As the new year approaches, it’s officially time to start thinking about resolutions. Of course, a resolution can be anything, but if weight loss, exercise, or improving your diet are on your list, you’re not alone. According to Statista, a survey on 2021 New Year’s resolutions showed that 48% of respondents aimed to lose weight in the coming year. Additionally, 50% said that exercising or improving their fitness levels was a resolution as well, while 39% said improving their diet.

Because many Americans are likely looking to lose weight fast at the start of 2022, we consulted Lisa Moskovitz, RD, CEO of NY Nutrition Group, author of The Core 3 Healthy Eating Plan, and member of our medical expert board, who explained that to crush hunger cravings and lose weight fast, reach for high-fiber foods.

“While there is no magic bullet for weight loss, certain foods can help you feel full and satiated to create the necessary calorie deficit for healthy weight loss,” says Moskovitz.

Specifically, high-fiber foods are essential for stopping those hunger cravings, which often directly impact weight loss.

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According to Moskovitz, “fiber is a non-digestible, zero-calorie carbohydrate that slows down digestion so that you feel full for a longer period of time.”

Given that high-fiber foods fill you up, you’ll feel less hungry, and ultimately help your body work towards losing weight.

Wondering which food is the best source of fiber? Moskovitz recommends legumes, specifically kidney beans, black beans, and chickpeas.

“[Beans] contain a specific type of soluble fiber that can even boost metabolism,” says Moskovitz. “They are also an excellent source of muscle-preserving plant protein, bloat-fighting potassium, and energizing iron.”

Whether you’re adding them to a salad or putting them into a soup, stocking up on beans could be your key to jumpstarting your weight loss journey. If you’re on the hunt for more ways to incorporate beans into your meals, check out our list of 17 Delicious Recipes Featuring a Simple Can of Beans.

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The desire to satisfy an intense craving can be so powerful, sometimes it feels uncontrollable. Just imagine this: You were so busy at work that you skipped both breakfast and lunch. Now it’s 1:30 and you see an open package of Oreo cookies on the counter right next to a bag of baby carrots.

Which package is making your mouth water?

Uh-huh. You’ve been there. You know what it feels like being drawn by a force of nature toward the fat and sugar, the crunch of the cookie, and its creamy inside.

As strong as cravings are, you can overcome them with tricks and techniques and not the willpower you just don’t have the energy to muster. Following are helpful suggestions to fight cravings and reduce overeating, according to dietitians and nutritionists. Read on, and for more on how to eat healthy, don’t miss 15 Underrated Weight Loss Tips That Actually Work.

Giving in to cravings doesn’t mean you lack willpower or control. It means you’re human. “The craving response is an evolutionary mechanism designed to protect you,” explains nutritionist and blogger Dena Gershkovich, RDN, owner of TheArtsyPalate.com.

“When we haven’t eaten for a while, our bodies crave foods that are high in fat and sugar because fat is the most efficient source of energy, and sugar is quickly absorbed by the body,” she explains. People make the mistake of restricting food and avoiding even nutritious between-meal snacks in an attempt to lose weight, but “the best way to avoid cravings is to prevent your hunger from building too much by eating regularly throughout the day,” Gershkovich says.

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Cravings are strong, and they only get stronger when you try to fight them. “Telling yourself the food you crave is ‘bad’ actually increases cravings for it,” says Melissa Mitri, RD, a dietitian for Wellness Verge. “Instead, allow yourself to eat a little bit of what you really want so in time, it loses its appeal.”

Or try the delay technique, she says. “Instead of giving in right away, tell yourself that it’s okay to wait. Often, this helps to reduce the likelihood of spontaneous eating in the moment. Plus, when you know you can have it at a later time, it becomes less urgent.”

“Breakfast helps you start your day right and regulate blood sugar levels into the morning hours which also limits cravings later in the day,” says nutritionist and personal trainer Jamie Hickey, RD, with Truism Fitness.  Breakfast beats back cravings even better when it’s high in protein. A study in Obesity by researchers at the University of Missouri found that eating a protein-rich breakfast effectively reduces brain signals that influence reward-driven eating behavior (i.e. scarfing barbecue-flavored potato chips; you know what we mean.)

RELATED: 21 Things That Happen to Your Body When You Skip Breakfast

“Tea helps comfort and calm a hungry stomach while also hydrating the body so it feels full,” says clinical nutritionist Christina Towle, founder of Hudson Valley Nutrition. She recommends teas like those from Good Pharma containing “adaptogens that add an extra boost of botanicals that satisfy the body without calories.” Adaptogens are herbals that some small research studies suggest may counteract the body’s stress response.

