“ We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. – Albert Einstein “
It should be clear by now that cravings are as psychological as they are physical. So if you want to achieve your goals, you need to fix both your body and your brain.
Willpower Is Not Enough
Ever heard about how we only get a small amount of willpower every day? Well, science now proves it. Laboratory tests of self-control showed that:
- Acts of self-control reduced blood glucose levels
- Low levels of blood glucose after an initial self-control task made the next self-control task more difficult
- Consuming a glucose (sugar) drink eliminated these impairments.
- The phenomenon is even worse for people with poor blood glucose control, such as diabetics
In plain English, you can’t rely on your willpower and try to make yourself do things your body and mind don’t feel like doing for a very long time – except if you grab a large soda (definitely not recommended). Stop relying on willpower to fight cravings. Instead, use the techniques in this book to create the right environment for yourself and multiply your chances of success by many folds.
Always Be Larning
Time for a reality check and some honesty: This stuff won’t be easy. No matter how many more tips, tricks and techniques you learn, fighting cravings and developing a healthy and sustainable relationship with food is a life-long lesson. But if you keep an open-minded attitude, you’ll get where you want to go. When it comes to dealing with cravings, here are some things you need to focus on learning to make yourself stronger:
- Why are you eating? Are you craving certain foods in difficult situations?
- What healthy snacks can you grab quickly when cravings come up?
- Are you obsessing about your food choices? What can you do to reduce your stress around that area of your life?
- How is your body communicating real hunger?
- Are you saying things like: “This is who I am” or “I’ll be stuck with this or that problem for the rest of my life”? These are the kind of limiting self-affirmations you want to replace with an open-minded attitude.
Train Your Taste
Processed foods you might crave were engineered to make your taste buds perfectly happy and stimulate your appetite. Never forget that sad fact.It will feel weird, but the reason you might crave sugary or salty processed foods is… your “broken” taste buds.You see, studies show that eating processed foods, sugar and added taste-stimulating ingredients like monosodium glutamate (MSG) will desensitize your taste buds – making everything natural appear bland and boring to you.
If you’re eating a diet consisting of more than 10% processed foods or a lot of sugar (or both!), then eating whole foods for 3-4 weeks straight will completely change the way you taste food. After a while, some fruits might even feel too sugary for you.
Change Your Cravings
Here’s the part where you’ll need a very open-minded attitude.The truth is that cravings can be changed, like any idea that seems to be “stuck” in your head. Many people have changed their eating habits or mindset, and ended up craving salad instead of fast food.If you want to train your mind to crave a certain food, use the different techniques you’ve learned so far:
- Eat the food you’re trying to crave more often
- Make sure that food is somehow related to a happy memory
- Season that food properly (with healthy toppings, though)
- Think about how much you love that food, even if it sounds like a lie to you for the moment
Warning: People will think you’re a weirdo when they see you craving salad, coconut milk and grass-fed beef. But that’s another thing you need to learn to deal with.
Summary
--> You only get a small amount of willpower each day. Use it wisely.
--> Keep an open mind about new foods, new habits and a new lifestyle. If you catch yourself thinking that “That’s the way you are…”, stop.
--> You can change what foods you crave with focused on your mind, or at least change how you deal with cravings in general.
