Do cravings last forever?

Eleonora91

If you've been overweight and you've experienced binge eating or just emotional eating more than a few times in your life, you get pretty attached to it. We all love food, I bet there isn't anyone who doesn't, the point is that you don't just love food, you need it more than your body actually should. You can try to resolve the problem by yourself, if it's not very serious, but if you're really suffering from an eating disorder, you can't just go from craving everything and wanting to binge to dieting succesfully in a day. If you're mentally struggling not to think about food and not to binge, if it takes over your thoughts then I think you need more support than we can give to you! We've all had cravings in the beginning and some (like me) keep having them after years, but it gets better, and as soon as you lose a certain amount of weight there's no need to restrict at the point that you suffer for your cravings. If it's so out of control you can't do it all alone, you need to find out if there's a reason (psychological or hormonal or whatever) for your extreme cravings, because it seems like they're really destructive. I can tell you that YES they go away after a bit but it all depends on your mindset when you start. If you start from a position in which you can't live without thinking about food and having massive cravings everyday then it'll be enormously difficult to diet all by yourself.
There are several tips we could give you: take away trigger foods, focus on healthy foods, eat small meals throughout the day, drink enough, sleep at least 8 hours a day, take it easy and try to take care of yourself and relax. But this only works if you already have a reasonable control over your bodily needs. I really hope you can find your way because I've been in the same place and it's uncomfortable, but I know it's so so so hard when you begin.

benlambrou

when i get cravings i usually substitute things in that are not as bad for me. I found sugar free items like fudge cycles(80-100cal) popcycles(25cal) icecream sandwiches(100-150cal) depending on which brands you buy. Skinny Cow company has lots of things to choose from and store brands as well. I find these help out alot for me. My weakness was icecream at night and these help me get past.

Another stupid trick I learned and it works is actually brushing your teeth. I do not know if its the taste in your mouth afterwords or the totally getting your mind on something else that makes it work but its a good thing to do anyways. I can usually do this and just go to bed.

ArchangelMJ

I personally do not believe you have to give up what you crave (unless it's drugs, alcohol, gambling, or other true addictions) to enjoy a good lifestyle. What you do have to do though is change your HABIT of food consumption. Don't eat a whole pizza. Don't eat 12 bars of chocolate. Will it be tough? Probably, but if you are determined and committed, you can learn how to have what you enjoy in moderation.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I know it probably wasn't intentional, but I find that statement to be rather dismissive of people with eating disorders. Whether one has binge eating disorder, anorexia, bulimia or any hybrid - it's a real mental disorder/ addiction and it should be treated as such. Anyone who's been in the throes of an ED will tell you - it's an addiction, a compulsion that one cannot just stop, it can become one's whole life. Since one actually needs food, (as opposed to drugs, alcohol or gambling), there's also another dimension to consider.

To the TC:

If you have an eating disorder, I think it's best to get professional help from a therapist who can help tackle the root of the problem (as ultimately, it's not about food) while working towards a healthier lifestyle and relationship with food. For many people, eating disorders don't seem to just go away, but they can be managed.

If professional help isn't currently feasible, I suggest trying to find a means of diverting your focus from food. I've encountered some disordered eating habits myself that seemed to be exacerbated by calorie counting and logging what I ate, so I don't do that. Nonetheless, I find this site motivational and inspirational in other ways.

Perhaps you also have to find a new tact that will better suit you. I sometimes have urges to binge and purge, but one trick has helped me - try doing something else for at least 15 minutes (possibly longer). If you can divert the focus of your initial craving towards something else, you may find that it goes away, or at least, is far less strong. It's also important to realize that giving into the craving to binge will ultimately just trigger an ongoing cycle, so it's better to avoid it.

I also don't think it's prudent to eliminate all the "bad" food abruptly. (I actually don't think labeling food as "bad" is a healthy thing to do, either.) It seems this will only lead to binging and cravings. I know that there are trigger foods, but one way that helps me is to allot myself a certain portion size. I try not to cook in great excess and if I'm full from a large meal, I eliminate further snacking until I'm truly hungry again.

I find that it's helps to have a portion of healthy food with what you crave. For instance, if I want rice, I try to incorporate vegetables into it. If I want pizza, I try to pile it with veggies (and also have one that's personal sized because I can't do the just two slices thing). I also try to leave treats for after I've eaten a substantial meal or "real food", so that I only eat a small amount.

However, it's probably best to leave some things out of the house entirely. A couple days ago, my aunt gave me a box of cupcakes left over from my cousin's baby shower. It took a lot for me not to act on the urge to binge and purge those cupcakes.(I even argued that it wouldn't be wasteful since I didn't buy them and that many of them would probably get thrown out anyway.) Miraculously, I ate just one, and then another the second day, and it didn't bother me too much to see a few get thrown away. But really, I would have preferred if the temptation wasn't there to begin with.

For me though, exercise is the biggest support device/motivator to not binge or behave in a disordered way. It not only elevates my mood as a natural anti-depressant, but it also abates my hunger momentarily, and it makes me feel less guilty about eating while simultaneously encouraging me to make better (or at least less crappy, lol) choices.