Dieting = Craving BAD foods

amandaygriffin

Does anyone else have the problem that when you are trying your best to eat healthier, make better choices, and move more that it's like your body/mind is fighting you?

I feel like I have NO control over what my body craves and wants. I get tired of telling myself that I can't have pizza, hamburgers, french fries, etc and I give in. My husband says it's because I don't have the willpower or the "want to", but I feel defeated EVERYTIME I make a lifestyle change and I don't stick with it.

I've tried the "food swaps" and while some of them are reasonable and delicious, most of them leave me wanting the real thing. Example: I made Spinach and Feta pizza on whole wheat crust instead of Three Meat pizza. While the taste was delicious, I still wanted meat.. and lots of it!

fasy1

It's a brain trick. Whenever you say no to your brain, it wants it even more. You don't have to give up those foods, just eat them in moderation. Have 1 slice of pizza instead of half of the pizza, have a burger once in a while. The key is to not completely cut out the foods you are used to from the get go, it's a long process and takes time, just start by decreasing how much of those foods you eat and good luck, you can do it! !!!

nancy10272004

First things first - your husband needs to butt out about willpower. He's not helping.

Second - If you want a burger, have a burger. If you're an omnivore, red meat isn't off limits. If you want fries, go to McD's and get a small size. If you want three meat pizza,have a slice. Just plan the rest of your day around those foods.

Don't deny yourself the simple pleasures in life (within reason). Eventually, you might find yourself eating an entire pizza because you can't stop thinking about it..

Tiernan1212

Have you tried eating the foods you love/crave/want, but just in smaller portion sizes? Most of the time this works for me. There are a couple of things that I avoid all together, but there aren't many.

What helped me when I first started eating in moderation was buying items in a single serve size, instead of buying in bulk and portioning myself. Example, I eat ice cream on a semi-regular basis, but I buy the single serving of my Haagen Dazs chocolate peanut butter ice cream instead of the pint because it controls the portion size for me.

Also, pre-logging my food for the day helped me figure out how I could fit in the foods I truly wanted, rather than only choosing "healthier" foods. The way I look at it, is that all foods are fine, as long as you pay attention to portion sizes. If I want ice cream, I'm going to budget those calories in my day somewhere! If I want pizza, and I know I'm going to want 3 slices, I make the choice to cut back my cals during other meals and/or snacks.

trogalicious

If you cut it all out, you're just gonna keep craving it.
Eat some of what you want, but make it fit.

and stop looking at it like a diet. change how you live, not "be on a diet."

djslickrix

Similar thing is happening with me right now. I have been strict with my diet by only having a cheat meal once a week.

Normally I only have a cheat meal on sundays, but right now I'm craving KFC, should I just have it? or wait till sunday?

nomeejerome

So stop telling yourself you can't have something.
Set reasonable goals.
Stop labeling some food as "bad."
Make small changes at a time.
Do not expect everything to change overnight.
Be patient.

msf74

Does anyone else have the problem that when you are trying your best to eat healthier, make better choices, and move more that it's like your body/mind is fighting you?

I feel like I have NO control over what my body craves and wants. I get tired of telling myself that I can't have pizza, hamburgers, french fries, etc and I give in. My husband says it's because I don't have the willpower or the "want to", but I feel defeated EVERYTIME I make a lifestyle change and I don't stick with it.

I've tried the "food swaps" and while some of them are reasonable and delicious, most of them leave me wanting the real thing. Example: I made Spinach and Feta pizza on whole wheat crust instead of Three Meat pizza. While the taste was delicious, I still wanted meat.. and lots of it!

You are an absolutely classic example of why traditional dieting is utterly the wrong solution to excess weight for the majority of people.

When you set up a long term scenario of willpower .v. deprivation + restriction most human beings will buckle. They will then binge. They will then feel guilty. They will then tighten the restriction and deprivation even more. They will then binge even harder...Welcome to yo yo dieting over a life time.

The solution in my opinion is to improve your relationship with food and eating. No food is off limits, ever, although you can happily choose not to eat them. Enjoy what you eat, in appropriate portion sizes and within your calorie limits which balance out over time.

M0t1v4t10n4l

Let yourself have something bad every now and again, set a cheat day or just have a small portion of what you're craving and plan the rest of the days food around that. If you intend to lose weight and keep it off you have to remember you're going be eating well for the rest of your life, not just a few months so you may as well make it sustainable and enjoyable, the more miserable you make yourself over cravings the more you'll not want to carry on.

