Cravings Are Uncontrollable

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JLEE911
JLEE911 Posts: 8
in Food and Nutrition
snacking is my worst enemy. I seem to want to snack on the unhealthy foods even if there are healthier options available. If I get a craving for something like a chocolate bar and I try and substitute something else forget it it's like I am not satisfied until I get the chocolate bar. Then I wind up eating a whole bunch of extra food to rid myself of the craving and end up eating more calories than if I had just given in and eaten the chocolate bar in the first place. Any advice?

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  • marycatherine000
    marycatherine000 Posts: 28
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    Eat the chocolate bar?
  • dt3312
    dt3312 Posts: 212 Member
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    This book really helped me a lot: Breaking Free from Emotional Eating by Geneen Roth. I used to go through what you describe and following the guidelines in this book helped me understand my behavior and how to change it.
  • JLEE911
    JLEE911 Posts: 8
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    Thank You
  • jason_adams
    jason_adams Posts: 187 Member
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    Distraction! Focusing on what I'm craving when I'm craving it is a recipe for me giving into it. Getting involved in something else usually is enough to break that "need" feeling.

    I've also had luck with a partial response to a craving - the set up. In University when I was on a cutting (weight loss) cycle, I would often crave potato chips. I'd go to the store across the street, buy a small bag of chips and put it on my dresser. Then I'd study for a certain amount of time or pages. Usually by the time I reached that study goal, I didn't care about the chips any more. If I still wanted them, I ate them.

    Recently I did a similar thing. I was "too hungry to resist any more!", and made myself a plate of cheese and crackers. Then I went upstairs, put some laundry away and came back down to do some work at my computer. Before I settled into work, I put the cheese and crackers away as I didn't want them anymore.

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