Breaking Down Cravings One at a Time I know you've heard of one-day at a time, but one-minute at a time? Come on, who needs that? Hum, maybe you. If you've struggled repeatedly, yet continue to fail in your weight loss efforts, what's going wrong? Was the way you tried to stop eating a specific food too restrictive? Did you say, "I'll never eat ice cream again," or "I can't eat cookies again." If you set such absolute restrictions when the cravings for the forbidden food hit you like waves rushing ashore, you'll likely give in. It's too much work to try and avoid those waves. They keep hitting you and knocking you down until you're wailing, "I can't do it. I don't have the will power. I'll never lose this weight." Trying to avoid the waves of cravings by sheer will or force doesn't work. If you just stand there, they'll crash into you and knock you right over, but you can learn to surf the waves. Once you learn to ride them, instead of standing and getting hit, then you'll be able to see what life is like on the other side. The side that doesn't have a weight problem. Learn to Ride the Waves of Hunger Get out your boogie board, and you'll be glad for those waves. Think differently about the situation. So you're riding a wave of a food craving, ah, there's the crest, now you're free falling down the other side. Most likely you've forgotten about the wave entirely. Next thing you know, here comes another wave. What do you do? You ride it too and then the next wave and the next after that. Habits, like waves, hit hard, but each successive wave (craving) is a little less intense. By riding the waves you'll find you can learn to surf them, then even enjoy them as they lose their power over you. Use EFT on Every Wave If you haven't yet learned to use EFT, get the fre.e materials and learn it. It's simple and very effective especially for cravings. The EFT process takes no more than 20 or 30 seconds and gives you something tangible to do for what first moment when you think you can't ride the craving wave at all. After the EFT, you may see you've already ridden it. Cravings are toughest to ride out at first because that's when you are still stuck in the old pattern of diving into it. Instead, make an effort to try something new. Stay out of the Water Post a mental "No Swimming" sign for the next wave. Decide in advance that you can go swimming anytime but instead of diving in, you're going to ride the next wave. This way it's always just one wave at a time, not the whole ocean. If you have a habit of overeating, no matter what time of day, realize it's just a habit. No different than a habit of biting your nails, twirling your hair, or picking lint off your sweater. Habits are acquired by repeating the same thing often enough that it becomes an established pattern. Breaking habits happens the same way, but in reverse. Habits can be broken, if you are willing to ride the waves. Even if you were trying to drive a different way to work, the desire to travel the old route would be strong. Eating habits aren't the only thing that's difficult to break, but it can certainly be done. If your family moved, you'd get used to driving another route and it wouldn't be traumatic either. Stop thinking you can't and know you can. When the urge strikes, decide right then to ride this craving out. Tell yourself, "I'm riding this craving," and then just do it. That means you decide in advance that you will wait 10 minutes perhaps or 5 minutes; whatever time works for you. Decide how many minutes you will wait before having the food and then see what happens. Waiting a few minutes gives you a chance for the wave to crest and you'll be amazed how often it does. Every single time you ride that wave and get to the other side it gets easier and easier. Now, for you, it could be that it takes a thousand waves before it gets easier but I can guarantee it will. The day will come when you'll realize you used to have a problem with this food or that, or you used to eat an entire bag of chips every night, but you no longer do. Now if you want a cookie, you eat a cookie but that crazy desire to eat them all has gone. The tide has turned. Couple this surfing metaphor with the EFT technique for cravings and you'll have a winning combination, but even without EFT, this is one way to stop feeling out-of-control, and start taking control instead. |
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