I get the most awful sugar cravings, if I think about having sweets I'll spend the whole day wanting some and it'll just get me down, so rather than going and buying a massive pack of biscuits or one of the family sized bags of fruit pastels I'll just get a chocolate bar or a roll of sweets and I'm happy. It feels better knowing it's just a treat as well

SezxyStef

So stop telling yourself you can't have something.
Set reasonable goals.
Stop labeling some food as "bad."
Make small changes at a time.
Do not expect everything to change overnight.
Be patient.

this...anyone who looks at my diary who is "dieting" would be shocked and disgusted by what I eat I am sure.

My ticker proves you don't have to give up those things you love to lose weight.

I eat burgers, DQ, BK, KFC..and all the other initals you can come up with along with chocolate, FF etc.

I eat the food I want ensuring I hit my macros, stay in goal but don't feel deprived.

GauchoMark

My experience - if you are having a CRAVING, not much will satisfy that craving other than what you want. In other words, substitutions don't usually work for a hard core craving. You'll end up eating the substitution AND the craving and have double the calories. If you are craving pepperoni pizza, eat pepperoni pizza and be done with it. The key, is not to eat a WHOLE pepperoni pizza and also plan for it a little. So, know you are going to eat some pizza, already know how many calories that pizza is going to "cost" and make your your daily budget can handle it by 1) exercising a little extra or 2) cut our something else that day or 3) both.

as time passes, the cravings will go away because the food rarely tastes as good as your brain hypes it up to be. At the end of the day, most of the restaurant food we are served is mediocre at best and after you eat "clean"-er for a while, it really doesn't even taste that good.

I will caution, however, that there is a big difference between a CRAVING and a WANT. If you are craving things every day or even weekly, those are WANTS and your husband might be on to something (although a little rude!). If you are craving something every few weeks and its all you can think about - go eat a little and close that out. Just make sure that you deny yourself a little before you decide it is a craving. Just because your pass a five guys on the way home and you are ready for dinner and you suddenly "crave" a hamburger is not a craving - that is "I'm hungry and I see a five guys and they sell hamburgers that I like".

Essentially, it is as simple as making sure the food you eat fits into your daily allowance. Do that and eat whatever you want (unless you are trying to achieve some very specific fitness goals)

Calliope610

There are no BAD foods, only BAD portion sizes. Moderation is key.

kristinhills90

I don't deny myself anything. As long as I eat it in moderation and stay under goals I am okay with having some pizza or a cupcake here and there. In the past, when I was doing it all wrong, i would limit myself to only healthy foods and yes, I would crave junk like crazy. Now that I know a better way I have been far more successful. You should see peoples faces when I tell them that I have lost 26 lbs and that I still get to enjoy my favorite foods. Hehe! Just don't tell yourself that you CAN"T have those things, allow them here and there and watch what happens.

Branstin

There are no BAD foods, only BAD portion sizes. Moderation is key.

+1

rieann84

Just want to echo what everyone else is saying about having what you want, but in moderation. I know its not always that easy to just "eat in moderation" and how slippery of a slope it can be so here's some examples:

If I have chocolate or some other dessert in the house that I am really craving I will force myself to eat a healthy meal, or load up on veggies first and if I still want it, I have it. But they key is to never eat the craving food on an empty stomach because then you will overeat on it.


Like, the pizza... it can be bought by the slice at your average pizzeria. Have a huge salad when you go to the pizzeria (or load up on veggies,etc at home first) Eat that dang salad...then allow yourself the slice of pizza. Again .. don't go for the pizza on an empty stomach at meal time, because I know all too well how one slice can turn into 6 real quick.

For me, my big craving is sweets of any kind. I've found some solutions where I can "fake it".. I buy simply lite chocolate that more or less warns you not to over-consume or it will have a laxative effect (LMAO) so thats enough to keep me from binging. And I also really like various protein bars. It's not a real chocolate dessert, but its close enough for me. Maybe you too can find your fakey food. I think lean cuisine and similar try to do stuff like pizza. Give it a shot, ya never know. It might be good to have around to just satisfy that craving without destroying your calories for the day.

That's my advice. Good luck!

dopeysmelly

Have you tried eating the foods you love/crave/want, but just in smaller portion sizes? Most of the time this works for me. There are a couple of things that I avoid all together, but there aren't many.

What helped me when I first started eating in moderation was buying items in a single serve size, instead of buying in bulk and portioning myself. Example, I eat ice cream on a semi-regular basis, but I buy the single serving of my Haagen Dazs chocolate peanut butter ice cream instead of the pint because it controls the portion size for me.

