Having trouble with sugar withdrawls!

jennydc17

Hey everyone!
It is so nice to see all the successes and the people offering support in here
I am just starting to keep track of my food intake and exercise, mostly because I need to curb my junk food habit.

I have always been a really active person, and usually can eat pretty well- but when I get stressed out or depressed I start to crave chocolate and sweets-almost uncontrolably it seems. I have just moved across the globe and don't really know anyone in the area and have also just started grad school, so things are tough right now. I have maintained my activity and find that this is a great outlet- but without any real meaningful human contact my diet has started to go downhill. I'll have a good couple of days, but then I get this overwhelming urge to eat a candy bar, or peanut butter direct from the jar.......ugh. And then obviously I feel even worse about myself!

Its obviously comfort eating, and I know that I have to take a look at why I THINK I am hungry when I really am not, but is there anything I can do to curb the cravings? Should I drink more water???

Also, I had a lot of weightloss success by pretty much cutting out breads and pastas and cereals from my diet, and was not nearly as hungry all the time. I had a lot of eggs, veggies, beans...It was a modified atkins of sorts. I felt good when I did it, and wasn't always craving sweets like I do when I am eating a lot of carbs. However, where I am living and who I am living with makes that nearly impossible. I am living with my boyfriend's mom and she feels that there is no need to make any dietary concessions and that everyone should eat like her. This means cereal in the am- which leaves me feeling tired and low by mid-morning. She leaves her bedroom door open and so it would be impossible for me to cook much without waking her- does anyone have ideas for something low carb that is filling in the am, but does not require a lot of cooking? I could probably do protein shakes, but I hear there can be a lot of extra, unnecessary stuff in there....I really need an alternative that leaves me feeling full and like I don't NEED sugar.
I also have issues with my other meals, and if anyone has tips for packed lunches that are similarly easy and low carb, it would be GREATLY appreciated.

NH_1970

Make some breakfast with complex carbohydrates in the evening and pop them in the freezer so you can just dethaw or stick them in the oven on a cookie sheet on low heat in the morning without waking her. Added protein could be adding tofu to it, nuts, cold chicken/turkey meats cooked the night before. Kashii actually makes a cereal called Go Lean 30 carbs and 20% of the daily protein and a ton of potassium in it, that has a lot of protein. Maybe hard boil some eggs the day before. Or eggs made the night before, stuck in the fridge overnight and just heat them in the oven in the morning.
I'm not sure about lunches but maybe making those up the night before too so you can just grab it and go, you can add veggies to that and more protein too.
Just buy some of your own food and use the fridge and oven and clean up after your cooking, so she won't fuss at you. Who knows maybe it would inspire her to eat better.

NH_1970

Complex carbohydrates are slow released carbs and not like sugar which spikes and easily absorbed by your body so the energy is slow released, is why I mentioned those, they can probably help offset the sugar cravings, I 'try' to go for fruit because of the added fiber if I have a sugar craving.

jennydc17

Thank you for the many ideas!

And yeah- I do buy my own food and all that, but it makes it hard for getting ready in the am when i have to be rediculously quiet! But making everything beforehand is a good idea.
I hope she will want to eat better! We take turns making dinner- her specialty is anything breaded that comes out of a box! Or else extremely fatty pork with a bottle of sweet and sour sauce. The great thing about that meal is that the onions in the sauce are supposed to qualify as our vegetable. ?????? I dont want to offend her so I dont have a choice for eating, I just try and make up for it on my days to cook.

As far as "Make some breakfast with complex carbohydrates in the evening and pop them in the freezer so you can just dethaw or stick them in the oven on a cookie sheet "- I get the idea of a complex carb, but what would one be that you'd prepare like that?

mhackworth

Hiya there,

It's good to see your taking control of your eating habits and looking for solutions. I have similar issues with my room mate, theres hordes of junk food, soda and energy drinks everywhere. It's extremly tempting and hard to stay away from when those kind of things are readily available in the house. Of course it's best not ot have any of it in the house, but in these situations we have to keep alternatives around to go for when those cravings strike.

