So I am most certainly an emotional eater. My nickname is 'cookie monster' I have no self control. However, when I am craving something sweet and it hurts I crave it so much. I don't think I have an off button when it comes to sweets or cheese. So when the craving monster comes a calling what I do is go through a little routine. I am not saying this is healthy or right. This is only for extreme times when I can't afford to let my diet slip.

1) I have a large cup of jasmine tea and wait five minutes.

If I've still got insatiable cravings then I move to step 2.

2) Have a cup of my vitamin drink (nutriclear it was recommended by a nutritionist)

By this point I feel pretty bloated from water but if I am still chomping at the bit I go to step three.

3) I go look at my food diary to remind myself either how good I've been (so why waste it) or to say (dang it's been so bad time to make a change).

If that sinks me lower and makes me feel like it's an all or nothing moment I go get my motivation dress out and remind myself why this one thing isn't actually a treat it one more cookie keeping me away from that dress.

Finally and this is a last resort

4) I go look at myself naked in the mirror and that is enough of a fright to make me lose my appetite.

I don't think it is about tricking your brain to not want sugar it is more about confronting what makes you want to eat food and why you think eating it will change you particular situation. For me it was to feel anything other than the painful emotion I was feeling at the time. The sugar or the texture would distract my brain momentarily from everything I was feeling. Then feeling crap about the food I just ate would distract me from what really upset me.

Instead I try to feel the craving, assess why I feel it, assess if indeed a chocolate bar is going to help and then act appropriately. For example if it is my PMS making me sad, a chocolate bar actually makes it better.

If I am craving cookies because I am bored or because I am stressed I rationalise it and they aren't going to help. So I make myself busy e.g. cleaning, working, walking the dog, obsessively watching my favourite tv show or I deal with the real issue at hand.

I do thought maps and try to assess if the mad pilot has hi-jacked my brain or if it is the rational me.

What the irrational thought is -> What is the evidence for it -----> evidence against ----> what I would say to a friend ------> Assess why I'd be so much tougher on myself than a friend

For example you wouldn't scream at a child for gaining weight or berate a little girl because she doesn't fit an ideal body type but you would do it to yourself.

I am bookmarking this post/thread - I love your routine and your thought map structure. Thank you so much for sharing it!

Hi

No worries I hope this helps and doesn't mentally scar anyone. Weight loss is so personal.

I had to go through that routine last night. Boredom and stress triggered my cravings. I have the flu and I am so stupidly weak right now I can just manage the dog walks and that's it.

Last night I had eaten dinner: Paleo chicken curry with kale and courgette linguini

But at about 8 - 9 pm I was thinking I want chocolate...... (I've got the flu, my boyfriend is away, I am bored from being ill and annoyed at myself for not being well enough to move much) so I had to drink a vitamin drink and then do the mirror routine to remind myself and I am glad to say I resisted the temptation. Instead I had a raw cacao nib and was fine. I realised last night I was using food to distract myself from my current predicament of having the flu. Mad isn't it?

Also if you do need chocolate, go raw. More than 70% dark is enough to beat anyone's craving and you cannot possibly overdo it because it is so potent in terms of flavour. Read the back of the ingredients and stay away from processed artificial stuff.

If you are in the UK whole foods, real foods and planet organic sell these raw 70% chocolate covered mulberries. Honestly two will sort your tastebuds out and it isn't going to pile on the pounds. I am currently road testing all natural alternatives.

I feel a little healthier today and I am sure the clean food helped. I used some of the left over ingredients from dinner to whisk up some all natural thai curry chicken soup. I've got no cravings right now despite a heck of a lot of stress. Everyone else ate massive deli sandwiches with biscuits for lunch..........but I could actually taste the goodness in what I was eating so I felt fine about it. I took my soup and scuttled to my office to have it.

I also find visualising the nutrients and what each nutrient does has helped changed my attitude towards foods I wasn't so keen on. So when I had the soup I thought about how good the kale and homemade chicken stock was for my body. I had also used an organic butternut squash, which is packed with nutrients so I tried to imagine all the particles going to different parts of my body to make me a healthier. Same when I eat bad food, I don't trick myself into thinking it is a treat for my body. I think of the refined nasty secret stuff they put in and the pore clogging grease in it. If I can think of that and still want it then I really must want it

Helps to not think of junk food as a treat or a cheat. Think of it for what it is; refined artificial nonsense that just clogs up your system. Think of a big bunch of kale as a big hug to yourself.

I mentally say to myself "I love you body, this may taste pants but it's because I love you I feed you what you really need, this is giving you iron, magnesium and all the stuff you need to shine!"

Like the advert says "because I'm worth it!" so I go into the health food store and spend what I could have spent on a pasty and instead buy some organic sauerkraut. Yes it doesn't taste as great but the sauerkraut means I won't have to buy lots of concealer to hide the black bags I get under my eyes from lack of iron in my diet.

I'm not saying I am wonder woman and I have cracked it but these are little changes I have been making. Trying to associate healthy foods that don't set off my allergies with positive messages.

Oh and one more tip.

