Understanding and Dealing with Cravings
Posted on March 26, 2013 by Kay Williams, One of Thousands of Health and Fitness Coaches on Noomii.
Cravings are the body's way of letting us know it needs something. If we learn to interpret our cravings, we can give our body what it really needs.
Have you ever wondered about food cravings and why you have them? Did you ever feel like you were really getting a handle on your eating habits, only to have a craving come out of nowhere and sabotage your efforts? Do you sometimes feel that you are a slave to your food cravings?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, you’re not alone. If you answered no to all of the questions, please call me right away and tell me how you got to your enlightened state!
Cravings are actually a good thing! They are your bodies way of telling you that it needs something. Unfortunately, we don’t always interpret our cravings correctly and that can be problematic.
One reason we misinterpret signals from our body is that we tend to reach for a quick fix when we have a craving. Before you beat yourself up for this, just remember that we live in a quick-fix society. We’ve been programed that we can have what we want when we want it. When our mindset is in quick-fix mode we don’t stop to deconstruct our cravings and determine what we really need.
An example of this would be having a sugar craving and grabbing a candy bar or a cookie to satisfy it. That may be a quick fix but most likely not a lasting one. If we slow down and take the time to deconstruct that craving, we might realize that our body does in fact need something that is in a sweet vegetable like squash or sweet potatoes. By trying to satisfy our craving with an unhealthy choice that is devoid of nutrition, we never get to the root cause and ultimately the solution to satisfying the craving.
Often we misinterpret our body’s need for water as a craving. Drinking a couple glasses of water and waiting a few minutes can sometimes give us what we need (hydration) and satisfy what we thought was a food craving.
Sometimes when things are going well for us, we self-sabotage. Author Gay Hendricks calls this the Upper Limit Problem. Some us don’t believe we are worthy of being successful or that we should feel good for an extended period of time. Therefore, when things are a little too good we bail on ourselves and do something to get ourselves back to that bad-feeling place that is comfortable and familiar.
There are times when I have been doing all the right things and feeling really good about my eating choices and then that Upper Limit Problem hits! It’s too good so I end up craving something to make me feel bad.
Being willing to stop, think, and be grateful for all the good choices can help with self-sabotage. Writing can also be a powerful tool in this situation. Keep a notebook or journal handy and write before you give into a craving. List what you are grateful for and see how that shifts your desire from wanting something unhealthful to wanting something that is nourishing.
The body is very wise. It knows when it needs something and it will give signals that you recognize as a craving. Your job is to interpret the signals correctly. Your wise body will never ask you for something that will harm it so make certain that you take time to listen and determine what you are really craving.
