Cravings!!!!!! Not Pregnant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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goldyray1
Posts: 64 Member
What is with these cravings. I am only craving one thing........Dairy Queen M&M blizzards. What the heck???????????
3
Replies
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So...go have one?
Some of my obsessive thoughts can be stopped by something similar. Like frozen mashed up bananas with some chocolate and nuts can squash a Blizzard craving.
I haven't had anything from Dairy Queen in 13 years, though...so, there's that. I do sometimes want Oreos on ice cream and I'll go buy one of those dollar size cups of Oreos and a pint of ice cream. Not often, because that's 1300 calories right there.3 -
Is it a memory trigger?
About this time of year I crave Sweet Tarts. I finally figured out it's because I used to always be traveling for work this time of year and my fave road treat was Sweet Tarts and Diet Sprite3 -
Usually when I am craving something like that, I think about the effort to go get it and decide it’s not worth it lol
Can you budget for a kid sized one? Or make your own with some frozen yogurt and a few mini m&ms?3 -
DENYING oneself of food you like creates it. It's FINE to have some..............just be sure to account for the calories and maybe NOT consume a whole serving if it's high in calories to begin with. A little dab should do you.What is with these cravings. I am only craving one thing........Dairy Queen M&M blizzards. What the heck???????????
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
7 -
cmriverside wrote: »So...go have one?
Some of my obsessive thoughts can be stopped by something similar. Like frozen mashed up bananas with some chocolate and nuts can squash a Blizzard craving.
I haven't had anything from Dairy Queen in 13 years, though...so, there's that. I do sometimes want Oreos on ice cream and I'll go buy one of those dollar size cups of Oreos and a pint of ice cream. Not often, because that's 1300 calories right there.
I did. I had one last night. A mini blizzard is like 340 or 370 calories. I also had one a couple of days ago. Geez. Seems like I could get a craving for salads or broccoli. LOLOL!6 -
Here are my general tips for 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. Additionally, mild to moderate exercise appears to work as a mild appetite suppressant for me.
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.8 -
DENYING oneself of food you like creates it. It's FINE to have some..............just be sure to account for the calories and maybe NOT consume a whole serving if it's high in calories to begin with. A little dab should do you.What is with these cravings. I am only craving one thing........Dairy Queen M&M blizzards. What the heck???????????
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
What kind of tips do you have for a 67 year old woman. Worked at a desk job for years. I do a little yoga (for seniors, very mild) and a little treadmill. I walk maybe 5 miles a week. Exhausted all the time. Reason for gaining weight, I was on prednisone for about a year and a half and ate everything in sight. I have about 30 more pounds to lose. Taking terribly long time. I get very impatient quickly. I started April 10 and I have only lost 11 pounds, and that fluctuates. Any tips are welcome. (Except: Don't eat so much!) LOL!1 -
Any tips are welcome. (Except: Don't eat so much!) LOL!
That is the only way, though.
Eating the sweets just causes more cravings so it's a self-perpetuating problem.
I'm your same age and I still have treats - occasionally. Not every day. Like I said earlier, I've found ways around things like ice cream for the most part. I still have it sometimes. No reason to cut it out completely.
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It really is a balancing act. If you find yourself thinking about it for days, ask yourself what is it about that particular treat that's making you crave it. Is it the actual taste of the product, or are there positive memories associated with it? Is it the fact that because you're trying to lose weight and know the volume to calorie ratio is high, so it can be difficult to budget it in to your daily allowance? Are there small versions or substitutes that would do the trick--like ice cream sandwiches or Dove mini's? It's not the exact same flavor, but Good Humor has an Oreo ice cream bar for about 150 calories in the freezer section of my grocery store.
Another trick is to focus on how you feel physically after eating those treats. I love these really decadent ice cream sundaes from a local ice cream place--like Oreo and Reese's Peanut butter cups. Luckily, it's not that close to us and not really on our way to anything, so if we are going to go there it's a special occasion. Dairy Queen is a lot closer, but don't like there sundaes as much. Anyway, after eating something like that, I feel sluggish and tired, and really just kind of "blah." I'm also sensitive to cow's milk, which could be part of the reason, but I think all the sugar without a lot of protein is another reason. I just don't feel great after eating it--so it really is a special occasion, because I know how I'll feel afterwards.