As for the AM, I usually don't have time to cook something, so I keep hard boiled eggs in the fridge and eat two of those along with a banana in the morning since It's all things I can take on the go if need be. For lunch I cary A small lunch bag that is insulated with a small container of Greek Yogurt, and a fruit like an orange or Larabar which is a very inexpensive granola bar usually made of three ingredients. Also I take a small snack bag of about 1/4 cup of whole almonds seasoned with sea salt for an inbetween meal snack as an appetite suppressant and all of the superfood health benefits they contain.

For dinner, mostly steamed veggies like broccoli, asparagus and the sort to keep the nutrients and flavor, as well as a portion sized piece of meat, mostly chicken and fish(especially salmon) but also other lean meats. If you need to, measure portions with the palm of your hand, thats about the size of your stomach when empty, but it stretches to accomadate more food. Thats one reason why it's suggested to eat five to six small meals a day. Another good snack would be watermelon, it has natural properties within it that act as a internal sunscreen for your skin, as do most red fruits and veggies.like tomatoes, or a glass of chocolate milk is a great snack for hydration because of the balance of carbs, protein and fat for muscle recovery.

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich after a workout is a great snack because the carbs and protein are great for building muscle and repairing old muscle, try to go with rye bread if you can. Green tea is also something you should consider regularly drinking because of all the antioxidents and health benefits that go along with it and studies have shown that people who drink three or more cups a day have smaller waists and hips compared to those who drink irregularly or none at all. If you ever have a real urge for cereal, a half cup Fiber One Original is the best option, with 60 carbs, 1g of fat, 180g potassium, 14g dietary fiber, 0g of sugar and 2g of protein. Always stick to organic milk, the hormones and grain used to feed the cows producing most of the generic milks are like consuming the steroids directly, one reason kids today are maturing so fast, which also means weight gain.

The best way to be healthy and lose weight is through education, the more you know and learn, the better off you are. I really suggest signing up for Eat This Not That's free e-mails as well as visiting www.truthaboutabs.com and signing up for Mike Gearys free e-mails as well, I've also read his ebook as well which is all very informative. Keep learning and don't buy into the multibillion dollar advertising schemes by companies trying to get you to believe their products are healthy. You should read this article by Women's Health and Eat This Not That, bringing to light some of the schemes put into place by the corporate world. http://eatthis.womenshealthmag.com/slideshow/18-supermarket-lies-revealed#title

I wish you the best of luck and hope you find the joys in living a healthy full lifestyle.

Michael

NH_1970

for the complex carb breakfast, I do a oatmeal pancake mix recipe and add banana but then I cook it up in the waffle maker so I don't need the added frying oil to make them. Then stick them in the freezer for when I need a breakfast I can't cook and that's a lot of time during the week.
Cooks.com has a ton of recipes on it for oatmeal pancakes, just check the ingredients in the food diary for carbs/calories and make sure you find out how many servings are in it so you can divide that, or set it so you are getting the right amount per serving, or Quaker Oats has a boxed form of an oatmeal pancake mix that doesn't use eggs. and if it says to use oil in it, go for extra virgin olive oil it's better for you. I usually stick them in the toaster, or if I have the time I stick them in the oven on a stoneware plate on a low heat and let them heat up, but the plate is hot after so be careful of that.
You reminded me I used to do a soy flour/flaxseed muffin in the morning with berries. You can make your own or Hodgson mills has a multigrain hot cereal mix (But it can be used to make a muffin or a bread) in the natural food section of Hannafords, or you may be able to get it at your local Natural food store, if you have one nearby check it out they have a ton of great stuff, and it's nice to browse to get ideas and the owners/cashiers usually have a ton of great ideas or recommendations.

Also oatmeal, I love oats so I try to have those a few days a week. Plus they're good for my cholesterol levels I'm trying to get down and it's filling and I find that I don't really crave foods while I have oatmeal or oats hanging around in my body.

