How do you fight the cravings?

RedAbilty

Currently have em & out of treats, refuse to buy more cos I'm scared I'll devour the whole lot... I'm a big sucker for crystals & their properties so made a concoction & hold them when I'm struggling. What do you do?

concordancia

I have found a handful of treats that are satisfying but for one reason or another one is enough. For example, I won't binge on Fiber One treats because I am afraid of what they will do to me. Currently though, my go tos are keto fat bombs (these are 2 parts almond butter to one part each cocoa powder and coconut oil with sweetener and other flavors to taste, current batch cinnamon and cayenne) and chia pudding (1/3 cup almond milk to 2 tbs chia seeds, usually just cinnamon and stevia).

If I still want something after I have met my calorie goals, I re evaluate. High exercise days or TOM, I go ahead and eat a bit more. Otherwise, I find ways to distract myself. Currently, I am using duolingo to learn a language.

darklyndsea

I wait a few days to see if they'll go away. If they don't, I buy the smallest amount of the craving food that I can (easy to do for chocolate... not so easy for twizzlers). I store it in the kitchen, where it's not within arm's reach of my usual snacking location (because if it's within arm's reach, I have no self control). If it's chocolate, I freeze it, as it takes me longer to eat frozen chocolate than unfrozen chocolate. And I accept that I'm probably going to eat it all within a couple of days anyway, and either accept the higher calories for the day or choose lower-calorie options for my non-craving food, plus try to get some exercise calories added to my allowance.

I'm not big on denying myself my cravings, at least if they last for a while--I'd rather take the calorie hit than spend my energy obsessing over the craving food.

RedAbilty

But aren't you afraid that once you start eating that food your craving you'll lose control? & almost black out while you're eating then when it's all gone you suddenly come back to reality and realise what you've done. Well that's what I'm really afraid of.

leebirm

Last night I was craving a takeaway badly, fish and chips, curry, KFC, pizza I wanted it all and was so close to ordering something.

I have no idea how I dealt with it, I wasn't hungry at all, just desperate for something nice to eat, I managed it though and I feel better about myself this morning.

fatoldladyonamission

RedAbilty wrote: »

Currently have em & out of treats, refuse to buy more cos I'm scared I'll devour the whole lot... I'm a big sucker for crystals & their properties so made a concoction & hold them when I'm struggling. What do you do?

I don't know if my way will hold for longer lasting cravings but I tend to down a pint of water and then paint my nails or go have a bath, just do something that takes me away from the situation where I can binge and puts me back into control. If that isn't enough I look at my most recent photos and ask myself if i really want to stay that way. I've been using a new mantra that today is the last day I'll be this fat to keep me on track and so far it's working. I hope you can find something that works for you.

RedAbilty

fatoldladyonamission wrote: »

RedAbilty wrote: »

Currently have em & out of treats, refuse to buy more cos I'm scared I'll devour the whole lot... I'm a big sucker for crystals & their properties so made a concoction & hold them when I'm struggling. What do you do?

I don't know if my way will hold for longer lasting cravings but I tend to down a pint of water and then paint my nails or go have a bath, just do something that takes me away from the situation where I can binge and puts me back into control. If that isn't enough I look at my most recent photos and ask myself if i really want to stay that way. I've been using a new mantra that today is the last day I'll be this fat to keep me on track and so far it's working. I hope you can find something that works for you.

I'll try that for next time 👌

darklyndsea

RedAbilty wrote: »

But aren't you afraid that once you start eating that food your craving you'll lose control? & almost black out while you're eating then when it's all gone you suddenly come back to reality and realise what you've done. Well that's what I'm really afraid of.

No. I know myself, and I know that there's a 90% chance that it will happen. When I have a craving that won't go away, I know I will eat the entire package (or cheesecake, or batch of cookies...), whether that's over the course of a month or a day. But I'm not afraid of it because I know that I can compensate for it. Sure, the scale might go up a bit in the short term, but I can lower my calories by a manageable amount or exercise more over multiple days, and it'll even out. If I had cravings a lot, I might change my approach--lower calories/exercise more until I've created an extra deficit that's equal to the amount of calories in the craving food, for instance. Losing weight is a math game, and the math can accommodate the occasional cravings-satisfying binge--as long as you either increase calories out or decrease calories in to make room for it.

