Cravings?

What is a craving?

Is a craving when you look forward to a certain meal or food?

Is a craving when all you can think about is a certain meal or food and nothing satisfies you until you eat that meal or food?

Defining a craving can be subjective. What one person considers as a craving may differ from what another person considers a craving.

I view cravings as a yearning for a certain meal or food. Looking forward to a favorite salad at lunch or a favorite meal for dinner is not a craving. A craving is when all you can think about is that certain meal or food and nothing else you eat will satisfy you and the craving doesn't go away until you cave in.

In the book "Breaking Free from Emotional Eating", the author describes a craving as something that "hums" to you and you think about it and want it even before you see, smell, or taste it.

The Miriam Webster dictionary defines a craving as an intense, urgent, or abnormal desire or longing.

I bring this up because in conversation, I mentioned that I look forward to eating my favorite grinder from the pizza place in Brattleboro on Friday's. This person responded with "I don't crave that kind of stuff anymore since I gave up carbs". This is where I say that enjoying and looking forward to a favorite meal is not a craving. I don't spend the rest of my week waiting for it to be Friday so I can eat a grinder. (Well, I do spend my week waiting for it to be Friday but not for food reasons!) Some week's I don't feel like the grinder and I'll eat something else for lunch. I honestly have to say that I don't "crave" my grinder; I just really enjoy how yummy it is.