There are several ways to manage cravings. You can:
1. Stop Eating the Food you Crave
Eliminating the offending food entirely is rarely successful. We can only limit ourselves for so long before we go crazy, eating everything in sight to make up for the deprivation. This also introduces deprivation and control issues, which many have trouble with leftover from childhood. Would it be better to learn to enjoy your favorites without losing control around them?
2. Modify your Eating Habits
Modifying your behavior can be successful, but it can also be difficult because even though we want to change, it seems that despite our best efforts, we still find ourselves craving the same things, day after day. It is the "how" that stops us. How can we change a behavior that is a habitual response? How can we stop doing what we don't want to do? There are literally thousands of diet and weight loss books and most offer nothing more useful than the "eat less, exercise more" advice. If it were simply a matter of doing what we know we should do, there would be no obesity epidemic, but it's not that simple. We need to know HOW.
3. Use EFT to end the Attachment to a Particular Food
EFT is often helpful to diminish or demolish the cravings. It can be your HOW. How to change habits that you want to be rid of, how to create new, better habits, that support what you want, instead of what you don't. EFT is simple to learn, and effective.
If you don't yet know how to do eft, read this brief explanation, then download and print the worksheets, instructions and reminders all in one convenient PDF packet.
4. Stop Talking Yourself Into It
You've said you are going to stop nighttime snacking, and then the voices start, "I've been good all day, I deserve a treat, just one won't hurt..." You're basically talking yourself into it, and then you're off and running to the kitchen. Most of us find that once we say yes to that voice, there's no holding ourselves back.
As soon as you realize you are doing the "talk myself into it" routine, start using EFT immediately. Catching yourself in the act is difficult at first, but if you keep an open mind, you will start to notice. No matter where you are or what you are doing, you can instantly perform an EFT procedure on yourself, and get quick results. You don't need to wait until later, until the atmosphere is just right, or until you are alone or somewhere you can relax. You can do it while driving, you can do it in a crowd standing on the corner.
Examples of EFT for Ending Cravings
The first round you might notice the craving is somewhat reduced (or it could disappear entirely), but it will likely be lessened. Once you have done one round, re-rate your desire for the food, and if it is still high (more than a six), do another round of EFT right then:
Set-up: "Even though I still want to eat _________, I'm fine just the way I am."
Reminder: "Still want to eat _________."
While I'm doing the EFT round, I might find myself thinking things such as, "It's not that I want to eat them all, it's just that once I start I can't stop."
So, for the next round I'll use that statement:
Set-up: "Even though I can't stop eating cookies once I get started, I deeply and completely accept myself anyway."
Say the "even though" part with gusto, you really mean it! You are okay, just the way you are.
Reminder: "Can't stop"
This round might lead to, "That's not true, I can decide how much I want, I just don't want to limit myself," so the next round might be:
Set-up: "Even though I hate to limit myself, I deeply and completely..." or "Even though I don't want to limit myself," or whatever words fit your situation.
Reminder: "No limits"
Make this process yours and let your personal thoughts guide you. Doing this will help you unearth core issues and beliefs you may not have realized were there.
More often than not what happens with these simple and effective techniques is you will stop using them. Not because they don't work, but because they do. You will stop because you aren't ready to give up your eating habits - you like the food, you enjoy the taste, the pleasure you gain from the eating is greater than the pleasure you anticipate by making a change in your habits. It's as if you say to yourself, "Screw it, I don't care. I want it now, and I'm going to have it." Much like a small child, you are simply feeding your instant desire, and that's okay too.
Be gentle with yourself. Realize you will do this on occasion, and accept it. It doesn't make you a failure, it simply proves you are human. Accept yourself as you are. If you make a commitment to do the EFT exercises, even though you don't want to, you will reach success.