I figure I'm probably going to have random cravings for foods that I know I'll binge eat, for the rest of my life, and I won't resist them all the time. But my philosophy is that if it's something I'm ashamed of, I shouldn't do it; but if it's something I'll do regardless of how I feel about it, I shouldn't be ashamed. Obviously that's easier said than done, but what it means here is that I don't allow myself to be ashamed of occasional binges on foods I crave, because they'll happen regardless; instead I figure out how to work with them. Otherwise it's just another fad diet because I won't be able to keep it up.

Womona

I read on another thread that a craving only lasts 6 minutes before it passes. So in that time of intense craving- find something else to do! The feeling will pass and you’ll be so proud of yourself for not giving in! This worked for me with wanting a glass of wine when I started cutting down. Now I don’t crave it. Good luck!

LyndaBSS

I was addicted to gumdrops, had them every night.

When I started mfp. I tossed them. Within two weeks of eating pescatarian, my cravings were gone.

I do keep dark chocolate Hershey kisses in the fridge. One satisfies me but I rarely want one. I've had the same package in the fridge for months now.

adotbaby

I have a real problem with cravings and binges too - I have to keep chocolate locked up, only hubby has the key! I read a book, free on Amazon, called "Never binge again," that is helping me a great deal, you should definitely check it out.

gallicinvasion

Planning and Pre-logging the whole day of food ahead of time (incorporating a moderate serving of some delicious dessert) really helps me avoid binging because it involves changing my entire plan or going really over my calorie target.

phx92

I try to just meet myself in the middle. Willpower is a finite resource, so if I have a craving that won’t go away after doing something else, eating at my normal meal time, or having some water, it can be better to have some of what I’m craving and move on. I try not to keep my favorites around—I know I will destroy an entire bag of Reese’s cups no matter what. But I do have enough willpower to not eat an entire bag of chocolate chips at once lol

sksk1026

I set a timer on my phone for an hour later. I tell myself that if I still want it in an hour when the timer goes off, I can have it. Generally the urge passes. Another thing that helps is to keep my daily carb consumption below 100g but be generous with fat consumption. My cravings are always worse when my carb consumption spikes above 100g.

kcmcbee

I use greek peppers and grape tomatoes as a snack in place of treats. Or a handful of olives and a lowgat cheddar cheese stick. And 8 low fat baked type cracker) if it’s a big snack! I have a very short list of what I think are the best ones if needed). And I noticed chocolate chips are like 48/serving (1 Tbsp) and 70 calories, 9carb with 8g sugar. So my go to if a sweet is needed. With a half ounce of nuts if I want for sweet/salty. And I try to make it only when I’m under my calories for the day. I didn’t do this for the first 4 months of my deficit diet but I do now with no problem. And I was a big sight time snacker. Pickles may also help. Hang in there RedA!

Machka9

RedAbilty wrote: »

But aren't you afraid that once you start eating that food your craving you'll lose control? & almost black out while you're eating then when it's all gone you suddenly come back to reality and realise what you've done. Well that's what I'm really afraid of.

No!!

NovusDies

RedAbilty wrote: »

But aren't you afraid that once you start eating that food your craving you'll lose control? & almost black out while you're eating then when it's all gone you suddenly come back to reality and realise what you've done. Well that's what I'm really afraid of.

I have eaten on autopilot before but it was always in a situation where I was not being mindful. Most often it involved snacking in front of a TV. Moderating tough to moderate food for me included logging accountability which meant measuring food I was eating in advance and making sure I was always 'present' when eating it.

ama3387

I find logging the binge food helps me decide if I really want to go that far ( I’ll put the calories for the whole container cause that’s probably what I want to eat) that helps bring be back to reality and generally I’ll have a little of that thing but it’s easier to not eat the whole thing of it.

seltzermint555

This thread is blowing my mind...like every third response has me shocked and wondering if people are kidding or what...

And no I've never had a combination binge & blackout. That sounds like something pretty serious, honestly.

When I crave something I usually try to have a small portion of that thing. Or if it's something bigger and highly specific (huge platter of sushi, chicken fried steak w/ gravy) I plan to have it in like 1-2 weeks and by then I either change my mind because it's not sounding all that great anymore, or I'll work it into a Saturday out and enjoy the heck out of it.

My cravings for sure aren't the six minute type. If I badly want cookies at 10 am, I'll still be thinking about getting me some cookies at 8 pm that night.

