16:14:26 Welcome back to the Concierge Weight Loss Podcast. I'm Kara Hackelman, and today we're diving into something we all deal with, but rarely stop to question.
16:14:34 Cravings. Not just what we crave, but why. When I first started paying attention to my cravings, I thought it just meant I was hungry. Like, plain and simple, my stomach wanted food, my brain was telling me what sounded good, I'm just hungry.
16:14:49 Then there was a phase where I wondered if my cravings were trying to tell me something about, like, a deficiency. Oh.
16:14:55 Chips! I must need salt. Craving steak? Maybe I'm low on iron. I started analyzing everything like a puzzle.
16:15:03 What is my body trying to say? But even that didn't explain all of it.
16:15:08 What about the times I crave something right after a full meal, or after I'd eaten very balanced meals for quite a while?
16:15:16 When I had just eaten, wasn't hungry at all, or… but suddenly needed something sweet.
16:15:22 Um, when I wanted the one thing that I hadn't planned on eating.
16:15:27 It was never the healthy thing sitting in the fridge. It was always something that felt indulgent.
16:15:34 Something that felt like a treat. That's what I realized. There's more to cravings than physical hunger, and that's when I started asking better questions.
16:15:43 Almost every time I really looked, those cravings came after something hard. A stressful day.
16:15:50 A tense conversation. Feeling overstimulated, or emotionally drained, or just needing something that felt good.
16:15:58 It wasn't really about food at all. Cravings are always a signal.
16:16:04 They're not always a red flag, but they are your body, or brains.
16:16:09 Way of trying to communicate with you. They aren't a test, and they definitely are not a trap.
16:16:16 They certainly aren't proof that you've failed weight loss. Cravings are an invitation. Just simply an invitation to pause and ask.
16:16:26 Am I actually hungry? Or do I just want something? Do I want something else other than food? What is it that I want?
16:16:34 What else might I be needing right now? Or…. Will this still sound good tomorrow? Will I enjoy it even more later?
16:16:44 Sometimes the answer is simple. I just want to feel like something is for me.
16:16:48 That's what cravings offer us, the chance to slow down and check in.
16:16:53 Let me share a story from one of my clients. She'd done all the diets. She was great at sticking to a plan during the day, but every night.
16:17:02 Around 9pm, without fail, the ice cream cravings hit. It didn't matter if she was full, it didn't matter what her plans said.
16:17:10 Ice cream was the ONLY thing. That she wanted. So, we got curious.
16:17:17 We looked at her evenings. That was her quiet time. The house was calm, she finally sat down, and her brain said, this is what we deserve. This is when we get the ice cream.
16:17:27 It was comfort. It was her signal that the day was over.
16:17:32 We didn't start by removing the ice cream, no. We just paid attention.
16:17:37 What was she really needing. Some nights, she still chose it intentionally.
16:17:42 Other nights, she tried…. Another activity, like reading a book, or a show she enjoyed, going to bed early, something else.
16:17:50 The cravings started to lose their urgency, because she was answering the craving.
16:17:57 Not with food. But with care and compassion for herself.
16:18:02 Another client struggled with salty and sweet cravings. Chips followed by ice cream or candy every night after dinner. This was her wind-down moment.
16:18:11 The only time she had to herself all day, no demands, no expectations, it became her ritual.
16:18:18 When we examined it, she realized food was her way of getting comfort and validation.
16:18:24 No one else was saying. You're doing great!
16:18:28 She was giving herself that by saying she had earned this time, these snacks.
16:18:33 She deserved it. She practiced sitting through that.
16:18:38 That first so many minutes of discomfort. She told herself, if I still want this in maybe, like, 10 minutes, I can have it.
16:18:47 And most of the time, she didn't want it. And that's what we do in coaching. We slow down the autopilot. We stop labeling cravings as problems and start listening for what they really mean.
16:19:00 It's not about restriction, it's about recognition. Another client once told me that she felt like every time she had a craving, she was failing.
