Cravings
When you have cravings, be a good parent to yourself and do not let your mouth rule you. When we have cravings for food, it’s as if our mouth is running the whole show, and starts having a tantrum if it doesn’t get what it wants. We can parent ourselves and say gently but very firmly, “NO! I love you very much but you can’t have what you want.
Water
Drink water. We need to drink plenty of plain water during the day – it hydrates us and supports us to feel more what is going on in our body. You could start the day with water and drink it throughout the day ... and when you feel those unhealthy cravings creep in.
Sugar
Avoid sugar free or low sugar drinks, snacks, cakes and puddings – they have sweeteners in them and anything sweet will make you crave more of it. Sweet things will give you enormous addictive chemical rushes in your brain (aka cravings) that will not support you. The more you snack on these the more you will want; this is a medically proven fact.
A walk every day
Go for a walk everyday – walking is a great way to support you. As you walk try putting all your focus on your feet and feel how you can place them down gently without your heel hitting the floor. Then shift your focus to your legs and how they feel, your arms, how they feel, your shoulders, neck and head, then start again at your feet. Notice how you feel, just pay attention to it and keep walking. Try 20 minutes every day and walk in a way that gets you a little out of puff, but not red in the face and exhausted.
Meals
Turn the TV off during meal times. Taking the time to lay a table for your self, maybe lighting a candle, or having family meals together – these are all supportive. Watching the TV means you are likely to eat automatically and don’t notice what you are eating and what it tastes like – it’s almost as if you haven’t eaten it at all and you want that second and third helping as a result.
Wash up the dishes
Wash all your dishes after you use them. Try washing your dishes when you have used them and drying them and putting them away. The food area is then complete and finished, supporting you to move on to the next part of your day.
TV
Cut down on your TV time. Have you noticed that you eat far more and have far more cravings when you watch TV or DVD’s? Watching TV is likely to be a big trigger for over eating. So to lose weight watch less TV – better still, do something active!
Bedtime
Don’t stay up late. Plan when you are going to go to bed and try going to bed early. Getting lots of good sleep supports you with your sense of well-being – and helps to avoid late night snacking of the midnight munchies!
Self Talk
Put your self-talk on a diet – do not let your mind dominate you with negative self-talk. You know how it can run away with itself and be like a stuck record of self-criticism. We can parent ourselves and say gently but very firmly, “NO! I love you very much but you can’t just think what you want. I will not allow any thoughts that are not kind and loving towards me or anyone else!”
PRINT PAGE
