So you decided to make a change and start eating differently. You want to start keeping track of those things that you're putting in your body and you're tired of living like you are a freshman college student who eats like the worlds about to end. You have made some changes in your life and it seems like things are going well, and then you are out with your friends, or maybe even sitting at home alone when a craving hits you. Your mind starts to race, your tongue hits the floor like you are in a Tex Avery cartoon, and next thing you know you start to justify the cravings and bargaining with yourself like you're doing hostage negotiations. 

Cravings can be tough to deal with, but not if you have a strategy. Here seven tips to help you with you next craving attack. 

1. Plan Ahead - If you know you are going somewhere that there will be treats and temptations, i.e. a party, restaurant, or special outing, bring your own version of a treat with you and as soon as the sweets get passed around you will be ready to stand tall with confidence. Sugar free chocolates or the low carb energy bar can save your day. 

2. Create a Mantra - it sounds silly, but I found that actually speaking the words "I don't need _____"  works well. For example, "I don't need pizza" or "I don't need cake" out loud helps me get in the right mindset. Sometime you just need to make the decision out loud to help you stick to it. 

3. Get Some Good Support - If you are out, and temptation strikes, it never hurts to be with a friend who can talk you off that ledge. You may have to ask them for your help. For me it is my wife. She often will see when I am craving or being tempted with a sweet and remind me that its not worth the few seconds of gratification. You can even call your special someone and let them know you are having a rough craving. 

4. Eat on Time - Having a schedual you can stick to helps. If you don't eat on time, you may get hungry and then that may lead to snacking, and usually snacking leads to more snacking. Better eat to fulfillment with a meal than to put little things in that keep you in a state of hunger.

5. Exercise - Believe it or not, exercise can help calm cavings and clear the mind. Get a routine for yourself down. And if it is outside of your routine and a craving strikes. It doesn't hurt to go out for a short walk to get the blood flowing. You may find that when you get back you body doesn't even want to think about food.

6. Find Substitutes - Want a hot fudge sundae? Well, how about some Low Carb Vanilla ice cream with sugar free fudge? Want a cookie? how about a low carb tortilla with some peanut butter inside. There are a lot of options out there that can help you to get by. So many companies are catering to all the diet needs now. Find something that works for you that will get you through it. 

7. Run! - All this to say, there is something to be said for the old approach of getting the heck out of whatever situation is giving you a hard time. Surrounded by cake and treats at a friends party, maybe its better to check out early. Is dessert staring you down at grandmas, make a trip to the restroom to get your head straight. Make a wrong turn at the Vegas buffet and found the desserts, Run!

Look, these aren't the only ways to handle cravings but its good to have some ideas and a plan before you enter battle, and let be honest, getting a new lifestyle for eating can be a battle for some for us. It's always better to be prepared then to not. 

Cattle Drive No Bean Chili definitely isn't the lowest carb option for chili that is available on the market for us, but it is much better than some of the other choices out there. It comes to about 17g carbs per cup with two cups in a can. It's a bit more chili than you get with the Atkins frozen meal, so that's nice, but the carbs are much higher. This would probably be an ok choice for someone who was in maintaining there carbs for a while and had pretty good control over their intake throughout the day. 

As for how the chili tastes? It reminds me of a chili that you might find in a small diner of the freeway on the East coast some where. It's not very chunky and its almost more of a chili sauce at times. Its probably used by most people as a topping for late night nachos and other horrible ideas. Still, with a little cheese, onions, and sour cream on top it was a quick meal on a cold day that hit the spot for me. 

I probably wouldn't seek this chili out for a low carb choice, but it is much cheaper than the Atkins and you get much more for it. You can alway watch your portion size and have leftovers if it seems like to much carbs for one sitting. 

It's that time of year again. Gingerbread men start knocking at your door, white chocolate peppermint bark is calling you on the phone, and Sugar-cookies are dancing in your head. That's right, it's Christmas time and that means Christmas treats. And they really start showing up everywhere. Office parties, family get togethers, and even the occasional trip to the grocery store now means coming face to face with sugary high carb goodies. So what can you do to not fall to the temptation of theses yummy treats? Run dummy. 

Just kidding. You cant run from that gingerbread boy. He is as fast as fast can be. But you can plan to meet these treats head on and have some options with you to relieve the temptation. Here's some things to stick in your pocket to help you at this time of year and get thought the harsh tempting Christmas season.

1. Atkins Cinnamon Bun Bar - This bar has always been a personal favorite of mine. Probably because of its cinnamon roll properties. The reason I suggest this bar above others to bring along is because cinnamon is a flavor that often shows itself around the holidays in cookies, cakes, and even apple cider. and this bar seems to fit in with that motif pretty well. Oh yeah, and its super yummy. 

2. Russell Stover Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Medallions - i love these things. If you love chocolate you can't go wrong. I like to suck on them so the chocolate melts in my mouth slowly. its a great way to combat the need for chocolate and they make a great stocking stuffer for you low carb friends. 

3. Low Carb Peanut Butter Fudge - Christmas Holidays and fudge go together like Dr. Atkins and Heart Attack rumors. You just got to do it. So why not cook up a quick batch of this low carbs stuff to have at the next christmas party and then go eat it all alone in the corner. Add some low carb chocolate while you are at it. 

4. Russell Stover Sugar free Chocolate Covered Peanuts - These are nice cause you can bring a bag and snack on a couple over a period. Helps to separate the cravings I think. These are great for the Christmas trip to the movies too.

There are plenty more options, be these are a few. 'So what do you guys do the help with the cravings? Any tricks to share? 

It's been a while since I have posted on here. Things have been a little crazy with baby coming and I won't lie, I have been a little distracted. We have been doing shopping to get nursery ready and working on projects to get the place in ship shape. Not to mention that no one told me when you buy a home you don't get days off anymore. They are all spent doing work. It's been shoveling, mowing, painting and more.

We did have a great thanksgiving though. Great time with family and good food. No fooling, on thanks giving all bets are off. I eat all the bad stuff. I think it's ok because I understand it's for the holiday and it's not like I am going to be breaking my routine all together. Some people probably need to watch themselves a bit closer. I feel like I can handle it after eating low carb for the past few years.  

It snowed here in Fargo this past week and so we are getting into the winter months for sure. Our cat Rosie is very curious about the whole thing. She's a California kitty so it's her first time on the planet Hoth. Not sure how she feels about it.

Decorated the house with the lady for Christmas. Not sure if she should be putting the angel on the tree at 35 weeks pregnant, but you don't tell this lady what to do.

Anyway, I am going to try to get some more posts up but we haven't been eating out a lot lately because of budget concerns and what we cook at home is kinda the same things in repeat. Hopefully we can start to branch out again soon with some low carb recipes.