CONQUER WHAT YOU CRAVE
You are doing well the entire day when it hits – an intense, out of the blue desire for a cupcake, chocolate, lolly, glass of wine, or a bag of chips. We all experience that powerful “got to have it” feeling at some time. The object of desire is most often chocolate, and we crave it with fervour. Ask people to imagine their favourite foods, as scientists using MRI technology did, and chocolate and chips light up some of the same brain regions as the most powerful addictive drugs.
Sadly for “dieters”, this science is still in its infancy, which is why the advice on how to beat cravings tends to fall into two camps: Some experts favour giving in (at least in moderation), while others say, “Sorry you have to give it up”. There is support for both. For example, research has shown that animals deprived of the sugary treats they had come to enjoy will crave them even more for at least a month. But other studies suggest that many of us simply cannot stop – one good yearn deserves another (and another). In research when rats were given loads of high fat pellets, then deprived of the treats, they gave up pushing the lever that had delivered them. But when the researchers later dropped some of the pellets into the rats’ cages, the animals became driven to get more, pressing the lever over and over. One taste of that extra-special pellet seemed to flick on some “want more” switch in their brains.
That switch is powered in part by dopamine, a brain chemical linked to both drug addiction and food cravings. Studies suggest that once you experience something pleasurable, your brain produces dopamine, which makes you want to have more of the treat. Later, if you see or smell the food that gave you the high, you want it again.
As to whose advice you should follow, it really comes down to your “cravings personality” – how well you can spot danger and keep it from derailing your weight-loss goals. Are you someone who can satisfy your urges with just a smidgen of brain delight – in the form of chocolate, cake or wine – or is having even just a taste inevitably the first step on the road to diet ruin?
If You Can Safely Give In:
Have a little bit of really good stuff. You are more likely to be satisfied with a small amount of the real thing. Otherwise, what can happen is that you say to yourself, “I want a chocolate, but I don’t want the calories”, so you start with some cocoa, then go on to other foods that don’t satisfy your craving, and then you end up having the chocolate anyway.
Never eat a treat by itself. Feed your yen for chips but have only a few with a low fat dip like salsa. Include something healthy and low calorie, too, like capsicum strips and celery. Filling out your snack will help you resist downing a bag of chips. And the veggies are full of fibre, which will make you feel full. If you have a square of chocolate, suck it and taste it and have it with a cup of tea.
Go the distance. Don’t keep treats in the house, you won’t be able to resist them. If you really want something special go to the shops and buy a snack-size amount.
Clear your palate. Once you have had your little taste, have a drink of water or brush your teeth. If the taste lingers in your mouth, it will trigger more eating.
Schedule your delights. Plan your daily menu, and include a treat 100-150 calories. I see people who thought they’d never be able to eat chocolate again, have lost more than 20 kilos while occasionally indulging.
If You Need To Give Up
Tap your forehead. It may sound weird, but there is science behind this five second trick to displace your craving thoughts. Since the working memory is small, you need to do something to distract yourself from the thoughts of the cravings.
Walk for 15 minutes. That is how long it took for a group of 25 chocoholics to exercise off their desire for a chocolate bar. And their resistance was severely tested.
Take a whiff of mint. A study in West Virginia found that people who sniffed peppermint periodically throughout the day ate 2800 fewer calories during the week. When you focus on the scent, your attention is driven away from cravings.
Call a friend. Studies in rats suggest that eating comfort food reduces stress response, which may explain why turmoil sends you to the kitchen for your best friend, chocolate/ cake/wine. It does help you temporarily, but better to vent with a friend. That always works.
Be at peace with our cravings. A study done found that people who had been taught to use techniques similar to mindful meditation were better able to resist a treat. Mindfulness teaches that thoughts are just thoughts and do not require any rush to judgement or to action. If you try to make them go away, all your focus is on the food. But if you just exist with the thought, it loses its power. One way to make that easier: Think what you want out of life that feeding your craving might deny you. To be fit enough to go walking? Slim enough to fall into the healthy weight category? Identify what is ultimately important to you that will allow that goal to direct your behaviour, rather than a food craving.
Never be starving hungry. If you eat the right foods regularly throughout the day and never get too hungry, you will be able to enjoy your favourite foods in moderation. It is the one tip that will allow you to go from depriving to indulging yourself, even having chocolate every day if you like – without a fear of bingeing.