10 Tips for Managing Food Cravings

by Wayne Mulhstein (Weight Watchers guru) http://www.waynewatcher.com/

How many times has this happened to you? After a great start at eating healthy in an attempt to take charge of your weight, you hear the cookies begin to call you from the cupboard. Pretty soon, half the box is gone and, with it, your latest attempts at weight management.

Many people think that only by avoiding high-fat, high-calorie foods entirely will they ever be able to lose weight and keep it off. Many weight control programs today even call these foods "addictive" and recommend we give them up forever. While you think giving up such foods may help you gain better control over your eating, the truth is you're actually giving up control. Your cravings for the foods you love will remain and may even become stronger. To adopt a healthy eating plan that includes the foods you crave, try these tips:


1. Eat at least three well-balanced meals a day. Even if you're trying to lose weight, don't skip meals. You'll only be hungrier for the next one, and cravings between meals can become overwhelming.

2. Give up guilt. Believing you have cheated on your diet and completely ruined your chances of succeeding produces guilt and feelings of failure. Give yourself permission to eat favorite foods in moderation and without guilt.

3. Accept food cravings as a normal part of living in a food-oriented society. Almost everyone experiences food cravings, regardless of whether they struggle with their weight. The more you understand your cravings, the better you will be able to manage them. While you cannot
control the fact that cravings occur, you can control you reaction.

4. Think "management" instead of "control." "Control" implies an adversarial relationship with food; it's generally a constant struggle to maintain control. "Management" is much easier. When we manage something, we work with it to achieve our desired results.

5. Look at cravings as suggestions to eat, not commands to overindulge. Overeating does not have to be an automatic response to a craving. When a craving begins, determine how you want to deal with it. It is truly up to you.

6. Believe that cravings will pass. A craving is similar to a wave in the ocean. It grows in intensity, peaks, and then subsides if you do not give in. Picture yourself as a surfer who is trying to "ride the wave," instead of being wiped out by it. The more you practice riding the wave, the easier it will become.

7. Disarm your cravings with the 5 D's. Delay at least 10 minutes before you eat so that your action is conscious, not impulsive. Distract yourself by engaging in an activity that requires concentration. Distance yourself from the food. Determine how important it really is for you to eat the craved food and how much you really want it. Decide what amount is reasonable and appropriate, eat it slowly and enjoy!

8. Stop labeling foods as "bad," "illegal," or "forbidden." It's not the food itself that's the problem, but the quantities you consume and how often you consume them. You can eat some of anything you want-even if it is high in fat, calories, or sugar-but to reach your goals, you may not be able to eat all of everything you want.

9. Aim for moderation instead of abstinence. Avoiding things you fear only reinforces the fear. Occasionally practice enjoying reasonable amounts of favorite high-fat or high-calorie foods. You may be happier and better able to stay with a well-balanced plan for healthy living.

10. Exercise regularly. Just as it is vital to successfully managing your weight, exercise is key to managing food cravings. In addition to burning calories, regular exercise may be relief from tension due to anxieties about food cravings. It's also one way to delay, distance, and distract yourself from food.

Slowly but surely

Weighed in at 237.6 this week which brings me to just shy of a 15 lb loss! Clothes are getting pretty loose, now. Still have a few things to fit into, that will come soon enough! I'm going to just shop the thrift stores for clothes until I am close to my goal weight; no sense buying clothes that I'll only be able to wear for a couple of months.

I've been challenging myself to cook more and different things. It's too easy to go to the store and buy frozen weight watchers dinners; but I still need to get some fresh stuff in my tummy! It's hard when you are cooking for one.

Well, short report this week. I'm going to do some reading for my homework then hopefully hit the pool today! It's beautiful and the water is calling me. . .

Down some more!

My weigh in was at 239.8 yesterday. The bummer. . . only .2 away from my 5% goal! Oh well, we'll celebrate that one next week. Then the week after that, another 5lbs. I'm making some good progress! I worked out 3 times this week, twice at the gym and last Sunday, Kirsten and I took a really nice walk at EB Rains for about an hour. Its good to have a "buddy" to do these things with. The new goal this week is to get out and work out 4 times. That will start tomorrow since I am going to the Rockies game with Kirsten and the fam; we'll be getting there early enough that we'll be able to get a good walk in. I'm going to shoot for at least 2 morning workouts, and then on opposite days do a short lunchtime workout, at least on the bike. I still haven't done the water exercising yet, not sure why I just don't go do it. I'm so brain dead after work, guess I just don't feel like doing anything.

I have some favorite, comfortable pants that I will not be able to wear much longer. Sad and glad at the same time. I have 2 more pair of those types of pants, they are going to have to go in another 5 lbs as well. I'm not sure if its worth it to pay to have them taken in so I can wear them for another month. My choices in pants are starting to waiver, that's for sure.

This coming week, I'm also going to try out some grilling suggestions from the book I won at last week's meeting. I need to find the time to expand my home eating opportunities. I'm going to try and keep my eating out to once a week max. Need to save money for clothes that I'll buy at the second hand store, since its not worth it to purchase new if I'm only going to be able to wear them for 2 months. What a predicament to have!