Also, pre-logging my food for the day helped me figure out how I could fit in the foods I truly wanted, rather than only choosing "healthier" foods. The way I look at it, is that all foods are fine, as long as you pay attention to portion sizes. If I want ice cream, I'm going to budget those calories in my day somewhere! If I want pizza, and I know I'm going to want 3 slices, I make the choice to cut back my cals during other meals and/or snacks.

^^This.

I eat what I want in moderation, but sometimes that 300 calorie microscopic slice of pizza doesn't seem worth it TBH.

Krikit34

I totally understand. For me, the problem is when I get the pizza, I don't stop at one slice...I'll eat half the pizza. I just don't have that kind of will power yet and I know it. I will say that I now cook at home and look for new recipes all the time. It keeps it fresh and I seldom have cravings now. Rather than cut out the 3 meat pizza - make it at home. You can control the amount that is made, as well as choose a lower fat crust and lower fat meats and keep it reasonable that way. And it will taste just as great. Make hamburgers at home - load with goodies, and bake some fries. Will give you the same taste, but much lower in calories. Substituting is great - but if you need what you're craving - just make it similar.

AmyRhubarb

I feel like I have NO control over what my body craves and wants. I get tired of telling myself that I can't have pizza, hamburgers, french fries, etc and I give in. My husband says it's because I don't have the willpower or the "want to", but I feel defeated EVERYTIME I make a lifestyle change and I don't stick with it.

Unless you're planning to never eat pizza, hamburgers, french fires etc ever again, then what you're doing now isn't a lifestyle change, but a temporary "diet". Sounds like you are like me - tell me I can't have something and it's suddenly all I want.

As others have said - make these foods fit into your calorie goals, eat them occasionally and enjoy them - THAT'S true lifestyle change. Fast food happens, so do vacations, weddings, birthdays, holidays, potlucks and buffets. This is life - learn to eat with your goals with sensible portions and you're good to go, and that's where lifestyle change truly happens.

I've managed to lose the fat/inches/weight while still eating pizza, burgers, fries, drinking alcohol, enjoying ice cream, sweet coffee drinks, cookies, etc - and have kept it off, maintaining my healthy habits for over two years straight now. Before that, when I was too restrictive with calories and trying to avoid certain foods, I kept crashing and burning, starting over, losing and regaining due to the yo-yo dieting. It's not sustainable that way.

It is partially willpower, yes, but also learning to eat the proper amount of cals, and allowing yourself to eat foods you love. You can do it!

TavistockToad

So stop telling yourself you can't have something.
Set reasonable goals.
Stop labeling some food as "bad."
Make small changes at a time.
Do not expect everything to change overnight.
Be patient.

all of this

PaytraB

So stop telling yourself you can't have something.
Set reasonable goals.
Stop labeling some food as "bad."
Make small changes at a time.
Do not expect everything to change overnight.
Be patient.

This.
No food is bad food. The trick to losing and living a better life isn't in denying yourself certain foods, it's in figuring out how these certain foods can fit into your lifestyle. All foods are good but, as a society, we've learned to overdo them. The journey to a healthier lifestyle is about learning to balance them in a healthy manner.

Want a burger? Plan to have a burger. Figure out how many calories (as close as possible) it would be. Adjust your breakfast and lunch accordingly to be able to accommodate that burger into your daily plan. It can be done with planning and before long it'll be a routine you can work with.

Unknown

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cebreisch

EVERY TIME I tell myself, "You can't have that..." my body wants it all the much more.

I've found that that methodology, philosophy, whatever you want to call it simply DOES NOT WORK for me AT ALL.

Therefore, I simply find ways to work it in that aren't going to tank me for the day.

For example, I LOVE chili con queso. LOVE IT. Can't have it in the house. SO, I go to lunch at Don Pablo's, order the "kid sized queso" that's only a few ounces, count out my 8-12 tortilla chips, and enjoy it profusely. That way I have it, it's in a "controlled environment", and I get it "out of my system."

When I have a regular cheeseburger from McDonald's, I cut it in half, remove 1/2 the bun, and put all the meat/cheese on the remaining 1/2 bun - that way you have 1/2 a double cheeseburger, and have just saved yourself some carbs from the bun. You can do that with breakfast sandwiches too. OR take the bun off altogether! That way you can have a handful of fries for the carbs, and not feel as guilty about it!

