“It Wasn’t Hunger, It Was Habit”: Learning to Decode Cravings

✨ “It Wasn’t Hunger, It Was a Habit”: Learning to Decode Cravings"

You don’t need more discipline.
You need more awareness.

Most of the women I work with aren’t eating out of hunger.
They’re eating out of habit.

That 4pm graze at the fridge.
The mindless spoonfuls while scrolling.
The glass of wine that turns into crisps and then a spiral.

Not because you were hungry.
Because your nervous system was asking for something.
And you weren’t listening.

🧠 Cravings are messengers, not enemies.

In Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), we explore the idea that behaviour follows thought.
But most of our thoughts are automatic.
Below the surface.

So the first step to changing your eating patterns isn’t restriction.
It’s recognition.

“I realised I wasn’t even tasting the chocolate.
It was just a break from my day.”
A client, after we unpacked her nightly binge.

🔄 The Habit Loop: Why You Keep Going Back for More

Let’s break this down.

Cravings follow a loop:

1. Cue – the trigger (boredom, stress, a smell, even time of day)

2. Routine – the behaviour (e.g. grab a snack, pour a drink)

3. Reward – the feeling (soothing, distraction, dopamine hit)

You’re not broken for responding to the loop.
You’re human.

But once you understand what the cue is really asking for — you can interrupt the cycle.

🧭 So what can you do instead? Start with this:

📝 1. Pause Before You Eat

Ask yourself:

• Am I physically hungry, or emotionally uncomfortable?

• What do I actually need right now — food, or a change in state?

👁️‍🗨️ 2. Track Without Judgement

Keep a 3-day journal of:

• What you eat

• What you were feeling before and after

• Your hunger (scale of 1–10)

Awareness isn't about catching yourself out.
It’s about seeing clearly.
And choosing differently.

🧠 3. Name the Need

Next time you find yourself in a craving cycle, try this reframe:

“This isn’t hunger.
It’s a request for safety, connection, or pause.”

Then offer yourself that instead — a walk, a breath, a voice note to a friend.
And if you still want the food after that… beautiful.
You can eat it with intention.

🍃 When food is the only tool in your toolbox, it will be the one you keep reaching for.

But once we start filling that toolbox with other options
Nervous system regulation.
Self-soothing.
Rest.
Journalling.
Connection.

...the cravings soften.

You don’t need to fight them.
You need to listen.

Want to go deeper?
This is the kind of work I do 1:1 with women — CBT-informed, nervous-system-led, hormone-savvy coaching that supports your real life.

Drop me a DM or click here to apply for coaching.

Kindness always,
Didi