H_Ock12

A distraction that busys you.... something you enjoy doing that's active or requires your full attention. Or take a nap.

Machka9

I can usually analyse my cravings and come up with a solution.

When I first started on MFP I was craving potato chips. Well that's easy ... I wanted salt. So I ate a pickle instead.

Then I craved bread which was really weird because I didn't eat much bread before being on MFP. I got rid of that craving by eating a few whole grain crackers ... and the occasional slice of bread once in a while.

I get cravings for chocolate cake once in a while. I can usually tell myself to wait till the weekend when I'll exercise more ... then I can have a slice of chocolate cake. But often, by the time I get to the weekend, the craving is gone. If I crave chocolate cake quite regularly over a month, I might just go and get a slice of chocolate cake and be done with it. And having a slice of chocolate cake a few times a year is not the end of the world.

amusedmonkey

For snacks, I just buy a single serving of the thing I want and eat it. For meals, I see if I can plan it into my day or a few days in advance. If I'm not willing to go out and buy what I want, or if planning it in feels harder than not (like if I'm having a hungry day), then I don't want it enough and I don't eat it. It's usually a "worth the calories" competition for me. The foods that feel most worth it win, regardless of what they are. Some foods are worth it less often than others because take up too much of my allowance and make it necessary to over plan, but it's all food to me in the end.

Every_Day_Is_A_New_Day

I read a blog on a lady who was struggling with emotional eating say something similar to the lines of "even after that cup of frosting, I always found myself wanting more, more, more." It made me realize that the cravings never stop coming. I think just being aware of this and having something prepared ahead of time helps. The one thing I can't stop eating once I start is potato chips, and I know it's a trigger food for me so I choose not to buy it. Instead, I like to snack on seaweed chips instead sparingly. I have also found that by eating more whole foods, I'll crave healthy foods more. Goodluck!

RedAbilty

Thank you everyone!! This really does help.

OkieFitness

Start at the source I’d say: The psychology of it all. The mental part of the craving. After all, truth be told your body isn’t going to collapse if you DON’T satisfy the craving, right? It’s all in your head! So you have to mentally take charge first - whether that’s through distraction, focus, or plain ole tomfoolery! I’m amazed how many times drinking water together with doing something will take away a craving - especially during a fast - but during food-specific cravings as well.

amusedmonkey

ufonut wrote: »

Start at the source I’d say: The psychology of it all. The mental part of the craving. After all, truth be told your body isn’t going to collapse if you DON’T satisfy the craving, right? It’s all in your head! So you have to mentally take charge first - whether that’s through distraction, focus, or plain ole tomfoolery! I’m amazed how many times drinking water together with doing something will take away a craving - especially during a fast - but during food-specific cravings as well.

For me, personally, cravings are rarely a 5 minute affair. They're not going to go away until I have what I want. They can last for days or even weeks (unless I don't really want the thing. If I'm not willing to go buy it, I don't really want it enough to consider it a craving). I'm not going to die if I don't satisfy my cravings, but why put myself through that if I can have the best of both worlds and satisfy my cravings while controlling calories? I guess it depends on the person. Food is important to me and I derive real joy from it. Some people see food as nothing more than fuel. I'm not like that. If I'm not happy with my food, I'm not happy, and I embrace that.

southhillkelli

Bump!

Sylphadora

I do zero carb and I literally have no cravings. When I was keto I binged on nuts and dairy pretty often. I could eat so many Macadamia nuts, brie or camembert cheese and Greek yogurt! I quit nuts and all dairy except for raw cheese. I mainly eat authentic parmigiano-reggiano which I still find addictive but I eat it with meat or eggs, never alone or else I can end up bingeing on it too

Hollis100

RedAbilty wrote: »

Currently have em & out of treats, refuse to buy more cos I'm scared I'll devour the whole lot... I'm a big sucker for crystals & their properties so made a concoction & hold them when I'm struggling. What do you do?

My treats might include a plain Greek Fage yogurt (which I really like) with fresh blueberries or lightly salted almonds, or maybe a banana -- basically things that taste good and have a little natural sugar or fat or both -- and fit in my calories for the day.

When I stopped regularly eating cake, donuts, candy, etc., I lost interest in them. Speaking for myself, I only craved that stuff when I regularly ate it. I had one dish of ice cream at a birthday party weeks ago, enjoyed it, and didn't want any more.

If somebody tried to take away all my natural fruit, though, I would kill them.