I swear this is the best thing I ever bought, even more than the nespresso machine and my vegetable spiraliser "the new soda stream makers," they are super sleek and nothing like the ones from the 80s. I got the button operated one (it does all the fizzy for you) and I drink a lot of fizzed water. It fills you up and hydrates you, which helps you not retain water (retaining water and being dehydrated always makes me gain weight and my skin look bogging) also keeps you fuller for longer if you are totally hydrated. Add a twist of lemon or lime to make it a detox drink!

Although I do love green tea be aware it can actually stimulate your appetite. I wish someone had told me this sooner!

Just make sure you drink naturally non caffeinated tea as caffeine also stimulates your appetite and is super bad for your skin.

I am on a real mission right now to get control back. I had totally become a slave to my inner food monster.

Dinner tonight: Home made meatballs with organic Italian sauce and courgette spaghetti! I will let you know if this goes down well with the non-dieters in my house. If they hate it they can have cheese to hide the flavour

Please let me know how you get on with these tips and if you think I am mad tell me so!

I just feel so bogged down, slugging and generally crap so I need this kind of extreme food craving overhaul. I swear cheese was invented by the devil to taunt me!!!

Something I do to try and get through a craving or early hunger sensation is try and not to use negative motivation. Because will power is finite and it will expire. If it didn't many people would never need help. Negative motivations wear down will power faster than positive.

I just tell myself I eat something in 30 minutes if I still feel the sensation. Usually I can repeat that process up to a feeding time. The ghrelin hormone that triggers feeding also has a finite period. You just have to give yourself baby steps to get past it.
The fasting had taught me that simple trick. I tell myself OK, in 30 minutes or till X task is done. Usually the sensation is gone by then or it is weaker and I can again extend it.
You don't eat an elephant in one bite.

I agree with the poster who said something about the carb addiction. Once you have followed the protocol for 2-4 weeks, you will not have any cravings.

I did IP 2011 and made goal. As soon as I got too confident in maintenance, I started the carb-addict again and gained it all back. I am better not to have even "one" chip or cookie or whatever, because then I spiral. Tip: Don't have the first one! Drink lots of herbal flavored teas, as the smells are wonderful Good Luck

That is me also. And so much truth to the comparison with drinking.
Here is a link that shows evidence that sugar is more addictive than cocaine and heroin. http://www.conncoll.edu/news/news-ar...m#.VNjta_nF9EI
I am still looking for one that shows that even in addicts that sugar trips the dopamine receptor and the addiction is stronger for sugars in drug addicts than the drugs themselves.

It can be difficult to stay OP with everyone else in the house bombarding you with the aromas of what they are indulging in. Last night my son toasted some raisin bread, and after he buttered it, I put my nose right to it, closed my eyes, and inhaled deeply about 6 times before I let him have it back lol.... then I went and had a big drink of warm cinnamon flavored herbal tea. Surprisingly this gave me a bit of relief. I still had the "mental" enjoyment of raisin bread, and felt a bit satiated after the warm tea.

Hunger can be easy to resist...but cravings...wow! the cravings can really knock me off of my feet!
Coffee does help me too.
If I haven't had all my proteins, I'll very slowly eat a Quest bar (one that fits the IP criteria) while I drink my coffee...that is very satisfying to me.
I was at a long basketball game...bored...and craving...so I bought one of those big dill pickles from the snack stand. That helped.

Sometimes I'm craving so badly, that I've eaten just about all of my food before 2 or 3:00! I may "allow" myself extra veggies...

Cravings are so weird...i blame a lot of them on hormones...I blame most of my troubles on hormones! haha

So far I have talked myself out of the cravings and "stuck with the program". It's only week 2.... Pickles - I'll have to look into that since they have more taste than celery. My big ol' puppy girl gets a TBS of peanut butter with a small cookie stuffed in a toy every evening. Just opening that jar of PB is torture!!! I think I should load a photo of me now and a photo of me in that little brown dress from June of 2011 to remind me how good I can look.

The smell ofPB gets to me too...I make PB sandwiches for my son...I know better than to lick that spoon...

Ha, Ha --I did the same thing with the tacos my husband made for the kids last night. (Made sure I ate my dinner before) Sat with them with a cup of tea and enjoyed the wonderful aromas -- had to leave after a bit -- started to feel the "I want some monster" approaching. Felt good to engage and enjoy the smells, but still stay OP. That would have never happened before IP!

Thank you determined2change! I printed it out and will try your steps when I need them-- and I will need them!

I hear you, sista! Good job with the pickle!!! You go girl!

Hey ktgal -- Are you still out there? How did your first few days go? They are tough, but the reward is sooooo worth it. Update us if you can!

Hey! I'm still here! Doing great staying on program. I am actually surprised at how little cravings I am having. I did have a little nausea from vitamins but I'm super sensitive to that so I'll have to be more careful. Sweets has always been my biggest weakness but so many of the products are sweetened that I find I'm OK. I've found a number of products I like and a few I don't! This weekend will be the real test. I've been so busy this week at work I didn't have time to worry about boredom hunger so I'll making sure I keep busy this weekend. I canceled our dinner reservation for vday too so that I can cook at home (thinking lobster and scallops with celeriac and asparagus). I realized we tend to celebrate with eating out and told my husband we needed to find nonfood related ways to celebrate! Anyway hope everyone is doing well. Thanks again for thinking of me! I'm going to have to find my place on a daily tread soon!