The Craving Cure

where was this post earlier today when I needed it?! lol

Very cool!

For me, I discovered the key to kicking them was understanding myself better. I logged when I had cravings (date, time), where I was when I had it (at home, at work, in the car, etc), what I was craving (sweets, salts, chocolate, etc), and what the situation was (work stress, visiting a friend, etc) that helped me kick 'em for good! 1 month of making changes has led to ZERO cravings.

Then I looked for patterns. Some cravings were legitimate - for example, when often crave chocolate during their periods, when what we're REALLY deficient in is Vitamin K, which is found in large amounts on dark chocolate. So I'd adjust my regular diet to include the vitamins I was craving.

Then I looked at the reasons why I was "craving" for the other things. I discovered that I was usually eating in the car, so I started by having something to drink handy in the car instead. Then I discovered that it was often stress related when I craved carbs (as a "reward" for a hard day at work, or to help be through relationship stress, or the fear of upcoming stress),

Understanding cravings went a long way to harnessing them. Within a month, I was able to recognize a craving, understand if it was legit or not, and make smarter decisions - all for the price of a notebook and a pen!