I Cheated and I Liked It

I love to cheat. I plan out the moment and I savor it. I take my time and very small bites. It's pretty creepy when I cheat - so if you ever see me in a corner with a tiny piece of cake - let me have my 5 minutes alone with gluten before we break up again.


We all have food cravings. I have become so much more aware of my food cravings for pizza and ice cream now that I can't easily indulge in them whenever I want to. I'm all about healthy eating - but I'm not gonna lie - most days I would kill for a New York bagel or a slice of pizza. I'm often surprised by how bad I WANT these foods. 

I Cheated and I Liked It

When I was first diagnosed gluten and dairy intolerant - I had no problem giving up these foods because I was feeling so sick. But I would still cry in grocery stores, surrounded by foods I couldn't have, and have little breakdowns when I wanted ice cream and couldn't have it (yes - like a 4 year old, yes - D is a saint for helping me through it.)

These cravings controlled my life and made me so sick. I still struggle to overcome them, which is why I wanted to write about a post about this. I'm not perfect, I cheat and eat foods I shouldn't. We're just humans, and our culture/advertising (billion dollar food industry) has shaped us to want certain foods. Being aware of the cravings is the first part of the battle. If you don't realize your body is specifically jonesing for sugar or carbs, then how can you fight it?

Some cravings are bad for us and some are actually good for us and tell us what our bodies need. But where do these cravings come from? Carb cravings may also signal low blood sugar. A good way to cut down on cravings or over-eating is to eat many small, healthy meals per day. Instead of gorging on three large meals a day, healthy snacks every few hours may curb cravings and help you maintain a healthier weight. Be sure to listen to your body, perhaps when you crave red meat, your iron levels are too low. When you crave watermelon, you could be dehydrated and craving the extra water. 

So be mindful of your cravings and be sure to choose healthy options that will be good for you in the long run. Next time when you crave chocolate, eat a few dark chocolate M&Ms and move on to another task – you’ll be glad you didn’t sit down and eat that entire chocolate cake!

I battle cravings a few different ways. Usually I try to scare myself out of the craving - either I look up the ingredients, or research what that item will do to my body (I figure I have to mentally change my views on foods to truly fight cravings). Eating fruit usually helps calm sugar cravings, or I drink water and take a walk to get my mind off of it. Most of the time I can reason myself out of it. I always keep this quote in mind: "It's not what you do once in a while; it's what you do day in and day out that makes the difference." And try to take eating day by day.


If you're interested, check out this article: "To avoid middle-age weight gain, drop the chips and hot dogs" which highlights how your day to day eating can affect you long term.

> How are you going to start acknowledging your cravings? 

- Stephanie