How do you deal when cravings hit hard?

becomingbeautifultoday
becomingbeautifultoday Posts: 131 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm struggling this afternoon. I can't stop thinking about food and all I want to do is eat. How do you guys deal with this?

Replies

  • artbyrachelh
    artbyrachelh Posts: 338 Member
    I'm certainly struggling, too, so feel silly to try to help. But staying busy is one strategy. Tackle a big cleaning or organizing project? Start an ambitious meal prep for dinner? Go for a walk? Drink herbal tea? These have worked for me. Good luck!
  • jalyn413
    jalyn413 Posts: 15 Member
    This is my biggest struggle for when I get home. I do well and plan out everything all day at work, and when I get home I want to shove my face w/ anything easily accessible. I do agree, and find that brushing my teeth for sure helps. I have a couple of little puzzle games on my phone too, that if I have a really bad craving (and time allows of course) then I just do a few puzzles and it moves my mind to something else. Still a work in progress though, good luck =)
  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
    I brush my teeth, take a nap, go for a run....depending on where I am and what time constraints I'm working under. Sometimes, I just say "oh well" and give in to the cravings.
  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
    I have some water and tell myself - you can have it in an hour (was 30 minutes) By that time I have usually forgotten. For me craving usually I am bored
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
    We all struggle with cravings, it's rough. I try to occupy my mind with something else. The thing that probably works the best for me is going for a walk - even if it's only 10 minutes. Typically that's enough for me to sort of get back in a mental state of being able to resist.

    If I'm craving something long enough and my mind still keeps going back to it, sometimes I just give in, plan my calories and try to have whatever it is in moderation. I'm not interested in depriving myself for the rest of my life, but in making better choices overall and eating in moderation.
  • whosshe
    whosshe Posts: 597 Member
    It depends what I'm craving. If it's sweets in the middle of the day I will just tell myself "no stop it" and if I still want them as the day goes on I'll fit them into my nighttime snack. I leave at least 200 calories a day for a nighttime snack or a little extra somethin somethin.

    If it's a certain meal then I'll probably skip lunch and just eat the meal for supper.

    I plan at least one day eating at maintenance a week. This usually lets me get all my cravings out. If it doesn't then I have 2 maintenance days. Not gaining is sometimes just as good as losing.

    If I get cravings late at night for nothing specific but just food I'll take a long hard look at myself in the mirror and say "Elicia, just wait until tomorrow. You're good, we're good, everyone's good. You will eat again before you know it, don't you worry". It seems to work alright lol
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    I set a timer on my watch for 30 minutes or so and drink a bunch of water and carry on with the things I need to do. I reassess at the end, and generally the feeling has passed.
  • artbyrachelh
    artbyrachelh Posts: 338 Member
    gkkorade wrote: »
    ... then have good multi vitamins...

    This post worded clumsily, but actually the point about a multivitamin is very true! I can't speak for men, but for women, I've heard that sometimes cravings indicate some sort of deficiency in your diet. Have any of you heard this? For example, craving ice cream, may mean your body needs calcium, etc. I wonder how true it is? But anyways, a daily multivitamin is an excellent suggestion!
  • TravisJHunt
    TravisJHunt Posts: 533 Member
    I cry like a little baby!
  • Arduinna4
    Arduinna4 Posts: 129 Member
    I get out of the house and do smt (walking, running etc) that will make it fit into my calories.
  • 0831227
    0831227 Posts: 84 Member
    I feel you, I am a big eater and now especially after the holidays and indulging in all the fatty and sweet food I seem to have huge cravings now! What I do is that if I have no more calories left to eat I'll take 2 big glasses of water to fill me up (plus sometimes you think you're hungry when actually you're just thirsty), and I pick a clementine or strawberries for a sweet tooth or brocoli/cauliflower with a tiny bit of light dressing.

    At the end of the day, I might have eaten 50-75 more calories than I should have but to me it is better than staying obsessed for hours and having trouble falling asleep!
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    If I'm hungry but don't think I should be, I try distraction or work around my meals for the day so I can eat sooner rather than later.

    If I'm craving something specific, I wait 3 days. If I still have a hankering for it, I plan it into my calories.

    If I'm truly hungry, like low blood sugar hungry hungry...I'll eat. Even if it means going over my calories a little bit.
  • michellesz
    michellesz Posts: 429 Member
    artbyrachelh wrote: »
    gkkorade wrote: »
    ... then have good multi vitamins...

