Don’t let your belly talk to you!!!

Clark was just telling me a few days ago about this comedian that he saw on HBO the other night. I can’t remember her name, but Clark said that she had named her stomach and it talked to her!!! Pretty funny! It said things like- “I WANT CHEESECAKE!”- of course this was in a deep and grumpy voice.

Well, I feel like that too sometimes. How many times have I gotten off to a great start… you know, on a Monday morning- typical- then midway through the afternoon the cheesecake is calling. Usually, it is more like a Snickers bar.

You know, I heard someone in an Over-eaters Anonymous meeting say one time that the problem she had with eating was WAY more difficult than the problem she had with alcohol… she could stop drinking… but she couldn’t stop eating. I think that this is true…. it is harder because we HAVE to eat, we don’t have to get drunk.

Here are some tips that Clark gave us for fighting the cravings-

1. Eat at least 3 well balanced meals a day. Don’t skip meals… and eat snacks. If you skip then you will just be hungrier later and overeat.

2. Give up the guilt. If you slip up- give yourself a break. Also, give yourself permission to have some of those things you like- in moderation.

3. Think “management” instead of “control”. Control implies so many negative things.  If you know anything about AA or any 12 step program, you know that Step 1 is to admit that we are powerless over alcohol or food or whatever it is that we have a problem with. We are… or at least I think I am- powerless and can’t control food. Just think about the word management… it has completely different implications. I mean, can we really control people… no, but we can manage them right?

4. Believe that cravings will pass. If you really pay attention, you will believe this. Next time you have a strong craving, just try to busy yourself with something else… before you know it, it will be an hour later and you didn’t cave and after a few minutes, you didn’t even think about it again.

5. Stop labeling foods as “bad” or “forbidden” or “illegal”. Years ago, when I was trying to stop smoking, I told everyone (and to this day this holds true- my wife knows this) that I reserve the right to pick one up and start smoking again anytime I want to. For me, it was and is, so much easier to just know that I am making a choice TODAY, THIS HOUR, THIS MINUTE, to not smoke… I might do it in a little while, or tomorrow… but not right now. This is the ole “one day at a time thing” and it really holds true for me. I might eat an entire cheesecake tonight, but this afternoon I’m going to have just one small piece.

6. Exercise regularly- Exercise will help you free yourself from tension due to anxiety about food cravings. It is also a good way to distract yourself from food.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 24th, 2010 at 10:35 am and is filed under WDS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

3 Responses to “Don’t let your belly talk to you!!!”

Karyn Says:
May 25th, 2010 at 12:14 pm

I eat clean at least five times per day so I am always satisfied. It was easy for me to get started because I love food and to eat and now I had the permission to eat more often. Just had to learn portion control! Slip ups happen but it is not too hard for me to get back on track because I feel so much better on track. :)

Tara Says:
May 25th, 2010 at 8:14 pm

I always tell people when they say “oh you can’t eat (insert food item) anymore!” that I can in fact eat (said food item), I’m just choosing not to eat it right now.

Anonymous Fat Girl Says:
May 31st, 2010 at 8:43 am

Great tips. And I agree about the drinking vs. the eating thing. You have to eat and sometimes winning vs. those demons is much harder than alcohol demons… Just my opinion though. :)

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