Photo courtesy of shellorz via Flickr.

Having trouble resisting the urge to reach for another one-bite-and-it’s-gone, 100-calorie treat? Me too. Those snacks are like a Lay’s potato chip–you can’t eat just one, especially during periods of high stress. If life’s stresses are causing you to lose appetite control, try these eight appetite-controlling foods and tricks instead:

Actions

• Drink water. There’s some debate on whether drinking water can physically suppress appetite. But, reaching for a glass of water can give your mind time to allow your craving to pass.
• Exercise. Aerobic exercise helps by temporarily reducing appetite. The theory is that the heart-pumping exercises suppress appetite-controlling hormones like ghrelin, a hormone found in our stomachs that increase before meals.

Appetite-controlling foods

• Grab some green tea, but make it spicy-not just hot. A recent study showed that a green tea and capsaicin (what makes peppers hot) combo results in an appetite-suppressing cocktail. The combo curbs hunger and increase satiety.
• Eat water. Try soup, an orange, a grapefruit or other juicy foods to fill you up. It’ll give your food volume, helping you resist the urge for that cookie.
• Eat chocolate, but make it dark. Dark chocolate is especially helpful during cravings for fatty, salty and sugary foods, according to a small study at the University of Copenhagen. Participants in the study also ate fewer calories at mealtime when they consumed dark chocolate.
• As they say, eat an apple a day to keep the Doritos away. High in soluble fiber and low on the GI scale, these fruits help you eat less. Bananas and raw dates also have similar characteristics.

Mental Tricks

• Eat slowly and steadily: This gives your body time to realize when you’re full. Set the mood with music. Skip hip-hop and other fast-paced music. With faster music, your fork matches the rhythm, resulting in you eating more.
• Go ahead and give in. Eat the cookie! The occasional treat gives your taste buds what they’ve been craving. If you continue to ignore the cravings, you may eventually give in, then binge.

Photo Courtesy of Flickrohit

For the past 31 days, my life has been difficult. Due to the undeserved, vengeful actions of another, my emotional landscape developed hills and valleys, flowing from stress to depression to rage to vengefulness. I struggled—and still struggle—to guide my thinking upward to a more positive, optimistic outlook.

Everyone has their own way of coping with adversity. I often turn to quotations. Below are some quotations that can help you and me maintain and/or achieve a positive outlook while facing challenges whether they come from an inside or outside force.

• One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn’t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself. ~Lucille Ball

• You’ve done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination. ~Ralph Marston

• My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand. ~Thich Nhat Hanh

• Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean. ~Maya Angelou

• He who angers you conquers you. ~Elizabeth Kenny

• A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. ~Herm Albright