Seriously need help with cravings/addiction

heidilynnxoxo

I have to admit I have very little willpower when it comes to chocolate, cheesecake, or anything sweet.
I can do really well all day with my eating but by the end of the night I've usually found some kind of treat that throws me off.
I think a lot of it is caused by stress, I recently took on a 2nd job to be able to afford living expenses so I work anywhere between 8-16+ hours a day on average and haven't had a day off in almost a month. I hardly have enough time to sleep and I find that lately my cravings have been uncontrollable. It starts off by 'just one because I've been so good' to 'just one more, it won't hurt' and so on and before I know it I'll have half of it gone and I hate myself for it so much. I don't know what to do, and drinking water instead does nothing, it's just doesn't give me the satisfaction, it's hard to explain. I've literally felt like I'm addicted to chocolate lately. I used to be so hooked on pop before and now that I've given it up I feel like this is what my body wants as a replacement. I recently bought Atkins snack bars hoping those would help keep this at bay but it doesn't seem to have any effect so far.

I have heard that doing a few days of a cleanse or "detox" can help diminish cravings, I wouldn't be doing it to lose weight fast or to actually cleanse my system, I just don't know what to do from here, I feel so helpless.

Any sort of advice, tips, anything will be taken into consideration and greatly appreciated.

britneyy32

Just don't buy sweets so you don't have them around tempting you to eat them. If you force yourself to stop eating them eventually you'll stop craving them. Make sure you're eating protein based meals as well as protein is satiating so it will help reduce your cravings. You could try eating sweetened protein shakes or protein bars to help curb your cravings.

tennisdude2004

I really sympathise, I was the same.

My vice was red wine, chocs and crisps.

I still have the red wine (as a treat) but have managed to cut the other things out.

Maybe the best way to do it is to cut back on one thing at a time. Cold turkey seldom helps.

Good luck.

SezxyStef

I love my chocolate...so I eat chocolate. I usually make it fit.

As for the mental part...if you want it bad enough you say no to yourself...similar to if you have rent to pay but really want those new boots..you can't have both so you say no to the boots and pay your rent. Why cause you want a place to live more than new boots.

If you want to lose weight bad enough you say no to yourself if it doesn't fit.

RichardAshley39

I wouldn't say I'm the most organized person but this site app etc has really helped. I try to stick with it and cut all of the good stuff out wine chocolate cake crisps. But what I do is plan for a treat. This Friday my wife and I are going out for a meal so the calorie count for that day will go out of the window and I will make up for it the rest of the week. That way I don't feel like I'm missing out

farfalla2015

I know exactly how you feel. Abstinence works for me. If I start I don't stop, so I don't start.

Good luck!!

NapsAndNachos

Make sure you get enough nutrients throughout the day. Perhaps stressful times aren't the best for any caloric deficit and one should aim for providing the body what it needs.

If after that you still crave, ask yourself what it is that you really need. Before reaching for chocolate or wine, ask what you really want to experience? Feeling safe? If so, then have a calm discussion with yourself, as you probably understand that chocolate isn't going to magically fix things. Be compassionate towards yourself, as being too hard will lead to even more emotional turmoil and emotional eating. Treat yourself like an adult should treat a child. Yes, you want certain things, but right now you have decided not to have them.

That said, it also does take a while for the physical cravings to subside, so a bit of mental toughness is needed as well. Just don't turn against yourself.

tffcx

I can fully sympathise with you. I'm trying to go 3 weeks without eating crap. I used to cheat a lot but I've realised being tired/stressed/hungry is actually *even more* reason not to cheat, because that's when you're at your most susceptible. Plus, since your life sucks atm (if you're stressed) cheating/binging and getting fatter will only make it suck more. I tell myself that cravings are fleeting (tomorrow the brownie probably won't sound so good to me as it does right now) and the food will still be there when I reach my goal (brownies won't disappear off the face of the earth!)

Apart from the mental part, I stay full and keep tasty but healthy food around all the time.

123Pari

http://the21daysugardetox.com/

Try it see how you feel

Also look into cutting out gluten, there are studies that show that gluten trigger the same brain receptors as heroine. I cut it out and never have food cravings any more

'Willpower' will not help you, if your body is craving something then its basically impossible to stop. Make sure you dont under eat, make sure you get enough fat and protein, maybe cut carbs slightly :happy:

Francl27

Find healthier/lower calories way to satisfy your cravings, so it fits into your calorie goal. Chocolate? Buy individual squares and have one. Or eat a protein bar. Cheesecake? I mix nonfat ricotta with a bit of milk and a jello cheesecake pudding powder mix and it's delicious.

manda1978

I recently did this, I went 10 days with no sugar. and when I say no sugar I mean no fruit, yoghurt, refined sugar, milk none! I had to as my sugar intake was getting out of control.

The first day was OK, days 2-3 were the worst by far. By the end I found I wasn't thinking about sweet stuff anywhere near as often and when I had my first bit of sugar after 10 days of none I found it crazy sickly sweet and ended up with a migraine! Now I have sugar but nowhere near what I was having, I just can't eat it. I can taste its sweetness now, when before I got immune to it hence had more and more.

Give it a go, its bloody hard but worth it.

farfalla2015

Make sure you get enough nutrients throughout the day. Perhaps stressful times aren't the best for any caloric deficit and one should aim for providing the body what it needs.

If after that you still crave, ask yourself what it is that you really need. Before reaching for chocolate or wine, ask what you really want to experience? Feeling safe? If so, then have a calm discussion with yourself, as you probably understand that chocolate isn't going to magically fix things. Be compassionate towards yourself, as being too hard will lead to even more emotional turmoil and emotional eating. Treat yourself like an adult should treat a child. Yes, you want certain things, but right now you have decided not to have them.

