Don’t suppress cravings, and try this diet indulgence instead

Published 1:30 am Friday, August 26, 2016

We have all been there. You are going about your day, minding your own business when suddenly it strikes — a craving.

Our cultural dialogue treats cravings like something to either banish or succumb to with reckless abandon. The word makes us uneasy. A craving can mean you are on the verge of undoing already shaky weight-loss efforts.

What if a craving did not mean diet disaster?

I believe it is possible, even pleasurable, to indulge your cravings and never take a single bite.

Part of our humanity is experiencing an ever-changing stream of emotions. Cravings are among the most extraordinarily powerful feelings we get to experience as part of our humanity. Cravings distract us from the more mundane tasks that fill our days. We become preoccupied with satisfying them as soon as possible. We feel compelled to take action and are out of sync until we have quieted the sensation.

Personally, I think this urgent need to rid ourselves of a perfectly normal feeling smacks of the oppressive Victorian era morality code.

Allow me to offer an alternative:

Even more vivid than a daydream, a craving can be a way for your mind and body to go somewhere you would not venture in “real life.” Treat your next craving like a secret encounter. You alone get to be enveloped in this intense experience.

Instead of fighting, avoiding, or suppressing a craving, turn it into something sexy, naughty, and fun. Enjoy the heck out of each and every craving whenever and wherever they come over you. Let the craving wash over you. Indulge in the sensation. Imagine the smell, the feeling, the taste of whatever food has lodged itself in your mind.

Once you have indulged in the experience let the feelings go gently. Stand up and stretch a little to bring yourself back to the here and now. Return to your day grateful for the ability to experience life with such vigor.

Mastering the technique of experiencing cravings as wonderful feelings rather than something to hide from will feel powerful. Savoring cravings could become your super power. Your super-secret super power.