Need help with cravings (Pizza & wings)

JoshuaRoberts173

I am new to MFP in regards to using the community forums. I have been losing weight but now I am stuck and have been for a couple of months. I need to lose 40 pounds to help me with a degenerative disc problem. Any real advise or tips that have helped your craving issues would be appreciated, please add me as a friend to see my dieting.

galgenstrick

I eat the foods that I crave, either as a cheat meal once every other week or so, or include them in a small amount into my calorie goal.

MamaMc3

If you are really craving something, work it into your daily calories. For example, I really, really wanted a good burger. So this weekend I skipped breakfast on Saturday and had a giant burger for lunch. Fries don't matter as much to me, so I got a salad on the side. I also wanted pizza last week, so I worked that in (a couple of times, actually). If you absolutely can't work it in, eat it, track it, and move on. You aren't going to be perfect all of the time, and that's ok. This is a lifestyle, not a diet, so you need to have treats sometimes!

saraosullivan

I try to take the foods I love and find a way to cook it so it is healthier!

For wings cravings, I buy Frank's Red Hot Buffalo wing sauce and put it on chicken breasts! All the flavour with way less calories. I cut the chicken breast in slices and toss it in breadcrumbs and then add the buffalo wing sauce before baking. For pizza, take a whole wheat flatbread and make a homemade pizza, just go easy on the cheese and heavy on the veggie toppings (mushrooms, peppers, etc.)

Tinawood40

Homemade pizza is the way to go. You control the calories and the sodium is soooo much better. A lot of stores sell homemade dough now - makes it easy - just top it and bake.

BrownsFan19

I crave wings all the time too. But I did find something low calorie that satisfies my craving and its so good!! I make a buffalo chicken salad. Basically lots of crisp lettuce, onions, and then I grill chicken breast and chop it up and toss it in wing sauce. Then put on the lettuce with some blue cheese crumbles. No dressing. The wing sauce in the chicken keeps enough to where you don't need dressing and its so delicious.

kshama2001

I have pizza about once per month. I exercise more that day. I eat 3 pieces and my fiance, who is a lot bigger than me, gets the other five pieces. We have a big salad with this. I chew slowly, savoring every bite.

I have a hard time when his brother and his family is in town and we have pizza night because they get double the amount of pizza needed for one meal, and it's a long meal, and its hard to not keep eating.

You can see if this Buffalo Chicken Soup scratches your yen for wings: http://fastpaleo.com/recipe/paleo-buffalo-chicken-soup/

leshle11

The best thing for me is reminding myself that no matter what food I am eating the first bite, the last bite, and all the bites inbetween taste the same. Therefor I reason that why not just have 1 (and i mean ONE) bite of that craving food. Then seriously throw the rest away or give it to someone else. And remember it doesnt matter that you only had 1 bite of that food instead of 13 bites of that food. They would all be just as delicious as the next and sooner or later it would be gone. So have that ONE perfect bite, enjoy all the flavors, all the textures that you love. And be done with it. Just be done. Pretend that was your last bite. Pretend the food is gone. Move on!

jessetfan

I get my pizza from Pizza Hut (I know not everyone likes their pizza). The thin and crispy crust runs me from 220-250 calories a slice, and I'll generally have two slices. I limit it to one meat topping and generally have a veggie or fruit topping as well (I'd throw more veggies on, but I'm cheap and get the two pizzas for $6.99 each deal). My favorite combos are sausage and mushrooms with alfredo sauce, honey Sriracha crust, and balsamic drizzle 250 calories per slice and salami and pineapple with honey Sriracha sauce, garlic crust, and balsamic drizzle. Is it the best thing I could eat, no, but it fits into my calorie goal and satisfies my craving for pizza.

beautifulsparkles

Those are two of my favourite foods as well! I find it hard to walk past chicken wings especially.

mallyboo3533

I through chicken breasts in the slow cooker with Frank's buffalo wing sauce and eat it by itself or on lettuce . So tasty

tugsandpulls760

Bake your chix wings then toss in hot sauce or spicy salsa buffalo sauce is way too sugary and you can get whole grain pizza dough use canned tomatoes skim milk mozzarella cheese and mushrooms or peppers onions or turkey sausage to top it

amusedmonkey

Plan your day around it. If you have small breakfast and lunch you will most likely be able to fit in some pizza or wings. If you feel the amount is not enough to satisfy you for the calories you can always have a large salad or some broth based soup with them to bulk up the meal.

lsutiger2112

Isn't it Pizza Hut that does the Skinny Pizza? It's still pizza, but everything is cut back. Thin crust, half the sauce, half the cheese, and half the toppings that they would normally use. Actually, it's a different sauce too as I recall. I had a slice a few weeks back and I actually thought it was pretty good.

aerochic42

mmm buffalo chicken pizza with blue cheese crumbles

Francl27

I make them fit. Not a whole pizza, but a couple slices of cheese pizza (or I make my own), and baked wings work too...

