I have food cravings. Who doesn’t? I’d love to say that I never give into them, but that’s just not true. When it comes right down to it, I’m often having an argument with myself about what I want, what I need, feeling deprived or am I just bored? In the last few years as I’ve continued to work on my health and fitness, I’ve made a few observations about my cravings.
My craving comes from having deprived myself of something for a while. The longer the time, the stronger the craving.
I believe this is a common way of thinking, and for sure something that I have told myself, but I often find it not to be true. When I eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly, I find that I don’t crave those less healthy foods as much as I would have thought. When my body is getting what it really needs, I tend to be less hungry overall.
I often find that the longer that I go without something like cake, candy, french fries or beer, the less that I crave it. Don’t get me wrong, I see the commercials and advertisements about foods like hamburgers and shakes and think, “I like those.” However, it’s not a craving per se, where my head tells me, “I need those.”
Giving in to my craving will only make it worse.
I think this is often true, but not always. I am a huge fan of pizza. I can safely say that in terms of calories and bad fats, that it’s one of the easiest foods to go overboard with. That’s not to say that you can’t make better choices of pizza, but those aren’t the ones that I usually want. I deal with this craving by never really doing without or going very long without it.
Several times a week, I have a microwave Lean Cuisine™ three meat pizza. It’s very tasty, and a moderate helping. I’ve often made this little bargain with myself that goes something like this, “Have a Lean Cuisine™ now. If you are still hungry afterward, you can always make another one. Even if you eat two or three it’s way better than going to the pizza buffet!”
Funny thing is, I don’t think I have ever made the second pizza. The craving passes.
A three to four-day window.
I have gone through many periods in my life of eating more and less healthy. I’ve noticed that my cravings are most intense for about three to four days after shifting back to the super-healthy side of things. I seem more hungry and vulnerable to my cravings. If can just remind myself of that fact, it makes sticking to my plans easier (but not necessarily easy).
Why, why, why?
So, I find myself asking, “Why do we have to have cravings?” They are annoying. They can sabotage my goals. They don’t seem to serve any purpose except to throw off my health and well-being. But here’s the thing……..The “Why?” doesn’t matter!
The truth of the matter is, having the information as to “why” may not make any difference in your ability to manage your cravings. You’ve got to experiment with yourself, and see what works for you.
It can seem like a fight, but your health and fitness are worth it to add years and quality to your life!
BUT, if you still need to know why, check out the link below. 😊
2ndLifeFit 