Pause and take a few deep breaths before opening that bag of Tate’s Cookies. “Breathing can help you hit pause when you’re experiencing an intense craving,” says Mitri, who is also president-elect of the Connecticut Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “It works because it can help you to slow down and relax, so you’re able to evaluate the situation and what’s happening.” Remind yourself that cravings are normal, and you will get through it.

When you are just dying to dive into a pint of chocolate ice cream, sidetrack yourself by doing something physical, even for just a few minutes. “Distract yourself by listening to a podcast or some music, walking the dog, hitting the yoga mat; do anything to take your mind off the food,” says nutritionist Julie Mancuso, registered nutritionist and owner of JM Nutrition, a Toronto-based counseling service by registered dietitians and nutritionists. “Cravings only last a few minutes, so by the time you are finished with your activity, your craving will be a distant memory.”

While distracting yourself may be useful for drawing your attention away from that bag of chips, certain consistent distractions can interrupt signals from your stomach telling your brain that you’ve had enough of what you were craving. A 2019 study in the journal Psychology & Behavior found that using smartphones while eating increased the number of calories participants ate.

Foods made with artificial sweeteners may reduce your calorie intake when you’re eating them, but studies have linked them to consuming more calories throughout the day, says registered dietitian Trista Best, MPH, RD, LD, with Balance One. Best suggests reducing or eliminating refined and artificial sugar from your diet if you are experiencing issues with overeating or cravings

Stay satisfied all day—and avoid cravings that lead to overeating by eating these satiating foods at mealtimes:

• Breakfast: A glass of milk, 2 large eggs (each contains about 7 grams of filling protein), and an apple (4 grams of filling fiber).
• Lunch: Eat ½ cup of chicken salad on whole-wheat bread with a glass of unsweetened iced tea and you won’t be hungry at 3 pm.
• Dinner: Sear 4 to 8 ounces of tuna, salmon, or steak. Add a half cup of steamed broccoli for low-calorie fiber, and a glass of ice water (it’ll stop you from scrambling for seconds).

Those are basic guidelines. For specific recipes to help you build a meal plan that fights cravings, read 10 Weight Loss Dinners that Actually Satisfy, Say Dietitians.

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If you spent time studying greatness and the leaders who went before us and created success, you’d see a group of individuals that came to understand the power of a strong mindset.  The word “mindset” is described as “a mental attitude or inclination” by Merriam-Webster. It’s one of the leading indicators of creating success, accomplishing goals, and living a fulfilled life.

If you can’t visualize your goals, you’ll have a difficult time taking action. If your mindset is not one of “this is already done, I just need to put in the work to get there.” If you don’t have that mindset, you’ll always wait for the other shoe to drop every time you experience success in life.

Having a relentless mindset is more than a meme on Facebook or a cute Instagram quote picture. It’s a religion. It’s a way of life that leads to healthy habits you implement every day as you take action despite unexpected circumstances and moments when giving up feels easier.

Everywhere you look, there’s no shortage of people that are searching for ways to live a happier life, have better relationships, lose weight, create more financial freedom, and improve their lives. What’s missing is understanding the importance of their mindset and doing to work to become stronger mentally. A relentless mindset is one of the key ingredients in creating sustainable change. 

Today’s access to information gives us a vivid picture of how your mindset can help you accomplish goals while putting in the work to help you become the best versions of yourself. Create these relentless success-focused mindsets to beat fear and live out success. 

“No matter what, people grow. If you chose not to grow, you’re staying in a small box with a small mindset. People who win go outside of that box. It’s very simple when you look at it.” – Kevin Hart

Invest resources into knowing yourself better than you know anything

The journey to success starts with self-awareness. Learning and knowing yourself is a crucial ingredient for creating personal growth. If you don’t understand what makes you move or not move, you won’t know whether to push, rest, or move on. You listen to your limiting beliefs when you can’t distinguish the difference. You end up thinking they’re the truth because you don’t know enough about yourself to understand this is the time to be real with yourself. 

Without finely tuned self-awareness, you won’t know what success path to follow that leads to accomplishing your goals. A lack of self-awareness means you won’t see the tripwires to avoid and what would help you overcome unexpected challenges. Take as much time as it takes to learn more about yourself and develop a better appreciation of what makes you unique. Invest resources into mental health professionals, hire coaches, watch videos, read books, listen to podcasts, read articles, and become a Ph.D. level in knowing who you are. 