In my work reluctance to do something that will work explains why people continue to seek something new. They read new books, they try new diets (witness Atkins, now South Beach Diet), they ask each other (usually their overweight friends) what they are doing (why not ask someone without a weight problem instead?). The answer is they don't really want to make a change for the better, they just want the easy fix. Give me a pill, a simple food plan, make it easy for me, and I'll do it. I can keep on any plan for the short-term, lose some weight, then as I'm gaining it back I can just blame myself. It's my fault for stopping the diet. It's my fault, for not staying on the plan.
This is not a healthy way to live. Take back your power. You decide what you will or won't do every day. Stop giving that power to others - stop blaming yourself for not staying on someone else's plan, and make your own plan.
This is the single most important thing in anyone's change process: Realizing what you want for your health, your body, your life, is more important than what you get by the instant gratification.
Kathryn Martyn, Master NLP Practitioner, EFT counselor, author of Changing Beliefs, Your First Step to Permanent Weight Loss, and owner of how to do eft, read this brief explanation
Get the how to do eft, read this brief explanation: Inspirational Mini Lessons Using EFT and NLP for Ending the Struggle with Weight Loss.
quick home cleaning Highland Park ...What to Do with the Leftovers?Okay, tell me if you've... Read More
Stop Being Influenced by Food Ads on TVThere is much... Read More
Did you say there's a way I can eat what... Read More
What is the advantage of these new half sugar and... Read More
When obesity gets out of hand, unresponsive to dietary, lifestyle... Read More
Dietitians just plain don't like low-carb or high-protein diets.Whether it's... Read More
Yes it's true- and so unfair. As we get older... Read More
Everyone from politicians to parents is talking about fighting the... Read More
What are the best fad diets? It's a question I'm... Read More
Although the big push for fad diets has died down... Read More
When considering that pathological eating disorders and their related diseases... Read More
Adaptation is the most important concept I teach. The human... Read More
You've heard them before and may even have believed some... Read More
IT'S NOT ABOUT THE NUMBERS!The health clubs are always racking... Read More
New gastric bypass patients say they miss food, they grieve... Read More
The Atkins Diet Seems To Never Go AwayFad diets come... Read More
We have such good weight loss intentions. We emotionally beat... Read More
I remember back in my senior year of high school... Read More
Cellulite - Reduce The Appearance --------------------------------- Sallie Elizabeth has always... Read More
Research from Harvard, recently published in the highly respected peer-reviewed... Read More
Everyone who has ever tried to lose weight has hit... Read More
Dr. Atkins death was unexpected. On 8 April 2003, he... Read More
This Article was originally Published in The July 2004 Issue... Read More
We have plans for everything these days. That is how... Read More
Here come the candy canes. In our house, Santa always... Read More
move in cleaning service Bannockburn ...Fat Loss Tip #1) Train With WeightsWorking out with weights... Read More
America's Obesity EpidemicAs the numbers of overweight Americans continue to... Read More
In order to identify hunger, you must first understand what... Read More
If you want any weight loss program to work you... Read More
Diet advice ? a million "experts", hundreds of snake-oil miracle... Read More
Thankfully, winter does not last forever! In the spring there... Read More
What is the advantage of these new half sugar and... Read More
Is a weight loss workout routine right for you? Answer... Read More
Any dietary plan on the market has some portion of... Read More
It's the American Dream: "If I could just lose a... Read More
There's one thing that most people forget about when it... Read More
Do you struggle to maintain or lose weight? If so,... Read More
Have you ever seen an overweight rock climber or yoga... Read More
Once upon a time, I fretted about going to a... Read More
In this issue, I am going to focus more on... Read More
The Dr Atkins Diet has been around for ages, but... Read More
Getting started on an exercise program is one thing. Staying... Read More
The weight loss protein debate centers around the effectiveness of... Read More
Dieting and weight loss is almost certainly the most lucrative... Read More
A little information if often a dangerous thing... and many... Read More
Experts say obesity will overtake smoking as the biggest health... Read More
Choosing the right diet type is the most important decision... Read More
Diet drop out, a significant problem for all types of... Read More
From the moment of birth your first emotional experiences establish... Read More
Some of my dieting tips are not conventional. You can... Read More
Weight Loss |