If youve been on a low carb diet for any amount of time, you have undoubtedly felt the pangs of hunger that accompany strong cravings. There are a number of ways in which you can deal with these cravings and mitigate them in the future; and if you want to be successful on your low carb diet, you will do exactly that.

In this article, I will outline three methods you can use to suppress and prevent those cravings.

The first is very simple: if you want to suppress the majority of your cravings, all you have to do is drink an eight ounce glass of water and then wait. Most low carb diets suggest that you drink 64 ounces of water each day. One of the reasons for this is to suppress cravings for water, which are often mistaken for food cravings.

No matter what your low carb diet is, drinking a single glass of water when you have cravings will prevent you from eating without breaking your diet.

Another easy way to suppress cravings is to fill your stomach with low calorie foods. If your low carb diet allows it, you should prepare leafy, green vegetables as a snack--and eat them whenever you have cravings. I suggest preparing lettuce and cabbage, which you can consume to your hearts content without really adding any calories to your diet; conversely, if you consume sweets in place of them, you could be eating 1-2 meals worth of calories.

This will give you the feeling of being "full" because it will fill your stomach just as much as calorie-rich foods would, but without all the calories.

The last way you can suppress your cravings or prevent them before they happen is by getting an adequate amount of sleep at night or taking a nap during the day. An increasing number of studies have shown that people snack during the day as a natural response to low levels of energy. If youre lacking energy because you did not sleep, you may end up turning to snacks to boost your blood sugar levels.

In summary: you can suppress your cravings in three simple steps--drink more water, get an adequate amount of sleep, and eat low-calorie filler foods in place of snacks.