It’s Friday afternoon at 3 :30 p.m. and you are trying to finish an assignment by 5 p.m. Suddenly, you have a craving for peanut M & Ms to get you through the rest of the day. Or you are watching TV in the evening and suddenly you have cravings for some Oreos and milk. Substitute your snack of choice.
What do you do? Typically, do you act right them, go get the snack, munch and go unconscious, just so you can get that energy or “feel good” feeling?
How long does that feeling last before you start to feel guilty about what you just did and wonder how you are ever going to stop the cravings, so you can lose the weight that has crept on? Not long, I bet.
I would like to offer you one solution to ditch those cravings. I have used it myself and it works. Mind you, it requires some work, but it is so worth it.
But first recognize why you have cravings.
- We have a programmed neurotransmitter in our brain that desires any thing that gives us a dopamine response. Dopamine gives you that “feel good” feeling. The more you reward your body with sugar or processed concentrated foods, the stronger the craving gets.
- We are bombarded with food marketing everywhere – TV, computer, signs, you name it. Your brain is very suggestible, especially if it gets rewarded by eating the food.
- We have learned to manage our emotions by overeating, when we are stressed, anxious or bored. Our brain wants to avoid pain and finds temporary relief with taste and dopamine and then goes right back to where it was. Then we gain weight and it strengthens the craving.
Now that we know why we have cravings, let’s break the cycle with these 3 steps, shall we? Here they are:
- When you have a craving STOP. Don’t act right away. Think about what you want relief from. What emotion? Boredom, fatigue, stress, anger, what?
- Take a 5 minute pause. It’s OK not to respond to a craving. It’s not out of your control. Really take a peak at what thoughts are going on in your brain. Check in with yourself. When you are doing this, you are interrupting a pattern. Doing it repeatedly gives your brain a redirect and a chance to develop a new skill.
- Think about whether eating that snack aligns with your goals of losing weight and changing your health and energy. Does eating the snack serve you and move you forward?
You can always find something else to do for 5 minutes, but taking this 5 minute pause and changing your habit and your brain can really make a difference in helping you meet your weight loss goals.
If you would like some additional support in losing weight and have more questions about this process, please contact me here or send me an email at jane@janespringer.com. We will have a 20 minute strategy call to discuss where you are right now, where you want to go, how you want to feel, and be coached a little bit. Reach out today – you’ll be glad you did! Looking forward to talking with you!
Here is a link to a Facebook live I did talking about this exact topic and answering some questions from viewers. Check it out!
Jane Springer is a certified Life, Wellness and Style Coach who assists women in taking care of themselves, in body, mind and spirit. She coaches women who want to lose weight, avoid diabetes, and feel great. She also helps them thrive after divorce. She also helps them to clear their closets of old clothes and outdated attitudes, so they can shine and feel confident.