On of the things I have been doing on this seven day challenge is to ask myself questions when I am feeling hungry, or if I have a craving or if I feel like giving in. So in today's reflection I'm going to go through some of the questions I have been asking myself and the answers I have given or the further questions they have generated. I hope that this will help other who are going through similar psychological burdens when being very strict...or even when you are not and those cravings hit you.
Now most of this stuff is common sense questions and common sense answers, there's is nothing really new here. The difference is, for me, is that I am using it as a way of getting past the craving, the wanting to give up, I am trying to get to the heart of me and give myself options. It may work for you, it may not...but there is no harm in trying.
The first thing I always ask myself when I feel like stuffing myself with chocolate or crisps (more my thing) is why? Why do I want it. My obvious answer is normally always, 'Because I'm hungry.', to which I normally ask, 'but am I actually hungry?' and then I start to look back at what I have eaten during the day. Normally my first wobble comes mid-morning, in-between breakfast and lunch: I am sure that this is a time that everyone feels that need for a snack. If I am hungry (and I'm beginning to know more and more when I am actually hungry) then I normally ask myself if I really want crisps or is it because crisps are my go to food? This question normally makes me think a lot and I eventually end up with the answer I always have. So I try to talk to myself into a compromise.
I know that I will have crisps with my lunch, so I ask myself if there is something else that has fewer calories and is healthier that I like that could replace it. At this point I can reel off a number of foods (apples, almonds, banana, kiwi, oranges, carrot sticks) that I like and am perfectly happy replacing them with. At this point I normally grab a banana or a fat free active yoghurt and enjoy that. As I eat the healthier snack I normally also have a cup of tea or coffee to fill my stomach and, as well as savouring each mouthful, I generally ask myself if I am enjoying it. I haven't said no yet.
The point here is that, if you take time to actually talk to yourself about the craving or the feelings you are going through, most of the time you can figure out why you want a certain food and talk yourself round to having something less fattening and more healthy. The question and answer session, as a conscious thing that you are doing, makes you understand and learn to recognise the reasons why you are feeling a certain way and to alter your thinking accordingly.
Sometimes the urges are just me being hungry, like 20 minutes before lunch or dinner and I simply have to look at my watch in order to answer the question 'Why am I hungry?'. But even this Q&A session with myself isn't pointless as it helps me to recognise the times when I am and times when I am not hungry. Even when I am but I know that there is still 30-40 minuets before I am going to eat, I know that if I drink some water it is going to ease that craving, because I ask myself what will help that doesn't mean losing my appetite for the upcoming meal.
Because of this, today has been easier for me. I am beginning to recognise the signs of hunger quickly, I am recognising cravings rather than actual hunger, I am beginning to be able to consciously talk myself round to doing the right thing and leading the healthier lifestyle rather than the one that gave me the stomach and moobs in the first place. And sometimes I just have to say to myself 'Get over it!' and move on.
To summarise, talking yourself through the feelings you are having during times when you feel hungry or want to have something unhealthy will (at least it has for me) help you to recognise the why and change. It will also help you to opt for something more healthy or to figure out if you are actually hungry because it is a meal time and can stall you craving because you know that you will eat soon anyway. Talking and responding to the changes in your feelings is always good, but (again, for me) when trying to lose weight or live a healthier lifestyle, it is essential.
As always I want to end on the things I have been grateful for today. I am grateful today for coleslaw, the perfect accompaniment to salads and it tastes lovely! I am also, today, grateful for tea and coffee, which have helped me through a number of cravings over the last few days and, I am sure, will continue to do so. Finally I am grateful for the art of conversation which has helped me to stay sane over the last few weeks and helped me to become closer to those I love.
As a final thought about having a conversation with yourself, remember this: if you are going to have a conversation with yourself, do it in your head, not out Lous in the middle of ASDA - people will stare.
Until tomorrow: stay safe and stay strong.
Thanks for reading.
Sean.
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