From 100 MORE Days of Weight Loss, Day 16
My answers to the 3 questions at the end of the lesson
Addictions counseling teaches that a craving rarely lasts longer than seven minutes.
By forcing yourself to avoid food for that long, you can usually overcome continuous eating.
1. Watch for a time today when you feel tempted to eat something not on your plan. Write it down here.
I’m thinking back to last Saturday night – We were eating dinner at a favorite restaurant before going to a concert. This was a familiar place that has wonderful cheesecake for dessert. I decided to have a piece of cheesecake even though I had to eat it quickly because of time. As a result, I barely noticed the taste.
2. For seven minutes, stay away from the food. Do something positive during this time.
If I had waited 7 minutes before ordering the cheesecake, I wouldn’t have had it because there wouldn’t have been enough time. I could have taken a walk or drank more water to distract myself for 7 minutes. I need to recognize times like this when I’m eating on impulse.
3. Write a note about what you did and then describe how this worked.
Waiting 7 minutes would have saved a lot of calories! I can see this working in a lot of situations such as when I’m tempted to buy cookies or to go out for ice cream.
My new rule – when I’m craving a food, wait 7 minutes and do something positive during that time.