WalkingAlong

Good advice above! Another tip is go to a pizzeria (or Costco) and have a slice. If you don't have a whole pizza around it helps to not overeat.

mkakids

When i crave wings but dont have the calories left for real wings....i steam a bag of cauliflower and top it with buffalo sauce from tgmhe dollar tree (its zero cal), and mix in a serving of light ranch.

For pizza cravings, i pound a chicken breast very thin. Saute it in a half cup of pasta sauce, top with pepperoni, green pepper and black olives, and 1/4c shredded cheese. Yum!

Lasmartchika

I try to make it fit by eating less earlier in the day and/or exercising to have extra calories. Or most likely, I eat the pizza and wings and enjoy it - I'll go over my daily calories, BUT... I know it's only one meal, and that one meal won't make me regain ALL of my weight back. I go back to eating my deficit the next day. Whatever lbs. I "gain" overnight is water weight and will go away as I keep eating at my deficit.

Lazz5k

THIS SOUNDS DELICIOUS! THANK YOU

BrownsFan19 wrote: »

I crave wings all the time too. But I did find something low calorie that satisfies my craving and its so good!! I make a buffalo chicken salad. Basically lots of crisp lettuce, onions, and then I grill chicken breast and chop it up and toss it in wing sauce. Then put on the lettuce with some blue cheese crumbles. No dressing. The wing sauce in the chicken keeps enough to where you don't need dressing and its so delicious.

michaelafoor916

Tinawood40 wrote: »

Homemade pizza is the way to go. You control the calories and the sodium is soooo much better. A lot of stores sell homemade dough now - makes it easy - just top it and bake.

I make buffalo chicken pizza that is the bomb and it knocks out both of these cravings at once! i'll hook you up with the recipe if you'd like it

jemhh

Have the food you want sometimes. A Pizza Hut personal pan pepperoni is something like 620 calories. That should be able to fit into your calorie budget fairly easily.

jessicarobinson00

Baked chicken tenderloin with hot sauce spread over them is my favorite...I dip them in a Blue Cheese/light sour cream dressing!! Find slightly healthier ways to incorporate what you love into your new health conscious lifestyle.

harrybananas

Pizza and wings every weekend. Make it work into your calories and never give up anything you crave ever again.

StaciMarie1974

I eat the foods I enjoy. I just track/account for it.

One aspect: quantity. My husband can eat a whole large pizza, and sometimes does. He generally regrets it - due to the heart burn and the way the body feels after eating a huge mass of food with a significant amount of grease. In the past there have been many times where I have over-eaten because I enjoyed the taste of something. Now I try to have a better balance, eat slower, and keep in mind I want to eat until satiated - not eat until I feel like I'm going to explode.

Another aspect: look for ways you can lower the calories of your favorite things. When eating wings out, I ask for baked wings. Still taste great, but less fat/calories. At home, I buy the store brand frozen wings and cook them in the air fryer. They're very good, and less calories than actual 'fried' wings. For pizza, consider your crust, cheese and topping choices. Dominos for example, the hand tossed or pan crusts are the highest in calories. The thin or Brooklyn style are lower cals. Avoid 'extra' cheese. And in terms of the meats, don't go overboard. A couple slices of pepperoni will have less cals than a couple slices of Meatzza (which is 4 meats AND extra cheese).

JoshuaRoberts173 wrote: »

I am new to MFP in regards to using the community forums. I have been losing weight but now I am stuck and have been for a couple of months. I need to lose 40 pounds to help me with a degenerative disc problem. Any real advise or tips that have helped your craving issues would be appreciated, please add me as a friend to see my dieting.

laur357

Also my downfall!
The Skinny Taste blog has lots of Buffalo options - chicken strips, cauliflower, dip, meatballs if you're craving a buffalo flavor. Baked wings with different sauces are lighter too. (Alton Brown has a steam-then-bake method that makes the skin really crispy, and you can choose a lower-calorie sauce).

When out, smaller portions might be your key here - fill up on something low-cal and have 3-4 wings instead of a bigger order (in my area you can usually order per wing, otherwise . . . share with a buddy?). I usually save exercise cals and look at my net calories over the week to have room for pizza and wings when I know they're coming. I don't eat them all the time, but I am not giving them up!

Emelie649

I had a cheesy flat bread pizza and when I logged it told me it was better for me so that works! Also I pick one day a week for a cheat day.

maidengirl_

I love pizza but I don't love the calories in Pizza especially restaurant pizza. So I make my own pizza from scratch and it's less than 400 cals.