That said, it also does take a while for the physical cravings to subside, so a bit of mental toughness is needed as well. Just don't turn against yourself.

Great advice!

Ke11er

Those sweet treats are your old comfort foods, and it can be tough to make time to exercise when you're working 7 days a week holding down two jobs and laboring 60 of your wakeful hours. But what you're doing, your work ethic, shows that you have strength, tenacity, and a will of steel! Perhaps you can at least give yourself a lunch break to go for a walk as a treat instead? Maybe plan to light a candle and linger in a bubble bath instead of hopping in and out of a quick shower on the run? Or it might be a treat for you to call your sister, mom, or a dear friend and squander 15 minutes chatting and laughing and not accomplishing a single productive thing? If you're spiritual make sure you've scheduled time in your day/week for prayer/meditation, sign up for a service that will send you a Bible verse of the day, read one page from your favorite book of poems, or attend your faith community's services...whatever nourishes you. Give yourself time to laugh....a joke of the day or maybe one cat YouTube daily? Love music? Then be sure to plan to sing along or dance along with a favorite tune somewhere along the way every day. If your clothes are getting too big you might be surprised how it could lift your spirits to spend $5 on a "new" pair of pants from Goodwill that fit great, at least temporarily. Maybe you decide to redirect your chocolate dollar towards a splurge on some beautiful, delicate raspberries or a succulent Honeycrisp apple? A while back someone here (sorry, I don't remember where I saw it or I'd give you credit!) suggested buying plain Greek Fage yogurt and stirring in some sugar free fat free Jello Cheesecake powder. Perahps it would be a lower calorie substitute for the cheesecake you want to avoid? I know I'm loving that treat! Is there is a charity you're passionate about? Allow yourself time to volunteer an hour and you'll keep your good perspective during this busy, hazy time. Heck you might even be able to fit in excise for you while walking a dog if the animal shelter is your charity of choice :-) Your hard work is taking good care of your most basic physical needs but you will probably feel better if you also plan small, cheap/free ways to also nurture yourself during this tough time. You can do this!

Drat the spelling errors.

mscott10184

hey try this for your cravings

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?hl=en&biw=1024&bih=571&tbm=isch&tbnid=Wf6N2yWVJb_VDM:&imgrefurl=http://maegal.blogspot.com/2012/06/tip-tuesday-control-your-cravings.html&docid=DqfCEKz4qsjLhM&imgurl=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nBXAGvK6ekQ/T8cE3Xwo74I/AAAAAAAAAdo/fG8qHSlKPqw/s1600/550667_438456636165342_1823495233_n.jpeg&w=500&h=707&ei=36z8UpbRMISM7AawwICwCQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=94&page=1&start=0&ndsp=9&ved=0CFoQrQMwAQ

its a chart i found giving you a break down of what you are craving, why you are craving it and what you should eat to stem the craving. e.g you're craving chocolate because your body is lacking in magnesium so eat fruit, nuts, seeds or legumes. hope that link works. having trouble cutting and pasting it. if the link doesnt work try a search on google images "control my cravings chart"

Erinelda

The more crap you eat, the more crap you want. I made fruit my new candy. I am sure I can make sweeter veggies my new fruit (that I currently eat like 4 times a day) in time. The less crap you eat, the better good food tastes.

lisaabenjamin

Ke11er, your post was really insightful and helpful! Thanks!

Ke11er

Thanks!!

David_AUS

I can totally relate - you are in great company with this one. I can say it does get easier once you can work out substitutes. Sugar in general try to kick out Stevia for tea and coffee or just use skim milk which is 3.5 percent lactose. Chocolate work away from milk and towards dark as it is more satiating and eat it slowly. Bread was my biggest challenge, I don't eat much now and when I do like only eat what I enjoy and sparingly. Long hours are a killer, Don't think you need to fix everything right away and you will likely still have binges. Accept and move on when you do, the cravings will pass as you preserver just not over night.

PhearlessPhreaks

Lots of good advice here so far... I guess how you deal with it depends on what you're able to handle. If you can quit the junk cold turkey, awesome... if you can have *just one* piece of chocolate, awesome. But it doesn't sound like you're at that point yet. What about having something like a glass of non-fat milk with some chocolate syrup in it? You get a decent amount of protein, a chocolate/sweet fix, and it's a reasonable calorie intake- plan for it and leave some room. Or yogurt... I'm not big on the yoplait ones, I like greek yogurt, but if you're looking or a low calorie sweet treat, that can be satisfying and under 100 calories.

Don't beat yourself up over mistakes. Recognize them, own them, and move on. Each day is a new day to advance your healthy agenda. Keep trying different things until you find what works for you.

shartran

Make sure you get enough nutrients throughout the day. Perhaps stressful times aren't the best for any caloric deficit and one should aim for providing the body what it needs.

If after that you still crave, ask yourself what it is that you really need. Before reaching for chocolate or wine, ask what you really want to experience? Feeling safe? If so, then have a calm discussion with yourself, as you probably understand that chocolate isn't going to magically fix things. Be compassionate towards yourself, as being too hard will lead to even more emotional turmoil and emotional eating. Treat yourself like an adult should treat a child. Yes, you want certain things, but right now you have decided not to have them.


That said, it also does take a while for the physical cravings to subside, so a bit of mental toughness is needed as well. Just don't turn against yourself.

Great advice!

This 'thinking' worked for me as well.
I just told myself..."This is not what I want for myself, so I need to make a choice and take responsibility for it". I took the 'emotion' out of the equation.

Don't have items in your house either! Just clean out the cupboards and 'just do it'!

I even found after one day of doing this, made me 'proud' of myself, and then I wanted to do more!
I did find I needed to replace my 'habit' with another one though - I started with drinking chai herbal tea with stevia
after dinner.