Managing Cravings With Distraction

Learning to delay responses to cravings and impulse eating is the first step on the road to reducing them. To achieve sustained weight loss, you must first practice slowing down your immediate responses to your impulses around food. Finding suitable distractions is a great way to start. Over time, as you continue to practice using distraction tactics instead of giving in to impulse-eating, you will learn that impulse-eating is simply an unconscious habit that can be replaced with habits that support your weight loss goals.

This tool will help you become more conscious when you experience cravings and allow you to begin practicing distraction techniques when you feel the urge to eat impulsively or “off program.”

Identify the conditions under which you typically succumb to cravings:

• Time(s) of day
• Location(s)
• Alone or when you’re with others?

Check any of these distraction techniques you would be willing to try when you experience a craving.

• Drink a glass of water, and then change your environment.
• Make a cup of hot tea, and list your top three reasons for wanting to lose weight.
• Phone a friend or family member just to say hello and catch up.
• Walk around the block fast once or several times at a moderate pace.
• Lie on the floor, close your eyes, and focus exclusively on your breath for one minute.
• Stretch your body. Pick your three favorite stretches and do them.
• Read something motivational that helps build your resolve around weight loss.

List other distraction tactics you can use to delay your impulse to eat.

Choose one to three distraction tactics from Parts 2 and 3 that you will practice using this week. Keep in mind that even if you only succeed in delaying one instance of impulse-eating, that’s a victory — relearning lifelong habits does not happen overnight. You must practice successfully and unsuccessfully to get better at it and build upon your small wins.

Each time you execute one of your distractions tactics– whether you were successful in staving off the craving or not — say or think to yourself:

I do not have to respond to every impulse I have to eat. I can stick with my eating plan even though my impulse to make exception is still there. Every time I delay responding to an impulse, I am showing myself that I have more control over my behavior than I had previously thought and building “muscle” in developing my new habit. I will continue to practice using my distraction tactics.

At your next appointment, be prepared to discuss these questions with your counselor:

1. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = not helpful at all, 5 = very helpful), how helpful was this process?
2. How did you feel when you were able to stave off a craving?
3. Would you be willing to use distraction tactics again? Why or why not?