Do you give in to cravings on a diet ( portion controlled) or ignore thsm

Majesticblondee26

Not sure what to do

kommodevaran

Sometimes I give in, sometimes I ignore.

TeaBea

I plan for a treat every day, that helps knowing that I'm going to have something later on. But yeah, I give in sometimes too.

marieamethyst

I usually give in and try to make it work within my goal for the day/week

leanjogreen18

Sometimes I give in and sometimes I ignore.

I know that's not helpful but it's true for me.

I have a candy jar with Hershey's Kisses. I buy single servings (10). Its my way of moderation. When I want chocolate I try to run a quick inventory, what/when have I eaten today, when did I last drink some water?

If I still want chocolate I'll go get one. I've noticed I don't even need to question myself much anymore and I can go days without having one.

Salty things rarely come in the house:) I eat those, like chips, only when eating out or a rare occasion.

ETA- I will test chips one day and I will win!!

domeofstars

I give in otherwise I end up binge eating. Within my calories for the day usually but sometimes i've gone a bit over. It doesn't matter i just continue on with my calorie deficit for the next day

Ninkyou

Moderation, not deprivation.

lulalacroix

Sometimes. I usually plan for it. I always save calories for a treat at the end of the day. If it's a high calorie item then I might save calories for a few days first.

annacole94

I have what I want, but I focus on quality (really nice chocolate, alcohol that comes in a most delicious beer) and portion control.

Some things aren't worth it for me. Chips, Oreos, fast food.

crooked_left_hook

I try and work a small treat in to every day, but sometime the munchies hit hard. I will try to ignore it and focus on the root cause. More often than not I get the munchies when I am exhausted or didn't sleep enough. Once I know the real cause its easier to work through the cravings.

And sometimes you just have to cave If you do so with moderation you can usually balance it out over the next few days. Remember that life isn't perfect and part of this process is learning how to live forever with the changes you are making. If you learn how to manage your cravings, and how to indulge them in moderation, you are setting yourself up for success.

CattOfTheGarage

Mostly only give in if it fits, but sometimes I give in anyway. And then I talk to myself. Like, "you know, you're 500 calories over now, do you really want to carry on with this?"

And sometimes I don't, but other times, I do. Sometimes I have to enlist help by telling someone else I'm eating everything and then they take the food away or distract me with something shiny.

A big motivation for me is that binging on my treats feels like wasting them, as I enjoy them so much more when they're rationed out.

CasperNaegle

Sometimes yes.. I know most of my snacking desires occur in the evening, when more bored. I save my calories for the evenings so that I can snack and stay in my numbers. Just give your calories or macros the room they need to allow yourself some things.

ccsernica

If they fit into your calorie goals, why ever not?

CSARdiver

Depends on the situation. If I crave chocolate I will break off a square and indulge - let it sit and savor. If I'm out with friends and celebrating - I indulge in the moment. I'm not going to pass on the lobster bisque and mousse when given the opportunity.

Dig deep and figure out if this is truly hunger or just a routine eating pattern. More often than not we are not hungry, but reacting to stimulus e.g. eating popcorn at the movies.

Identifying these bad habits and replacing with good habits is key.

jennybearlv

It depends on how many calories the food is, how many I have to work with, and if the food is a good value calorie wise. A 40 calorie piece of high quality chocolate? Yeah, I would probably eat it. Grocery store cookies? Yuck, pass. 1000 calorie slice of cheesecake? That's a hard decision.

leanjogreen18

jennybearlv wrote: »

It depends on how many calories the food is, how many I have to work with, and if the food is a good value calorie wise. A 40 calorie piece of high quality chocolate? Yeah, I would probably eat it. Grocery store cookies? Yuck, pass. 1000 calorie slice of cheesecake? That's a hard decision.

No brainer for me, I have hubby order it and I take a couple bites:). Come to think of it he maybe packing on a couple of pounds while I'm losing hummm:).

PaulaWallaDingDong

Sometimes one, sometimes the other.

