Cravings happen, and they happen to the best of us. After having weight loss surgery you can’t expect that your cravings are going to simply disappear. Rather than attempt to ignore your cravings, or simply hope that they don’t come back to bother you any more, it is a much better strategy to be prepared for those cravings and be ready to cope with them when they do appear.

Coping with Cravings

Cravings are the physical manifestation of temptation. They often come out of nowhere and can be incredibly strong, making even the most dedicated of dieters stray from their nutrition plan in the name of a sweet snack. After weight loss surgery, managing those cravings is going to be more important than ever. Staying positive and mindful can help you overcome these cravings as you focus on following your healthy weight loss plan.

Here are a few helpful tactics to help you cope with cravings:

• Compromise with your taste buds. If you are craving something sweet, think about what you can have in line with your diet plan that will meet that need. The same goes for something salty. Maybe a healthy snack will help satisfy the craving just as well as something unhealthy.
• Think about what you really want. Ask yourself what exactly caused the craving, and what precisely it is that you want. Often, cravings are prompted by advertising or memories. Other times, it is simply stress and a desire for comfort food. Really consider what is causing your particular craving.
• Instead of saying no, say later. Rather than telling yourself “no,” it is a better idea to think of it as something you can have later. This will reduce the pangs for immediate gratification, especially if you realize you aren’t hungry at that moment. Once the craving goes away you can make a rational decision about what to eat.
• Think about your actual hunger level. Cravings can strike when you are perfectly full, and this is often when they are the most dangerous. Eating when you are not hungry contributes to weight gain. Before giving into a craving, figure out if you are actually hungry. If you aren’t hungry, there is no reason to eat.

No matter what you have let yourself think in the past, cravings are not a sign of weakness. Even the most dedicated healthy eaters will experience cravings time to time. The trick is finding ways to manage those cravings so that more often than not you don’t have to give in.