Just like it's not healthy to completely eliminate all fats or all carbs or whatever, completely eliminating certain foods you love is like going through a grieving process almost. Why put yourself through all that? Find creative ways to get in foods you love. I remember coming back to the office with a piece of key lime pie. I told them it was for everybody to have a taste of - and everybody had a bite or two. That way you aren't depriving yourself.

You can lose weight this way - I have.

likitisplit

Have you tried eating the foods you love/crave/want, but just in smaller portion sizes? Most of the time this works for me. There are a couple of things that I avoid all together, but there aren't many.

What helped me when I first started eating in moderation was buying items in a single serve size, instead of buying in bulk and portioning myself. Example, I eat ice cream on a semi-regular basis, but I buy the single serving of my Haagen Dazs chocolate peanut butter ice cream instead of the pint because it controls the portion size for me.

Also, pre-logging my food for the day helped me figure out how I could fit in the foods I truly wanted, rather than only choosing "healthier" foods. The way I look at it, is that all foods are fine, as long as you pay attention to portion sizes. If I want ice cream, I'm going to budget those calories in my day somewhere! If I want pizza, and I know I'm going to want 3 slices, I make the choice to cut back my cals during other meals and/or snacks.

^^This.

I eat what I want in moderation, but sometimes that 300 calorie microscopic slice of pizza doesn't seem worth it TBH.

300 calories is like a third of a Newman's Own Margarhita Pizza.

tennisdude2004

Have you tried eating the foods you love/crave/want, but just in smaller portion sizes? Most of the time this works for me. There are a couple of things that I avoid all together, but there aren't many.

What helped me when I first started eating in moderation was buying items in a single serve size, instead of buying in bulk and portioning myself. Example, I eat ice cream on a semi-regular basis, but I buy the single serving of my Haagen Dazs chocolate peanut butter ice cream instead of the pint because it controls the portion size for me.

Also, pre-logging my food for the day helped me figure out how I could fit in the foods I truly wanted, rather than only choosing "healthier" foods. The way I look at it, is that all foods are fine, as long as you pay attention to portion sizes. If I want ice cream, I'm going to budget those calories in my day somewhere! If I want pizza, and I know I'm going to want 3 slices, I make the choice to cut back my cals during other meals and/or snacks.

^^This.

I eat what I want in moderation, but sometimes that 300 calorie microscopic slice of pizza doesn't seem worth it TBH.

I personally found just cutting down portion sizes didn't work, whilst I still craved certain foods, for me it took more will power to stop eating something when I didn't feel I had had enough than totally abstaining from something.

My solution, which worked for me was two fold. First I cut the junk food for 30 days until I had the cravings under control - I did this along side changing my diet from mainly protein and carbs to a low carb high fat diet (it really suppressed my appetite and got my cravings under control).

Second I then allowed myself to reintroduce the foods I liked and if I wanted to I could eat them.

The main thing that worked for me though was getting a better under standing of the junk food I was eating and the nutritional benefit / per calories it was costing.

So now if I want to have a pizza (meat feast of course) I will, but I do it with the knowledge of the calorie/nutrient cost compared to other food.

Hope you find what works for you.

tmpecus78

So stop telling yourself you can't have something.
Set reasonable goals.
Stop labeling some food as "bad."
Make small changes at a time.
Do not expect everything to change overnight.
Be patient.

this...anyone who looks at my diary who is "dieting" would be shocked and disgusted by what I eat I am sure.

My ticker proves you don't have to give up those things you love to lose weight.

I eat burgers, DQ, BK, KFC..and all the other initals you can come up with along with chocolate, FF etc.

I eat the food I want ensuring I hit my macros, stay in goal but don't feel deprived.

all of this X2

likitisplit

Does anyone else have the problem that when you are trying your best to eat healthier, make better choices, and move more that it's like your body/mind is fighting you?

I feel like I have NO control over what my body craves and wants. I get tired of telling myself that I can't have pizza, hamburgers, french fries, etc and I give in. My husband says it's because I don't have the willpower or the "want to", but I feel defeated EVERYTIME I make a lifestyle change and I don't stick with it.

I've tried the "food swaps" and while some of them are reasonable and delicious, most of them leave me wanting the real thing. Example: I made Spinach and Feta pizza on whole wheat crust instead of Three Meat pizza. While the taste was delicious, I still wanted meat.. and lots of it!

Then you probably needed the protein.

Two years ago, when I was 215 pounds and brought home a bunch of premium dark chocolate, my husband snarked about my "diet" chocolate and suggested that I eat nothing but watermelon.

