Stark Craving Mad!!! Blog 3 of 3

(From Self June 2010) Mind over munchies!

Treat yourself.  Cutting out food you love only makes you want it more.  Dieters who were told not to think about chocolate ate twice as many candies as those who weren't resisting.  Self suggests picking a guiltless substitute"  Ice cream for Fudge Bar.  ( I eat Sugar Free Fudgsiciles as my ice cream treat...ice cream and chocolate...perfect fix for a craving)

Turn off triggers.  Break patterns that encourage binges.  Are you a postwork snacker?  Come home through a door that doesn't lead to the kitchen and you'll be 18 percent less likely to graze.

Feed your hunger.  Going past hungry to ravenous might make you choose junk.  Mice injected with high doses of ghrelin preferred a room where they had previously found high-fat over one where they expected to find less fat and sugar.  Eat protein and fiber at every meal to keep ghrelin gremlins at bay. 

Pace Yourself.  It takes 12 minutes for a thin person's brain to register that she's eaten (well lucky her) but it may take 25 mins for an overweight person.  An overweight person's brain changes its priorities over time to favor eating-related sensations.  Set a timer to get used to making a meal last 25 minutes.

Tire your taste buds.  Your taste buds get worn out after a few bites, so each mouthful is less delicious than the last.  (At a Weight Watchers meeting, the leader said that after 2 bites you can no longer actually taste the food and your now just chewing as repetition, so if you want a cookie...take two bites that is all you will need to get the flavor satisfaction.)

Flip the script.  Banish negative self-talk:  "I ate two Oreos.  I'm weak and I've blown my diet.  I might as well keep going."  Instead, take stock and talk yourself up.  "So I ate a couple of cookies.  It's no big deal.  It won't make me fate.  I can stop now and feel good about myself."

Start small.  Self-control is a limited resource, so if you try to tackle your morning doughnut, afternoon chips and evening ice cream in one swoop, you'll be sunk.  Allot willpower to one behavior at a time.  When a day without doughnuts becomes the norm, move on to the next goal.  (No Taller you can't start drinking Diet Coke again!)

Okay so theses were the tips to ward off cravings, perhaps next time I feel like I'm going to absolutely die if I don't have a brownie, I might try a few of these out and make the wiser decision.  I'll keep you posted, of course.