Food cravings can sabotage the best plans and efforts to develop healthy habits, but with the right mindset it is possible to learn and outsmart those cravings. Studies show that 90% or more of people experience food cravings, so if that includes you, rest assured you are far from alone. The key to overcoming those cravings is to engage them mindfully. Are you ready to find ways to turn your cravings into your health and wellness partner? Read on to learn more:
Accept Your Cravings
Cravings are a normal part of life, and having them does not make you weak. Think of your cravings as a teaching partner, that is here to help you dial in what you need in order to be satisfied. Ironically, studies show that the more you fight against cravings, the stronger they get, so it’s important to accept them as a way to learn more about your own needs.
Get Support to Manage Intensity
At Olivera Weight Loss, we help our patients become acquainted with their cravings and how to recognize, learn from, and overcome them. We often prescribe Phentermine to help our patients manage their cravings. Cravings are natural and healthy, so they don’t go away entirely, but this prescription-strength aid helps to keep cravings from being overwhelming. This is a helpful aid to give you a manageable level of cravings as you experiment with new ways of satisfying your body’s demands. Phentermine can help to curb impulses and provide that window of opportunity to practice mindfully engaging those cravings.
Surf Through It
When a craving hits, it can take up so much mental space and feel never-ending. Try learning the limits of your cravings by surfing through it – just watch and wait. Identify what exactly you are craving. Then, find where in your body the urge is strongest, and what it feels like. Stay curious about the feeling – remember, this is a teacher, not an enemy. Pay attention to its life cycle – how long does it last for you? How intense is it? Can you rate it on a scale of 1 to 10? Watch as the intensity rises, reaches a peak, and then subsides. Cravings have a cycle, just like other urges. Get to know what yours looks like. If your cravings tend to be overwhelming, this is a great time to ask about Phentermine. Phentermine keeps those cravings a little less intense, so that you can allow that craving feeling to arise and dissipate, over and over, until it no longer controls you so much.
Experiment with Satisfaction
This step seems almost too good to be true – experiment with satisfying your cravings. The point is not to give in utterly and dive to the bottom of a bag of potato chips. Instead, this is all about finding what gives you satisfaction. You can have those chips (or whatever it is you’re craving), but you must pay absolute focused attention to every bite. Smell it, and inhale that beautiful aroma. Next, feel it on your lips and tongue, pay attention to the satisfying texture. Revel in that bite. Enjoy the way the layers of flavor reach your senses. This is the opposite of mindless eating – this is eating to delight and fulfill yourself. Notice when your body and mind feel satisfied using this method, and see if you can gradually decrease the number of bites needed to reach that satisfied feeling. Over time, you can train yourself to be delighted and fulfilled with less of the foods you crave.
Give Yourself a Better Offer
When you know what sensory input you’re craving, you can give your body a better offer that fulfills the craving without adding too much junk into the transaction. For example, craving something sweet can mean eating a few fresh ripe strawberries instead of candy. Craving something crunchy could mean upgrading to carrots or an apple instead of chips. And so on. What will satisfy the craving will vary from person to person – some people eat chips for the crunch, others for the salty flavor, for example – but knowing what exactly your body is asking for is the key to giving yourself better quality options that allow you to eat to honor your body and health. Experiment with your satisfaction when presented with healthier, more vibrant alternatives, and discover what satisfies you.
Olivera Weight Loss is your partner in managing food cravings and creating healthy practices that provide lifelong benefits. No matter the level of support you need, we welcome everybody and every body to come in and find the interventions and practices that will help you succeed. Come in today and discover the difference support can make in achieving your healthy living goals. Make your next appointment today, and discover the benefits of having our team in your corner!
