What are we craving?

I have so many topics I want to share with you this week, so my first one will begin with cravings and avoiding temptations. This is one of my major obstacles in my lifestyle. The amount of time I spend at home gives way to many opportunities to snack or just plain eat all day long. I grocery shop a lot because of couponing, and that lends to a lot of samples in the stores and taste testing new items I bring home. I avoid most of the time very well, and am very honest with myself when I do not avoid those cravings. But, what am I really craving? Why do I feel the need to eat all the time? Where do those urges come from? Have you asked yourself these questions before?

I sat down recently and began to read some passages in my bible about such topics, and at the same time I gave myself time to really analyze my hunger cues and needs before I put food into my mouth. Even though foods can be eaten and we need food to sustain our life, many of those foods we eat and crave are no good for us. Even when we have them in moderation in can trigger us to crave more of these foods, and then get set back into those old habits. I’ve found this to happen to me very easily still. I have a hard time moderating myself with junk-like foods and end up eating more then I should have. This doesn’t mean I won’t ever be able to indulge in something some day, but I can’t seem to manage it just yet. I have my slips still, and the progress I have made is allowing me to make the mistake and move past it. It’s a hard see mistakes, but it’s also much easier lately to allow them to happen and not beat myself up about it.

Sometimes my cues are real hunger, but a lot of the times I am in the middle of the day and just want something more to eat. I’m sometimes bored, lonely, or anxious about something. My anxiety works in different ways, like sometimes I just want to get to the gym and not do anything else, but I have a list of things to get done before I can. Or, I am unable to do something on that list, so eating seems like a viable alternative. These are all difficult attitudes to change in myself, and I realized that the dedication of avoiding those triggers and temptations can make me stronger and once I conquer them I can be free of the negative actions I put myself through. But, I also believe that God is the only one who will completely free me of those attitudes, and left to myself I will not conquer them.

So, what are you really craving when you reach for the chocolate, the ice cream, the chips, or go through the drive-threw? Are you really treating yourself right with those choices? Are you being a responsible person for yourself and those who care about you? Think it over before reaching for it, and at the same time don’t beat yourself up over the poor choices!