    This post worded clumsily, but actually the point about a multivitamin is very true! I can't speak for men, but for women, I've heard that sometimes cravings indicate some sort of deficiency in your diet. Have any of you heard this? For example, craving ice cream, may mean your body needs calcium, etc. I wonder how true it is? But anyways, a daily multivitamin is an excellent suggestion!

    You’re absolutely correct. Ever since I started taking my new all natural supplements, I have noticed my cravings have drastically decreased and I feel much better. :)
  • becomingbeautifultoday
    becomingbeautifultoday Posts: 131 Member
    Thanks for your tips everyone!! I ended up having a can of tuna, and later a scrambled egg and some cottage cheese, which all fit in with my calories. I wasn't craving anything in particular, I just wanted to eat haha.

    I already take a multivitamin, however I've run out and don't have any for today, so I'll let you know if cravings are worse! And the idea that particular cravings mean our bodies are lacking something makes total sense. I've believed this for a long time, it's only logical that our bodies would seek out what they crave.

    Also, Sunday was my cheat meal, which was a spectacular cheese burger and deep fried pickles, and now that I think about it, every time I eat something like that, it's difficult to get back on track. Like a addict just having a little of something, and then they feel like they need more.

    But like I said, I managed to get through without going over my calories, so I'm pretty happy :smile: Thanks again everyone.
  • maybe1pe
    maybe1pe Posts: 529 Member
    I can usually distract myself and forget about it. However, if the same craving continues to come up over a few days then I'll just eat whatever it is. I'm not going to mentally torture myself if I want something bad enough to have a craving for it for days.

    For example: around Christmas time I started craving a good steak and shake burger and fries. Then it went away. Then over the last week or so I have repeatedly thought about it and wanted it. So I went and got it and made it work in my calories for that day.

    Now I'm over it. And it did absolutely nothing to derail me in my goals.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    gkkorade wrote: »
    The pain of craving is actually your dead fat getting burn out, if you eat in such situation then your fat burning will stop and your all hard day excercise will go into vain
    So be mentally strong !
    As long as you hold your cravings that much amount of fat will be burned
    Fat loss is actually a mental challenge rather than physical
    Keep going

    LOL. My fat just wont die.
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
    First...is it a craving or honest to goodness hunger? That's not always so easy to figure out. A craving isn't necessarily the same as actually needing food.
  • ivonnecamberos
    ivonnecamberos Posts: 1 Member
    Some suggestions, if you want chips eat carrots you get the crunchy. If you want sweet eat yogurt with fruit or nuts and a little honey. To be honest if you are eating your 3meals plus 3 snacks you should be stuffed. But don't deprive yourself
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    find something to do. go visit a friend, talk to someone on the phone, clean your house, take a walk, clean out the fridge, organize the pantry..... something to keep busy and keep your mind off it.

    if youre TRULY HUNGRY, have a snack or indulge in a bit of whatever it is your craving. a lot of times when im craving something, ill plan it out for sometime within the next couple of days, so I can work my calories around it, and still satisfy that craving. and then i have something to look forward to ;)
  • SaraB_82
    SaraB_82 Posts: 45 Member
    If I have a crazy craving, I try to eat some baby carrots or snap peas since they're so low in calorie. Usually just having something to chomp on will distract me. Sometimes I tell myself if I still want it tomorrow, I can have whatever it is I'm fixating on. Usually, I don't care the next day. If I'm craving McDonalds, I'll go and just get a hamburger or small fry instead of a double quarter pounder meal. Usually I can fit whatever I'm dying for into my calorie goal by just eating a smaller portion of it or cutting back on other meals to balance it out.
  • jessylynn76
    jessylynn76 Posts: 4 Member
    I can usually review my food log to see if I ate something higher in simple carbs which caused me to have cravings. Sometimes it's just because I'm feeling deprived. One rule I have is to only eat foods I like. If I eat something I don't like, just to be healthy, I'm right back in the kitchen an hour later because I'm unsatisfied. I drink a LOT of liquid. I like flavored water. I realize plain water is better, but it doesn't do me any good if a glass of plain water sits on my desk untouched. I change the flavor with each glass, so I don't get bored. I usually have 5 or more 24 ounce glasses. It keeps the cravings away for me. They have dozens of choices, something for everyone. With and without sweetener. Natural and artificial.

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