Constant Craving

I've mentioned this a few times in previous threads - regarding the issue of emotional eating, binge eating, cravings, etc.

I've been reading two books by Doreen Virtue:

'Constant Craving'
'The Yo-Yo Diet Syndrome'.

It addresses the issues PURELY on an emotional and psychological basis, even spiritually as well (although if you are like me and not that spiritual, feel free to skip that part. Even then, it's only a small amount - the rest talks about the foods themselves, and what kind of chemical reactions it has, which hormones they trigger, the feelings behind them, etc)

They also suggest getting to the ROOT of the emotion. Tactics like going for a long run, brushing teeth, etc, don't address this - its like sticking a plaster on a wound, it only COVERS the wound up - it doesn't actually HEAL them. Same with food, sometimes your mind just bypasses the emotion ENTIRELY and goes straight to a food craving - hence sometimes you don't even know WHY you are eating - what you are feeling!

Here's a brief overview:

The certain food craving suggest a certain emotion:

Chocolate = a need for love and affection :brokenheart:
Salty, crunchy = anger and frustration :explode:
Dairy = sadness, depressive
Spicy, hot food = boredom, a need for excitement :drinker:
Nutty = a need for fun and play
Other sweets, candy, cakes = reassurance and pleasure :flowerforyou:
Carbs, breads = a need for comfort and calm (most affective when combined with dairy ie pizza, cheese on toast) :frown:
Liquid, ie coffee and alcohol = pick-me-up, energy boosting :yawn:
High-fat, stodgy = to fill a void, emptiness :sick:

The books suggest keeping a log or diary for a month, seeing which foods you crave and then writing down which events triggered an emotion:

For instance = argument with someone = anger, frustration = craving for something crunchy like crisps/potato chips. Or = monotonous day at work = boredom = craving for a spicy meal like Mexican, Indian, Chinese, etc. Or = hurtful event = sadness = craving for a pizza, as it combines dairy (sadness) with carbs (comfort and seeking reassurance)

They are definitely eye openers, and if you have a tendency to comfort or binge eat, I would highly recommend reading them.

4lbs loss so far since reading them....only a couple of weeks ago!