GottaBurnEmAll

I have small treats and work arounds in big portions -- things like protein fluff or protein cookies and brownies that satisfy that "treat" urge while supplying important macronutrients.

Majesticblondee26

Thanks for all the great advice !

tiptoethruthetulips

I have a tendency to overdo if I give in to cravings, and find it best to avoid...you need to determine what works best for you, abstaining or moderating. This may change as you progress. Neither is right or wrong.

http://www.pbfingers.com/abstainers-vs-moderators/

Unknown

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jennybearlv

leanjogreen18 wrote: »

jennybearlv wrote: »

It depends on how many calories the food is, how many I have to work with, and if the food is a good value calorie wise. A 40 calorie piece of high quality chocolate? Yeah, I would probably eat it. Grocery store cookies? Yuck, pass. 1000 calorie slice of cheesecake? That's a hard decision.

No brainer for me, I have hubby order it and I take a couple bites:). Come to think of it he maybe packing on a couple of pounds while I'm losing hummm:).

That is a good plan when you only have an extra hundred calories or so, like when the cheesecake is preceded by a Cheesecake factory meal. However, if I've been running all week and not eating back them calories that cheesecake better get in my mouth!

dragon_girl26

It depends on what it is and how often I have been craving it. I love cake and want to eat it every day, so I usually try to ignore that. Tonight I was craving some pizza, so I gave in and had two slices. Much better than the 4-5 I would have had in the past.

Machka9

I analyse the cravings.

Cravings are usually my body's way of saying it needs something ... but what?

So when I crave potato chips, I don't need potato chips ... but I usually need salt. I've discovered that taking a salt tablet, or salting my food more, or eating salted cucumber slices with cottage cheese just hits the spot and the craving for potato chips disappears.

When I crave orange juice, one of two situations is going on. 1) I'm coming down with a cold ... and I'm probably after Vit C ... or 2) I've just finished an incredibly long bicycle ride ... and I probably need Vit C. So I drink orange juice.

staticsplit

Usually, but I try to do one biscuit instead of 4. Sometimes I can tell it's just that I want something sweet, so I have dried or fresh fruit instead. Last night I wanted ice cream, but I mixed it in with yogurt so I could have a bigger bowl without going over my calories.

amusedmonkey

Depends on the calories in that food. If I'm craving sauteed spinach and mushrooms, I will definitely eat it that day. If I'm craving tahini cauliflower I ask myself if it's worth the calories today. Sometimes the answer is yes, other times it's no, and some other times it's later. I treat things that people don't usually associate with dieting exactly the same. A kitkat has 100 calories, so it can fit in almost any day. A slice of mousse cake can have 800 calories so I need to plan carefully, mentally prepare for a higher calorie day, or simply say no if I can't be bothered. A scoop of ice cream is 250 calories so it's not hard to fit, but sometimes I feel a bigger lunch is worth it to me more than a scoop of ice cream. I put all higher calorie food cravings in my "is it worth it today" scale and my decision depends on where it leans.

TimothyFish

Cravings often indicate something that is missing in your diet. I figure it is good to work your cravings in, just reduce consumption of other things to do it.

Ming1951

I have been very good since sept 2016. I have treats built into my menu so I look forward to them everyday. Since the holidays I've been having a little extra of things I don't normally treat myself too but I planned and kept them within my calories. Last weekend girl scouts cookies were delivered had a few but remained within my calories. Yesterday I broke down, then my thought process said ok take the day off from your "diet". I did I ate a box and a half of girl scout cookies and everything else I could get down my throat. This morning I realized that though I have been counting calories for 5 months I still have a problem with portion control and probably always will. So back to the counting board and writing down every morsel that goes into my mouth. My scale is up over 2 lbs but hopefully that can go before my weigh in this weekend.

crzycatlady1

I did ADF (alternate day intermittent fasting), for my weight loss phase, so every other day I was eating at maintenance calorie levels and it was fairly easy to fit in whatever I wanted. My low calorie/fasting days were very structured/planned out, so there were no extras on those days, but if I wanted something not planned I knew I could just have it the next day.