intense cravings?

WalkingAlong

Are you working three restaurant jobs? I used to be a picky eater until I worked in restaurants. I don't imagine they opened up the world of nuts and chocolate to you but you never know.

I think you're probably just tired of restricting and this is how it's busting out-- in intense cravings for sweets and in binges. I wish I could help. I'd say tough it out as best you can, be kind to yourself and don't over-restrict but don't regain a lot, things will change again.

I do think if you get used to say chocolate at night or a large, heavy meal, you do feel like you crave it then. I think part of it is breaking a habit, or better yet, replacing it with a new, better habit (or at least a less damaging one). Alcohol makes a lot of us hungry and indiscriminate, too.

TupeloGirlee

More protein.

Less refined carbs. ie. pasta. rice. bread. sugar.

Eat carbs in the form of carrots, sweet potato, squash, brussel sprouts...

This will make a huge difference in the vicious cycle of cravings.

Try to log all your food!

...and don't be afraid of fat!

whiteoutpen

Are you working three restaurant jobs? I used to be a picky eater until I worked in restaurants. I don't imagine they opened up the world of nuts and chocolate to you but you never know.

I think you're probably just tired of restricting and this is how it's busting out-- in intense cravings for sweets and in binges. I wish I could help. I'd say tough it out as best you can, be kind to yourself and don't over-restrict but don't regain a lot, things will change again.

I do think if you get used to say chocolate at night or a large, heavy meal, you do feel like you crave it then. I think part of it is breaking a habit, or better yet, replacing it with a new, better habit (or at least a less damaging one). Alcohol makes a lot of us hungry and indiscriminate, too.

I work at a restaurant, a children's tutoring place, and Old Navy. Pretty varied environments, haha.

You know, I hadn't thought about that. I suppose I could be tired of "dieting" for the past year. Before this, I literally ate fast food every day, and had whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. Which is why I gained around 60+ pounds in less than a year. It was a pretty dramatic change- I quit drinking soda cold turkey, and just adopted a healthy lifestyle. I love it, but it can be hard to maintain sometimes.

I luckily haven't actually gained, I've just stopped losing. For the past few months, it's honestly been the same cycle. I'll get down to exactly 175.5, then shoot back up to 179.7, then down to 171.1, then 175.5 again and repeat. it's always those exact weights. I don't know why.

I think a big part of it, too, is I just like having something in my mouth. (That sounded appropriate). I'm trying to find a low calorie snack to munch on. So far, I've found that I like raw green beans and snap peas, so maybe I'll just keep on with those. They don't satisfy my sweet craving, though

whiteoutpen

More protein.

Less refined carbs. ie. pasta. rice. bread. sugar.

Eat carbs in the form of carrots, sweet potato, squash, brussel sprouts...

This will make a huge difference in the vicious cycle of cravings.

Try to log all your food!

...and don't be afraid of fat!

That reminds me, I love bread. I actually haven't been eating too much of it, because I know most people recommend to stray away from it exactly because of that. My problem is when I cook at home, I typically only have access to a microwave and a skillet, so it's sometimes hard to find ways to cook the healthier options. I love microwaved sweet potatoes though!

I've actually tried to not stray away from fat, but low calorie usually means low fat. I eat a lot of vegetables and fruits, and low calorie things, so I end up not being very high on protein, and I'm usually way under on fat. The problem is, I can't seem to fit in the calories for the regular fat items, since I'm already so hungry.

WalkingAlong

I keep a 150-piece bucket of Atomic Fireballs around. They're like 20 calories each and they're intense and last a while. It ain't green beans but it ain't spoonfuls of peanut butter, either! Oh, and Diet Pepsi. :happy:

whiteoutpen

I keep a 150-piece bucket of Atomic Fireballs around. They're like 20 calories each and they're intense and last a while. It ain't green beans but it ain't spoonfuls of peanut butter, either! Oh, and Diet Pepsi. :happy:

What're Atomic Fireballs? Sounds like a type of candy?

I found these super yummy espresso hard candies at the 99cent store, and I think it's around 50 calories for 4 of them. So those helped me out when I wanted something sweet. Maybe I can try and find something that's a little chocolatier for when I have that craving.

My only problem, though, is I try to buy things that are small like that, and often end up eating them in one sitting. Especially if I'm drunk. Worst moment was when I ate like 6 packets of the Skinny Cow caramel chocolates when I was super smashed. I felt so sick after, and I can't even look at them anymore. So that's kinda good, I suppose. In a weird way.

WalkingAlong

Yeah, it's cinnamon hard candy.

Is the drinking new? I wonder if the cravings are related. It's pretty hard to drink much and lose weight.

I am probably the only person here who thinks this but I think logging your intake for very long periods can have serious backlash for many people. I think the hyper-attention to your diet eventually makes a lot of people binge-prone. Eventually, the part of your mind that would normally regulate your eating steps in and says, "Quit ignoring me. I AM IN CHARGE and I have a million years experience so let me remind you who's boss." And causes cravings until you submit. :bigsmile:

whiteoutpen

Yeah, it's cinnamon hard candy.

Is the drinking new? I wonder if the cravings are related. It's pretty hard to drink much and lose weight.

I am probably the only person here who thinks this but I think logging your intake for very long periods can have serious backlash for many people. I think the hyper-attention to your diet eventually makes a lot of people binge-prone. Eventually, the part of your mind that would normally regulate your eating steps in and says, "Quit ignoring me. I AM IN CHARGE and I have a million years experience so let me remind you who's boss." And causes cravings until you submit. :bigsmile:

I've been drinking since before I started losing weight, but only began actually drinking heavily around August. So yeah, the two could be related. I actually don't drink that often, I just drink a lot when I do.

Yeah, I totally agree with you. I think maybe I might just need a small break until the beginning of the year. Maybe the stress of everything is just getting to me.

WalkingAlong

I think that's a good idea.

On the pizza, I think you can have some now and then without guilt and without not logging it (I mean for when you go back to logging, assuming you're going to take a break). There have got to be all kinds of pizza in this database, at least estimate it. It'll be costly but probably mentally worth the splurge. If I had to work around beautiful deep dish pizza and eat only the salads, I would be getting drunk and bingeing, too, that's for sure! The other two jobs can't be a cake walk this time of year, either.