How do I deal with the cravings?!

BeckyBee223

I swear my fridge is calling my name and I'm sure I can smell the salted caramel ice cream in the freezer!
How do you deal with cravings at night? I'm eating 1200 cals a day, exercising and doing everything I can to drown out the sounds of the food shouting "eat me! I'm so tasty!!"
Help me or else the cake gets it!!

L1zardQueen

Are you eating your exercise calories back? 1/2 cup of ice cream is approximately 250 calories. Yay!

Edited for clarity

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leanjogreen18

Some things like potato chips I had to take out of my house for awhile. I still don't bring them in the house in family size bags unless family/friends are coming over to help eat the whole bag:).

Sweets I buy in one small single serve portions.

Also see if Halo Top ice cream is in your area. Tastes great and relatively low calorie.

I'm spending my time while losing weight figuring out how to have things like potato chips and saltines in my house but until I have a good grasp as to why I tend to overeat those they stay out in large portions.

BeckyBee223

Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »

Are you eating your exercise calories back? 1/2 cup of ice cream is approximately 250 calories. Yay!

Edited for clarity

Unfortunately yes I'd have devoured the ice cream if I hadn't lol. I'm just going to take it as my body adjusting to the shock of less cake and more green stuff

BeckyBee223

Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »

i find putting ice cream on a cone also helps keep the portion size to where it should be.

That's actually a really good idea! I'll be adding that to my little book

kommodevaran

Buy ice cream, eat ice cream. Or don't buy ice cream, then you can't eat ice cream.

KMMRN

I add a tablespoon of whey protein powder to almost everything I eat.....the protein seems to keep me feeling full. It can be mixed into ice cream, soup, veggies....just about anything.

manderson27

I keep a bowl of low calorie snacks on a table beside me in the evenings so I don't wander out to the kitchen and end up bringing back half a loaf smeared in butter and a jar of peanut butter.

Protein bars, fruit, boiled eggs etc are all handy snacks. Also a bottle of water.

Then I get on here and read the success stories

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BeckyBee223

kommodevaran wrote: »

Buy ice cream, eat ice cream. Or don't buy ice cream, then you can't eat ice cream.

But it's so much fun tormenting myself!

BeckyBee223

I think the pictures are a good idea!

JeromeBarry1

It's a waste of money if you don't intend to eat it some time.

courtneyfabulous

Did you set your calories too low/rate of loss too high?

I swear 99% of those who write in the forums asking about how to deal with cravings are the ones that set their calorie goal to 1200 or set their weight loss rate for 2 pounds a week... maybe it's not cravings, maybe you're just hungry.

You can always adjust your goals to get more calories to eat, it just means you'll lose weight more slowly- which actually might turn out to be a good thing.

cwagar123

For me it had to be about preplanning. Before mfp I was quite literally eating very little and then superbingeing on nachos and junk all night. I make my diary up the night before now and eat what I set out and it has been a lifesaver

courtneyfabulous

Also I find eating clean healthy real foods and plenty of protein and fiber helps a lot.

The more sugar, refined carbs, salt, and/or high fat foods I eat, the more I ceave them. When I cut them out of my diet then I don't crave them.

Unless I'm not eating enough and then I crave things that are calorie dense no matter what.

Also stay hydrated. Water, water, water!!

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neldabg

If you're active, there's a chance you're eating too little, meaning that you have more than enough room for a snack.
If you increase your intake, but still have cravings, experiment. Some people find it helpful to go cold turkey for a short while and then slowly reintroducing their craved foods when they think they can handle eating it in moderation. Others can simple pre-portion food and handle moderation right away.

dorkyfaery

First and foremost, I eat more than 1200 calories/day. I decided that slow and steady was better for me than crash and burn (which is what happened every time I over restricted my calories). In addition to that, I try not to keep food in the house that I will hear calling me from the kitchen. Ice cream is a rare treat because I don't have the will power to stop before I have a catastrophe. I've also found that single serving desserts help me with portion control.

akgrown2014

I have had a hard time with cravings and keeping within calories count as well. When the cravings seem unbearable, I try to be introspective into my reasoning into why I HAVE TO HAVE such and such (usually icecream fro myself as well). Most the time, I have had a bad day or hormones have control so I try to do other things, such as take a nice bubble bath or walk, to try to appease them.

CattOfTheGarage

courtneyfabulous wrote: »

Did you set your calories too low/rate of loss too high?

