challenge. Forgetting about it is harder than counting calories or exercising. During a diet, thoughts of food haunt and seduce.

Self-control and awareness in the matter of what and when to eat does not mean war with your body. Self-control is positive and gives you a reason to love and respect yourself. Scientists have long been looking for an answer to the question of how to distract yourself from food.

Experiment "Marshmallow"

Stanford University professor Walter Michel in 1965 conducted an experiment involving 653 preschoolers. The purpose of the Marshmallow experiment is to see how children can take their mind off food.

Kindergarteners were asked to choose between marshmallows, cookies and pretzel, and then be alone with their favorite sweet for 15 minutes. The children were told that if they did not eat their chosen treat before this time, they would be rewarded with a second one of the same kind. The experimenter allowed the marshmallow to be eaten earlier if the child asked for permission, but on the condition that he would no longer receive the bonus.

The results showed that after 5 minutes of waiting in the company of a sweet, most of the children agreed to be left without a reward for the sake of it. Some participants in the experiment ate their portions at the beginning of the test, as soon as the door closed behind the researcher. 30% of the subjects held out to the end and received the promised reward.

Experimenter's Conclusions

The experiment revealed the roots of self-control in terms of overcoming food cravings. To complete the experiment, Professor Michel continued to observe the group of children until they grew up.

At the first stage of the experiment, the professor came to the following conclusions:

Most people have sweet cravings stronger than desire get a benefit. The children tried, but could not distract themselves from food.
Preschoolers are willing to break the rules for fun. Delicacy at a distance outstretched hand made me forget about the promise to call an adult when patience ran out.
30% of the subjects demonstrated self-control skills. These kids figured out how to get their minds off food.

The participants of the experiment grew up and found themselves in society. Professor Michel analyzed their lives and made new conclusions at the second stage of the experiment:

Those who did not know how to delay gratification in childhood had in adulthood low self-esteem, excess weight, problems with drugs and alcohol.
Those who were able to distract themselves and did not take the marshmallow ahead of time, realized themselves in life more successfully than others.
Some of those who failed the test developed self-control skills as adults and also succeeded in life.
Self-control is an acquired skill. Willpower is a matter of learning.

Conscious self-control

So that self-control does not become "self-terror", it is better to turn it into a quest. In the game "do not think about food" there are rules that will help you win, if you do not cheat, you need to:

Change negative eating habits to positive ones.
Do not confuse hunger with thirst.
Drink more water.
Relieve stress with exercise and meditation.
Use self-control during the holidays to the maximum.
Don't take supplements. The taste of the second cake is the same as the first.
Analyze the feeling of hunger. When cravings are only for sweets, there is no hunger.
For feats of self-control to give a reward.
Get enough sleep. After a good night's sleep, appetite decreases.
Consciously avoid eating.

A test of willpower while dieting

Diet - stress for the digestive and nervous systems. Just yesterday stomach stuffing delicious food gave a sense of security, the illusion of filling the emptiness inside, and today I received an order to eat wholesome food in cut portions on a schedule. Self-pity wakes up, severely punished for being overweight. In order not to succumb to the provocations of their own subconscious, they use proven methods to help distract from food during a diet:

Fill the refrigerator with low-calorie food.
People go to the store with a shopping list on a full stomach.
A nutrition control program is downloaded to the smartphone and the food eaten is recorded.
Apply tricks for emergency distraction from thoughts about food:

pinch yourself and focus on relieving the pain;
solve in your mind an example of division with a remainder;
meditate and control the breath;
to begin computer game;
examine the pattern on the wallpaper, furniture, your hands in search of previously unnoticed details;
drink a glass of water;
turn on your favorite song and dance;
call your parents, an old friend.

Recognizing your weakness in order to overcome it

Not everyone admits that he food addiction. This is perceived as weakness and loss. Although it is this method that helps to change the attitude towards food and distract from thoughts about it.

Dr. Robin Openshaw conducted an experiment to control chocolate cravings. It was based on the recognition of its weakness. Dr. Robin suggested that the subjects consciously change their attitude towards their "chocolate addiction" from negative to neutral. The brain responds to emotional attitude to the problem as an incentive to act - immediately eat chocolate. With a neutral attitude, he fixes the fact of the urge, but does not consider it a physical need for food. This technique allowed 81% of study participants to give up chocolate.

For the purity of the experiment, classes were conducted in three groups. The second group worked with other techniques that taught them to suppress their nutritional needs and got a score of 56%. The placebo group yielded 43% through the participants' self-control skills.

Dr. Robin found out:

Desires come and go in waves of varying intensity.
The conscious expectation of these waves neutralizes the impulse to act.
The absence of an action removes the problem of its consequences.

When there is no impulsive problem eating behavior, a person is ready for a meaningful distraction from food. Food becomes for him a source of energy for life, and not a means of comfort and entertainment.

Distraction from thoughts about food at the moment of idleness

Attacks of false hunger and obsessive thoughts about food are treated by switching attention, as did the preschoolers in the Zephyr experiment. Researchers have tried many strategies to figure out how to take your mind off food when you're at home. They acknowledged that some of them are effective.

How to take your mind off food when you're at home all day

The basic principle successful strategies distractions from eating while sitting at home - do not mess around:

Come up with a big project and give it maximum time and attention;
Keep a diary.
To go for a walk.
Exercise regularly: do yoga, run in the morning, swim in the pool.
Go to visits, talk to friends on the phone.
Go on excursions, go to the cinema.
Write a book.
Sign up for online foreign language lessons.

Changing the rhythm of life and finding new hobbies will help you forget about snacking. The emptiness inside is easily filled with self-love and interest in life.

Obsessive thoughts about food at the end of a hard day

People like to reward themselves for 8-12 hours of hard work. Dinner filled an empty stomach, but brought no joy. The legs themselves carry to the refrigerator to take something tasty and chew on the couch in front of the TV. Those who are afraid of extra pounds are thinking about how to distract themselves from eating in the evening.

How to take your mind off food before bed

It is cruel to force yourself to work out, go to visits or work around the house until late if fatigue knocks you off your feet. There are several proven ways to take your mind off food in the evening:

to read interesting book;
go to bed earlier;
listen to music or audiobooks;
collect puzzles, solve crossword puzzles;
keep a diary of expenses;
knit or embroider.

Easy victory over thoughts about food

When mindfulness appears in the relationship with food, the drama of overeating and guilt for weak character disappear. The habit of not thinking about food is fixed after successful experience self-control. This is the case when a person is asked how he managed to distract himself from food, and he answers: "Easy! I just started thinking about it less." Do not think that he has iron willpower, that he defeated himself. It is enough just to start the game "do not think about food" and enthusiastically bypass the obstacles that your own subconscious has prepared.

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