· You Can Learn to Overcome Cr~vings

. .

Dieters are often unsuccessful because they succumb to cravings (which they often mislabel as "hunger") .
,. When they have a desire to eat. their attention becomes fixated on obtaining the food they want. It can be diffi- iI
. cult at first to learn how to pull your attention away from food and on to something else. But it is an essential i
j skill if you want to lose weight and keep it off. j
I Dieters need to prove to themselves, over and over and over again, two key truths:
:
• Cravings are mildly uncomfortable but certainly tolerable-especially compared to significant dis-
comfort, such as surgery or a broken limb.
'
(
• Cravings always go away-if you make the firm decision that you are not going to eat (until the next /
planned meal or snack) and focus on something else. '

Dieters tell me it is incredibly freeing once they discover that they can take control of their cravings in-
stead qf being at their mercy. Here's what you need to do:

• Motivate yourself every morning by reading a list of reasons you want to lose weight. You never
know whether cravings will arise on any given day, so you need to be prepared. Also read this list at
the first sign of a craving.

• Continually remind yourself:

• Cravings are temporary and tolerable.

• You can always plan to eat a food you crave the next day.
• You'll feel badly if you give into a craving but terrific if you don't.
• Giving in to cravings has never worked for you in the past.

• Use the techniques in the program I developed . Each book lists many techniques and initially. you
may need to engage in up to 5 activities or tasks before the craving goes away. OR just watch your
craving rise and peak and then subside without do.ing anything about them.

♦ Once a craving subsides, give yourself enormous credit. Emphasize to yourself that you tolerated the
craving. the discomfort was only mild, and that it went away.

I suggest to some dieters that they keep a 3X5 or business-sized card with them. On the card they write
the numbers 1 to 20. Every time they resist a craving, they circle a number. If they give in to a craving, they
throw the card out and start with a fresh one. Once they resist cravings 20 times in a row. they know for sure
that they never have to give into a craving-and they are liberated!

IMlat are some of your favorite techniques for overcoming cravings? Email me at [email protected].

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Continued on p;l,ft! 3
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 · What Do You Wish You Would Remember?

I often get emails from people who haven't read my books, asking, "How do I get myself to stay on my
diet?" There are so many skills people need to learn. Just a few of these include:

⇒ selecting a healthy diet they can stay on for life (which includes their favorite foods)
⇒ motivating themselves daily
⇒ having an action plan when they' re tempted to eat something they're not supposed to
⇒ having an action plan when they deviate from their diet.

One of the most important skills people need is the ability to talk back to their sabotaging thoughts:

' "It's okay to eat thi s food I hadn't planned to eat because . .. I'm happy/I'm sad/ I'm tired/ I'm celebrating/it's a
special occasion/it's healthy/I hardly ever get to have it/I exercised today/I' II make up for it later/I' ll start dieting
again tomorrow/ it's free/I can't waste food/no one is watching."

And on and on and on.

l teach dieters to anticipate their sabotaging thoughts and together we create forceful responses they write on
note cards. They read these cards every morning (because they never know how difficult it will be for them, on
any given day, to stick to their diet). They also pull them out just before their vulnerable times of day and when
they' re tempted to stray from their eating plan.

A question I often ask dieters is: "What do you wish you would remember when you have a strong temptation
or craving for unplanned food?" I include a variety of responses in my books, including:

1. I can eat whatever I want, whenever l want, in whatever quantity I want-OR I can be thinner. I can't
have it both ways.

2. While it feels unfair that I can't have this food now, I can always plan to have it tomorrow. The
greatest unfairness would be if I let my sense of unfairness prevent me from losing weight.

3. If I eat this food, I'll get momentary satisfaction but I'll feel terrible later. If I don't eat it, I'll feel
proud of myself and especially happy when I get on the scale.

4. Don't fool myself into thinking it won't matter if I eat this. Eating this unplanned food
strengthens my giving-in muscle and weakens my resistance muscle. Every time matters.

5. Hunger is never an emergency [unless one has a serious medical condition] and cravings always
go away.

What messages help you stick to your plan? Email: [email protected]

Your questions and comments are welcome!

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