Cravings and slip ups

Francl27

It NEVER works for me if I crave something specific and try to kill it with 'healthy' foods. Especially sweets or desserts. e.

I have a major sweet tooth and I realized something - if I start eating something sweet that I'm not necessarily craving just because it's there, I'm more likely, like you, to keep eating more sweets. Why? Because I'm not REALLY satisfied. But if I crave chocolate chip cookies and I have a chocolate chip cookie, it will kill my craving and that piece of cake won't look as appealing anymore... so I'm actually less likely to binge on sweets afterwards (but if I wait too long and there is a large amount available, I'll be more likely to eat more, so I try to find a place where I can get a single serving).

So my advice is - don't fight your cravings. Save your calories for what you crave. Tell yourself that eating the rest will not help you, and that you need the calories for cheesecake anyway. Then you might have your piece of cheesecake in 2 weeks, but then you'll have the calories for it... I waited over a month for that pumpkin pecan cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory and passed on dessert 4 times until I was finally able to have it yesterday, and I split it with someone, and it was way more satisfying than anything else would have been.

And when I see desserts, I just ask myself - if I had the choice now to eat any dessert, would it be my first pick? If not, I pass on it. Obviously some times I have several cravings so it's harder to keep the same logic (especially when you have the opportunity to eat both at once), but if I'm not particularly in the mood for ice cream and it's all there is for dessert, it will be easier to say no if I'm picturing that piece of apple pie in my head.

BlackPantherChick123

I crave a lot of take out foods but is it possible to eat them everyday and still lose weight and/or stay the same weight if i make sure they r in my calorie range? Because I'm tired of eating my boring foods. I actually made a meal plan for the week if I wanted take out food. I took yalls advice for it. I want to enjoy my favorite foods everyday, make sure they r in my calorie range and still exercise. Is this a better option so I can be less stressed about food and feel like I can't have it when I can?

MarcyKirkton

Try it and see. As long as you're in your calorie goal, you'll lose.

Francl27

BlackPantherChick123 wrote: »

I crave a lot of take out foods but is it possible to eat them everyday and still lose weight and/or stay the same weight if i make sure they r in my calorie range? Because I'm tired of eating my boring foods. I actually made a meal plan for the week if I wanted take out food. I took yalls advice for it. I want to enjoy my favorite foods everyday, make sure they r in my calorie range and still exercise. Is this a better option so I can be less stressed about food and feel like I can't have it when I can?

I don't eat boring food. I make good meals, because I'm less likely to crave junk if I have satisfying meals. I plan my meals around my cravings, and I make it fit. There are a lot of recipes out there for lower calorie versions of comfort foods, so if I'm craving something, I look those up. The only thing it really doesn't work for are desserts, but then I go get a single serving at a bakery or something.

kshama2001

BlackPantherChick123 wrote: »

I get lazy putting my calories in. Some idk what the calories are bc today my dad cooked lunch. And the reason y I'm scared to eat food when we go out is because sometimes my parents plan it unexpectedly and I could probably already ate and can't eat what I want when we go out unless it's the following day. But the restaurants we might go at have high in calories and I have trouble only eating half of my meals because I always like to finish it although I should just eat half for lunch and rest for supper. A lot of the times if I feel like I overeat, I overtrain (spend 2.5 hours on the treadmill and burn a pound. Using an inclined treadmill with an incline of 30 and speed of 3.8) I only do that if I feel like I overate. Usually spend an hour and burn 2000-2500 which is bad. It's so complicated and it stresses me out. Hate calories and feel like I can't make room for foods I like and the foods I eat are so boring. I need help...no doubt

Tightening up your logging so you have a better sense of what you are eating might help with your anxiety.

That said, you have so much anxiety I think you should deal with this with a therapist.

{{{{{ hugs }}}}}

lemurcat12

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

BlackPantherChick123 wrote: »

I just wish I can eat my cravings but I try to kill them with healthy foods but it doesn't always work. Always want desserts, pizza, hamburgers, pasta, Chinese, all the high fat, sodium and calorie foods. The cravings r so intense that I feel like I could eat a whole pie or pizza. Wish I could without all the calories tho.

Why are you focusing on fat? The foods you listed aren't particularly high fat. Perhaps it's fat you crave, but I'm betting not.

At a restaurant all of those tend to be high fat. That's one reason they are much higher cal when from a restaurant than when made at home.

lemurcat12

kommodevaran wrote: »

I think you should talk to your doctor about your thoughts and feelings. You can get help. But you have to ask for it.

This -- it shouldn't be so stressful. If you work on that I think it will be much easier and you will be happier.

lemurcat12

BlackPantherChick123 wrote: »

I crave a lot of take out foods but is it possible to eat them everyday and still lose weight and/or stay the same weight if i make sure they r in my calorie range? Because I'm tired of eating my boring foods. I actually made a meal plan for the week if I wanted take out food. I took yalls advice for it. I want to enjoy my favorite foods everyday, make sure they r in my calorie range and still exercise. Is this a better option so I can be less stressed about food and feel like I can't have it when I can?

It's really up to you, but I think you are creating a false dichotomy between take out foods and boring always the same "healthy" or "at home" foods. Like kommodevaran said earlier, you should try to make the foods you eat foods you actually enjoy -- it doesn't have to be the leanest meats plus vegetables only. There are lots of delicious things you can make at home for reasonably low calories or at least that fit easily into a sensible weight loss or maintenance plan. If you learn to make foods you enjoy, that would probably make this easier. And if you are feeling anxious or guilty when you don't stick to your strict idea of what you should be eating, that's something to get help with. The reason I've been able to stick to my plan is because it never felt like I was dieting -- I was always eating in a way I enjoyed.