Food Craving during weight loss
Let´s talk about food cravings during weight loss today because I get a lot of questions about them.
For many people, craving is one of the main reasons they feel they can´t lose weight. I want to show you a powerful mindset shift about cravings.
Just to be clear, I´m not talking about emotional hunger here, that was the topic of many previous blog posts.
If you need help with emotional eating, check out this workbook to stop eating your feelings and finally break free from emotional and binge eating.
Food cravings during weight loss without emotional attachment to food
Here I talk about the craving you feel when you see, smell, or think about something delicious you would like to eat when you are not hungry and you know that your body doesn´t need that food, especially if you want to lose weight.
It´s situations when someone offers you a treat food at work or there are always snacks in the coffee room at work that are not so nutritious (doughnuts anyone?), or you walk past a bakery/doughnut shop/fast food restaurant and you smell the food and you crave it, or your husband/wife always munch on some snacks next to you in the evening while watching TV, or you are at a party or at a family event where there is a lot of food and you are full but want to continue eating because everything looks soooo delicious.
There is nothing wrong with eating treat/joy foods in moderation
Of course, there is nothing wrong with eating treat/joy foods in moderation. Actually, it´s better to have them sometimes than trying to exclude them completely from your diet. The reasons? Because we want what we can´t have (it´s human nature), and restrictions always lead to overindulging at a later time when you can´t resist anymore.
But if you want to lose weight, you need to have a calorie deficit, that´s a fact. The simplest way to achieve it is by keeping your high-nutrient lower-calorie foods (whole foods) and reducing the amount of low-nutrient value, high-calorie density treat/joy foods in your diet gradually.
For example, if you drink 2 sodas or other sugary drinks a day (substitute here any treat foods/drink you have regularly), try to have only one soda 3 days a week. You can have your 2 sodas the rest of the week. When that´s easy, have only one per day, 7 days a week. And so on, reduce the amount gradually.
But here comes the problem: first you will crave them. So let´s talk about that mindset shift I mentioned at the beginning to curb food cravings during weight loss. This is just one way to deal with cravings, I show you many more ways in the course: Healthy Habits for Permanent Weight Loss.
Ok, here we go.
Carving is a desire. It´s a desire to have something (treat/joy food)
So treat your food cravings during weight loss as you treat other desires in your life. You are an adult, you usually make a decision based on whether those decisions are in alignment with your values and goals or not.
Are you confused? I show you some examples.
Desire 1
Let´s say you see a gorgeous purse or jewelry in the shop (or another luxury item, or a car, a house, or a vacation) and you feel a strong desire to buy it. You really love it and would love to have it. You check the price tag and you see that it costs $5000. You pause for a moment and you think about whether or not buying that item is in alignment with your budget, your financial situation. If not (and for most people it wouldn´t be), you won´t buy it no matter how strong desire you feel. Maybe you decide to buy it later, save up for it, but you will not buy it at that moment if it´s not in alignment with your current financial situation.
Desire 2
Another example: let´s say you broke up with your boyfriend. It was a long and troublesome relationship, you love that person but he treated you badly so you really want to end that relationship for your own good. But he keeps texting you and calling you. You feel a strong desire to text back and answer his calls because you still have feelings for him. But you pause for a few seconds or minutes, and you realize that it´s not in alignment with your goal of breaking up with him so you don´t do it no matter how strong desire you feel.
Desire 3
Your boss or a colleague behaved like an idiot, he/she humiliated you in front of your other colleagues. You really want to shout at him, slam the door and resign. You have a very strong desire to do this. But you pause for a few moments and you think about your values and goals. Is this action in alignment with them? Are you the kind of person who does that? Can you afford to lose this job? If the answer is no, you will not fulfill your desire. Maybe you will think about how else you can get back to him in the future instead or start to search for a new job.
Desire 4
You sit in the car in a traffic jam on the motorway and you really need a pee. You have a really strong urge/desire to go to the toilet. But the cars in front of you don´t move. You have a strong desire to just get out of the car and pee at the side of the road but you don´t do it because it´s not in alignment with your values. It´s actually a physical urge, so at one point you might have to do something about it 😊but you try to withhold as long as possible. Cravings are not physical urges, they are in your head.
Desire 5
Last example: you don´t have sex in a busy public place even if you have a strong desire to do so.
So what happened in all of these examples?
You felt the desire, the urge to have/do something. You paused and considered whether or not having/doing that something was in alignment with your values and goals.
You can do the same with your food cravings during weight loss too. Before you eat, pause and think about whether or not having that treat food at that moment is in alignment with your goal or not. Which one is more important? The desire to have that treat or the desire to have a healthy, fit body you´ve been dreaming about, to be able to wear whatever clothes you want to without having to cover up a body part, to feel confident and sexy, to be able to play with your kids or grandkids, to live a long, healthy life (substitute here your WHY you want to lose weight). Instant gratification or long-term success?
What do you think? Did you find this useful to curb food cravings during weight loss?
If so, you can find many other mindset tips to help you lose weight in the Healthy Habits for Permanent Weight Loss course.
