How to beat Cravings/Addictions to certain foods?

BruceHedtke

It's not ice cream, but I really like Edy's Outshine fruit bars. They come in a variety of flavors (grape is my favorite) and most come in at 100 calories or less. For me, it just fills that craving for a cold, sweet treat every now and then.

Listeninguponyou

Lately I work a PB&J sandwich into my daily calories as a bedtime snack, AND a cupcake after dinner. Almost every single day. I see no issue whatsoever with daily ice cream so long as you're also filling up on other, "healthy" things too .

Hell, if ice cream dessert every day helps keep you on track, more power to you!

I hope. I am losing weight still so I guess that it's all working out... I just don't want to plateau because I had too much.

Listeninguponyou

It's not ice cream, but I really like Edy's Outshine fruit bars. They come in a variety of flavors (grape is my favorite) and most come in at 100 calories or less. For me, it just fills that craving for a cold, sweet treat every now and then.

They are okay for me, though I think ice-cream is still my go to for sweets thing.

doubleduofa

I have the same problem with ice cream. I can eat it by the quart. I've found that coconut and almond milk varieties do not trigger the same "must eat ALL the ice cream" response. Lol

I also make "milk shakes" with a frozen banana, ice, cacao powder, almond milk, and protein powder. I add chocolate chips at the end after thorough blending. I have added frozen cherries too...really good. If you need it sweeter, add some honey or whatever sweetener you like.

Listeninguponyou

I have the same problem with ice cream. I can eat it by the quart. I've found that coconut and almond milk varieties do not trigger the same "must eat ALL the ice cream" response. Lol

I also make "milk shakes" with a frozen banana, ice, cacao powder, almond milk, and protein powder. I add chocolate chips at the end after thorough blending. I have added frozen cherries too...really good. If you need it sweeter, add some honey or whatever sweetener you like.

Thanks. Guess I will try that.

Dragonwolf

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I know this has probably been asked before, but what are some methods that you all use to stop yourself from eating cravings? I think my want of ice cream is really getting out of hand! I swear I eat like three to four cones a week. I need to make this stop. I would really appreciate guidance and alternatives. Other links would also be appreciated. Thanks.

You work the food into your calorie goals.

I have ice cream just about every day. Tonight I'm having a chocolate ice cream bar for desert. It's all worked into my calories.

Think moderation, not deprivation.

Alright. If it's working for multiple people than it must be fine right? guess I'll stick to the icecream and interval with yogurt. Thanks a bunch everyone!

If it works for you, great. If you find moderation doesn't work, instead of just giving up and resigning yourself to your fate, have the courage to try something else.

This. The "eat a serving daily" form of moderation didn't really work for me on some of my trigger foods. Thankfully, that's not the only way to practice "moderation." There is middle ground between "eat a little daily" and "never eat it again."

If you feel you're truly addicted to something -- as in, you find yourself thinking about it above other things or feeling driven to get some on a daily basis -- or even if it's just a habit you want to break, then the popular definition for moderation may not be for you (at least not right now).

In many cases, a period of abstinence from a trigger food is a very good thing. This forces you to break habits and form new ones. Even Moderation Management (an alternative to AA) recognizes abstinence not only as a viable option, but a necessary first step to breaking (potentially) destructive habits and dependencies.

Here's the idea:

1. Abstain for a month. In this case, don't eat ice cream for a month.
2. During that time, find other things to do. In the case of food, don't go after "look alike" substitutes (ie - frozen yogurt, sorbet, etc). These substitutes perpetuate the habit and thereby misses the point of abstaining. Instead, forge new, healthy habits, such as eating fresh or frozen fruit when you need something sweet.
3. After a month, try reintroducing ice cream. The goal, here, is to be able to reintroduce it without fearing loss of control. If you feel yourself wanting to binge, or slipping back into old habits, start back at step 1, repeat the cycle as necessary (you can also choose to abstain for longer if you feel the need to, in order to break the hold your trigger food has over you).

The goal is to break the connections that leave you feeling dependent on the item, and forge new, healthier connections, allowing you to consume it without feeling a great desire to go for more and more and more or to go after it more often than an occasional treat (with a frequency that you feel is healthy for you). Some people find that abstaining either entirely or nearly so (ie - reserving it for a once or twice a year treat) is far more sustainable than practicing the common form of "moderation," and that's okay, too. The point, though, is to remove the power the trigger item has over you.

And yes, there's scientific backing for this period of abstinence. It's called "extinction training." It's a form of training in which something that previously reinforced a trained response (in the most simple case, Pavlov's dogs' salivating at the sound of a bell) is removed, the behavior eventually stops (the treat came less and less frequently at the sound of the bell, until eventually the sound of the bell no longer triggered the dogs to salivate). It's the same concept here.

Another option you can do (and you can do this after the above, or instead of it) is to look at the ingredient lists and go for the highest quality items. Cream, milk, eggs, sugar, flavoring. In my experience, they tend to be far more satisfying than the cheap stuff, and aren't filled with crap fillers that don't really do anything for your body (and, in my opinion, aren't all that satisfying). With the high-quality stuff, though, you get more nutritive ingredients in that it's not just a bowl full of fat and sugar (the milk and eggs have a number of micronutrients that contribute to your total daily values, as does the flavoring depending on the kind). The higher price can also help you limit the amount you buy and eat, so the $5 half gallon of good ice cream could last you as long as the $5 2-gallon bucket of cheap stuff, because you don't "need" as much to feel satisfied.

dlkingsbury

Things that I know I can't just have one serving of (ice cream, oreos, chocolate, etc.) I've just stopped buying. In place of ice cream, I might buy popsicles (luna pops cookies and cream is amazing!) and stock up on fresh fruits. when i have a fridge full of healthy groceries that i paid for, i'd feel bad if they just spoiled while i ate junk so that keeps me motivated.

ETA: I just read the above about "extinction training" and it sounds legit to me. i for sure crave certain foods less after not really having them around.