I told him I needed to boost my potassium. And then I showed him what a balanced moderate diet and consistent exercise is all about.

bajoyba

So stop telling yourself you can't have something.
Set reasonable goals.
Stop labeling some food as "bad."
Make small changes at a time.
Do not expect everything to change overnight.
Be patient.

this...anyone who looks at my diary who is "dieting" would be shocked and disgusted by what I eat I am sure.

My ticker proves you don't have to give up those things you love to lose weight.

I eat burgers, DQ, BK, KFC..and all the other initals you can come up with along with chocolate, FF etc.

I eat the food I want ensuring I hit my macros, stay in goal but don't feel deprived.

Every time someone refers to me as a "healthy eater " because of how much weight I've lost, I laugh. I do think I'm a healthy eater, but my definition of healthy is much different than theirs. My idea of healthy eating means eating the foods I like, paying attention to my macros, and meeting my body's nutritional needs. They think it means eating nothing but salad all day.

OP, eat what you like. Just make it fit into your day. If you're going for long term success, you have to moderate your eating habits so that you can stick with them forever. For me, that definitely includes pizza and beer and all that other good stuff. You may find as you go long that some lower calorie substitutions are just fine - for instance, I pretty much always order thin crust pizza, and I like it just as much, if not more. For other foods, only the real thing will do. There's nothing wrong with eating these high-calorie foods in moderation if you fit it into your day.. It may even help you stay on track.

My diary is open if you want to have a look.

jonnythan

1) The human body really, really doesn't like being in a calorie deficit. Really. This makes sense when you realize that the human body literally consumes itself to make up for the missing calories. It responds by making you crave high-calorie foods; particularly those rich in carbs and fats.

2) The human mind really, really doesn't like being told no. If you try to tell yourself that something is totally off-limits, the psyche responds by saying "gimme and gimme now."

There is a proper response to this, and it is two fold.

Part 1: You need discipline and willpower to overcome the body's cravings. As long as you are in a calorie deficit they will never be 100% met, and you have to exercise control over that. Period.

Part 2: Don't treat any food as actually off-limits. Focus on your calorie and nutrient goals. Meet those, and occasionally indulge in the foods you love like pizza and burgers. There will always be more food the next day or the next week. Have the pizza tomorrow night and the burger on Saturday. Or whatever. Plan these things ahead so you can look forward to them. This allows you to exercise control in the short term.

amandaygriffin

I will caution, however, that there is a big difference between a CRAVING and a WANT. If you are craving things every day or even weekly, those are WANTS and your husband might be on to something (although a little rude!). If you are craving something every few weeks and its all you can think about - go eat a little and close that out. Just make sure that you deny yourself a little before you decide it is a craving. Just because your pass a five guys on the way home and you are ready for dinner and you suddenly "crave" a hamburger is not a craving - that is "I'm hungry and I see a five guys and they sell hamburgers that I like".

You brought something very important to my attention. I call them cravings because when I WANT them, I feel like my mind/body/soul is telling me that I NEED it to satisfy my hunger.

I think my husband means well, but yes he is rude about it and the fact that he needs to lose weight, but doesn't want to makes me a little upset because I think we could BOTH benefit from having a supportive partner to help with weight loss and making better decisions as well as exercising together! He just has NO desire to eat healthier or exercise. He sure can tell me what I'm doing wrong though!

amandaygriffin

Every time someone refers to me as a "healthy eater " because of how much weight I've lost, I laugh. I do think I'm a healthy eater, but my definition of healthy is much different than theirs. My idea of healthy eating means eating the foods I like, paying attention to my macros, and meeting my body's nutritional needs. They think it means eating nothing but salad all day.

OP, eat what you like. Just make it fit into your day. If you're going for long term success, you have to moderate your eating habits so that you can stick with them forever. For me, that definitely includes pizza and beer and all that other good stuff. You may find as you go long that some lower calorie substitutions are just fine - for instance, I pretty much always order thin crust pizza, and I like it just as much, if not more. For other foods, only the real thing will do. There's nothing wrong with eating these high-calorie foods in moderation if you fit it into your day.. It may even help you stay on track.

My diary is open if you want to have a look.

I appreciate that! I also prefer to eat thin crust pizza because I like it better than the greasy bready pizza, but with 2 kids and a husband that prefer cheese stuffed crust or pan crust.. I kinda have to go with majority. Maybe I will stock up on the thin crust pizzas and have them on hand for when other pizzas are being ordered!

Thanks to everyone for the advice! It helps so much to have people to get feedback from!

openskybeach

I'm in the same boat, but trying to do what a lot of these guys have said. Bump...to read more later. Add me for support!