For me, the reason I make healthier food choices and eat less than I used to (I'm now maintaining) is because I just physically feel better. I still love sweets, but the more I eat foods with added sugar, unfortunately, the more I seem to crave them. I also have been doing this long enough that I better be okay with eating a smaller portion, or budgeting for it...which often crowds out more of the more nutrient-dense foods.3 -
DENYING oneself of food you like creates it. It's FINE to have some..............just be sure to account for the calories and maybe NOT consume a whole serving if it's high in calories to begin with. A little dab should do you.What is with these cravings. I am only craving one thing........Dairy Queen M&M blizzards. What the heck???????????
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
What kind of tips do you have for a 67 year old woman. Worked at a desk job for years. I do a little yoga (for seniors, very mild) and a little treadmill. I walk maybe 5 miles a week. Exhausted all the time. Reason for gaining weight, I was on prednisone for about a year and a half and ate everything in sight. I have about 30 more pounds to lose. Taking terribly long time. I get very impatient quickly. I started April 10 and I have only lost 11 pounds, and that fluctuates. Any tips are welcome. (Except: Don't eat so much!) LOL!
Alas, your only options are decreasing your Calories In and/or increasing your Calories Out.
However, the TYPES of foods you eat may make it easier to stay in a calorie deficit. For example, some people are helped by keto, which is high fat and very low carb.
I don't find fat very satiating, so for me eating less fat and more protein is helpful, as is getting my carbs from higher fiber foods such as legumes, fruit, and veggies.1 -
Another thing to consider: how big is your calorie deficit? If it's too big we're more likely to get cravings, to go on a binge. Having enough calories also means that there's space for snacks.1
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If I have a real craving, I eat some of the craved thing.
That said: I had fewer cravings for calorie-dense sweets when I started making it a point to eat at least 3 servings of whole fruit daily. After a while, cravings for cookies, candy, ice cream treats were not a big deal. After a while, I could reduce the fruit, just eat it to taste, and keep the effect. I still eat the occasional calorie-dense sweet treat, but rarely *crave* them.
This doesn't work for everyone, but I'm not the only person who's found this effective.
DENYING oneself of food you like creates it. It's FINE to have some..............just be sure to account for the calories and maybe NOT consume a whole serving if it's high in calories to begin with. A little dab should do you.What is with these cravings. I am only craving one thing........Dairy Queen M&M blizzards. What the heck???????????
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
What kind of tips do you have for a 67 year old woman. Worked at a desk job for years. I do a little yoga (for seniors, very mild) and a little treadmill. I walk maybe 5 miles a week. Exhausted all the time. Reason for gaining weight, I was on prednisone for about a year and a half and ate everything in sight. I have about 30 more pounds to lose. Taking terribly long time. I get very impatient quickly. I started April 10 and I have only lost 11 pounds, and that fluctuates. Any tips are welcome. (Except: Don't eat so much!) LOL!
Advice from a 65-year-old woman who worked at a desk job for years: Work on the patience. It's been a little over 8 weeks since April 10, and you've lost 11 pounds. If we call it 9 weeks, that's about 1.2 pounds a week, which is a pretty quick rate of weight loss for someone with only 30 more to lose.
I don't know about you, but I'm not as resilient to stress at 65 as I was when I was 20 . . . as in, when I take on extra stress, it's more likely to have negative consequences like fatigue, maybe lowered immune function, etc. (Fatigue can increase cravings, BTW.) A calorie deficit is a stressor. The faster the loss, the bigger the stressor. There's a lot to be said for keeping total stress (from all sources of physical and psychological stress) on the low side.
If you keep going all the way at 1.2 pounds per week on average (which I think would be ill-advised), you'll be at goal weight in around 25 weeks, so around the end of the calendar year. Do it at a sensibly slowing rate, maybe sometime next Spring-ish? That time is going to pass, one way or another. Why not keep it pleasant, and health promoting, instead of difficult, stressful, frustrating, a bumpy road?
You could even decide to cut your weight loss rate down to around 0.75 pounds a week, and fit in a mini-blizzard 4 days a week, reach goal in more like 40 weeks. (Yes, I did the math.) It's an option.
