Cravings..We all have them from time to time. They can be powerful enough to stop us dead in our tracks. When we have been restricting our food in any capacity, these cravings tend to intensify. This is actually a good thing! It’s our body’s attempt get us to feed ourselves the food our body is so desperately needing. That said, many people who are in the throes of restriction feel like the cravings get so intense that food is all they can think about. This is part of the cycle of dieting (often developing into eating disorders). We start restricting our food (diet), things seem to be going ok at first, then suddenly we start having all the cravings for the foods we haven’t allowed ourselves, which all to often leads to binging with the promise of “starting over” with our diet the next day, after the weekend, etc.

So the good news? Once we let go of restriction, our cravings will settle down although it may take some time. Our body has to begin to trust that we are going to consistently provide it food again. If we begin to listen to our body’s cravings instead of fighting them, and nourish our body consistently, we will be on track to begin to be able to truly be guided by our body’s needs and wants without feeling so overwhelmed by our desires for specific foods. Just as dieting intensifies our natural cravings, by beginning to eat in a more mindful way, our cravings will settle, and we will be better able to listen to our cravings when they do happen.

Questions about eating disorders, or food and body issues in general? Feel free to get in touch!