Get enough sleep!

Researchers in the US found that just two sleepless nights (of 4 hours or less) reduced the satiety signalling hormone ‘leptin’ by 18% and boosted levels of the appetite trigger ‘ghrelin’ by approx 30%. Those shifts caused cravings for starchy foods, such as biscuits and crisps, to jump by a whopping 45%!

"People often resort to food to pick up their mood and energy levels. Developing healthy sleep strategies and attending to your stress and anxiety before using food to compensate for sleep deprivation.”

Remember your last meal

UK studies found women who were asked to write down a detailed description of what they'd eaten for lunch earlier that day snacked much less throughout the afternoon than those who didn’t focus attention back to their last meal.

Researchers speculate that remembering a specific, vivid memory activates the ‘hippocampus’, an area of the brain they believe to be responsible for both decision making and memory, giving people better control over their psychological appetites.

Meditation

Research shows that it increases activity in parts of the brain associated with positive emotions, and it may also boost production of ‘serotonin’ a craving-control neurotransmitter.

Find a quiet place and sit with legs crossed, palms on knees, chest lifted, shoulders back and down. Close your eyes. Breathe in and out...focusing on your breath. Focus your attention to your back. Inhale whilst visualising your breath rising up your spine to your head. Exhale 'watching' it fall back down.

Repeat for five to 30 minutes.