FWIW, I decided I wanted to lose around 15 pounds (in what's mostly weight maintenance mode, for me). Since I was not at a weight that was in itself health-threatening, I decided I wanted it to be easy, didn't care about quick. It took around 18 months. It was almost completely painless, almost an invisible effort.
Obviously, you'd be the one to decide what you want to do. If you go with impatience, shooting for faster loss, it's not going to be quite as painless.10 -
Increase your NEAT (non exercise activity thermogenisis). So instead of an escalator or elevator take the stairs. When you put laundry away, put it away one piece at a time so you have to walk back and forth alot. Park further away from stores. Clean your floors by hand.
DENYING oneself of food you like creates it. It's FINE to have some..............just be sure to account for the calories and maybe NOT consume a whole serving if it's high in calories to begin with. A little dab should do you.What is with these cravings. I am only craving one thing........Dairy Queen M&M blizzards. What the heck???????????
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
What kind of tips do you have for a 67 year old woman. Worked at a desk job for years. I do a little yoga (for seniors, very mild) and a little treadmill. I walk maybe 5 miles a week. Exhausted all the time. Reason for gaining weight, I was on prednisone for about a year and a half and ate everything in sight. I have about 30 more pounds to lose. Taking terribly long time. I get very impatient quickly. I started April 10 and I have only lost 11 pounds, and that fluctuates. Any tips are welcome. (Except: Don't eat so much!) LOL!
You have to increase your activity if you can't eat less to help to keep your deficit higher.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
7 -
Personally, I respond to my cravings by indulging the craving. A few weeks ago I got an almond croissant as a snack and logged the calories after I ate it. LOL. Turns out it was almost 500kcal. So that day I accidentally ate at maintenance. But the next time I craved an almond croissant, I still had one- it’s just that I after walking my daughter to school that day I went to the bakery and got a coffee and croissant and called it breakfast. Then it fit fine into my daily goals. And the fact that I felt a little tired that morning from having only eaten sugar, butter, and air I think will probably reduce my cravings in the future. But I’m not going to stop eating almond croissants- I LOVE them, and I want my habits to remain sustainable. Pretending like I’m never going to eat them again is unrealistic.8
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I have taken steroids(prednisone, etc.) since 2009(transplant) and lost 96 pounds in 2010/2011, regained and have lost 80 pounds since last March. Overeating and under moving are the cause of weight gain.
Some of the best advice I heard involving cravings is, "Cravings are like stray cats. The more you feed them the more they will come back around." Decide which element of the DQ Blizzard is the most satisfying/appealing to you and look for a lower calorie substitute for that satisfies that aspect of taste.
When I started a diabetic diet(prior to receiving a kidney/pancreas transplant) I craved chocolate brownies. Which is funny because they weren't something that I would normally eat. Decided it was the rich chocolate flavor that I craved and substituted sugar-free chocolate pudding for the brownie. Eventually substituted 2 servings of whole fruit for the pudding and have not had those cravings since.6 -
Another thing to consider: how big is your calorie deficit? If it's too big we're more likely to get cravings, to go on a binge. Having enough calories also means that there's space for snacks.
Not sure I understand what 'calorie deficit' is. My diary is public is you want to look at it.0 -
Another thing to consider: how big is your calorie deficit? If it's too big we're more likely to get cravings, to go on a binge. Having enough calories also means that there's space for snacks.
Not sure I understand what 'calorie deficit' is. My diary is public is you want to look at it.
Large calorie deficit = the number of calories you're eating are much less than what you need for weight maintenance = aiming for faster weight loss
The larger your calorie deficit, the more likely your body is going to try to 'sabotage' you (cravings, water retention from the stress,...).2 -
Another thing to consider: how big is your calorie deficit? If it's too big we're more likely to get cravings, to go on a binge. Having enough calories also means that there's space for snacks.
Not sure I understand what 'calorie deficit' is. My diary is public is you want to look at it.
Large calorie deficit = the number of calories you're eating are much less than what you need for weight maintenance = aiming for faster weight loss
The larger your calorie deficit, the more likely your body is going to try to 'sabotage' you (cravings, water retention from the stress,...).
Yes - so when you did your MFP setup, did you plan to lose 1lb a week (which would be a 3500 calorie deficit per week, or 500 per day) or 2lb a week (7000 calories per week, or 1000 per day?) MFP does that math for you and gives you a calorie goal with the deficit built in.
