We all get cravings from time to time, the question is how to best deal with them. The advice I keep hearing from many weight loss experts is to remove the bad foods that you crave, from your home or office. Sounds like good advice but in actuality is not and here is why. Let say you love chocolate and you removed all chocolate from your house so you will not see it. What happens though, when you go to a friend's house who keeps chocolate on the counter? Usually, most people give in because they have not learned to control themselves.
The answer to cravings in not to remove the bad foods that we crave from our environment because we don't always have control of our environment. The answer is to learn to control ourselves. How can you do that? It is easier than you think.
Learning to control yourself.
Did you know that cravings get their power from you? Yes, cravings get their power from you when you are contemplating whether you will give in or not. Once you start contemplating whether or not you will have the bad food, you've lost the battle already and here is why. Do you know what happens in your head when you are contemplating? Subconsciously you are asking yourself this question: “What excuse can I come up with so I can have the chocolate?” Once you ask that question, your brain will come up with an answer. You see, the brain is like a search engine. You put in a question, it comes up with the answer, it can't reject the question. So since you asked yourself, what excuse can I come up with so I can have my chocolate, It won't tell you that you are not supposed to have the chocolate but instead, it will come up with very creative excuses as to why is OK to eat the chocolate today and I am sure you know what excuses I am talking about.
You see the problem with humans is that we can rationalize everything, even things that are bad for us. By the way, some junk food on occasion, is fine. Too much junk food is bad for your health. So what should you do when you are having a craving? Simple, change the question. Keep in mind that most of the times we crave junk food when we are stressed or bored. If you are familiar with my weight loss program, The Live Your Way Thin System, I teach my clients to make junk food special so they can have it on the weekends only.
So, if you are having a craving for chocolate during the week the question you should be asking yourself is this: “Today is a weekday and I don't have junk food on weekdays, what else can I do instead that does not involve food?” You might not come up with an answer right away but keep asking the question every time you have a craving. Sooner or later your brain will start coming up with an answer that will take your mind off the chocolate and you will find, over time, easier and easier to resist the cravings and eventaully you will not be having any cravings at all. I am speaking from personal experience and the experience of many of my clients. Also remind yourself, what is the point of having the chocolate now, when you are going to feel guilty for having it. How long will you actually enjoy the chocolate, before the guilt kicks in? Wouldn't you rather wait until the weekend and have your chocolate guilt free? The key to resisting cravings is not to give yourself a choice. A craving goes away as soon as you decide you will not be giving in. With practice, this pattern of thinking will become second nature and cravings will lose their power over you.
Stavros
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