16:19:09 She was failing at weight loss. Like, it meant she was weak or off track.
16:19:13 We worked on that. We practiced pausing, checking in. She learned to delay eating the food.
16:19:20 Craving eating that food that she was craving. Sometimes it passed, other times she still chose food. But this time, it felt like a choice, not a compulsion.
16:19:30 Hear me when I say, you are human, and you are going to have cravings.
16:19:34 Sometimes it's a sound good, or a smells good, or a, yeah, I think I'd like that.
16:19:40 A craving. It's human. It's not gonna go away. So, when she would delay a little bit, or ask herself anything, we would call that a level-up win.
16:19:52 It's not about whether or not you eat the food, it's about how you make the decision, how you are truly taking care of yourself.
16:19:58 That's the shift that sticks. So, let's talk about those level-up wins.
16:20:03 Delaying the craving for maybe, like, 10 minutes. And if you can't get to 10 minutes, work well. Can I at least do 5, or 3, or a minute.
16:20:12 Working your way up. Uh, maybe you could choose smaller amounts, or swapping for something else that is, uh, gonna still.
16:20:20 Get that flavor for you, or something you really want, but maybe it's just a little bit better choice.
16:20:26 Or simply noticing that you're having a craving and naming it as a craving.
16:20:31 And that's what's going on. So, each of these builds confidence, each of these creates awareness, and each one takes the power away from the craving and puts it back in your hands.
16:20:42 In your hands, you have the control and the power. Just take it back, girl. You're not being tested, you're being invited to check in. Here are a few more questions that have helped me and my clients.
16:20:54 What has happened today that might be triggering this? Right? Am I feeling overlooked, stressed, lonely, bored? What am I feeling?
16:21:03 There's something there, right? What would help me feel better.
16:21:08 If it was that food wasn't an option. Um, what would comfort me.
16:21:14 For real. Not for temporary, right? Alright, let's dig deeper, maybe into my own experience this time. So, most of my cravings were just about wanting something. I would see or smell a food, just want it.
16:21:27 It wasn't always a super complex thing, either. But what made me give in so often was something else. Fomo.
16:21:34 The fear of missing out. I didn't realize it at first, but I didn't want to feel uncomfortable.
16:21:40 Even for a moment. And I let that tiny moment of discomfort lead to a much longer, deeper discomfort, like.
16:21:48 The disappointment of not losing weight or feeling frustrated with myself again. Making excuses for why I ate.
16:21:56 So, I practiced delaying gratification. Doesn't that sound different than, I can't have it?
16:22:01 Delaying gratification. I'm still gonna be happy, I still get exactly what I want, but let's just delay it a little bit, right?
16:22:08 So, just 10 minutes. I asked myself, can I wait 10 minutes before I eat this?
16:22:13 Almost always the craving softened. Or, passed completely.
16:22:17 So, I'd remind myself, this might actually be the moment that helps with weight loss.
16:22:24 I don't know, but if I accumulate enough of these moments, surely they're going to, right?
16:22:29 This could be the choice that makes a difference, or at least….
16:22:33 A collection of them would. It would surely help make a difference then.
16:22:37 So, the more I did that, the more confident I felt. I became less attached to those short-term, immediate pleasures.
16:22:44 And more connected to the long-term goals. What I really got excited about was.
16:22:50 Feeling so…. In control. I was feeling all the pride.
16:22:55 As I gained that confidence and control. It was empowering. That first 10 minutes of craving is always the hardest, but when you decide your goals are worth more than 10 minutes of.
16:23:07 A little discomfort, you take the power back every time. And it's like when someone tells you about a vacation they just went on.
16:23:15 Maybe you're thinking, I'd love to go there someday, but you're not sprinting to the airport right then. You just tuck it away for later.
16:23:21 Cravings start to feel like that, too. Oh, that sounds good. Maybe I'll plan it for next time, when I'm hungry, or I'll save that for a special treat.
16:23:32 You don't stop wanting the food, but you stop needing it right now.