A higher deficit is harder on the body than a smaller one. Your body will use up your fat stores so you lose weight, but it really doesn't *want* to - it would like to use as little as possible to keep you alive longer (which makes sense if you're living in a situation with little food available and starvation is a real possibility - not so much in resource-abundant societies.) Trying to lose weight too aggressively will stress your body - cravings can be one response to that stress, to load up on a bunch of calories right away to maintain the status quo.
I hope that explanation helps.
ETA: I did take a look at your diary for the past week and it looks like your default calorie goal is quite low (1200 calories). That's as low as MFP will go for a woman. You do adjust upwards for exercise calories which is good, but on days you don't get much exercise and aren't eating above that 1200 I could see how that could really stress your body out.
I also see that you weigh some things and not others. Restaurant foods are hard to do, but I would strongly recommend weighing everything you eat at home, even if they come in serving sizes, like bread, because even being prepared, cut and packaged by machines there will be variations from serving to serving. This can help you measure your intake more accurately to make sure you're not accidentally over or undereating. 4 -
Increase your NEAT (non exercise activity thermogenisis). So instead of an escalator or elevator take the stairs. When you put laundry away, put it away one piece at a time so you have to walk back and forth alot. Park further away from stores. Clean your floors by hand.
DENYING oneself of food you like creates it. It's FINE to have some..............just be sure to account for the calories and maybe NOT consume a whole serving if it's high in calories to begin with. A little dab should do you.What is with these cravings. I am only craving one thing........Dairy Queen M&M blizzards. What the heck???????????
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
What kind of tips do you have for a 67 year old woman. Worked at a desk job for years. I do a little yoga (for seniors, very mild) and a little treadmill. I walk maybe 5 miles a week. Exhausted all the time. Reason for gaining weight, I was on prednisone for about a year and a half and ate everything in sight. I have about 30 more pounds to lose. Taking terribly long time. I get very impatient quickly. I started April 10 and I have only lost 11 pounds, and that fluctuates. Any tips are welcome. (Except: Don't eat so much!) LOL!
You have to increase your activity if you can't eat less to help to keep your deficit higher.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I think of this as Planned Inefficiency. My mother is naturally good at this, although I would not call it "planned" in her case. She doesn't have a dishwasher or a clothes dryer, and mostly heats her house with wood. She has extensive vegetable (and flower) gardens.
Mom is 83 and so active that she struggles to stay above Underweight.2 -
penguinmama87 wrote: »Another thing to consider: how big is your calorie deficit? If it's too big we're more likely to get cravings, to go on a binge. Having enough calories also means that there's space for snacks.
Not sure I understand what 'calorie deficit' is. My diary is public is you want to look at it.
Large calorie deficit = the number of calories you're eating are much less than what you need for weight maintenance = aiming for faster weight loss
The larger your calorie deficit, the more likely your body is going to try to 'sabotage' you (cravings, water retention from the stress,...).
Yes - so when you did your MFP setup, did you plan to lose 1lb a week (which would be a 3500 calorie deficit per week, or 500 per day) or 2lb a week (7000 calories per week, or 1000 per day?) MFP does that math for you and gives you a calorie goal with the deficit built in.
A higher deficit is harder on the body than a smaller one. Your body will use up your fat stores so you lose weight, but it really doesn't *want* to - it would like to use as little as possible to keep you alive longer (which makes sense if you're living in a situation with little food available and starvation is a real possibility - not so much in resource-abundant societies.) Trying to lose weight too aggressively will stress your body - cravings can be one response to that stress, to load up on a bunch of calories right away to maintain the status quo.
I hope that explanation helps.
ETA: I did take a look at your diary for the past week and it looks like your default calorie goal is quite low (1200 calories). That's as low as MFP will go for a woman. You do adjust upwards for exercise calories which is good, but on days you don't get much exercise and aren't eating above that 1200 I could see how that could really stress your body out.
I also see that you weigh some things and not others. Restaurant foods are hard to do, but I would strongly recommend weighing everything you eat at home, even if they come in serving sizes, like bread, because even being prepared, cut and packaged by machines there will be variations from serving to serving. This can help you measure your intake more accurately to make sure you're not accidentally over or undereating.
Along these lines:
https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/
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