Dealing with Cravings

SedajTesch

I'm new to the group and need suggestions on fighting food cravings that overtake me in the afternoon.

Sedaj (Seday) New Hampshire/Arizona

ahoy_m8

Hi, Sedaj. On average, I am hungriest in the late afternoon. I'm not sure if this describes you (hunger vs. craving). I do best when I put a big chunk of my calories in a satisfying afternoon snack (lots of fat and protein). Otherwise, I totally cave in to binge snacking while I am in the process of cooking dinner. (And sometimes am then too full for dinner and waaay over calories )

I do struggle with non-hunger cravings as well, but they are MUCH worse when I am under calories. The best way for me to prevent a craving binge is to eat adequate calories in the first place. Undereating a couple days in a row is a binge waiting to happen for me. My nutrition is pretty good on average, so a day of undereating here and there is no problem. But a couple days in a row is bad news for me. It's worth it to make the extra effort to check if you calorie goal (and deficit) is appropriate for your current size and body composition. Eating a little more can save endless headache in the long run.

Best to you!

Anniesquats100

It might help to break it into pieces. There's the habit piece - see if you can train yourself to get a drink of water instead every time you feel the urge to snack. That's good for hydration and for feeling full, as well as changing habits.

Keep your motivation high. Write yourself a reminder of why you want to slim down. Keep in mind that a snack lasts only a minute, but slim lasts and lasts. Or review some MFP success stories. And remember that breaking the snacking habit will get easier after two weeks or so, as long as you are getting enough calories.

Or make yourself an exercise deal, as in "I can have 100 calorie snack if I do 100 calories of walking."

But also make sure you are getting enough protein and fiber. A scoop of fiber powder added to your lunch can make a huge difference in feeling full in the afternoon.

And don't beat yourself up over it. It may take some trial and error to figure out what works for you. Even then you will have some days where it doesn't work. But keep working on it. You will find a way.

Good luck! You can do this!

cwolfman13

"Cravings" can come from multiple things. Cravings can sometimes be a result of deficiencies so your body craves foods that will cure those deficiencies. Cravings can be caused by a calorie deficiency as your body naturally tries to maintain homeostasis. Cravings can be caused by actual hunger and a need to legitimately eat. And often, cravings are simply related to habitual behavior.

Mine are typically related to habitual behavior...that is not to say that it's necessarily negative behavior, it's just leaned, habitual behavior. I maintained a good healthy weight for a number of years and due to my training regimen required a pretty significant calorie intake, so I typically ate 4 "meals" per day and a couple of snacks to get everything in. I typically would have my breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, first dinner, and second dinner, after dinner snack.

First dinner is usually around 5PM or so when I get home...it's not an actual meal per-sei, but it tends to be in the 400-500 calorie range so it's a bit more than a snack. It's been the hardest for me to cut out as I try to cut some weight because it's a well ingrained habit of years in the making. My other snacks aren't as hard...but skipping 1st dinner gets my cravings going so I've been trying to have a little something, but not as significant as my somewhat typical 1/2 avocado, 200 grams of edamame, and 1/4 Lb of cooked shrimp. I'm not training like I used to either, so I don't really need it...but like I said, it's a pretty well ingrained habit. Breaking habits as well as creating new ones take some work and are often a bit uncomfortable at first...you just have to push through that initial discomfort.

AnnPT77

I experimented with different timings of food (number and size of meals, snacks, eaten when), different reasonable nutritional mixes over the course of the meals/snacks, and even specific food choices. Notice when you have days that are better and worse in terms of afternoon cravings, and look at what was different.

It can even be sleep quality/quantity the night before, exercise (or lack thereof) that day or the day before (either type of exercise, intensity of exercise, or just having done or not done some - exercise would ideally be energizing, but some people find that some kinds trigger cravings), or stress levels (combo of physical and psychological stresses from all sources).

In addition to good stuff others have said above, try something to get your circulation going when a craving hits. Depending on circumstances, could be a short walk, a few quick jumping jacks or something, even some stretching.

If we start feeling subtly fatigued, the body's going to seek energy, and food is energy. If that's the root cause, it can be countered with other strategies than food.

It kind of helps IMO to think like a detective about this kind of stuff, or treat it like a fun science fair experiment as another analogy. Notice how you feel, what the circumstances are, experiment with different strategies, analyze results, and adjust your routine accordingly.