How to fight cravings

weight2711

Hi,

I am pretty new to the serious and healthy dieting method. Being a foody, I always found myself looking up and trying out recipes. I used to overate almost every dinner. Now, at the start of my diet aka. no more over stuffing yourself, I often find myself having crazy cravings throughout the day. How can I fight this? Or are there any low cal snacks that I can munch on?

Protranser

Raw Veggies! Or roast them. The carmelization adds a sweet flavor to some veggies.

A psych professor once mentioned something that sticks with me to this day when I'm at my calorie limit for the day and am craving something but don't feel like exercising to increase my budget (or am on a rest day and allowing my body to repair) "What's the worst that can happen? You go hungry for a little while?"

atypicalsmith

Drink lots of water. Really.

McCord74

This is always a tough one for those of us who will find ourselves needing to snack throughout the day. Water is a good start, but after 20 min, you may still find yourself needing a snack. Veges and fruit are always a great alternative to the vending machine. Of course, this is where you need to get creative with things. Protranser was heading in the right direction with roasting certain veges, but you could also dehydrate them! If you don't have a dehydrater, most grocery stores will have a section near the produce of already freeze dried fruit, veges, and a plethora of nuts.
With that in mind, try making your own trail mix!
The main point is to try and stay away from prepackaged stuff.
Good luck with it and have fun too!

weight2711

Thank you all for your suggestions!! I am going to try roasting and dehydrating veggies. They do sound good. And yes, working on my mentality training as well.

kittywrangler

Drinking water helped me. Trying to refocus my thoughts to something else. I also find when I exercise i'm not as hungry or craving things. Boredom is a HUGE factor in my craving as well.

Kalikel

Staying full helps a lot, I think. Eat lots of fruits and veggies so you aren't hungry.

Determination! "I will not eat the Krispy Kremes," or, better, "I will not buy the Krispy Kremes, even though they are very good, with their fluffy, sugary bread and tangy raspberry jelly centers and sugar dripped all over them...NO!!!" Weight loss starts in the grocery store. I went today and had a second or two of, "Oh, look at the Krispy Kremes...No! Don't look at the Krispy Kremes!"

And remind yourself that you can eat it. If I want the Krispy Kreme, I can eat it. Is that really what I want to do? No. It's not. I want to lose weight and be healthy and the Krispy Kreme doesn't fit today. Maybe another day.

I don't know if that helps. That's what I do.

Amber030583

My cravings came back. It was like I needed to chew. So i have been going to gum to fight the cravings. Plus you don't want to eat with a minty mouth.

macgurlnet

Cravings suck.

What I do is this:

First, I ask myself if I'm hungry or if I just want something. Assuming I just want it, I then have to see if I have the calories and where I'm at with my day. If the treat is 300 calories and I've had dinner and still have calories, it could be fair game. Earlier in the day, maybe not. Or maybe I'll do half a portion instead of the whole one.

Donuts are a prime example of this. Most of the time, they just aren't worth it for me. I could eat half a dozen and probably not be full.

Don't deny yourself because something isn't "healthy" though. Treats have their place for most of us, so see if you can fit whatever it is into your day - and if not that day, perhaps another one. I have dessert with dinner 90% of the time, and continuing to do this helped immensely as I lost weight and now as I'm maintaining. That urge to go for something chocolatey is still there but knowing I can pick something for the end of the day helps.

~Lyssa