You are your most extraordinary life project to accomplish. Take your self-awareness journey seriously and learn more about yourself every day.

Make consistency in taking action your only choice

Creating relentless mindsets takes consistent action and a daily commitment to healthy habits in every area of your life. However, consistency has to be long term and relentlessly pursued. Success can’t be something you do while it feels good — it has to be a lifestyle. 

If you want to beat fear and imposter syndrome, being consistent should be the only option you’ll give yourself even if life gets hard. You decide to wake up and commit to physical movement. You make the understanding of energy-based healthy nutrition choices a priority. You have a plan for your days, weeks, and months based on accomplishing your goals in a specific amount of time. You stay away from energy-drainers that you know will sabotage your journey to consistency. 

You relentlessly take actions day in, day out, and make it your mindset and lifestyle instead of viewing it as things you’re trying to change in your life. You become and stay relentless in the commitment to excellence. 

Love yourself and mean it

You may think you understand self-care, but consuming content on the topic and implementing self-love principles are two different mindsets. Taking care of yourself gives you the mental bandwidth and energy to create a relentless success-hungry routine. Treat your relationship with yourself as the most valuable relationship in your life. 

The pursuit of creating success should be you taking care of yourself first and foremost and giving yourself what you need to feel good. Success happens when you show up powerful through consistent self-care routines that take care of your mind, body, and spirit. You can’t always be on. 

Never stop doing what makes you feel good about yourself, your goals, and what you can accomplish. Creating a relentless mindset comes from a place of putting yourself first and then thinking about helping others. 

“I think anything is possible if you have the mindset and the will and desire to do it and put the time in.” – Roger Clemens

Become a 1% success-seeker

Creating success means you level up in every area of your life in more than words. You don’t spend time posting on social media about what you’re going to do — you make big moves and let your action do the talking. You shift what you’ll accept. 

A success-based mindset means you set the boundaries with everyone and don’t let people or situations cross those boundaries. You keep a circle of high-level, achieving leaders that crave growth. You have regular self-performance reviews. You create healthy habits to make sure you’re on track. You have accountability. 

1% success happens when you work in silence and let your results tell the world where you’re going in life. The success you seek is born in the mindset you’re building every day with each decision. Make your journey to success the most remarkable project and focus in your life. Be relentless in becoming your best you.

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Eating right can make all the difference for athletic performance. Even if you are not training for a marathon, the right fuel will make any workout more effective. Here are five foods that will make you feel energized and get you the results you want, faster.

Yes, water is a nutrient and it is the most essential of all. If you want to perform, you need to be well hydrated. Dehydration by anything over 2% of body weight significantly degrades endurance exercise performance, especially in hot environments. Try to drink at least eight-ten glasses of water per day, and even more when sweating a lot. Don’t forget you are also losing electrolytes when you sweat! Sodium is the most important electrolyte as its primary function is to maintain the fluid balance in the body. You don’t need to buy expensive sport-drinks. Just be aware of replacing lost sodium throughout the day and eat foods with a little bit of salt.

Don’t fear carbohydrates. They are actually the best fuel for both endurance AND muscle-building exercises. Your muscles need glucose to perform. Even for muscle growth – the most important ingredient is energy. If your energy balance is negative, you will not grow, run faster, or get stronger. Healthy carbs will slowly release energy and keep you going longer. Oatmeal is perfect as it is still high in fiber but easy to digest (you don’t want to eat anything too heavy before a workout!). You can add fruit for some quicker fuel and nuts or seeds for healthy fats.

Smoothies are the ultimate fast food! This is awesome fuel for endurance athletes. The fruit sugar is absorbed quickly but because the fiber is still in the smoothie, it will not leave you hungry like a juice would. To slow down the sugar absorption, add some nuts and seeds or protein. This will also add some additional energy (calories) to your smoothie and energy is everything you need!

Eggs are a perfect source of protein. Your body needs some protein to recover from that tough workout. While you don’t want to overdo it – too much protein could make you feel heavy – a balanced amount of protein will help you to feel re-energized. Eggs are a great, natural source of protein. Go ahead and eat the yolk too – it’s full of vitamins and nutrients.

A secret weapon of any endurance athlete. Beet juice actually increases our blood flow in the body – bringing more oxygen to muscles. This makes it easier to perform better at endurance events. However, you need to drink the juice for a few days to see effects. The ingredients responsible for the blood-thinning effects are called nitrates. They are also present in celery and spinach, but are particularly high in beet juice. 

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