What is your go to think when cravings are hitting you hard?

Hot tea. Diet soda.

Both can take time to drink and feel like a treat. They don't always work but they are better habits than some of my old ones.

Sometimes when you think you're hungry, you're really just thirsty. I agree with the suggestion to have a little tea or something. I have a few different expensive loose leaf teas that I use to make my own personal blends. It seems like a special treat and it's a little different each time. That often works for me. If you drink a few cups of water or tea and you're still hungry maybe you do need a little snack. Try something with protein. Or...just go to bed for the night. Sometimes that works too! I find that I have nighttime cravings (especially for sweet stuff) during the colder months of the year that I don't have the rest of the year. Could be a seasonal thing.

I read on here that people say it helps to picture themselves 1 year from now and relate it to what you are eating or not eating. I've taken it step further and note my Google calendar 1 year from the time I am considering eating calories that don't fit in my calorie goal. In a year I am going to get a pop up on my phone noting where I was a year ago and what I ate or didn't eat to get me where I am.

It will either be happy motivation or sad motivation.

Distracting yourself as you are doing can work. Exercise can, although late at night perhaps not.

If it's the habit and you understand you aren't really hungry just wait it out. It will eventually pass and you will stop expecting to eat/drink at that time.

When I stopped drinking years ago one tough thing was just that I had these positive associations with sitting there sipping a glass of wine and appreciating the taste, so I started making lots of different iced teas (make different flavors of tea or combine them and chill) and drank them out of a wine glass. I liked them unsweetened, and still make them (although I tend to drink them out of a coffee cup now).

I find watching CSI or Bones usually helps with hunger. I'm considering writing a book called the "Crime Show Diet"... It will notate all the gruesomest scenes and the record times so if you aren't actually interested in the show, you can just fast forward to the maggots and the autopsies, along with the length of time of each scene and its anticipated impact on appetite of the viewer.
I think I'm only half joking about this, actually....

Seriously, though, if I know I'm going to be craving something later, for example the day before my period, I just make sure I've saved a couple hundred calories for some chocolate, or tortilla with cheese, etc. (Tortilla, cheddar cheese, jalepenos, crisped under the broiler for 3 minutes- Not quite a taco, but helps with the taco craving.)

I put on music too! Other go to options are
If the weather allows, I take my dog out for a walk so I'm not any where near my kitchen!
And if it's rainy or too cold I'll grab my two kids and put on a cartoon and snuggle.
Sometimes when I do find myself holding the box of Swiss rolls I'll look at the calories and ask myself is it really worth an entire Jillian Michael's DVD workout? And 9 times outta 10 I put the box down (:

10-20g of 88% dark chocolate usually satisfy my sweet cravings.

If it's salty I'm after about 20g of pumpkin seeds do the trick.

Both around 100 calories or less.

I know I want to eat before bed and save calories for my snack. I usually have a bowl of fiber cereal with almond milk and a banana.

I would say drink water, I get the same way after I hit the gym and eat my post-workout meal that consists of a 3 egg omelet and cup of oatmeal, it's just never enough. I manage by drinking at least 16 oz of water, plus it's nice to have something to fill up with. Tea is nice too because preparing it takes time and you have to apply yourself to thinking about the task for a moment, also, not burning your hand off on a hot tea kettle. It's not easy, but sometimes willing yourself into not needing something is a road to take as well. You've come this far, you can go a bit further.