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Post by bbbearsmom on Nov 13, 2020 0:32:14 GMT
Friday, 11/13
Day 13 –Overcoming Cravings
This is a big one for most of us and is a good example of the resistance muscle versus the giving-in muscle.
Beck says you can always resist cravings and they will go away on their own. She wants you to keep a “Cravings Rating Chart” to monitor your cravings as an aid to learning to resist them.
She also lists Anti-Craving Strategies:
Mindset Techniques
Label it.
Stand firm.
Don’t give yourself a choice. (This is where "NO Choice" comes in.)
Imagine the aftermath of giving in.
Remind yourself why you want to learn to withstand cravings.
Behavioral Techniques
Distance yourself from the food you crave.
Drink a no- or low-calorie beverage.
Relax.
Distract yourself.
She includes a “Distraction Activities Chart” for you to monitor the distractions you try and how well they work for you.
How are you doing with cravings? Share some of your experiences with cravings, good or bad.
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Post by bbbearsmom on Nov 13, 2020 0:38:37 GMT
My cravings almost always involve sugar. I don't bring sweets home so I don't have them around calling my name and that helps. I can get triggered especially in regards to cupcakes or just a piece of cake. Since I would have to go out and buy something I manage the craving by not going out and buying something, and like Beck says the craving can eventually go away although I've had craving that lasted for weeks. Over the years I've gotten better at talking back to my thoughts regarding cravings, also I monitor how my stomach/hunger feels and even though I might crave something if I'm satisfied I usually pass (but not always).
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Post by cathygeha on Nov 13, 2020 7:39:42 GMT
Imagine the aftermath of giving in. I have done this and can SEE the scale going up overnight and taking days to come down again...then go ahead and indulge from time to time. It is easier to do this AT goal weight as the week to get it off seems easier than when there are still pounds to lose.
Distance yourself from the food you crave. I have done this...sometimes...easiest way TO do this is to not have it in the house 
Drink a no- or low-calorie beverage. Sometimes option for a no-low calorie item will work and sometimes not so much. I remember reading/hearing in the past that one should
* think about what you are craving * assess to determine what "taste/mouth feel" you are craving (sweet, smooth, salty, crunchy, savory, meaty, creamy, cold, hot, etc)
* find an alternate "mouth-feel" food to eat first * if you don't think that the alternate food will work then have a small portion of the other because if you keep eating the alternate food you may eat as many calories as you would have with the "real" food and still not be satisfied
Distract yourself. This can work...especially if the distraction takes you far from food |
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Post by mac on Nov 13, 2020 12:49:07 GMT
Cravings are one of the main reasons I'm over goal, a big problem for me! How do I handle these sugar cravings:
* Don't buy sugar foods when shopping, don't bring them in my house.
* Stay out of the bakery where the cake is when shopping, don't even go look.
* Stay with my daughter when getting bread in the bakery shopping as she won't let me put the celebration cake in my cart!
* If I really need a sugar treat, buy it and eat it outside the house, no bringing any treats in my house.
* Keep track everyday of my sugar free days on this thread!
Sugar cravings are hard to deal with as they last a long time and usually I just have to give in, I need to focus on dealing with this problem as the elimination of sugar will help me to lose the last five pounds to goal!
8 days sugar free!👍
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Post by bbbearsmom on Nov 13, 2020 18:09:12 GMT
mac, Congrats on your 8 days of being sugar free.
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Post by luvvinlife on Nov 13, 2020 22:11:37 GMT
I handle cravings by :
Pre-tracking
keeping substitutes available that are lower in points
leaving the area where the craving is
remembering that I have to post my (weight) results for the days to follow
giving in with a plan to compensate with the next meal and beyond, if necessary
My worst experiences with cravings usually occur when I’m overtired. If I see the pattern beginning I go to bed if it’s not too early. Otherwise, I find that a cup of hot tea or a glass of seltzer with a twist of lemon works.
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lizlor
Transcendent Member
Posts: 1,157
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Post by lizlor on Nov 13, 2020 23:19:56 GMT
Cravings for me include sugar and, more habit oriented, alcohol. If there’s sugar in the house I will seek it out. Alcohol-wise, it used to be a social habit. Drinking wine at book club or at dinners with friends. My best coping mechanisms for both are to avoid completely, find healthier substitutions, and to be aware of the tracking #’s so I am aware of the damage. When I’m exercising regularly, cravings take a back seat because I’m more tuned into being on plan in exercise and tracking categories, and motivated to say no choice to cravings.
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ladymajky
Transcendent Member
220/169/150
Posts: 871 
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Post by ladymajky on Nov 13, 2020 23:28:09 GMT
I know I do better if the foods I crave aren't in the house, but my problem is getting through the grocery without those foods leaping into my cart and hitching a ride home. This is definitely a work in progress.
TRIGGER ➡ THOUGHT ➡ DECISION ➡ ACTION
TRIGGER: I am craving premium ice cream with sea-salt caramel swirl and caramel truffles
THOUGHT: [Sabotage]: I want it so bad I will get dressed, put shoes on, and drive to the grocery at 10 pm to get it.
Interrupt the Chain of Events
THOUGHT: [Helpful] I don’t want to be at the mercy of my cravings; I have to stop giving in to the craving
DECISION: I am NOT giving in;
I have tools:
Mindset: Stand firm; NO CHOICE; Think of Aftermath; “Whys”
Behavior: Distance; Distraction; Relaxation; Drink
ACTION: Use TOOLS and overcome Craving
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Post by surfgirl on Nov 14, 2020 4:16:17 GMT
I know I do better if the foods I crave aren't in the house, but my problem is getting through the grocery without those foods leaping into my cart and hitching a ride home. This is definitely a work in progress. TRIGGER ➡ THOUGHT ➡ DECISION ➡ ACTION
TRIGGER: I am craving premium ice cream with sea-salt caramel swirl and caramel truffles
THOUGHT: [Sabotage]: I want it so bad I will get dressed, put shoes on, and drive to the grocery at 10 pm to get it. Interrupt the Chain of Events
THOUGHT: [Helpful] I don’t want to be at the mercy of my cravings; I have to stop giving in to the craving DECISION: I am NOT giving in; I have tools:
Mindset: Stand firm; NO CHOICE; Think of Aftermath; “Whys”
Behavior: Distance; Distraction; Relaxation; Drink
ACTION: Use TOOLS and overcome Craving Carol Ann, just write the damn book already, I'll buy it! Anyway, yes, this is perhaps the biggest challenge for me, exercising my resistance muscle and denying my giving-in muscle the opportunity to get stronger. I want that sucker to become a weakling that can't even have a voice anymore! The big issue for me is I don't take the TIME to THINK about where I am in the moment. I don't STOP and THINK about what I know from Beck and what I should do, and if I don't STOP and THINK, then I'm not using any of these tools, am I? No, I am not. So next time I find myself either sitting at my desk thinking about going into the kitchen OR I find myself already IN the kitchen, I'm going to come back here and review this page of the BBR, and ask myself ladymajky 's Trigger - Thought - Decision - Action chain and see where I am and if that helps STOP me in my tracks and be able to prevent that unplanned eating that I'm thinking about. Definitely a work in progress on this one. |
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irisinnia
Transcendent Member
233/211/160
Posts: 1,222
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Post by irisinnia on Nov 14, 2020 16:38:15 GMT
I'm really fascinated by this "Cravings Rating Chart". I know which cravings I have that are the strongest, but I want to adapt it to see how often I get a craving. 24-hour journal of cravings commencing now.
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