Curb Cravings with 5 Little Words

That doughnut has your name written all over it and you’re having a hard time resisting.  Is there anything you can do to curb your cravings?  Definitely!  What you need to do is practice the 5 D’s of dieting. Distraction

Get your mind off of the doughnut and onto to other subjects.  Leave the room if you have to.  You can’t distract yourself if the doughnut is staring you in the face. Out of sight means you won’t be thinking about it.  Take a short break. Start reading a book or working on a difficult project.  The odds are you’ll completely forget about the doughnut, candy bar, or whatever food siren is calling to you, and the craving will disappear.  Distraction is a great tool for your weight loss program.

Delay

Delay the gratification.  Give yourself permission to have the doughnut in 20 minutes.  20 minutes is long enough that the craving for the doughnut will pass but not so long, an hour say, that waiting seems pretty much impossible.  If 20 minutes passes go ahead and eat half the doughnut, then wait another 20 minutes for the other half. 

Drink

Substitute a long cold glass of water for the doughnut.  The water gives your mouth something to do besides eat—plus the water will fill you up.  Even though it’s only temporary, the feeling of fullness is satisfying.  If you’re craving sweetness, add a splash of fruit juice to the water.  Vary your beverage choice if you like, just be aware of sugary drinks like sodas.  Don’t add extra calories!

Disgust

Another way to curb your craving is to picture the doughnut for what it really is: fat.  Ugly wobbly, slimy, disgusting fat.  Fat that plans on sticking to you for awhile… a long while. Go to the grocers and ask them for a pound of fat trimmings from beef.  That’s what the doughnut will turn into once you give in to the craving.  A pound of fat takes up more space than you might realize.  Freeze that pound of fat.  Whenever a craving hits get it out of the freezer so it reminds you of what you’re really eating.

Dance

Dance instead of eating the doughnut.  If you’re too embarrassed to dance that’s okay.  The point is to exercise for a bit instead of eating.  Take a walk, climb the stairs, or break out in a set of jumping jacks. The results are two fold, you’ve added a bit of calorie burning to your day and you’ve avoided the doughnut.

Use these 5 little words to curb your cravings and keep on losing weight in a healthy way.