I went Christmas shopping with my two littlest kids today.
I LOVE shopping at Christmastime! Kev would rather take a beating, but I LOVE it! I love the hustle and bustle, the Christmas decorations, music and just the magic of the season!!
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Anyway, while I was out shopping, I drove by my FAVORITE treat shop 3-4 times!
Each time I drove by, it called my name….BIG TIME!
Oh, and in case you want to know, my favorite treat shop is called The Sweet Tooth Fairy.
They have the best cupcakes and sugar cookies on the planet….YUM!
Here’s an idea of what you can find in that terribly awesome store…
Sorry about that….
Ya, now you see why I had a problem.
Anyway, I almost stopped there a couple times, but I DID NOT!!!!!!!!
Yay!
It was tough.
I felt a little tired, stressed and worn out today. AND I know when I’m tired, stressed or worn out….I CRAVE TREATS!!!!!!!!!
My motivation and determination goes out the window and I just want whatever will pep me up and make me happy.
So, how did I resist my favorite treats????
Well, that is what led me to write this post!
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I think the best way to resist cravings is to eat a healthy diet! I know it sounds obvious, but when I am eating a diet void of sugar and refined carbs, my cravings go WAY down.
It really makes it almost easy.
I feel very in control when I’m just not eating them. However, we all know how hard it is to do that!!! SoOoOoOooooo, with that being said, here’s a little list I compiled of things that have helped me over the years….
“12 WAYS TO RESIST CRAVINGS!”
- Eat something healthy first. When I crave something, I’m usually hungry. So, if I eat something healthy and then wait a few minutes, it’s a WHOLE lot easier to resist the craving.
- Never ever ever go to the store hungry. I’m sure you have all heard this before, but it is great advice! When I’m hungry at the store, everything looks SO yummy! Sooooo, if you have a healthy snack in your purse, eat it before you go in the store! It really will help a ton!
- Don’t buy it in the first place! It is so much easier to eat healthily if it’s not in the house to begin with! So, if I see something at the store I want to buy (but shouldn’t), I immediately distract my brain and think of something else and just walk right on by the thing I wanted.
- Do something active. Seriously, if you are at home and start craving cookies, candy, cake, etc….do a few jumping jacks, run up and down the stairs, etc. It really does help the craving to go away.
- Visualize yourself eating it. This sounds weird, but I usually do this one if I smell something yummy. Like, when I go to the store and smell fresh cookies or bread baking….I hate that! Anyway, I just let my mind wander and imagine myself eating and enjoying that food and then moving on….It sounds strange, but it does seem to help. It makes my brain realize that it only takes a minute or two to eat that (enter food item here), and then it’s GONE! I don’t think that minute or two is usually worth it!
- Read the nutritional information. When I’m at the gas station or in the checkout lane at the store, the candy bars always look so good! However, if I pick up the candy bar and read the calorie and fat counts, I can usually put it back down with no problem! It brings me back to reality and helps me remember my goals.
- Drink something! Drink a big glass of water! It really does help my stomach feel fuller and takes my mind off of the craving. Diet soda also helps. I know it’s not healthy, but I think it’s the lesser of two evils. The carbonation seems to fill up my stomach and the sweetness of the soda usually cures the craving.
- Breathe and Count to 10 slowly. Sounds silly I know, but it works. I read somewhere that when we see a yummy food item we love, all of our senses become extra intense. Our minds quickly hone in on that one little food item and our will power and determination seem to go out the window. If we take a minute to stop, breathe, and count to 10 it can help us to “chill”, come to our senses and have the ability to make a better decision.
- Distract yourself! Do something else that you love; read a book, take a bath, watch TV, go for a walk, call a friend, surf the web….whatever! Just get your mind off of the craving!
- Brush your teeth or chew gum. This really works. I don’t know why, but it does.
- Eat a “legal” treat. I always have a bunch of sugar-free and low-carb treats stashed in my freezer. When a craving strikes, I pull out one of my secret cookies, brownies, or muffins and it helps a ton! I still control my portions with those too though!
- Visualize yourself healthy/skinny/fit/strong, etc. Create a picture of yourself in your head of how you want to eventually look and feel. When a craving strikes, stop and visualize yourself at your goal and ask yourself, “What do I really want?”
Well that’s all I can think of for now!
If any of you have any “tricks” that help you to control cravings, send them my way! We could all use the help!!!
I know the more we give into cravings, the WEAKER we become….it becomes harder to resist them. BUT, the more we resist cravings, the STRONGER we become and we reach our goals!
Yay!
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