intense cravings?

whiteoutpen

Hey guys!

So I've been on MFP for around a year or so now, and I've had pretty good success- lost a bit of 50 pounds. I've been stuck between 175-179 for the past 3 months now, though, and I'm wanting to get down to around 130, so I've still got a decent way to go. My main problem is that lately, I've been cravings sweets, such as chocolate, baked goods, peanut butter, etc. like a mad woman.

It's strange, because until this Fall, I barely ever wanted sweets. I wasn't interested in chocolate. I literally hated peanut butter. And now I can't seem to stop craving them, and once I get my hands on it, I can't seem to practice moderation. I've tried, it just doesn't seem to work. I try to not keep it in the house, but I live with my parents, and there's always stuff lying around.

I was just wondering if anyone had a healthy way for me to satisfy my cravings. I'll be good for a few days, not eat any chocolate at all, then I've suddenly eaten multiple servings. I just don't know what changed, why I used to not care for it, and now I can't get enough.

Thanks for the help

bajoyba

I took a peek at your diary for the past month or so. It's actually pretty empty/incomplete, so it's hard to say what the problem might be. On days that you do log, it looks like you usually come in pretty far below your calorie goal, which may be contributing to your cravings. If you log accurately, consistently, and come as close to your calorie goal as possible, it may help cut down on your cravings and get the scale moving again.

Sometimes if I'm really craving something specific, especially if it's a calorie-dense food like peanut butter, I just try to work it into my day. I am one of those people that will likely keep eating something if I have an endless supply in front of me, so I portion it out to the amount I've planned for and then separate myself from the rest of it. I find that putting some distance between myself and the food object of my desire usually deters me from going back for seconds and thirds.

WalkingAlong

Maybe you could make some compromises with both yourself and your parents/housemates? Pick one treat that's something to look forward to but not TOO dangerous. Like maybe a single serving pack of good peanut butter daily and make yourself eat it with an apple. And ask the folks to support you in your goals by keeping chocolate out for a while, or whatever's the worst temptation?

Or maybe take a break from dieting and try to eat at maintenance level for Dec. A year is a long time. You've done a lot!

whiteoutpen

I took a peek at your diary for the past month or so. It's actually pretty empty/incomplete, so it's hard to say what the problem might be. On days that you do log, it looks like you usually come in pretty far below your calorie goal, which may be contributing to your cravings. If you log accurately, consistently, and come as close to your calorie goal as possible, it may help cut down on your cravings and get the scale moving again.

Sometimes if I'm really craving something specific, especially if it's a calorie-dense food like peanut butter, I just try to work it into my day. I am one of those people that will likely keep eating something if I have an endless supply in front of me, so I portion it out to the amount I've planned for and then separate myself from the rest of it. I find that putting some distance between myself and the food object of my desire usually deters me from going back for seconds and thirds.

I've been having trouble with logging, lately. If I binge, I just end up not bothering, because I know it'll just make me feel worse about it. Another problem I have, is I work at a restaurant where we don't have the nutritional info, so I have no idea how to log it. Or, if I end up drinking, I don't log, because I end up too drunk to even remember what I ate, haha. It's been a lame couple of months for my logging

I definitely have tried the portioning out thing, and I just end up going back for more. There's not really anyone to make me accountable for what I eat anymore, so I think that's the problem. I just really don't understand why I'm having cravings for things I honestly didn't used to care for.

Literally, I've despised peanut butter my whole life. Nuts in general. And this past month, I developed an addiction to it. I don't understand!

whiteoutpen

Maybe you could make some compromises with both yourself and your parents/housemates? Pick one treat that's something to look forward to but not TOO dangerous. Like maybe a single serving pack of good peanut butter daily and make yourself eat it with an apple. And ask the folks to support you in your goals by keeping chocolate out for a while, or whatever's the worst temptation?

Or maybe take a break from dieting and try to eat at maintenance level for Dec. A year is a long time. You've done a lot!

I've pretty much been at maintenance for the past couple of months (I'd assume, I've been at the same couple of pounds for awhile). The problem is, my parents don't diet at all, and are both overweight, and eat whatever they want. I've come to the point where I buy and cook all my own food, but I find myself sneaking snacks from theirs at night. Or, I'll buy something I plan on portioning out, and it's all eaten in a couple of sittings.

