Marcus Aurelius says, "You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength."
~ thus, recognise that you have control over your response to cravings rather than the cravings themselves.
cravings = your lower will
ugw = upper will
do not associate food with emotions. find joy/reward in a hobby instead.
~ eg don’t reward yourself with food, otherwise it will spiral into emotional eating and binges. it may also prevent you from addressing the real causes of emotional distress.
stay active throughout the entire day, rather than dedicating a couple hours to working out, to keep yourself occupied and prevent yourself from eating
if you are craving something for quite a while, have a small portion of it to satiate that craving.
if you have bingeing habits, try to have that snack in public/with a friend so that you feel stigmatised to go overboard, whilst also being able to enjoy that craving
“He who is brave is free.” (Seneca)
“No man is free who is not master of himself.” (Epictetus)
~ discipline in resisting cravings is key and requires bravery, leading to true freedom from the control of those cravings. these also display perseverance.
once again, drink more water!!!
if u don’t like the taste:
1. grow up. humans need it to function.
2. mix it with something, eg electrolyte powders, vitamin powders OR fruits , eg add slices of lemons, limes, cucumber, and mint leaves etc.
another craving hack, if it’s something like a cake, pastry, etc.: buy one in a public setting rather than buying a pack which could lead to a binge. enjoy every bite of that single one and make it memorable
nearing a binge, picture yourself as a royal such as kate middleton. would she stuff her face like that? no. so why should you? stay graceful, have a dainty bite.
eat your calories, rather than drink your calories.
liquid calories are the same as solid calories. so put that iced caramel frappe down and have a meal.
chewing tricks your mind into keeping you more full.
key takeaway from this thread are that the following are vital in success:
~ discipline, control, and personal responsibility over your upper and lower wills.
those being:
~ lower will: your cravings
~ upper will: your ugw
only your choices will dictate the outcome.
“Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.” (Epictetus)
~ focus on controlling your actions and reactions to cravings, which are within your power, rather than the cravings themselves, which are external, and watch the weight fall off.
drink more low cal fluids
~ water, tea, diet sodas, seltzers, black coffee.
sometimes you may think you’re hungry, but you’re truly just dehydrated.
+ black coffee can act as an appetite suppressant.
tofu scramble
- ingredients: firm tofu, spinach, bell peppers, tomatoes, turmeric, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper.
- method: crumble tofu into pan & cook with a bit of oil. add turmeric, salt, & pepper. add chopped veg, cook til soft. stir in nutritional yeast.
eat enough fibre rich foods
~ stick to whole foods but if feeling sweet tooth cravings, i enjoy fibre one bars, but they’re not that filling + may trigger more urges for sugar