Beat Food Cravings!

Column space about girls and their funny relationships with food is never lacking and no wonder; every girl, whether tall and skinny or big and beautiful, however outwardly confident and successful, emotionally eats to some degree.

But … armed with some tips and tricks, it really is possible to crush the cravings, all thanks to a string of celebs and one of Dubai's hottest coaches, Emily Cheyne, from Know How Life.

1. Kate Moss: 'Resist the quick food fix'
Whilst Kate did raise a few eyebrows when she revealed that her diet motto is 'Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels,'she does have a point when it comes to resisting the temptation to binge. 

The point is that we all love instant gratification. When we succumb to a forbidden treat … think Marble Slab or Cinnabon, our brains get rewarded with a hit of the feel-good chemical dopamine. But in actual fact, our brains have the power to use dopamine to our advantage. Every time you make a healthier decision, your brain will start learning the effects of this - more energy, clearer skin, no guilt and so on-and you in turn will feel much better because you have the results to prove it.

2. Demi Moore: 'Have a positive body image'
Feel like a lush when you post hot pics of yourself on Facebook?
In reality, acknowledging when you look good does wonders for your self-esteem and stops comfort eating. 
On the contrary,sticking a 'fat' photo of you on your fridge door may have the exact opposite to the desired effect. Seeing yourself as you DON'T want to look is hardly a motivational tool after all … you should be seeing yourself as you DO want to look. Negative images are destructive and will make your relationship with food more of a struggle

3. Jennifer Aniston: 'Be self-aware around food'
According to Jen, the 40-something year old with one of the hottest bods in Hollywood, you should 'Just stop eating  s*it  every day'.  True awareness of how we are feeling is a large part of managing our behaviour. The key is to understand that you have more control than you realise … that giant slab of carrot cake from Lime Tree didn't just magically appear in your mouth after all! Going forward, try to be acutely aware of your own personal triggers for comfort eating so they don't overwhelm you.

4. Pamela Anderson: 'Hone your distraction techniques'
The secret to a Baywatch body is to distract yourself when cravings for junk food strike. Try brushing your teeth the moment you get the urge for a binge - this always works - and keep a list of non-food related activities on hand that you find personally satisfying and give you the instant gratification you desire. This could be having a bath, listening to your all time top tips or sticking on your favourite movie.

5. Jennifer Lopez: 'A little bit goes a long way'
J-Lo deals with her cravings by indulging in them but rather than going OTT she keeps her portions small. She eats McDonalds and carbs galore … but she doesn't over eat which is the magic formula to success. And ironically, by allowing herself these foods, she reduces her need for junk - the pressure is off and the intense cravings subside if nothing is forbidden. It also helps you to stay rationale … you haven't failed if you succumb to a bar of Green & Blacks so there's no need to spiral and beat yourself up.

6. Angelina Jolie: 'Take out your frustrations in the gym, not the fridge'
When you're feeling stressed, the temptation to seek comfort in food intensifies but the gorgeous Angelina takes her frustrations out with training instead. She loves martial arts but any exercise will do. Comfort eating after all is about inner frustrations and tensions with problems, so exercise - which also releases a hit of dopamine - can help release pent up frustration.

7. Audrina Patridge: 'Quench your thirst, first'
We've heard it over and over, not only from former Hills star, Audrina, but you can't ever neglect the golden rule of hydrating. It curbs your cravings in addition to boosting your skin, hair, nail and overall youthful glow! And when cravings hit you, sometimes your body is just needing hydrated so have a large glass of water and then decide if you want to eat.

8. Eva Longoria: 'Find your body idol'
A classic example of this in action is on the set of Desperate Housewives' where the cast were constantly in competition with each other.  And whilst I don't believe in comparing yourself to others, sometimes a little healthy competition is all that's needed to keep motivational levels high. With this in mind, pick someone you know who looks and feels great and think of them next time you face cravings.  Would they indulge in a slob fest? Probably not so why should you.

9. Kelly Osbourne: 'Stop the emotional eating'
Kelly has long opened up about her tendency to emotionally eat.
So often, girls eat in response to their emotions rather than for hunger purposes so for this reason, learning to recognise that you only need to eat when you're physically hungry can be very liberating. It gives you the option to be kinder to yourself and choose something else to nurture yourself instead which will do wonders for your waistline!

10. Reese Witherspoon: 'Learn to love exercise instead'
Reese amongst many other celebs and non-celebs truly love to workout but it hasn't always been that way. Often, it just takes a little reframing to conquer the resistance to training.  Exercise need not consist of tough training leaving you gasping for breath.  It's just about moving ... move lots doing whatever you love to do and suddenly you won't find exercise a chore anymore.

Follow these top tips from the celebs and you might resist the urge next time cravings try to crush you.  And if you want to learn from the best, what triggers your cravings and how to definitively deal with them, get in touch with Emily Cheyne from Know How Life.  Her workshops and coaching are second to none and so liberating that you'll wonder afterwards how you got this far without her.

Love Tori x

Follow Tori's rambles at www.fitchicksandfastwomen.com
Tori Leckie is a long time high-altitude mountaineer, long distance runner, marathon and ultra winner and all round sports, fitness, health, wellbeing and LOVESTYLE junkie. She is also adidas's first sponsored athlete in the Middle East.