Satisfying Cravings
I’m sorry I didn’t get a blog out last week. My life has been turned upside down with the sudden sale of our house and the hunt for a place to live that is still ongoing. Needless to say, my blogging may be hit and miss for the next several months.
Temptation
But enough with the excuses and on with the blog. Today’s topic is temptation and satisfying cravings. I don’t know about you, but temptation is a continual battle for me in my weight loss quest. Frequently I’m offered a dessert and many times I don’t want or desire it, but I feel deprived if I turn it down.
Hours after I refuse it, I still think about that dessert, wish I’d had it even though I didn’t want it. If I accept it, then I’ll be consumed with regret, and I don’t get the same satisfaction eating it compared to if I’d really wanted it.
Why? Because I didn’t crave it, and it’s just not as satisfying if I didn’t desire it.
Satisfying Cravings
When I’m craving something sweet, it’s all I can think about, and generally what I really want is a piece of See’s dark chocolate candy with the buttercream chocolate filling. I want that burst of sugar and chocolate melting in my mouth as I savor each morsel, and it’s the only thing that will satisfy my craving.
I had that craving last night after dinner and I used the three bite rule Rebecca Clark, author of The Checklist Diet, talks about in her book. The three bite rule is, stop eating when the food stops tasting good.
“Next time you have the craving for something amazing and sinful (like cheesecake), take the first bite and savor the deliciousness. Eat it slowly…” By the fourth bite the taste has diminished, Rebecca says.
I’ve mentioned the three bite rule in many of my blogs because it really works for me, and I’ve found it has a twofold benefit. I eat something I love, and I savor the texture, the taste, the experience it gives my taste buds! Long after I had the candy, I could still taste it without wanting more. The craving was satisfied with only one or two pieces, and it lingered, giving me a pleasant afterglow.
This was so much better and worth the wait to have exactly what I craved rather than having a desert I didn’t want just because everyone else was having it.
The key for me is—have the treat when I crave it, and only when I crave it.
Has anyone else found this to be the case? How do you feel when you satisfy a craving?