I know it's all mind over matter, and I have to practice moderation, but I guess my mind just doesn't want it enough right now, and that's really frustrating. I think it could also have something to do with stress. I'm working 3 jobs and going to school full time, so it's been really hard to find time to want to actually prepare a meal, rather than just grab something on the go or reheat something frozen. And when I do have time off, all I want to do is lay in bed and veg out. Maybe it's a stress thing, and that's why I'm craving comfort food so much

clarkeje1

Everybody usually says fruit. Or dark chocolate. If you really can't curb the cravings I would try to just make it fit into your diary. Pretty soon I'm sure your body will get sick of sugar and then it's on the the next craving lol

whiteoutpen

Everybody usually says fruit. Or dark chocolate. If you really can't curb the cravings I would try to just make it fit into your diary. Pretty soon I'm sure your body will get sick of sugar and then it's on the the next craving lol

Tried the dark chocolate, ended up eating a bunch of it I've really been into grapes lately, so maybe I should try eating those when the chocolate cravings start. Frozen grapes are really yummy too

I just wish I knew why these cravings came out of no where. I guess tastes just change.

eylia

First off, I'd start by trying to find some routine for yourself and your eating habits, just try and find a medium; make sure you're eating enough that will fill and satisfy you during the day, so your cravings might not hit so hard at night. I don't have a huge sweet tooth myself, so I get how odd it feels when suddenly you sort of do-it has happened to me before too. I like to keep frozen raspberries in the freezer, but grapes, blueberries etc all work well took, when they're icy they take longer to snack on too. Even if you were to melt down a few squares of dark chocolate and coat some fruit in it-banana, strawberries, kiwi...whatever really, you might find the sweet of the fruit and the smaller amount of chocolate will take you further than accidentally eating through a whole block. I've also heard of people keeping all their chocolate in the freezer as it takes you longer to get through when you're eating it.

Also, perhaps preparing a few slightly healthier versions of the baked things you crave would help, have a hunt on line and find a few recipes that might help with your craving and fit into your planned day without you feeling the need to binge. I find that helps a lot; planning in the things you're weak at the knees about in moderation. I'm less likely to go overboard on something if it's 'allotted' for in my diary than if I've already had all my calories for the day and am going to go over on my first bite of chocolate or whatever-if I've already messed up my day, my head isn't as sensible about not messing it up with a whole block along with the square I already 'shouldn't have had'.

Mistraal1981

I think the craving of things that you never normally would eat is your body's way of telling you it needs those nutrients. As its chocolate and nuts, I'm thinking you body wants fat.

lynn1982

You've gotten some great advice so far. I haven't read through everything, so apologies if I am repeating something... For me, smoothies were key to getting rid of those intense sugar cravings. I usually start my day with one or sometimes I'll make a half serving in the afternoon if I can't get that cupcake craving out of my mind. It's so easy to play around with the flavors too...they can be high in sugar though, depending on what you put in it, but I figure it's still healthier than binging on a box of cookies (which is what I would end up doing).

Tea also helps (if you don't want the extra calories), as does a piece of fruit. Another trick I use - if I'm having a craving (but I know it's just a craving and not hunger), then I have a glass of water and wait an hour or so. If the craving is still there, then I try to satisfy it in a healthy way. More often than not, the craving goes away. But as I said above, smoothies have been key for me in order to avoid cravings in general.

speedy740

I highly suggest #1 Out of sight/out of mind theory. Or #2 When u have some put it in a bowl/or whatever and put the rest AWAY this works well combined with suggestion #1. I'm always struggling with this too and these ideas will help u and make a difference. Good luck????☀️

speedy740

Everybody usually says fruit. Or dark chocolate. If you really can't curb the cravings I would try to just make it fit into your diary. Pretty soon I'm sure your body will get sick of sugar and then it's on the the next craving lol

Tried the dark chocolate, ended up eating a bunch of it I've really been into grapes lately, so maybe I should try eating those when the chocolate cravings start. Frozen grapes are really yummy too

I just wish I knew why these cravings came out of no where. I guess tastes just chang

Grapes are high in sugar so try not to overdue them ????

markiend

Hey guys!

I've been stuck between 175-179 for the past 3 months

and you mention later in another reply that you haven't been logging much for the last 2 months

I suggest you go back and do exactly as you were doing when you lost the 50lbs , get logging and learn to practice moderation

good luck

lauren3101

Simple answer is.. you are eating too much.

You don't know what you are eating at work, you aren't fully logging everything and you are binging.

How do you estimate your calories burned? Are you using a HRM or MFP calculations?


Personally, I would take my own lunches into work if you have no way of counting the calories. Restaurant meals - even 'healthy' ones - can be deceivingly high in calories. Make sure you measure, weigh and log everything. If you know you are going out for a drink, make sure you plan your day around it. Eat before you go out.

pinkiemarie252

Your diary is so empty so it's hard to tell, but maybe you could use a little more protein? I recently made a conscious effort to eat more of it and it seems to help a little.

elyelyse

I just wish I knew why these cravings came out of no where. I guess tastes just change.

