How do you curb cravings?

Ask yourself what you could be doing besides eating, and that do that.

I keep Kroger ice cream sandwiches in my freezer. .Sure... they aren't as good as Ben & Jerry's or Turkey Hill or Tillamook or Talenti or... you get the point, but they are real ice cream and they are pre-portioned so they make keeping within limits easy (assuming I stop after one). And they are a hell of a lot better than the Arctic Zero crappola. If you want something a little better, try the individual serving cups of ice cream. I know Edy's makes some decent ones, and the Safeway ones a pretty good too.

If it's late and night, polish your nails. You can't eat when they are wet, and then maybe the craving will pass. You could also write in a journal. If all else fails.. satisfy that craving... just in a mini portion, but make sure to exercise to offset it.

I crave-cave a lot, so don't consider me an authority, but I have ideas and would be happy to share a few.

If you've eliminated the trigger foods from your house, and you're likely to jump into a car to go and get your fix, try putting a message in big letters on your steering wheel that says something to discourage you from making the trip. Examples could include, a magazine cutout of a healthy alternative food or meal, or a motivating picture that reminds you of how you do/don't want to feel/look. You could leave yourself a personalized note with a direct message (i.e. "Put down the cheese, fatty!" "Back away from the ice creams!" <=Not calling YOU a fatty, btw, these are a couple of things I've written to myself). Alternatively, you could just have a piece of paper and a pen with you and write those words, or "Don't do it!" or whatever works for you, any time you're ready to crack. Anyway, I love caving to my cravings here and there, but I'm usually like an avalanche. I start with one bowl of ice cream, and then my boyfriend comes home to find me buried in a pile of empty food containers and dirty dishes...

...I'm (mostly) joking of course.

Also, and I know this will sound strange, but I've gone so far as to take whatever I'm craving out of the fridge set it down in front of me, and then put it back. The act of having done that tricks my brain into thinking it got what it wanted. Granted... that idea is a slippery slope, and I generally only resort to this if I find that I've already opened the freezer door.

And thirdly, try eating something that's not what you're craving that is healthy and (although maybe not as cathartic as a pint of Ben and Jerry's) filling. Then drink TONS of water. If I'm good, I use hummus and carrots or lettuce and soy sauce--depending on how many calories I have left for the day. The part of your brain that craves instant gratification may not be thrilled about it, but the other part that recognizes that your belly is really full is more likely to override your impulse to eat a half a pound of cheese.

None of these ideas are fun, but you're trying to get distracted long enough for the cravings to pass. Eventually, your willpower muscles will get stronger, and you probably won't need such deliberate tools to discipline yourself.

I hope that tangent helps in some way!

I don't buy those foods-- so as long as I can stay on track when I go to the grocery store, I'm typically good to go. I have also found that drinking a lot of water and making sure I am never ravenously hungry, I don't get too many of them.

Typically I get cravings for sugar and salt. I haven't had sugar in 5 weeks because I can't control myself around desserts. I have a lot of fruit protein shakes-- it curbs that craving usually with a tart sweetness from some frozen strawberries or something. For salt, I try to add more zest to my salads.