Cravings

AmysSucess

What are some of the thing you do to prevent or help cravings? I'm not a sweets gal but I do like a nice cold beer or glass of wine in the evenings. I probably also overindulge in pastas & rice, so I've cut those out all together. I keeping my calorie intake at 1200 or less - what are some good alternate foods out there to satisfy an occasional craving?

DeguelloTex

I make room for them in my calorie goal and then eat them.

Really, the only thing I could be considered to crave is Tex-Mex from a particular restaurant, but I do make sure to make room for ice cream or cookies or s'mores whatever else I definitely like to eat.

malibu927

DeguelloTex wrote: »

I make room for them in my calorie goal and then eat them.

Really, the only thing I could be considered to crave is Tex-Mex from a particular restaurant, but I do make sure to make room for ice cream or cookies or s'mores whatever else I definitely like to eat.

What he said. If you have the calories, indulge a little before it causes a binge.

mccindy72

AmysSucess wrote: »

What are some of the thing you do to prevent or help cravings? I'm not a sweets gal but I do like a nice cold beer or glass of wine in the evenings. I probably also overindulge in pastas & rice, so I've cut those out all together. I keeping my calorie intake at 1200 or less - what are some good alternate foods out there to satisfy an occasional craving?

Buy a food scale and weigh your solids, like pasta and rice, so you know what a serving is. That way you don't have to worry about 'overindulging' in them. Once you are weighing all of your solid foods, you'll have full control of your calorie intake, and can allow for extra calories in your calorie deficit, so you can fit in those cravings like a glass of wine.

You also need to calculate your actual TDEE so you know what your calorie deficit should be to lose 1-2 lbs per week safely. It's not a good idea to just set a limit of '1200 or less' calories for yourself without knowing what your caloric needs are, or you can cause damage to your body's lean muscle mass.

read the first post in this thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here

AmysSucess

Thanks mccindy - this is a wealth of info and very helpful for me to succeed in losing without failing this time.

mccindy72

AmysSucess wrote: »

Thanks mccindy - this is a wealth of info and very helpful for me to succeed in losing without failing this time.

You're very welcome.

Queenmunchy

This isn't for everyone, but I find that I really don't love pasta, I just love the big bowl, sauce, and cheese - I sub zucchini noodles or some kind of vegetable based noodle that has flavors that combine with the sauce I make.
Cauliflower rice is another example. I love it stir fried, etc, but some people don't. Try some new recipes and see where you are with those. If they don't fulfill your craving, you can always eat what you've eaten all along in smaller portions.

lemurcat12

What mccindy said. If you are struggling with cravings sometimes cutting things out or cutting calories too low is the culprit. It's counterproductive to be too strict if it makes it harder to sustain this as a normal lifestyle over time or leads to going way off plan from time to time.

Personally, I eat a decent amount of pasta because for me the sauce is what I care about. Sometimes I'll put it on something else (I dislike the idea of mock noodles, but I like pasta on winter squash, and that includes spaghetti squash), but more often that simply means that I use a smaller serving of pasta if short in calories (and measure it out) and more sauce. In my mind pasta is quite healthy--I like to make sauces with lots of vegetables and lean meats. And cheese, of course! ;-)