HELP! I'm craving food...

liftncycle

hey guys,

I'm craving junk food badly and need to stop myself… stopping myself right now is when it actually matters not after I have eaten the food. what do you do to stop those craving? or talk yourself out of it…

Thank you in advance (also, i hope i'm posting in the right section)

Christine_1027

I get cravings all the time!
I recommend: just eat the food that you're craving--but just a SMALL amount, then put the rest away. for some people, that should be enough to satisfy a craving.
also try drinking water, or filling up on healthy alternatives.
also, make sure that you're getting enough nutrition, because I heard somewhere that lack of proper nutrition can lead to cravings.
hope this helps!

-Christine

Christine_1027

also, try to make your home a junk food-free zone.
cravings usually disappear after a while

ana3067

Eat the craving? eating junk food doesn't hamper weight loss. Being at or above maintenance calories does. And having ONE day at/above maintenance won't make you gain the weight back.

I ate a muffin today. Will probably eat a donut tomorrow. I eat junk food regularly, lost almost 25lbs.

IndigoSue13

I'm not always successful at denying an intense craving, but a couple things that have worked for me include:

1. Going for a walk or doing moderate to strenuous exercise. For some reason, exercise makes me feel less hungry, and I've often forgotten the craving by the time I finish. And on the chance the craving is still there and I indulge, at least I've burned some calories in preparation for it!

2. Tell myself I can have it later, say in a couple of hours, or even the next day. That way I'm not denying myself, I'm just making myself wait for it. It's good practice to help avoid that drive for immediate gratification, and sometime by the time a couple hours or the next day rolls around, the craving is gone.

Hope this helps!

goingwithgrace

I either have the smaller portion to get it out of my system, or I look for ways to have something similar that is healthier. For example, if I want ice cream, I do the frozen banana version. (Frozen bananas, Truvia or agave, cocoa powder, almond milk, and some peanut butter in the Vitamix - the consistency is just like ice cream, so crazy!). Or if I want pizza, I do the cauliflower crust version from the Detoxinista website. Pinterest is a great resource for finding skinny substitutes.

CynthiasChoice

I ask myself, "do I want victory or defeat?" I have spent way too much time in the land of defeat and I'm sick to death of it! I want to claim victory over inappropriate eating EVERY time I'm faced with temptation.

Once the decision is made NOT to eat, the temptation loses it's power. For example, I was recently eating breakfast out at a diner on a rainy day, while waiting for a car repair. The menu had all kinds of tempting items that I considered. In the end, though, I ordered one scrambled egg and dry toast. I felt disappointed at first but soon after the waiter took my order, I began to feel really good about my choice. I didn't feel deprived at all, but instead I just felt grateful that I was choosing sensibly and wouldn't have to feel guilty later.

Remember, every time you make the right decision, your brain develops new neural pathways that make repeating good decisions easier in the future. Good luck to you!

jmknisely1

I drink a cup of tea and set a timer for twenty minutes. If I still have the craving when the timer goes off then I will have a small amount of whatever it is I am craving. However, the tea and waiting usually take care of any cravings I am having.

WildOkapi

I don't have cravings very often, but I do have some of whatever I'm craving when I do. It won't hurt your diet as long as you stay within your calorie goal.

amoynoodle

IndigoSue13 wrote: »

I'm not always successful at denying an intense craving, but a couple things that have worked for me include:

1. Going for a walk or doing moderate to strenuous exercise. For some reason, exercise makes me feel less hungry, and I've often forgotten the craving by the time I finish. And on the chance the craving is still there and I indulge, at least I've burned some calories in preparation for it!

2. Tell myself I can have it later, say in a couple of hours, or even the next day. That way I'm not denying myself, I'm just making myself wait for it. It's good practice to help avoid that drive for immediate gratification, and sometime by the time a couple hours or the next day rolls around, the craving is gone.

Hope this helps!

^^ this!! I was desperate for some sweets last week, and i bought a bunch of bags home from the shop.... but i forced myself to the gym for a run before i had any, promising myself i could have them when i got back.... but by the time i was back i was nowhere near as "cravy" haha. I still wanted the sweets though, so i just ate back enough to cover the cals i'd just burnt in the gym!!

Unknown

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fearlessleader104

Go on a walk, call someone who talks a lot, drink a lot of water, take a nap, get on mfp and look at before and after pictures of other users

TheTiagooo

The moderation thing doesn't work for me - if I have a small portion, I will want the rest much more than when I started. What works for me is to tell myself that I can have one item of what I really want (rocky road, right now) on Sunday/a set day. Whether I have it or not depends how I feel on the set day, but I don't feel bad if I do because it wouldn't ruin my plan.

Point is, different things work for different people.

sarahsedai

if i can work it into my daily calorie allowance, i go for it. otherwise, if i'm still having trouble resisting, i usually go back and look at pictures and the progress that i have made so far, and it gets me back on track.

999tigger

I eat it if I want it but im always aware of the consequences and I want target more. So your other alternative is to go and run /row like a gerbil if you want to earn it. Making progress and creating a virtuous process helps keep you going as well and keen to protect your gains.