Beck Diet Girl posted this back in August, and it will help when cravings hit (if implemented, of course):
Dr. Beck offers two kinds of anti-craving strategies: Mindset Techniques and Behavioral Techniques.
There are 5 Mindset Techniques:Label It. Tell myself this is only a craving, not a true need.
No problem.
Stand Firm. Tell myself I am absolutely not going to eat the food I'm craving.
Easier said than done.
Don't Give Yourself a Choice. Tell myself NO CHOICE.
How is this different than standing firm? Apparently I'll find out on Day 16.
Imagine the Aftermath of Giving In. Think about giving in to the craving, but focus on what happens after I swallow: feeling weak and out of control and hopeless.
This is a great idea!
Remind Myself Why I Want to Learn to Withstand Cravings. Read my ARC.
Another great idea!
There are 4 Behavioral Techniques:
Distance Myself from the Food I Crave. Leave the room or throw away or give away the food.
This could be difficult since it calls on will power again.
Drink a No- or Low-Calorie Beverage. Satisfying thirst masked as hunger can erase cravings; have a glass of water or another low-calorie drink.
I already do this, drinking almost a gallon of water a day, and it does help.
Relax. Focus on my breathing, in through my nose for 4 counts and out for 4 counts.
This can be helpful in stressful situations of any kind.
Distract Myself. Perform another activity instead of giving in to the craving.
A definite winner!
The idea is to practice these techniques when a craving hits so I'll be able to ignore it until it goes away.
In this other post, she uses the same tools to address emotional eating.
The tools worked for her, cause until this past week, she had not had a weight gain/regain. She's pulling out her Beck set of tools to address it.
I know that weeks when I do better (when I look at my records) are when I instinctively did some of these techniques (remember, I haven't read the book.) The distraction. The water. The distance. The low-cal beverage or snack. The firm self-talk. Thing is, I really have slacked off. Like Beck Diet Girl, it's time to bring the tools back to the forefront. Which means putting the weight loss as priority one. Something's got to give. I let dieting go to the back burner, and as a result, I spent most of the last month not losing. (I wish I could multi-task with greater ease and balance, but I can't. I suck at juggling in my middle age. Did better at it when I was younger.)
If you want to use Dr. Beck's tools, I recommend her book. (I have it, but need to read and implement it!) Also, her blog, with links to bloggers using her method.
More books for those who need to get free from emotional eating:
12 comments:
I have read some of Dr Becks work and it is interesting. Some of it as you said is easier said than done, but some of it is really interesting.
I think the most interesting thing for me that I have read is the piece about not eating for a day so we realize that not eating food (for a short time anyways) is not going to kill us. It is ok to feel hungry. We dont even realize half the time what true hunger is.
Emotional Eating. Yep. That's definately where I'm always at. I'll check out the web site!
i have not had a significant loss in awhile myself....
for a while it wasnt a priority...but right now it is...just, nothing is happening. i have been giving in to random temptations. thankfully, i have held on to enough of the rules not to post any signif gains....
but the goal is still to move forward. i am encouraged with my success so far and want squeak out a little bit more before the end of this year.
Please show your support, these gentlemen are going to need it!!!
http://shedtheweightby08.blogspot.com/
just checking in...hope the holiday treated you well...
I think I am going to write a book called Emotional Maintenance.. what to do after you reach your goal and how not to slip back into old habits.. hmmm excellent POST.. and very informative as usual...
Hope you are doing OK.
I have that book too and need to reread it and IMPLEMENT it (key word).
hmmm...its getting dusty around here.....
please let me know that you are ok.
where did ya go.. please come back !!!!!!
are you still out there??? we miss you!!
i saw you over at Escape.... come back!!
Hi... just popping in to say "hi" and thanks for all your kind comments. :)
I hope you're doing well. We miss you and hope to hear from you soon! :)
Where've you been lady?
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