What a perfect example! A certified clinician recently described how the CBT techniques of Craving Change helped her client increase their eating self-efficacy. Using a stepwise approach with the self-awareness tools and the Change Buffet strategies, the client built a plan to help manage an eating habit of concern.
“The client was recently diagnosed with diabetes and attended our Craving Change workshop program. She identified her primary concern as a “lack of willpower” around food, especially with afternoon snacking since she has been working from home. Here are some steps she took based on the Craving Change program.
Step 1 – Type of Hunger
During the first Craving Change session, the client reflected on her triggers around food. She found that she ate a bag of chips most afternoons during her online work meetings. She noted “This is heart hunger!”
Step 2 – Put Your Craving on Hold
In the second workshop session, the client shared that she now had language to talk about her triggers, and was practicing to reflect on the types of hunger (heart, stomach, mouth) that she experienced.
When presented with tools from the Change Buffet, she wanted to practice the Put Your Craving on Hold technique specifically for her afternoon snacking habit. She shared with the group that she thought this might really work for her, since she could manage working in an exercise of this short time frame into her work day. She was excited to try it.
Step 3 – Renovate your Environment
When the Change Buffet was reviewed at the last session, the client told the group, “I tried the delay strategy and it didn’t work for me!” She recounted that she was able to put her craving on hold for about 2 minutes, and then she recalled “but then I ate the chips!”. We reviewed that she was actually successful with the technique, and she noted that she hadn’t considered that, and would continue to practice. She said she would think of practicing putting her cravings on hold as working her “cravings muscles”.
The Renovate Your Environment strategy was discussed in the last session. The client identified that she could also try this strategy. Her next step would be to buy chips less often, and have some cut vegetables in the fridge so that they would be easy to grab when she felt like a snack in the afternoon.”
It takes time, patience, and trial and error to make sustainable behaviour change. The sequencing of the Craving Change program promotes this approach and provides numerous ‘steps’ that clients can take along this journey.
