#221: Cravings

I crave a chocolate candy bar and lasagne and spaghetti and pizza and country fried steak, a thick cheeseburger, key lime pie, gravy and mashed potatoes, oh my.

The likely reason for these cravings is stress which I admit to being under and also the healthy eating I've done lately as the weight drops. Watching the scale go down is self-motivating which makes me eat more salads and soups and other things "good for us."

This has not included any of the items above. That's where the cravings are also cemented. My recent diet has not been sufficiently varied and for that I'm swigging water like I'm fresh out of a desert. This helps make me feel full.

I'm also practicing positive mental imagery, keeping a visual in mind of how I want to look when I reach my ultimate goal.

And I'm telling myself there are less than two hours left in the day and that I have successfully stayed within my calorie range.

Plus a reminder to vary the eating more to avoid this kind of boredom trap.

Have you found yourself in a similar struggle where you practically see visions of foods floating in front of your eyes?

How do you handle it when images of banana cream pie tantalize you and a picture of a bucket of gravy and biscuits threatens to drive you crazy?

Perhaps your dreamed of foods are different but can you understand?

I think it's time for a "real" meal tomorrow.

Until then, though, the water is helping and the mental imagery is strong.

But tonight, if I can't sleep, there will be no counting of sheep for me. Instead, it may be pieces of pepperoni pizza. D'oh.

But I do know this: I WILL make it past this challenge and become stronger for having not given in.

That is a lesson for all of us. Not all of our journey will be without temptations. It is how we respond to these hurdles that tests our inner fortitude.

Ah, one more bottle of water and the cravings will be washed away. I am stronger than temptations. I WILL overcome hurdles facing me. I WILL succeed in meeting my goals one day at a time.