Crazy cravings

SBR1313

It's been less than 2 weeks and I'm struggling with cravings. I'm scared to go to store cuz I will buy snacks. 😩 HELP

Lietchi

Possible reasons for cravings:
- you've chosen a weight loss rate that is too aggressive, you're not eating enough
- you've eliminated your favorite foods from your diet and you miss them
- you need to tweak your macro distribution to make your diet more filling. Many people find increasing protein and fiber intake helps them control their hunger

Any chance one of these things applies to you?
I don't get many cravings because I still eat all of my favorite foods, just in more appropriate quantities and proportions. When I do get a craving, I fit it in my calorie goal (this does require being able to moderate, some people have trigger foods that they need to avoid entirely).

IAmTheGlue

Feeling ravenous is no fun. Feeling like you can’t eat anything you enjoy is also pretty rough.

You don’t need to do anything extreme to lose weight. I’m down over 100 pounds and I absolutely refuse to starve myself. Be kind to yourself.

All you need to do to lose weight is to create a deficit. Just a deficit, any deficit will do. Check to make sure your rate of weight loss is not too aggressive and the beauty of CICO is no food is off limits. You just can’t have wild amounts of whatever you want.

Think of it like a bank account. You need to pay attention and make sure you have funds (calories) to pay your bills (meet your macros) but you can have a little fun (treat) too.

I actually plan my next day a day before. I do it right after I hit the complete diary button because it gives me the opportunity to adjust anything that did not work for me today and give me a gameplan for the next day.

Don’t give up. You can do this! Just keep tweaking things until you get in a groove.

kevymetal_

Food (especially snack) cravings are a tough one. They do get easier to manage as time goes on, but they never go away. As Lietchi and IAmTheGlue said, make sure your deficit is not too extreme. Try to make your meals low calorie, but high volume and high protein. And drink water like it's your job! Often when we are dehydrated, we feel hungry. Also, find some healthy, low calorie alternatives to your typical go to snacks. For myself, savory snacks are what get me. My go to snacks these days are:

-Ocean's Tuna Snack Packs with rice crackers. These are around 130cal with 17 grams of protein
-lean turkey pepperoni (in moderation)Each stick is 50 cal with 8 grams of protein
-0% Greek yogurt with blueberries and Swerve. 130 calories and 17g protein
-Simply Protein bars. 150 cal and 15g protein.
-Zevia sodas sometimes do the trick when I have a sweet craving and they are 0 calories.

Healthy weight loss is a slow, sometimes very frustrating process. Stick with it, and set realistic goals. Allow the occasional cheat meal (not cheat day!). Don't be too hard on yourself for moments of weakness and make sure to reward yourself for the victories. I follow a few people on Instagram who have incredible success stories and I also find that motivates me to stay on track.