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How to Deal With Cravings

Lisa Eirene

About Lisa Eirene Lisa lost 110 pounds through calorie counting and exercise. She swims, bikes, runs, hikes and is enjoying life in Portland, Oregon. Her weight loss story has been featured in First Magazine, Yahoo Health, Woman's Day and Glamour.com.

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12 Comments

  1. Courtney @ Don't Blink. Just Run.

    I’m the same way with cravings most of the time. And Hershey Kisses are perfect for me for the same reason! And not only do I unwrap individually, but I kind of try to suck on them like a cough drop and let the chocolate just melt instead of just chowing down on them. Makes it an even slower process.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      HA! I do the same thing. I suck on the Hershey Kisses until they melt. It satisfies my chocolate craving without me going nuts. And it takes so long to eat them I’m usually satisfied with just a few. So glad I’m not the only one that does this. LOL

  2. Biz

    Thank you for saying is it a craving or a habit! I was talking on Facebook about mindless eating. I noticed yesterday how many times my hands reached for things I didn’t necessary want, it was just out of habit. I kept telling myself – “no!” Sure enough, that worked, I was satisfied at the end of the day, and I probably saved myself 300+ calories to boot.

    I am the queen of picking at plates when I clear the dinner table – that definitely is a habit I want to break!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Isn’t it amazing how much we mindlessly eat? I do it all the time. I’m trying to be more mindful of it and asking if it’s something I really want and not just mindless munching or habit!

  3. Abby @ BackAtSquareZero

    I am still really working on solving cravings with moderation, like a cup of ice cream, and not a binge on teh whole carton.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      It’s definitely a challenge to go from bingeing to being able to eat things in moderation. Trust me, it took me a few years to get there!

  4. Andrea@WellnessNotes

    I also had to learn to eat just a little bit of something to satisfy a craving. And I agree, the best thing to do when you crave something is to eat a little bit of it. I like something sweet most days and usually have an 80 calorie Justin’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Buttercup.

    I also like that you point out that we should examine when we eat out of habit. It’s easy to get used to something and just automatically eat it without asking yourself if you really want it. That’s why I like to do a (real food) cleanse once in a while. It really gets me back to the basics, and I learn (again and again) that many of my “extras” are not really necessary. Also, one interesting thing that happens during a cleanse for me is that I don’t have any cravings (which really surprised me the first time I did a cleanse since there are quite a few things you can’t eat). I’ve read that if you eat more greens, you tend to have fewer cravings. Not sure if there is something to it, but it seems to work for me.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      That’s interesting about your cleanse. I went through something similar. I’ve gone sugar-free a few times (didn’t usually last more than 2-3 weeks at a time) and once I stopped eating sugar, I didn’t crave it. Same with bread. But the second I’d eat it, I’d be obsessed again.

  5. Miz

    for me it is all about HYDRATION.
    when I crave Im usually already dehydrated.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Good point Carla! Thanks for reminding us. I often eat when I’m really thirsty and I’m not listening to my body.

  6. Karen P

    Processed foods! Giving up processed foods, added sugar, and grains. Cravings went largely away. That left the emotional eating. Because my mind was in a better spot and I could think and make changes better after the brain fog left, I could finally- over about a year and a half address the emotional/binge eating.

    Originally, I went no sugars no grains to maintain weight loss. I found that, plus the food cravings stopped, plus a clear mind. Unexpectedly life changing.

    Keep up the good work, Lisa. Glad you are posting about these topics.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Thanks for sharing your experience. I’ve enjoyed reading about how you found what worked for you on your blog.

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