irisinnia
Transcendent Member
233/211/160
Posts: 1,222 
|
Post by irisinnia on Nov 13, 2019 2:45:05 GMT
Day 13 - Overcome Cravings
Have you ever heard food calling to you?
Most dieters have. Beck says that cravings peak within the first few weeks of your diet and then diminish significantly. To weaken the intensity and reduce the frequency of cravings, however, you have to stop giving into them.
The book states that cravings start to diminish the moment you decide you’re NOT going to eat it.
The first step for dealing with cravings is to collect information about your cravings (using the My Cravings Rating Chart on page 129). Like:
- day/time?
- how uncomfortable was the craving?
- how long did it last?
The second step is to learn anti-craving techniques:
Mindset Techniques include:
- Label it.
- Stand firm.
- Don’t give yourself a choice.
- Imagine the aftermath of giving in.
Behavioral Techniques include:
- Distance yourself from the food you crave.
- Drink a no- or low-calorie beverage.
- Relax.
- Distract yourself.
For more ways to distract yourself, there is a My Distraction Activities Chart on page 132.
Have you noticed cravings peak and then diminish when you diet? Or diminish when you decide you’re NOT going to eat?
What anti-craving techniques are most helpful for you?
|
|
|
|
Post by cathygeha on Nov 13, 2019 6:00:03 GMT
Have you noticed cravings peak and then diminish when you diet? Or diminish when you decide you’re NOT going to eat? Cravings for me happen when I have something in the house or see it outside and WANT it...even if I don't really need or truly want it. Dieting or not...doesn't matter.
What anti-craving techniques are most helpful for you? leave...have to leave or dump the craved item
|
|
|
|
Post by lani on Nov 13, 2019 15:58:42 GMT
I want the same foods regardless of where I am in my weight journey. I will either go for it if I can accommodate the calories in my plan, or not if I can't (mostly). I will go over my calorie plan from time to time.
|
|
|
|
Post by bbbearsmom on Nov 13, 2019 20:58:01 GMT
I treasure the times I don't have cravings. It is so much easier. Cupcakes (or cake) are my biggest craving. What helps is I don't keep sweets in the house, the cupcakes in the grocery store aren't good enough for me, and I won't make the effort to go out and get one at a bakery. This summer I was out and about and I thought about going by the bakery on the way home but remembered I already knew what the cupcake would taste like. Plus I decided my planned snack was healthier. In the past years I've gotten obsessive cravings. The first I was obsessed. I was looking up cupcakes on the internet. We went down to Manhattan and after a tiring day while going through Grand Central Terminal I got a big cupcake at Junior's. (They aren't there any more.) Came home and ate the cup cake. It tasted just like a cup cake and I wondered why it was so important to me to have it. Made myself a promise that the next obsessive craving I had I would use Beck's 7-question-technique. Six months later I got obsessed with the Dunkin Donut Peep's Easter donut. Did the questions and got through it. About six months later I got obsessed with ice cream. A small store sold single serving size cups of good ice cream. After over a week of obsessing I cut back on my other eating so I would have points for the ice cream and had it. Then I tried having one sweet treat a week. I would set aside the points and have one Hostess cup cake on Saturday. did that for six weeks and then stopped. Didn't like the way I craved it. Would rather not have those feelings.
|
|
ladymajky
Transcendent Member
220/169/150
Posts: 871
|
Post by ladymajky on Nov 13, 2019 22:23:19 GMT
bbbearsmom, I remember when you first wrote about the stare-down with the Peeps. It was a major Non-Scale Victory! I get cravings for cake and ice cream too. When I cave in to the craving and eat the thing I've been obsessing over, I try not to cram it all in my mouth at once, but eat small bites and savor each nibble. Then I noticed that after the third or fourth bite, there was nothing special about it any more. Then I would berate myself over having the craving, giving in to the craving, and not enjoying the craving after I had sinned. If you are going to sin, at least you should enjoy it! Now I try to remember than feeling of let-down and disappointment. I guess it's another version of analyzing whether the pleasure is worth the cost -- either in points or in self-esteem.
|
|
|
|
Post by bbbearsmom on Nov 14, 2019 0:40:52 GMT
there was nothing special about it any more. That was what I was thinking about the cupcake from Junior's once I ate it, why did I have to have it? |
|
irisinnia
Transcendent Member
233/211/160
Posts: 1,222
|
Post by irisinnia on Nov 14, 2019 3:27:43 GMT
I think the techniques that work best for me are the mindset technique "label it" and the behavior techniques "no-calorie beverage" and "distract yourself".
Labeling is important because I have a lot of lies in my head. I have caught myself thinking "I'm starving" after just eating and also saying "pizza, cake" for no reason, other than I feel sad. Labeling these as lies interrupts my pattern of following the lies.
I am chronically dehydrated which I think contributes to my overeating, and the no-calorie beverage is a huge help with that. Also, it sort of fits into the distraction part, because I'm having something, so I don't feel deprived, even if it's just water. Crazy.
Distractions are key. Food is comfort, it's recreation, and it's relaxation. I have to get these emotions another way, and distractions can help me to see if I can find better ways to do it.
|
|
ladymajky
Transcendent Member
220/169/150
Posts: 871
|
Post by ladymajky on Nov 14, 2019 16:17:19 GMT
I am chronically dehydrated which I think contributes to my overeating When I think I am hungry, I have learned to make my go-to solution one of the flavored waters. I like Propel. It is not fizzy and it does not have artificial sweeteners. There is just enough flavor to give it some interest and make me feel like I'm having something. |
|
|
|
Post by surfgirl on Nov 15, 2019 2:04:36 GMT
Have you ever heard food calling to you? Why yes, yes it has. In fact it called to me last night in the form of a cheese bar and dessert place that another birthday friend and I went to to celebrate our joint birthdays. I hardly ever do this though so I'm not going to beat myself up over it.
Mindset Techniques include:
- Label it. I need to work on this one!
- Stand firm. Sometimes I can, sometimes I can't. I usually give in on weak days, but since I've started telling myself to exercise my Resistance Muscle, I've given in less.
- Don’t give yourself a choice.
- Imagine the aftermath of giving in. I do this but it doesn't always prevent me from giving in.
Behavioral Techniques include:
- Distance yourself from the food you crave. I try to not have pretzels and salty/crunchy snacks in the house for this reason.
- Drink a no- or low-calorie beverage. This never really works for me. If I want crunchy, I'll have carrots or celery with some seasoning on them.
- Relax. Hahahahaha...Oh, you were serious?! Okay, I'll try that...
- Distract yourself. Ditto above...
|
|
