“Yesterday I wanted pizza REALLY BAD!” 

Thus read the headline of Kathy’s post on facebook this week.

Now ten days into her study of The Mindful Vegan:  A 30 Day Plan for Finding Health, Balance, Peace, and Happiness, Kathy was armed with new strategies from her reading and practices from the book. She became inspired to try something new in the face of cravings. Something she’d never tried before.

Kathy’s benefits from beginning the practices and strategies from The Mindful Vegan, as you will see, have been very reinforcing and positive. Here is the rest of Kathy’s post, detailing action she was able to take in the face of cravings – a direct result of applying the practices for mindfully navigating cravings that she had studied in The Mindful Vegan.

Following the above posting she entered on facebook, Kathy added the following:

Turn to page eighty-five (in Day Nine) in your copy of The Mindful Vegan for details on the S.T.O.P. strategy:

Kathy had also been inspired by the video presentation The Three Causes of Cravings and What to Do About Them. Combined with her reading and practice early on in reading The Mindful Vegan, Kathy learned that conditioned reactivity to cravings can be completely shifted using the tools of mindfulness. This releases us from the misery of the craving cycle and opens us to living with greater skill, ease, and happiness. Once you learn the simple strategies that can free you from getting caught up in the craving cycle, you can live with greater freedom and balance.

S.T.O.P. Interrupts the Craving Cycle

With the S.T.O.P. strategy, you interrupt the craving cycle that leads to its weakening and extinguishing.  This is in contrast to suppressing a craving, distracting yourself from it, or replacing what you crave with something ‘less unhealthy’.  Though healthier choices may be better for your health, they still reinforce the craving cycle.

Thank you Kathy for sharing your story in such detail and clarity!