Mindset

Wait out the craving instead of fighting it

Cravings peak in about five minutes. Suppressing them makes them worse.

What it’s worth

Defusion beats suppression; suppression rebounds

Do this

→Put twenty minutes between the urge and the decision. You're allowed the thing afterwards.
→Name it rather than fighting it: 'I'm having the thought that I want chocolate.'
→Do something absorbing and visual for a couple of minutes. It genuinely interferes with the craving.

Why it works

A craving is a wave, not a state. Trying to suppress the thought reliably increases how often it returns, whereas noticing it and letting it pass lets the time-course do the work for you.

The evidence

Defusion techniques outperform thought suppression, which produces a rebound effect. Visually demanding tasks reduce craving intensity measurably in real-world settings.

The honest bit

This is for the ordinary evening urge. Persistent, distressing patterns around food are worth taking to a professional rather than a tactic from a website.

Knowing it isn’t the hard part

You’ve just read the tactic. The difficult bit is the Tuesday in six weeks when you’re tired and it’s raining. Milo is a coach you text like a friend: it knows which of these you’re working on, notices when it slips, and brings it up once rather than nagging.

See how Milo works

Try next

Add something instead of banning something — Every rule you make is a rule you have to keep. Additions don't work like that.
Swap the sugary drinks — The single biggest win available to anyone who drinks their calories, and it costs almost nothing.
Sleep a bit longer, eat noticeably less — If you're under about six and a half hours, this is a bigger lever than most diets.

General information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, or are under 18, talk to a healthcare professional before changing how you eat or train.