W.D.Y.D?

NESHANAE

I know I am not alone when I say that I L O V E food but, right now food is acting more like an enemy than a friend. I am guilty of MINDLESS SNACKING and it doesn't help when food is ALWAYS the topic of discussion at my house. I could be in the middle of doing something and I get the urge to splurge on high calorie, fatty, and salty or sugary foods.
My question to everyone is "How do I resist my cravings?" "What Do You Do" in these tempting situations?

tulips_and_tea

Stop and ask yourself FIRST: how will I feel both physically and mentally after I eat this? Is it worth it, long-term, to both my mental and physical health?

lemurcat12

I see those as two different things. For mindless snacking it's helped to become mindful of it. I don't eat stuff just because it's there anymore (or at least I do it quite rarely). For the urge to eat something high calorie, I've found it helpful to channel my interest in food in other directions. When I first started and would think about eating something I'd decide to focus instead on planning my meals for the week or creating a dinner that would meet the particular tastes I wanted--really broadening my interests into planning and cooking, not so much eating, which still allowed me to enjoy food and not feel deprived.

Another thing I noticed, as part of becoming mindful, is that I'm more likely to crave high calorie, not especially nutritious/high quality foods when I allow myself to become too hungry or am tired (or sometimes stressed or emotional). So I've tried to avoid that by not skipping meals, reminding myself that I'm tired more than hungry, so on.

Need2Exerc1se

BZAH10 wrote: »

Stop and ask yourself FIRST: how will I feel both physically and mentally after I eat this? Is it worth it, long-term, to both my mental and physical health?

This is good advice. If it doesn't work (and it doesn't always work for me), I get away from the food. Take a hike, read a book or go work in the garden or anything that keeps you busy and away from food.

Also, a big glass of water and/or a cup of tea can sometimes help. It doesn't remove the craving, but it can help.

lemurcat12

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

If it doesn't work (and it doesn't always work for me), I get away from the food. Take a hike, read a book or go work in the garden or anything that keeps you busy and away from food.

Yes, this is really good advice.

MaggieLoo79

I chew gum.

jillmarie125

just dont eat them. it really is that simple. if you want to lose weight and these tempting foods will put you over your calorie goal, don't eat. you need to want to lose weight more than eating food that will hinder your weight loss.

GohanJKA

For me I would drink water or go do something else. However for myself I was using food as some way to cover up pain from my past or just stress from the day. I had to do a lot of reflecting on myself and let go of a lot of pain from the past and not use that as an excuse to just mindlessly eat anymore.

Mrsjenningsjr

There are some wonderful ppl on MFP who are even more wonderful supporters. I have a group of friends that bless me and motivate me to eat healthy and get my body moving. They're my accountability partners and I'm theirs. I would say, find you some accountability partners, be as transparent as you can. You'd be amazed at how your associations can propel you & help you get to your goals.

I often times think about the scale and my weigh-in day...this helps me say No to over-eating and "bad" eating.

esjones12

Logging in MFP keeps me from mindlessly eating. If I'm eating it, it gets logged and if I'm out of calories I go to bed. Haha.

Get a small container and write a bunch of ideas on paper and put in it for things to do when you are eating at of boredom or whatever. Thinks like take a walk, do 10 burpees, read, take a bath, brush your teeth, drink 8oz water, play with your dog, etc.

MaxPower0102

I ask myself if I am really hungry or not. If I am not hungry enough to eat an apple, I am not hungry. If I think I am hungry, I drink a glass of water, then ask myself again. If I think I am still hungry, I eat a celery heart. Then I ask myself again if I am hungry. If I am still hungry after that, I will grab a snack. (usually a handful of nuts or another celery stalk with a Laughing Cow cheese wedge spread across.

Kalikel

I'm lucky. I live alone, so I just don't buy the stuff I don't want to eat. If I feel like indulging, I do, but that doesn't happen a lot.

I'm also lucky that the people I know who eat junk are mostly fat, so I remind myself how I'm getting thinner and healthier because I'm not doing what they're doing. I'll leave the junk and fatness to them and steel myself against any inclination to partake.

If I had to have tons of junk in the house all the time...I don't know how I'd handle it. I'd just have to find a way.

Liftng4Lis

Pre-logging my day helps me keep on track. When a snack comes up, if I don't have room, I don't get to have it.