Oatbran recipes on cooks.com for their muffins or breads I add berries to those. Sometimes their recipes do regular flour in with the oatbran or the oatmeal, but you can modify that, graham flour they sell at walmart, or other stores, stone ground wheat flour, I try to avoid white flours as much as possible because of them being highly processed and blech white flour....We used to mix white flour and water to make paste when we were kids, so all I can picture is that I have paste in my body and that just grosses me out so I avoid white flour.

Also Kashii has this GREAT pilaf mix, but I can only find this on occasion at one natural foods store that's no where near where I live, It has 7 whole grains in it, this was one of their beginning products. They call it pilaf now but originally it used to be just a grains mix that I would use for breakfast, with a little bit of milk and a 1/2 tsp of honey to give it sweetness, it tasted good cold and because of being whole grains it wasn't mushy and has great flavor.

Check out this site it has their recipes on it.
http://www.kashi.com/recipes and Look around and see if anything appeals to you. You can always modify some of the ingredients with what you have.

and Have you tried talking to her, and just letting her know that you have a certain diet and you want to make your own dinner? You shouldn't have to eat foods that are not good for you to 'please' someone else, that can set you up for a whole range of eating/emotional issues, I did that my whole child hood, no more though. You can say it in a nice loving way too so she understand that you're doing it for Your health, not to offend her,Especially if you're buying your own food and it's not a drain on her home financially. is she like Godzilla walking around her home or something?
At this stage when I'm eating If it's out at a friends house or someone else's house, I say I'm trying to lose weight so I can only eat the veggies and some of this meat, but not the pasta, but thanks! and they get it and then we eat. So it's not like a big deal. You could renegotiate the contract for meals as well and just ask her if you can make them. Or if she wants to cook her way you can cook your way. It doesn't have to be a snit fit unless you're dealing with someone who is snitty. Then just adjust your attitude and do what is right for you.

Don't be afraid to be firm on your health, your the one that has to live in it now and live in and finish with your body in the future.
If she has a problem, but wouldn't expect she would unless she's a real tightass, just sit down with her and talk from your heart about why you are doing this, how being healthy feels, maybe she'll get it and if not that's cool, just Do whats right for you.

and good luck and God bless.

erickamw

Mhackworth's comments were great. I thank you because I need all the help I can get in my fast paced life. There is no time to do anything but you have encoiuraged me to really just plan ahead, the way I do everything else in my life except food.

mhackworth

Erickamw, I'm glad you liked the information I posted. I wish you the best of luck in your healthy living lifestyle.

I usually have all my meals and snacks entered into myfitnesspal the night before and wait until I go to bed to click the "Complete This Entry" button just incase I change anything or eat anything additional. It helps me keep on track that way i'm not wondering what to eat when the time comes, I already know what I plan to eat and usually have it ready before I get too hungry so I don't over eat from being too hungry. It's a fairly good practice to get into, I read an article where a woman had her meals planned out for an entire year for her and her family, now thats what I call serious dedication. I don't know about planning out my next year, but I definitly like to have an idea of what I plan on eating tomarrow.

By the way, Mike Geary sent me an e-mail today about an amazing 30 second daily routine you can get into to increase your metabolism and burn fat. It's very interesting and I think you would like this information, it's a web video about five minutes long.
http://secretweightlosstrick.com/video

Good luck to you and continue with your goals and educating yourself to better follow them.

Michael

edorice

Without giving you a three paragraph I will just say what I've used for sugar cravings and withdrawals. Cinnamon tablets.

showers1989

if anyone has sugar cravings try splenda it tastes the same as sugar with no calories it really helps cut calories alot. Try a microwave omelette i learned this in high school lol. Mix the eggin a bowl and throw in some cheese and whatever else you want and cook it. prob not the healthiest way to cook but its quick

jennydc17

What awesomely thoughtful replys you guys! Advice is awesome- I will definitely be trying your tips and am going to check out eat this not that for sure. You are so educated about healthy eating- it is a great thing and you seem really passionate about the benefits and ways to stay on track. Thank you so so much again and hopefully, thanks to your help I can become as knowledge-filled and aware!