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During sleeping I experience strong food urges.. luckily I am most of the time aware of these acts but I still usually eat something but less (which is an accomplishment). It happened today again and before eating I rehearsed internally "I am the owner of my actions,heir to my actions..." which switched my focus more to a long term perspective because I knew that I would perpetuate a craving so I better tolerate the pain now then to go the old pathway which would maintain the kamma..

Now any recommendations what I could do? I think I have to meditate more on the disadvantages / short nature of food and even on the kamma thing (which is important anyways to keep in mind). Suggestions?

Val
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Please see this answer about a video talk by Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu on addiction to pornography and addiction in general. That answer also states:

The other technique he proposes is to watch your mind for triggers and observe how lust arises in the mind and recognize it (basically insight meditation). You can find more info on this in his chapter entitled "Daily Life" of his booklet "How To Meditate".

I would say that the same technique could be applied to food craving as well.

The Donapaka Sutta may also be helpful for the case of gluttony:

Once when the Buddha was living at Savatthi, King Pasenadi of Kosala ate a whole bucketful of food, and then approached the Buddha, engorged and panting, and sat down to one side. The Buddha, discerning that King Pasenadi was engorged and panting, took the occasion to utter this verse:

When a person is constantly mindful,
And knows when enough food has been taken,
All their afflictions become more slender
— They age more gradually, protecting their lives.

Now at that time the brahman youth Sudassana was standing nearby, and King Pasenadi of Kosala addressed him: "Come now, my dear Sudassana, and having thoroughly mastered this verse in the presence of the Buddha, recite it whenever food is brought to me. And I will set up for you a permanent offering of a hundred kahaapanas every day." "So be it, your majesty," the brahman youth Sudassana replied to the king.

Then King Pasenadi of Kosala gradually settled down to [eating] no more than a cup-full of rice. At a later time, when his body had become quite slim, King Pasenadi stroked his limbs with his hand and took the occasion to utter this utterance:

Indeed the Buddha has shown me
Compassion in two different ways:
For my welfare right here and now,
and also for in the future.

ruben2020
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  • You may be right but food is a special case, unlike other addictions -- a cure (or desirable outcome) for drug addiction, for example, is a complete abstinence, cutting off; whereas for food, it may be something more like, smaller portions, regular times, and healthier (e.g. lower-calorie) stuffs. – ChrisW Mar 03 '18 at 10:55
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    @ChrisW I've added the Donapaka Sutta which fits this (smaller portions). – ruben2020 Mar 03 '18 at 13:40