Posted by Leif Irgens on July 26, 2005 at 20:57:10:
In Reply to: Re: afternoon pick-me-up posted by athena lopez on July 26, 2005 at 17:00:11:
I often find that the afternoon "hungries" aren't really hunger; rather boredom or a desire for some sensory input. I think that since real food doesn't kill your craving that this may be your case too. I do a few different things, depending on my situation.
1. I chew gum instead of eating. That gives me the sensory input of flavor and, more importantly, chewing with minimal caloric intake.
2. I eat crushed or cubed ice. OK, dentists, I dont' chew it while it’s cold. I eat it more like candy; holding pieces of ice in my mouth until they’ve warmed up and chewing them only after they are soft and almost melted. Don't try this in a meeting where you need to talk though. Your mouth will get so cold that you'll loose the ability to speak clearly (ask any of my co-workers) and you will inevitably have a mouth full of ice when someone asks you a question. Also, rattling crushed or cubed ice in a cup during a meeting is quite annoying (again, as any of my co-workers).
3. If I've got "the cravings" especially bad, I pour a serving of chocolate sauce over the crushed ice. The best part of this trick is a serving of chocolate sauce is only 100 calories but it takes about 30-45 minutes to slowly let each piece of ice melt in your mouth before going on to the next one. So, you get the satisfaction of eating something that tastes good and taking a LONG time to do so and still not consuming much in the way of calories.