16:23:36 And that shift? That's freedom. You might also find that cravings are tied to taste memories.
16:23:45 Like that popcorn craving during a movie. That's comfort. That's a childhood memory. That's a sensory routine that just feels safe.
16:23:54 It's not wrong, it's just familiar. That chocolate you always want when you're stressed.
16:24:01 That's the memory of being comforted after a hard day as a kid.
16:24:05 Our brains hold onto those rituals, and they bring us comfort.
16:24:09 So, what if instead of labeling cravings as bad, evil weight loss killers, we saw them as information?
16:24:17 Here's a quick practice to try the next time you're having a craving. Close your eyes.
16:24:23 Take one slow breath. Ask, what am I hoping this food will fix?
16:24:30 Don't just rush to an answer. Be curious. Think on it for a few moments.
16:24:36 Then say, okay, maybe I still want this, but I can also choose something else right now.
16:24:41 And here's a little list to keep in your back pocket. Five things to try this week.
16:24:46 Delay your craving by 10 minutes. Journal how that feels, think it through.
16:24:51 Did it suck terribly? Was it, like, the most hard thing you've ever done? Was it?
16:24:56 Was it really? So, maybe you could choose one comfort activity to replace a nightly snack. Just once.
16:25:04 Or you could say out loud, this craving is information. It is not an emergency.
16:25:10 Or you could plan one indulgence for later. And stick to it.
16:25:15 I used to love abs… oh, let me tell you the last one, and then I'll go back. Share with me what cravings showed up for you.
16:25:21 So, plan one indulgence for later and stick to it. I remember I used to, like.
16:25:26 Make a plan every week, every day, and I would decide what was something that was… that… that sounded indulgent to me, or felt indulgent. And usually, I would….
16:25:36 Have that during my date night, because I didn't want to have to make something here at the house, I didn't want to have to go buy something.
16:25:42 And by having it out at a restaurant, I could really, like.
16:25:45 Just stick to the one indulgence. And I've learned since how to have some different.
16:25:52 It's my… I'll just be honest, mine's sugar. And so, I've learned how to have stuff every day.
16:25:57 But in the beginning, sometimes having something to look forward to was so nice.
16:26:02 So, however you want to do it, I can help you with either one. I've had people who say, no, no, no, I need ice cream every single day, and guess what? They can do that, too. So, we can figure that out.
16:26:12 So that's it. That's the work. No punishment, no practice, just practice. No punishment, no, just practice.
16:26:19 We're just practicing different…. Different activities, different alternatives, different options.
16:26:26 What I wish every woman knew about cravings is this. They aren't a flaw.
16:26:31 They aren't a weakness, they aren't something to be ashamed of, and they don't have to go away and be silenced for you to lose weight.
16:26:40 They are your body and your brain, waving a little flag that says, hey, I need something, please pay attention to me.
16:26:47 Sometimes it's fuel, sometimes it's comfort. Sometimes, it's just a moment of connection, and yes, sometimes it points out that you have been dieting and restricting.
16:26:58 All your favorite foods, and it's time to put something back on.
16:27:02 On the plan. You are allowed to slow down, to get curious, to say.
16:27:08 Not right now. You are allowed to answer your cravings with care and compassion.
16:27:16 Instead of judgment and shame. And I promise, when you do, you'll feel stronger, prouder, and more capable than ever.
16:27:23 So, if this episode is resonating, if this feels like the kind of weight loss.
16:27:29 Conversation. You actually want to be a part of, then don't stop here.
16:27:33 You have two options. Go to my free webinar, CoachingCara.com forward slash sign up.
16:27:38 Or, grab a free personalized solutions call, coachingcara.com forward slash free call. You don't have to keep guessing.
16:27:46 You don't have to figure this out alone. Let's create a plan that works for you. Next week, we're going to talk about hunger and fullness cues.
16:27:53 Because even though they've always been there. Most of us stopped listening a long time ago.
16:27:59 Tune back in next week, see you then.
