Cravings hit all of us, and sometimes they’re so intense it feels like we’re possessed.

The reasons we crave certain foods range from emotional attachments to hormone shifts to food and sugar addiction.

Sugar by itself – and even sugar substitutes – often lead to cravings, even when you’re not addicted.

Lack of sleep will also cause cravings (and often hunger).

It’s because, if your body isn’t getting the sleep it needs, it will take that as a message from you that you need “instant energy,” i.e. glucose, i.e. sugar, and you’ll start craving it.

Whatever the cause of your cravings, it’s important to acknowledge that each time you submit to an unhealthy food craving – or even snack between meals to satisfy even a healthy food craving – it makes it that much harder to resist the next time a craving comes around.

Cravings are temporary and often situational, meaning the only reason you crave that donut is because your co-worker bought a box and is offering you one.

Each time you resist a craving, you get better at resisting them.

It doesn’t mean you’ll never again experience a food craving, but it does mean you’ll feel confident in knowing you won’t cave in and send yourself into that vicious guilt-and-shame cycle.

Here are four tips to help you conquer cravings on the Code Red Lifestyle.

Water and hot tea are your friends

Filling up with water or delicious hot tea can take the edge off most cravings. (Sidebar: It needs to be tea from a teabag, not iced tea from the store or powdered tea.)

Teas come in a staggering assortment of delicious flavors. The Tazo brand of dessert teas are wildly popular with my Rebels. Check online or at your local grocery store for other options.

Chew minty gum

Sometimes the act of chewing gum can tide you over until the craving passes.

Make sure it’s sugar-free, and choose something minty, since that’s less likely to intensify your craving.

Distract yourself (especially with something you enjoy)

Since a huge percentage of food cravings are emotional in origin, getting your mind off the food helps the craving pass.

If you’re at home, get out of the kitchen – out of the house if you have to – and distract yourself, ideally with an activity you enjoy.

Call a supportive friend or family member and ask them to visit with you to distract you.

If you’re in a setting where you have less control, like your office or someone’s house, use the gum, water, and tea tips, and remind yourself that the craving is temporary and will pass. Take a break as soon as you can and put some distance between you and the offending food.

Some people suggest re-creating Code Red-approved version of your favorite sweets, but I want you to be very cautious about doing that.

While it’s a step up from caving to cravings, a lot of people find it simply leads to more cravings.

Get more sleep!

Sleep is the #1 rule in weight loss for a whole host of reasons, including the fact a lack of sleep will cause your body to crave sugar.

So if you’re not getting enough sleep, cravings are more likely to occur. The other suggestions here will help you manage them, but if lack of sleep is the cause, getting more sleep may actually eliminate them!

Cravings happen, but having a simple plan in place to conquer them means they don’t have to sabotage your weight loss efforts.

Remember, Code Red Rebels take control, and that control includes what goes in your mouth. The tips above will help you conquer cravings instead of submitting to them.