Cravings and mindless eating (and Day 7 - 21 Day Detox)

Yesterday, Day 6 of of the detox, I went through my first real cravings since starting the detox. 

I generally crave sugar after lunch and prior to the detox I would hit the vending machine or the cafeteria just down the hall from my office.  My afternoon snacking was getting so bad that I was walking out of the cafeteria with a 16 oz Vanilla Bean Frappe and 2 chocolate chip cookies.  I would tell myself it was "just this one time."  But I was telling myself that two or three times a week. 

Yesterday, after lunch, the craving for something sweet hit me.  My first thought was, "have some gum."  But then I remembered gum is on the No List.  I emailed a friend.  I sent instant messages to another friend.  I went for a walk.  I drank water.  I did not give into the craving, but it was with me most of the afternoon.  When I got home, I was still craving something sweet, so I finally decided to have a green apple.  That helped.  The craving wasn't gone, but it was manageable.  I still wanted something, though I wasn't necessarily hungry.  I thought carefully about what I could eat, what might help with the craving, and what would get me through until dinner.  I finally decided on some colorful mini peppers. 

As I was thoughtfully munching on the peppers, I was very much aware of what I was eating, how it tasted, and how I felt eating it. 

This was different from when I would casually give into my cravings.  Normally the craving would hit, I would find some type of sugary substance, then munch on it mindlessly.  And since I didn't pay attention to what I was eating and it had no satiety value, I would continue to have the cravings.  So I would repeat the process again.  Sometimes, I would continually repeat the process until I felt physically sick and would begin to beat myself up emotionally for being a "failure."

Since starting the detox, I have been very aware of the snacks I'm eating, how much, and when I eat them.  Since there are so few snacks on the program, I tend to sit quietly, with limited distractions, and savor the snack.  Which means I'm sending the signal to my brain that I'm eating, I'm eating slowly so I not only enjoy the snack, but find it filling. 

This has been an awesome revelation and one aspect I had not expected while doing the detox, not only is the program helping with my cravings, but also my mindless eating.

I am now mid-way through Day 7 of the detox.  A third of the way through this program.  And I'm still loving it. 

I remember when Juli told me about the 21 Day Sugar Detox back in April, I thought it was a dumb idea.  Give up sugar?  For 21 days?  Why would I even attempt that?  I should have know that my strong reaction to NOT wanting to do it, was a sign that maybe I was addicted to sugar and I wasn't willing to give it up.  Amazing how differently I feel just 5 months later.  Now I'm the one talking about it and spouting the benefits of doing the detox!