Here’s something that sounds counter-intuitive but works surprisingly well –
Next time you’re craving that piece of chocolate cake/cream gateau/buttered toast etc, try this:
Close your eyes and imagine eating whatever it is – really, really imagine it – the sticky, creamy buttercream, the hot melted butter – whatever – imagine eating it and enjoying every mouthful; really feel it in your mouth and imagine the flavours and textures. When you’re done, open your eyes and see how you feel. You may well find, contrary to what you might think, that you no longer crave that thing – you see, the subconscious doesn’t really know the difference between what’s real and what isn’t so your body may well think you really have just eaten whatever it was.
Let me know how this works (or not!) for you.
SSB xx

Hi SaltySeaBird
Have just read your post. For 18 years I have been teaching that the subconscious doesn’t know the difference between what is real and what is imagined in my Pilates classes – and it has been really useful.

I have never once thought of using this with regard to food. Will definitely try it and report back. It could be really useful for the BSD friendly foods that I am tempted to overeat – such as the Tesco finest hickory smoked nuts that have been calling to me from the cupboard ever since I bought them for my visitors.

Hi SaltySeaBird
Yes it does work. I needed to eat more mindfully anyway because with everything going on here since August I had slipped into the mindless and rushed eating of food before I rushed off to do other stuff.

Today I savoured my breakfast then when I finished I imagined I was still eating my breakfast and enjoying every imagined mouthful. I had 5 Tesco finest roasted nuts and continued to imagine that I was eating them. It really did work and I felt really full.

Hi KrysiaD, yes, please let me know – I have found it works with sweet stuff so I would hope it would work with anything. I would be really fascinated to know, though, if blood sugar is affected by visualising eating sweet stuff? I’m not diabetic but it would be interesting to see if blood glucose levels rise if the body believes it has had sweet stuff.
SSB

KrysiaD – that’s amazing! Another tool in the war chest!
SSB

SaltySeaBird – I wonder if insulin levels rise if you imagine eating the sweet stuff. Because I don’t crave the sweet stuff I won’t be able to do that experiment.

What I do wonder though is – if I visualize eating more BSD food at meal times – would my pancreas produce more insulin. I don’t seem to have much insulin resistance because I was always very sensitive to injected insulin but my pancreas is so worn out I have to keep carbs low so it can cope. It will be interesting to record the one hour after meals blood sugars to see if they become lower.

I meant to write – the two hour after eating reading.

Please let me know – it would make this technique a bit defeating if it does affect the body!
SSB

SaltySeaBird – logged my 2 hour after food readings yesterday. Yes – using the technique did make a difference to them – but only because I ate less food. We have daughter and family here over half term which means I am in holiday mode and have been eating more BSD friendly foods than I should be.

I have absolutely no problem with nuts – unless they are Tesco finest roasted or hickory smoked – or turned into nut butters by Meridian. I don’t normally buy roasted nuts but daughter and family also love them so I did buy them. But using your technique they are now staying safely in the cupboard.

My other issue is with cream. I gave up the cappuccinos I used to love at the start of the BSD and substituted one or two spoons of cream in my coffee. This worked really well – but on maintenance I gradually started putting 2 teaspoons of cream in my coffee and also just having another teaspoon of cream straight from the spoon. Then it was 2 additional spoonfuls of cream – then 3.

So a real problem. But using your technique I have completely stopped it. Now I put the cream in the coffee and just consume what is left on the spoon but imagine I am having all the extra spoonfuls of cream. It really works and has tricked my brain completely into thinking I have actually eaten all that cream. So much healthier.

So thank you for this technique. It is so good to be able to read about strategies that can help us with this way of eating.

Hi SaltySeaBird,

just wanted to let you know that I tried your technique a few times and it works quite well for me! The only time it didn’t work was when I was actually really hungry and didn’t only have cravings. But the other times it really helped a lot. I was actually quite I amazed because I didn’t really believe it would help. I did it with chocolate cake and also with chips and it worked for both. Thank you for the tip – would have never thought of it myself!

Hi Haylie, that’s brilliant – I’m glad it works.
SSB

It’s true our subconscious doesn’t see any differences between the reality and our thoughts. So, it works for sure.

Just to be a devils advocate, I have an opposing experience to relate.

I try to avoid bread, and when the only available bread is frozen and from the supermarket that is easier than when I have fresh baked bread.

Now, you can’t just put your hand out to acquire bread that tasty – it takes planning, and time to prove, bake and cool.

If I imagine that bread, taste it on my tongue in my imagination, I want to bake. I get delicious bread that I can then let go stale. Or eat.

The reverse imaginary exercise is to remember that feeling of being bloated after too much bread. I then can avoid eating bread.