Help! My cravings are crazy today

ellie0923

I am having some crazy cravings today. I want a cheeseburger, I want chips, I want to sit down at a restaurant and not have to think about what I order. Any advice or encouragement that you've found to help with days like this?

RayahEllen

Go do it and call it a mental health day. As long as you stay on track 80% of the time, then one meal is not going to hurt you. Tonight I'm going to a locally owned pizza joint and coldstone creamery afterwards with my husband. Enjoy life. But come tomorrow, hit that routine again.

Natso29

Sit down, think about what you're really craving and put if into mfp as if you've already eaten it. I find often just seeing how terrible some of the foods I crave are, in numbers, helps me not crave them. If, after seeing it in there you still want it, do it lol. If possible do it yourself, make a homemade cheese burger with a reasonable amount of extra lean ground beef and make some baked oven fries... if that doesn't appeal to you just have a cheat day, try and be reasonable (buy a snack sized bag of chips cause if you're like me you will eat the entire bag no matter the size

jjpptt2

I have days like those... HATE days like those.

The 2 things I've found to be most effective are -

1) Caffeine. 5hr energy extra strength is my go-to (not a coffee drinker), but I've got other options too.

2) Make myself busy... find something to occupy my mind so I'm not thinking about food/eating. Easier said than done sometimes, but it does help.

JeromeBarry1

OP, since this is your first post I'll start the long conversation by asking you to open your food diary so that internet strangers can see the food you've logged. I'll ask if you weigh every morsel that passes your lips. I'll ask how tall you are. I'll ask how old you are. I'll ask how much you weigh and how much you want to lose. Then I'll ask what your calorie target is for food today. Then, aghast, I'll ask why it's so low.

It doesn't have to be like that. Set your weight loss goal to lose 1 lb per week. Accurately log all your food. Use a digital scale for that. Don't stress about how much you weigh from day to day. Just be honest and accurate about staying in a calorie deficit. The cheeseburger might be ok, but the chips are murder.

Need2Exerc1se

[Have you cut these things you are craving out of your diet entirely and started eating only "healthy foods"? There is nothing wrong with a cheeseburger. Fix yourself a cheeseburger, enjoy it, then plan the rest of your meals around whatever calories are left. And if you have a pretty large deficit (set to lose 2 lbs per week) even if you go over on a calories a bit, you could still be in a deficit.

sarraheclark

When I get those days, I fulfill the craving. If I eat out, I try to limit myself to only a half serving since many restaurant entrees are well over 1,000 cal each. I get to eat what I want for that meal and get back on track from that point onward. I try to keep the frequency of this in check- maybe once every few weeks.

I'm not sure if this will work for you, but it works for me. I wish you all the best in this journey.

leanjogreen18

If it fits in your calorie goal and leaves room for dinner go eat it.

Restrictive diets cause some to go off the rails later.

Now that I allow myself anything I don't want somethings as much. For example potato's I used to restrict them which caused me to eat fried potatoes, baked potatoes, hash browns lol.

Now I have potato's maybe once a week or even less.

It's trial and error. Some have to completely cut stuff out and some figure out how to moderate.

PrincessMom08

I've learned the hard way. This is a marathon, not a sprint. I allow myself off days or off meals to get my cravings out of the way when they nag me too much. And I keep on hand healthier versions of my old snacks. I have some 96% lean fresh hamburger patties in my freezer (individually wrapped) for when I want a burger. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the baked white cheddar Cheetos, which are only like...150 calories for 32 (ish). The Cape Cod thins are great, as well as Good Thins. Those are my "go-to" chips (I'm having some right now with a sandwich for my late lunch ). Denying your cravings can make you derail in the long run and spiral out. It's about a lifestyle change. Some people can make drastic changes and stick with them. Some can't. I'm one of those that can't. Moderation baby.

FreyasRebirth

Sometimes you have to spend a day (or week, lol) at maintenance. If I lose sometimes and I maintain my weight sometimes, it will come off eventually. Some parts of your cycle can make it really hard to eat at a deficit too.

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30yearslater

Thirst can be misinterpreted as a craving. When I crave certain foods I always increase water intake. You can also treat yourself on occasion without sabotaging your goals.

Francl27

PMS?

I plan my meals around my cravings, personally. If I want a cheeseburger and fries... I buy the stuff and make it at home. I use 4oz of 90% beef and the burger ends up 450 calories maybe, then I just drizzle some potato fries with a bit of olive oil and bake and my meal ends up 700 calories, delicious and satisfying (versus 1300 calories if I get it at a restaurant - plus 90% of the fries in restaurants are not even that good). And I have leftovers to make it again too!