12 Weird Ways to Halt Hunger

By The Editors of Fitbie | Love Your Body – Fri, Jan 17, 2014 5:08 PM EST

Feel like a slave to the vending machine? These surprising habits will squash your cravings faster than you can scarf down that bag of M&Ms

By Julia Merz, Fitbie.com
Nothing derails your diet quicker than a sudden hankering for a junky snack. You know you'll eat dinner in an hour, but your taste buds don't care--they want those office cookies and they want them now! But you don't have to feel powerless over your junk-food cravings. These inventive--and OK, a little weird--tactics from The 8-Hour Diet can help keep your inner Cookie Monster in check and stop you from binge eating.

PLUS: Is your job making you fat? Learn how to avoid office junk food traps with six expert tips.

1. Drink to your health
Your grandé mocha with whipped cream delivers a pretty nasty calorie blow, but some drinks can help you sip yourself slim by filling you up without filling you out. Our picks:
Water: Thirst often masks itself as hunger, so a cool glass of H2O might actually curb cravings.
Green tea: It's been shown to suppress appetite and aid in fat burning.
Oolong tea: One study found that drinking a cup an hour before you work out increases your fat oxidation by 12 percent.
Black tea: A study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that black tea decreases blood sugar levels by 10 percent for 2 1/2 hours, so you'll feel fuller and avoid hunger later.

2. Make a fist
A lot of people become tense or stressed when a craving comes on, and you're better off trying to channel that tension into your muscles. In a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, people who tightened their muscles (regardless of which ones) while trying to exert self-control in their food choices were better able to overcome temptations. The researchers speculated that this may be because we unconsciously associate firm muscles with willpower.
The researchers speculated that this may be because we unconsciously associate firm muscles with willpower.



3. Watch a funny YouTube clip. It's a common cliché that you burn more calories with a smile than with a frown, but there might be some truth to it. Scientists in Brazil say that by activating your "happy hormone" serotonin, laughter could reduce appetite.
RELATED: 8 Ways to Work Out Without Working Out

4. Phone a friend, or your mom
According to a study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, hearing a supportive, familiar voice prompts the brain to release oxytocin, a stress-fighting, mood-elevating hormone, and reducing stress has been linked to increases in your satiety hormone, leptin.

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