This is one reason logging consistently is important...so you can look for patterns and changes. For example...if I don't eat a variety of veggies for a few days in a row, I find that I start craving more "junk food" like chips or a lot of bread, and chocolate. If I don't eat a good amount of fruit each day, I crave things like ice cream or candy, but...fruit has a good amount of calories too, so I can't just shovel in as much fruit as I want as a preventative measure, I have to keep track. It's hard to keep a mental record of what I've been eating, even for just a few days. It helps to be able to look back and see, for example...oh, I've been doing eggs for breakfast all week and haven't had my share of berries, that's what I need today, or oops, the last time I had a big salad or full plate of veggies was 3 days ago, no wonder I couldn't resist that bagel.

Note: that doesn't mean I think ice cream or bagels are bad...but irresistible cravings for them are.

You said you work at a restaurant so you eat there and don't know how to log it? Find a way. Look at what's on your plate and do your best to estimate each ingredient. Ask the kitchen how they prepare things. Even if you don't get the calories exactly right, you'll be able to see WHAT you're eating and find the patterns.

ereck44

I just wish I knew why these cravings came out of no where. I guess tastes just change.

This is one reason logging consistently is important...so you can look for patterns and changes. For example...if I don't eat a variety of veggies for a few days in a row, I find that I start craving more "junk food" like chips or a lot of bread, and chocolate. If I don't eat a good amount of fruit each day, I crave things like ice cream or candy, but...fruit has a good amount of calories too, so I can't just shovel in as much fruit as I want as a preventative measure, I have to keep track. It's hard to keep a mental record of what I've been eating, even for just a few days. It helps to be able to look back and see, for example...oh, I've been doing eggs for breakfast all week and haven't had my share of berries, that's what I need today, or oops, the last time I had a big salad or full plate of veggies was 3 days ago, no wonder I couldn't resist tha

Note: that doesn't mean I think ice cream or bagels are bad...but irresistible cravings for them are.

You said you work at a restaurant so you eat there and don't know how to log it? Find a way. Look at what's on your plate and do your best to estimate each ingredient. Ask the kitchen how they prepare things. Even if you don't get the calories exactly right, you'll be able to see WHAT you're eating and find the patterns.

qft!

BobOki

I got around nearly ALL my cravings and THE HUNGER from going to leangains.com. It took three days of suffering for me, but then on the 4th day I woke up, and have not had insatiable anything since then (going on nearly a year now). I HIGHLY recommend it. I also love not eating a breakfast, my lunch and dinner can be much more filling.

healthygreek

You said that one of the reasons you don't log a binge is because it makes you feel bad.
I say, you must log a binge so you can see in black and white exactly what you ate and how many calories the binge contained.
You must do this and it will cause you to think twice about bingeing.
You have lots of excuses for your behavior with food. When you're ready to do something about it-you will. Nothing will stop you.
You know you can lose-you've done it before.
Make sure you're eating enough but with a deficit. That will help control the bingeing, but LOG everything or you won't know what's going on.

Lisa_Rhodes

Like most others have said... make sure you log everything you eat. Some people say eat fruit to curb the craving, but if I have a specific craving, I have to have whatever it is (bc otherwise it won't go away) and just have it in moderation. I have been doing low carb/high protein (it's been harder since the start of my pregnancy), but when I lowered my carb intake and increased my protein, within a couple of days, I was able to have less and less sugar/carb cravings. It might be something you want to look into.

Hope you find something soon that works for you

ereck44

First of all, congrats on losing 53 pounds, esp when you can't control your environment. Kudos!

Also stress may be a huge component--make sure that you are getting sleep.

Try to eat some protein at every meal, stop at the grocery and pick up some roast turkey or roast beef, already cooked. Rotisserie chicken is only 5 or 6 dollars and you can eat a lot of meals from it. Canned tuna, you get the drift. Even if you don't have time, you can make a sandwich. You can preboil eggs and keep them in the refrigerator for a quick snack.

Logging, logging, logging.....and more logging, even when you have had a bad day. It's the only way to be able to see a pattern.

Drinking alcohol----well, you are young, but it has a lot of calories. If you can, stick to only drinking one beer or one glass of wine. Also soft drinks have a lot of calories. Try to drink water mostly or tea or skim milk (if not allergic). I drink black coffee, but not everyone is a fan.

Good luck! I wish you well! You have really accomplished a lot.