When thoughts of food draw Cynthia Herrmann toward the fridge, she distracts herself by grabbing a magazine or newspaper and heading for the couch. This little trick has helped her ride out many a craving—and get rid of 92 unwanted pounds.
Cynthia, of Laurel, Maryland, didn’t always have such control over her cravings. They’re one reason why her weight went over 200 pounds—not once, but three times. The third time came as Cynthia neared her 40th birthday in 1991. “I had been losing and regaining ever since I was a teenager,” she says. “Finally, I just got tired of having to wear size-22′/2 dresses. I swore that I would lose the weight and keep it off.”
At 232 pounds, Cynthia figured that she had her work cut out for her. At first, she tried modifying her diet on her own. “I ate more fiber-rich foods, especially fruits and vegetables, because I knew they would fill me up faster,” she says. “I chose lean meats and low-fat dairy products, and I switched to healthier cooking methods.”
The weight came off slowly but steadily, and within 4 years,
Cynthia plateaued at 170 pounds. At that point, she decided to join Weight Watchers, where she learned to keep a food journal to monitor her eating habits. “Through the journal, I realized that I had a tendency to eat past the point of fullness,” she says. Within 8 months, 30 pounds melted away.
Finally at her goal weight of 140 pounds, Cynthia set aside her J food journal—and the pounds started creeping back. “I wasn’t eating well consistently, and I started giving in to cravings again,” she says. “I was better off when I wrote everything down.”
But Cynthia didn’t want to resume journaling. As much as it had helped her, it came to serve as a reminder of her missteps and mistakes. Discouraged, she searched for an alternative to rein in her cravings.
Cynthia believed that by distracting her attention at the first sign of a craving, she could buy time until she determined whether she was experiencing genuine physical hunger or emotion-based “head hunger.” That’s when she hit upon the idea of picking up a magazine or newspaper and forcing herself to read for 15 minutes. If she still felt hungry when she was done reading, she would know that her body was demanding food, and she’d eat. Often, though, she’d get so absorbed by what she was reading that 30 minutes would fly by—and when she was done, her craving was gone.
Picking up a newspaper or the latest issue of a favorite magazine when she feels hungry has helped Cynthia, now 48, maintain her 140-pound figure for almost 4 years. “Taking the time to distinguish between physical and emotional hunger has made all the difference,” she says. “I’ve learned to pay closer attention to why I want to eat and, when necessary, to address the real issue—be it stress or boredom or something else.”
WINNING ACTION
Pick up a juicy magazine instead of a juicy meal. When hunger js more mental than physical, divert your brain with a tempting book or magazine. Many times, I find that I’m just looking for a way to treat myself after a long day. I like to keep issues of fun magazines—Vogue, Vanity Fair, or People—around to indulge myself. If you’re still hungry after 15 minutes of reading, chances are, it’s true hunger and you should eat.
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