Cravings are the number one reason people fail to reach their weight loss goals. We start out with the best of intentions. We arm ourselves with all the right information. But only a few days into a new diet—for many, even a few hours—intense craving sets in. When we succumb to it, especially after depriving ourselves, we binge. We take in far too many calories, which wind up as fat stored somewhere on our bodies. Over time the total mounts. Sneak a few of tablespoons of peanut butter and that’s 200 calories. Eat two or three donuts and that’s 400 calories. Drink a vanilla latte and you get 320 calories. It adds up fast.

When a powerful craving sets in most of us just go on autopilot. We don’t even realize what we’ve done until we’ve taken the last bite of the candy bar or devoured a whole bag of chips. I struggled with powerful cravings when I was a smoker. My cravings were so strong that I would resolve to quit one night only to find that next morning I would seemingly sleepwalk to the store, purchase a pack of cigarettes and start smoking again. I was disgusted with my complete lack of control over these urges. I was in cigarette slavery.

Desperate to escape, I would waste my money as I repeatedly bought a pack of cigarettes only to smoke one or two, throw the pack away in disgust, yet buy another the next day—or even many times that same day. I tried patches, gum, and even hypnosis. They all worked for awhile, but sooner or later a craving would come that I would surrender to.

I had the same problems with my diet. I would set out to get in shape and then someone at the office would bring in donuts or pizza, or I’d spot candy bars in the vending machine. I just couldn't help myself and once I started I couldn't stop. It wasn't until I learned the powerful techniques of Pranayama life force control that I was able to break free of the bonds of a habit that held me hostage for many years and pass up the temptations that exist every single day.

Most of us have the same problem when it comes to food cravings. One minute we’re fine and the next we’re yearning for pizza or ice cream, or our favorite fast food. Then we’re on a mission, ransacking the refrigerator or staring at the vending machine, looking for something to satisfy our hunger. If we could only control these cravings, we could lose weight, get in shape, and reach the level of health that we want in our lives.

How do we master the cravings that have so much power over us and that interfere with our success? How do we seize control over the unhealthy addictions that slowly but surely lead us down the path to sickness, depression, and an early grave?

The key to craving control is mind control. We have to be lords of our minds. Specifically, we have to hold the reins of our thoughts regarding the cravings. But controlling our thoughts is about as easy as taming a grizzly bear.

Thoughts come and go on their own. One thought leads to another and then another, and the next thing we know we’re just a passenger on the runaway train of thought.

With hunger it begins with a feeling that is itself the end-product of complex chemical reactions in the body. The stomach generates a vague gnawing sensation and a thought arises: “I’m hungry.” So you stop what you are doing and go to the kitchen, or if you’re at the office, you walk down to the break room and buy something from the vending machine. Most people are hardly aware that this happening. They don’t register the thought. It comes and they act.

The mind should be the tool of our consciousness. The brain is a computer more powerful than anything that man could ever hope to invent. But most of the time we don’t control our minds; instead, our runaway thoughts control us. Controlling our moods, controlling our cravings.....  follow this link to read more about craving control