Valentine's Day = Craving for CHOCOLATE! Here's how to STOP the craving

One of my clients posted on Facebook how she was 'jonesing' for chocolate, now that Valentine's Day is nearly here and the stores are filled-to-overflowing with candy and chocolate GALORE.

And I thought about how I handle these types of cravings.

Here's what happens to me - see if you see 'yourself' in these events:

 1). I have a craving, let's say for chocolate. After all, it's coming up to Valentine's Day! EVERYONE (not true but this is what I tell myself) is eating chocolate. I should be ABLE to eat chocolate (poor little me syndrome). I DESERVE chocolate (food as a reward bullshit). Fat Brain is telling me ALL of the above plus MORE! It's not FAIR, how come my thin friends can eat chocolate and I CAN'T! (fairness syndrome). I'm going to have it ANYWAY (rebelliousness).

2). So I tell myself I'll 'allow' myself ONE candy bar. That's all. I'll stop there.

3). I have the candy bar. It is AWESOME. It tastes unbelievably good. OMG why did I deny myself so long? I NEED more of this stuff!

4). Now I've INTENSIFIED my craving, not dissipated or satisfied it, because my food addicted/sugar addicted brain got a quick 'hit' of the forbidden food. Now I'm approaching the point of no return...because the addiction has taken over. Chemically something happens when I eat too much sugar. It's not just emotional anymore, it's a PHYSICAL 'trigger'.

5). Now I've got a physical need PLUS an emotional need PLUS I feel bad because I 'blew it', I ate the chocolate. So now comes the most powerful (and dangerous) statement of all from Fat Brain, "YOU BLEW IT NOW -- MIGHT AS WELL EAT WHAT YOU WANT".

How many THOUSANDS of times have I told myself this? Where does it END?

6). So now it becomes more than just a craving....it's a NEED. It's a need I MUST satisfy 'or else' (or else..WHAT? It won't be the end of the world but in my current state, I think it is!).
So I eat MORE chocolate...I tell myself "I'll make myself SICK on it, then I won't EVER WANT IT AGAIN". This the most dangerous lie of all! It's classic addiction thinking. The problem is, our bodies DO process the food eventually, and we WILL get hungry again....there's nothing we can do to prevent it! So I will NOT 'make myself sick' on it....even if I do temporarily, TOMORROW I could eat more chocolate again, no problem!

7). THE END RESULT? I feel....AWFUL. I hate myself. Physically I'm overstuffed and nauseous and sluggish. Mentally and emotionally I'm FURIOUS with myself and feel like I have NO willpower, NO self-control, I'm a 'bad' person, yada yada.

THINK IT THROUGH. What is the end result? What do you WANT for yourself?

Try it. Whenever I do this exercise? I realize that the end does NOT justify the means....and I STOP myself and walk away for 'just' 15 minutes.

I tell myself I CAN have the chocolate, I just choose NOT to!

That's all. I'm a big girl, I can decide what to feed my body, the CRAVING is NOT controlling me anymore, and that's that.

Valentine's day does NOT mean you have to 'OD' on chocolate.  It's an external CONSTRUCT, created by our society (and helped along BIGtime by the candy manufacturers and advertising agencies!)

We don't need to be EXTERNALLY driven.  We can, instead, choose to be INTERNALLY driven.  We satisfy our body's needs in a healthy way.  We don't have to 'indulge' just because it's that time of year or that holiday or 'everyone else is doing it'.  (I'm reminded of my mother's old saying, "If everyone jumped off a cliff, would you do it?"  LOL).

The bottom line is, if you're a food and/or sugar addict and/or have a problem with binge eating, like I do, you MUST be aware of your motivations...and QUESTION them.  Because the problem isn't in your stomach.  The problem is in your HEAD.  In your THINKING.  And it's all how you look at it.  Skinny people can have 'one' piece of chocolate and be satisfied.  If you can't?  Maybe you're better off not going there in the first place!  ....

Have a HAPPY....HEALTHY!....Valentine's Day!