Off to do homework. I'll report again next week!

Love Letter to Myself

In our Weight Watchers meeting last Friday, Michelle asked us to write a "love letter" to ourselves telling us why I came to Weight Watchers, what I hope to accomplish, and why I am not going to quit. Write specifically what I want, what that will feel like, etc. . . . So here it goes!

I joined Weight Watchers because 1) I want to feel better about myself and look better to myself; 2) It is my goal to fit into clothes I have been holding onto (not a lot, but a few) just to prove to myself that I WILL get back into them again; 3) I need to have knee surgery on my right knee. I had surgery on the left a couple of years ago. Although that was worse than what I need to have done now, my recovery took longer than it should of because I am overweight. I AM going to get down to a good weight so that my knees will feel better and I can rehab better when I do have surgery.

It is really hard for me to say that "I love myself." Like many others, I am my own worst critic. There are things that my friends love about me, so I have to accept those traits. I am a good friend to my friends. I like that I have many friends, several that I could honestly say that are close to me; a three people in my life that I consider are really my best friends. They have been there for me and I for them; they have helped me through difficult times and celebrated the best of times with me. I will do anything for them and their families, of whom I am close to as well. I feel great pride in my good friendships.

I am diverse; I can't say that I know a lot about one thing, but I know something about about several things. I like that when I'm not right, I am willing to admit it - being humble is something that is not easy for anyone to do. As I get older, it is easier for me to admit that I can really be a dumbass. I am very comfortable with letting people know when that happens. If you can't make fun of yourself, then you'll never be able to handle it when someone else does!

I am not going to quit this venture of learning how to change my healthy lifestyle. It will be an adventure and a challenge. I will have ups and downs. However, I now have a "buddy" to do this with; we will help each other accomplish the goals we are going after. We will BOTH make time to do what we need to do.

Hmmm - not really a "love letter" per sey, but guess that's how I feel about myself. It's a start, anyway!

Second small milestone reached!

Today, I weighed in with a loss of 11.2 lbs. . . yeah! next week, I should hit my first goal which is the 5% mark. I haven't exercised as much as I should, just need to get on the ball with that - heck, I have the passes I need, although I DO need to get that deep water exercising punchcard purchased next week. Second goal is hopefully going to make a July 10th appearance. Have to remember, though . . . baby steps! Knowing me, if I get to far ahead of myself, I'll disappoint myself.

Michelle talked about goal setting for the summer - 12 weeks worth. I'm not sure what I want to do with that, yet. I need to really put some thought into it and then post it on my fridge! One of my goals is to go to 2 meetings a week to help me keep up the momentum. Oh, and get myself a "hungry" doll and take pictures of him in the places that I visit to remind me of my goals. Anything that helps motivate me is worth a try!

Lastly, Kirsten is going to start joining me next Friday at meetings. We are going to put our plan in place for the once-a-week BIG exercise day (mornings, hopefully) where we'll do something fun and not at the gym to mix it up. I also want to do the Ultimate Walking Challenge, so need to get Kirsten motivated to join me on that one. Having a buddy to do this with will help both of us!

Now to go find some easy recipes. . .

OK, so I'm sucking at staying up on this thing!

A lot has happened since January. Had my 44th Birthday, it was a GREAT time! Went to Ohio to visit the family, especially grandma. Came back, found out my position was being eliminated within the entire company; however, they created new positions and I ended up with one of them (33 out, only 6 back in). Started that position officially Friday, but have really been doing it since April 29th. Went to Hilton Head for my cousin Josh's wedding; it was really great to be with all of cousins within that family, all at the same time. Last time that happened (since we were all kids) was at his brother Mike's wedding in 1998. It was fun but WAY too short. I had a whole day and a half with them. Too quick of a trip.



In the midst of the latter part of the above, I finally joined Weight Watchers. I have been able to get my flex benefits to pay for it by setting it up with a medical determination letter. I desperately need to have knee surgery on my right knee; however, I won't do it until I lose at least 50 lbs. I restarted my workout regiments and am also able to get part of that paid for as well. My hours changed at work, so it helps a lot by allowing me to do my workouts in the morning before I go to work; my day goes so much better when I can do that! So, in order to help me track my progress, I'm going to utilize this blog. I've put up a picture of me at my birthday party. Ewwww!! That Daugherty double chin is really showing.

As of Friday, May 15th, I have lost 9.6 lbs. My 5% mark will be at 239.2. I'm going to do this one small step at a time. At 235, I'll be able to wear some pants I haven't been able to get into for about 3 years. I will work to make that goal on June 5th (3 weeks). I was going to this meeting on 88th, behind the Westminster mall. Our team leader, Wendi, is nice enough, but not very motivating. In addition, she looked like she hadn't worked the program in awhile and mentioned nothing about still doing it. Since I had to change my meeting time/day, I chose to try this meeting up on Washington and 120th. Michelle is the leader there; it's a 7:30 start. I REALLY like her, as she still works the program and tells you how much she continues to struggle daily. She's "vertically challenged" (in her words) - just a little thing. However, she is just a bundle of excitement! Michelle really encourages you and she works to reward EVERY thing that you accomplish. no matter how small or big. In addition, she follows up her meetings with emails restating what was discussed that day. What a great way to follow-up and continue encourgement! I'm really happy with this opportunity. However, I struggle every day, so I'm going to work towards going to at least 2 meetings a week for awhile. Eventually, Kirsten will do this with me, too . . . stayed tuned!


