1. Build in your treat. I start with my favorite strategy as it’s the most positive and the most fun! What used to be my biggest craving and a taboo food for me is now something I have a few times per week. It’s not a cheat. It’s just a treat. Permitting yourself treats instead of depriving yourself is freeing and generally leads to less emotional eating and binging. Permitting yourself to eat foods that you regard as unhealthful or “bad,” requires a healthy mindset. One of my favorite examples of learning to treat instead of cheat or binge comes from a client. She frequently lunched on two cheeseburgers and chili cheese fries. She stayed clear of that lunch spot for a long time while learning to eat more healthfully and working to lose weight. She once again started to feel a weakness for this food . We talked about what she really wanted from this place. She concluded that she simply craved a cheeseburger. We finished our session with a plan. Later in the week, she’d pick up a single cheeseburger — but no fries. She picked up the cheeseburger and drove home to eat it with her otherwise health-boosting meal. The result? A satisfying lunch! No guilt, no bingeing and no negative self-talk. She was empowered by allowing herself a treat. Once you build in treats, foods that were once taboo, lose their power over you!

2. Surf the crave wave. Mindfulness experts teach us to explore and fully experience the urge to engage in undesired behavior. I’ve heard it called surfing the urge. If you want to diminish the power of a craving or another type of urge, try simply observing it without judgment. The “without judgment” part is key here. Don’t give yourself a hard time about this. Most likely the craving builds, peaks and drops off similar to an ocean’s wave. Next time you have a craving that you don’t want to give in to, take a few minutes to surf the crave wave. Sit quietly and watch it without battling it. What do you feel both physically and mentally? Be specific. Don’t argue with your craving, don’t try to beat it..... just observe it. Chances are good that it will eventually wash away. Be patient with yourself. This is likely to feel awkward the first time you try it. It will take practice, but you’ll get there.

3. Trade up. Pick something else that will satisfy you. Craving a candy bar? Try a dark chocolate Kind bar. Craving ice cream? How about vanilla Greek yogurt with berries. Here’s the clincher, if these things don’t satisfy, forget it. I sure don’t want you eating something you don’t like only to keep on craving what you’ve always wanted. This is a sign that you really need to start learning to build in treats.