So you’re minding your own business when a thought tickles you: I’m hungry. No, not hungry, exactly. This feels different, it’s more like this: Chocolate NOW! Chocolate NOW!

And almost before you know it, you’re halfway through that candy bar you swore off just yesterday. That’s the power of a craving.

What inspires a food desire so intense that it wobbles the will of the most committed dieters and healthiest eaters? The dictionary calls a craving “an intense, urgent or abnormal desire or longing,” but weight-loss experts will tell you that cravings are hardly abnormal.

The Roots of Desire

Where do cravings come from? While hormonal and nutritional fluctuations can influence eating habits, most unhealthy cravings probably stem more from emotion and past behavior, experts say.

If you’re used to grabbing a doughnut on the way to a long morning meeting, the doughnut may quickly become a morning fixture - whether or not there’s a meeting. Worse, every time you give in to the craving, you cement the pattern, ensuring future cravings.

How Can You Break The Cycle?

Step 1: Anticipate
Most cravings are predictable. They’re usually triggered by fatigue, exposure to favorite foods, certain moods and situations.

In any case, the next time a craving strikes, WRITE DOWN everyting you can about it. Chances are, you’ll soon detect a pattern to the timing, setting, food choices or feelings. Once you’ve identified your triggers, you can begin to prepare.

Step 2: Prepare
Plan for your cravings! Don’t get too hungry.

Never promise yourself that you’ll go for hours without eating. You won’t make it, and it’s NOT good for you or your weight management plan. If you need snacks during the day, make them healthy, have them ready, and trim your meals to compensate for the calories. If you’re on the go, take along goodies that are high in protein, like a nutrition bar or other high protein diet snack.

Step 3: Manage
Even the best plans won’t head off all cravings. But when they arise, you can manage them.

1. Surf it. Don’t panic. Distract yourself for 5 or 10 minutes. Experts say most cravings pass quickly if you can resist your initial thought.
2. Answer it. If you can’t shake the craving, have a concise, high protein, low fat 100 calories of something to quell it: for example, a chocolate or vanilla pudding or shake. Then move on. Show yourself that you can eat good food in controlled amounts.

Each craving you control will empower you to handle the next one. Applaud your victories. Beating your cravings will boost your confidence - and your weight-loss success!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 25th, 2007 at 8:48 am and is filed under Diet Tips, Diet Foods. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.