I swear 99% of those who write in the forums asking about how to deal with cravings are the ones that set their calorie goal to 1200 or set their weight loss rate for 2 pounds a week... maybe it's not cravings, maybe you're just hungry.

You can always adjust your goals to get more calories to eat, it just means you'll lose weight more slowly- which actually might turn out to be a good thing.

Yes yes yes!

Set your calories at a level you can actually stick to long term (unless you are very short and/or disabled or elderly, 1200 is not it) and then plan your day strategically so you can have a treat after dinner. Don't white-knuckle, it never ends well.

I honestly don't know what is with the 2lb a week/1200 calorie thing. You don't get points for suffering.

Rushgirl82

Pickles! Lol. Seriously. I struggle with night time bingeing and now I have a pickle or two if I'm struggling AND I also turn off the tv and go to bed to read and it really helps a lot for me.

Mayasmama5410

I had to change my calorie setting. For me I realized that this needs to be a lifestyle change and I need wiggle room for some indulgence. I had my calories set to around 1200 and was unsuccessful because I would beat myself up when I spent calories on sweets etc. I eventually quit because it was too restrictive.
This time out I am doing so much better, my calories are set to 1580. I almost never hit it and I am on day 92. I think the fact that I know I can work treats into my day if I want them makes that urge less intense. I don't know if that makes sense but this was very true for me.

nowine4me

I find lower calorie substitutes that satisfy my cravings. Salted caramel happens to be an easy one......Here are 3 things that come in salted caramel and are 100 cals (each)....
Halo Top
Greek Yogurt
Quest protein powder
BOOM!

Icrizz

How I deal with them:

Sweet craving: carrots because they're naturally sweet and are filling

Junk food craving not related to sweets: I buy organic rice/bean chips and then eventually the desire to eat something crunchy/salty/chip related goes away because they don't taste as good as potato chips (plus they're good for you)

Maybe this can help you or give you ideas? Good luck (:

BeckyBee223

Thanks for your advice guys, its been a real help. I think upping my calories would help too and perhaps I'm more active than I thought!

cbelc2

The ice cream won't call you if it is not there. Fill your pantry and fridge with healthy food.

sisterlilbunny

nowine4me wrote: »

I find lower calorie substitutes that satisfy my cravings. Salted caramel happens to be an easy one......Here are 3 things that come in salted caramel and are 100 cals (each)....
Halo Top
Greek Yogurt
Quest protein powder
BOOM!

I was just coming to say Halo Top. I swear by them when I get a craving for peanut butter cups or ice cream. It has the creamy texture of ice cream and a great deal of protein.

And with the price of it? You'll savor every single bite.

kshama2001

Speaking of Halo Top, I had a coupon to get a pint of Enlightened Ice Cream for free. This also uses the sugar alcohol erythritol as a sweetener. I had one serving (70 grams) last night and assume this is what upset my stomach, as it was the only new food I had, and I had it and my OH did not and he otherwise ate what I did and was fine.

kshama2001

When I do the following, I don't have cravings:

1. Get sufficient sleep
2. Exercise regularly - when I get the happy hormones from exercise, I'm not prone to seeking them from food.
3. Get sufficient protein in relationship to carbs. I'm not low carb, but reducing carbs and upping protein worked for cravings for me. See also http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html
4. Eat moderate amounts of fruit. This makes me less interested in higher calorie sweets.
5. Take a magnesium supplement. This can be especially helpful for women premenstrually.
6. Save foods like chocolate for after dinner, in small amounts
7. Stay hydrated
8. Have a calorie deficit that is appropriate for the amount of weight I need to lose. An overly aggressive goal can definitely lead to cravings.
9. Eat at maintenance when my appetite goes up premenstrually.

perkymommy

BeckyBee223 wrote: »

I swear my fridge is calling my name and I'm sure I can smell the salted caramel ice cream in the freezer!
How do you deal with cravings at night? I'm eating 1200 cals a day, exercising and doing everything I can to drown out the sounds of the food shouting "eat me! I'm so tasty!!"
Help me or else the cake gets it!!

Don't keep that stuff in your house? That's what I've had to do before in order to be successful at losing weight. Without knowing what your food intake is throughout a day it's hard to know what you may be doing or not doing in order to keep from being so hungry. Are you exercising a lot? If so, maybe try eating some of those calories back each day.