You just got back on the diet bandwagon again after a big weekend splurge. It’s Monday and you hit the gym, hoping for a renewed sense of inspiration to forge ahead and lose those extra pounds.
As you leave the gym after a tough workout, all sweaty and exhausted, you walk past the bakery next door. The scent of fresh bread and warm rolls waft gently on the breeze. You mind plays out images of times you’ve eaten bread warm from the oven or sat and lingered over a pastry with your morning coffee. Arggh! Stop thinking that you say. You’re on a diet and that would ruin it. What can you do?
Cravings are a complicated issue and a toughie to get around when you’re on a diet. But take heart. There is hope to reclaim your power over food. In a news release published in September of 2003,
In a press release written by researchers at the University of San Francisco, California, a study proved that there is a biochemical connection to stress and cravings. When the body experiences an overload of stress chemicals, your brain becomes unbalanced, often leaving you unresourceful and overwhelmed. Your brain is tricked into thinking that it’s hungry and it’s really not. It’s just seeking a quick bit of stress relief and a break from the present overwhelm.
In a quote from the story adapted from the original press release,
“Our studies suggest that comfort food applies the brakes on a key element of chronic stress,” says study co-author Norman Pecoraro, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of senior author Mary Dallman, PhD, UCSF professor of physiology. And it could explain, he says, why solace is often sought in such foods by people with stress, anxiety or depression.
So what’s a gal to do? We’re always under stress. One of the things that I swear by is using the process of Emotional Freedom Technique. I’ve used it many times personally and with clients specifically around dealing with the emotions that drive cravings.
If you’d like to learn more about my Craving Zapping technique, then you can register for my free weekly Juicy Woman Fabulous, Fit and Free Call. Yet, my Nana always used to say that the proof is in the pudding. Experience is the ultimate determining factor. Go forth and experience. Email me if you want to know when I’m doing my next Craving Zapping Soiree. You can also check out my CD, “Get the Fat Out Of Your Head: Change Your Thoughts To Shape Your Body.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments on all this about cravings. What’s your experience? Are you still dieting? Click on comments and share your thoughts with me and your fellow readers.