So, I promise to keep in touch more, since I have a new goal to work on. This is my year for big change in my life. Stayed tuned for what I'm doing!

Oh, and congrats to Karen for winning her first "public" photography contest! It's a fabulous pic, she really did a great job with it. Check it out on her blog link on the left.

Ciao for now!

Wow - I am WAY behind!!

What an eventful month and a half! Finished my 3rd semester marketing class with flying colors, hosted a great Christmas Party and bought a new vehicle (have a good "car" friend who gave me a GREAT deal). . . now I'm getting ready to start classes again; continue with the "one-day-at-a-time" body reshaping plan; and starting my own business in part-time customer service business consulting (i.e. mystery shopping); hopefully moving into bigger and better things within the next 2 years. My home is **hopefully** going to get insulated within the next 2 months so I can start saving on my energy bills (and take advantage of the tax credits or rebates). I am once again volunteering for Smart Energy Living Alliance (SELA) in getting our booth ready for the Colorado Garden and Home Show. I'm pretty proud of it, since I once again came up with the original concept (basing it on feedback/responses we had at the booth last year). Kristin helped to fine tune it and Alex helped by finding the sponsors. It's going to be pretty cool - you know I'm all about energy efficiency in the home. The CGHS is Feb 7-15 this year - I'm pretty excited for it this time, especially since I don't have to be there nearly as much as I was last year. My feet and back will be thanking me. . .soon, I hope!

This will be a challenging, opportunistic year for me - I truly believe that; yet, I really wonder what is in store for me at work. Although my boss is giving me the chance to get out among the customers and do some training, I still feel like I'm being held back. It's been confirmed by the old AND new boss that I am very good at what I do and could excel at whatever else I would choose to take on; sadly, he just isn't ready to give me that sales job yet. Although we filled one territory manager position at work, another one "unfortunately" became available when that TM was let go (he is a VERY smart guy). I told my boss that I would take the territory in a heartbeat, but he just laughed it off. It didn't make me feel very good - I'm not sure how to take it yet. So instead, I am immersing myself in other "related" opportunities by making myself more invaluable in my job - I feel pretty safe in saying that I'm not in danger of being layed off.

I was given the gift of a great compliment from my friend Connie who said that I was one of the reasons (she said "the" reason, but I'm not so sure about that) for her coming out of her funk a couple of years ago. A couple other friends have said that if it weren't for me, they'd probably still be only homebody's. One of my best friends is in a weird spot right now with her mom being sick (mom was moved from El Paso to Denver, but Boots stresses out each time her mom goes into the hospital - each time could be "it"); had my "come to Jesus" with her - I will no longer let her go into the "hermit" phase each time she gets a phone call from her mom or gets done with another bout with the hospital. She's stressed and gets depressed. That's not who she is, she's my "sports buddy" and a good friend - I won't let her get that way anymore. Now, if something happens, I'm kidnapping her to someplace we haven't been yet so she can either talk it out if she wants, or get her mind off of things for awhile (although she ends up talking about stuff and I'm OK with that, too). I don't want my friends to go into that "dark" place - it'll take me with them as I worry for their sakes, too. Life is just too short and there is too much to do and see to be sad all of the time!

So, in contemplating 2009, I have to ask myself. . . what are my goals? 1) As always to lose weight; however, getting myself healthier is more important - it will be the stepping stone to the rest falling into place; 2) get in 18 credit hours (2 classes per semester) this year for school; 3) meet 25 new friends/future networking contacts; 4) don't let the way I think I look keep me from meeting someone special in 2009. We all want to improve our appearance; but there is still a point where we can't let magazines, blogs/posts to other social networking websites or even people's opinions dictate how we feel about ourselves - the biggest caveat I put on myself. 2009 WILL be my year - I can feel it!

Today, I went to Jill and Joel's house for a "First Year Living in the New House" BBQ/game day. It was fun as always hanging out with everyone - I didn't realize that they lived so close to me. . . just south of Hwy 76 off, west of Pecos. Not quite a 10 min drive. They are having the Superbowl Party at their house - that will be a fun day as well. Maybe the temp will be in the 60's like it was today! We also have our Dead Pool Draft next week. . . I better get going on the research!

I'm on Facebook now - didn't think I'd like it all that much, but there are really more adults on it than kids (although I am on the "friend list" of several of my friends kids). I've heard from some people I haven't talked to in a really long time, which is pretty cool. I hope to find more friends as people get onto Facebook. If you haven't tried it, think about it!

Hope this is a long enough post - I'll really try to do more than 7-8 posts a year, I promise! (PS - sorry this seems to run together - now matter how much I edit this, it won't separate my paragraphs out!!!)