Craving the crap

Losing4real

I recently lost thirty pounds. I began my old eating habits and the weight is creeping back with a vengeance. I just can not seem to lose the desire for sweets. I start off the day doing fine; a fruit smoothie ( 200 cals or less) for breakfast and lunch is salad with soup or turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato. However, as the day goes on I fall apart. Dinner is a disaster! The desire for something sweet is crazy. Chips, ice cream and chocolate call my name. I need to get off the sugar and sodium I am craving. I live with family members who are not diet conscious so there is always something kind of junk food around. Any suggestions for killing the cravings. Help!

extra_medium

eating a bit more during the day might help curb your appetite by the evening. I have the exact same issue

stephiedee23

I save around 300-500 calories a day for a treat (I eat 2700 calories a day, so that's a reasonable amount for me)..sometimes it is a pastry from the bakery, other times a small bag of chips, a slice of pizza...etc. I pre log my days the night before and ensure it is included in my day. I find it a lot easier to avoid junk food through the day by allowing myself an indulgence. Some days I go without, but for the most part I don't deny myself the small pleasure. If I tried to eliminate these things entirely I would not be able to keep it up for long.

BombshellPhoenix

Save some calories to indulge....

There's nothing wrong with it so as long as you're getting a balanced diet.... I ate ice cream fast food, pizza, chips throughout my weight loss.... you don't have to be on a "diet" to lose weight or be healthy. You just have to be conscious of your nutrient intake and remain in a calorie deficit

aimforhealthy

Sugar and sodium don't make you gain weight. Overeating makes you gain weight. It sounds as though you're eating very low calories and strictly depriving yourself, so you're binging in reaction to it. If you have a big sweet tooth and aren't allergic to peanuts, try something like a Snicker's bar in the afternoon halfway between lunch and dinner to scratch the sweet tooth itch, get some protein in and not go nuts at night. Also try having dinner earlier and planning the meals out in advance so that you know exactly what you're having (I like my slow cooker for this reason!). HTH!

CallMeCupcakeDammit

This post helped me a lot. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/925464-fitting-it-in-giggity Also, since I started eating ice cream at breakfast, I haven't had sweet cravings later in the day.

alamarana2885

personally i've found that if i eat more fats (butter, avocado, olive oil, you know, "good" fats) i have less of a craving for sweets.

Shalaurise

You figure it out, let me know. I ate an entire bag of Raisinets last night....

opalescence

I save about 250 calories so I can fit in a good size portion of frozen yogurt or ice cream, or whatever sweet treat I feel like having nightly. As long as I hit my targeted nutrition goals then I can splurge on something sweet and still stay within my calorie range.

I will say that sugar craves sugar, I just had an episode with a box of Nerds and it was torture for the days following, all I could think about was more sugar. It took several days to get out of my system and now I feel like I did before I ate the nerds.

Hope this helps.

PetulantOne

Save some calories to indulge....

There's nothing wrong with it so as long as you're getting a balanced diet.... I ate ice cream fast food, pizza, chips throughout my weight loss.... you don't have to be on a "diet" to lose weight or be healthy. You just have to be conscious of your nutrient intake and remain in a calorie deficit

+1

skullshank

if you keep considering certain foods "crap", you will continue to try to avoid them, which will lead you to cravings. as many know, this can the catalyst for failure.

try this...

dont label any food "crap".
this way, you dont really have to avoid anything, you just have to moderate it.
because you have implemented these things you like into your intake, you wont find yourself craving them as often.
if and when you DO quiver with desire for certain fodder, partake and enjoy, while staying within your caloric and macro allowances.

edited: because punctuation

_HeartsOnFire_

if you keep considering certain foods "crap, you will continue to try to avoid them, which will lead you to cravings. as many know, this can the catalyst for failure.

try this...

dont label any food "crap".
this way, you dont really have to avoid anything, you just have to moderate it.
because you have implemented these things you like into your intake, you wont find yourself craving them as often.
if and when you DO quiver with desire for certain fodder, partake and enjoy, while staying within your caloric and macro allowances.

This for the win.

Also, you may not be new but here's a link to a lot of useful info…

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1455850-new-here-have-questions-this-may-help

MiloBloom83

I clicked anyway, hoping this wasn't about German scat porn...:noway:


Also, moderation is the key. If you deny and restrict yourself from food you love, you set yourself up to fail. Build the things you want into your day. You will find that your cravings will diminish.

Original_Sinner

I clicked anyway, hoping this wasn't about German scat porn...:noway:


Also, moderation is the key. If you deny and restrict yourself from food you love, you set yourself up to fail. Build the things you want into your day. You will find that your cravings will diminish.

It's always the Germans....

bwogilvie

Sounds like the cravings might come from deprivation. Maybe eat a bit more during the day, and mix up your breakfasts a bit. I find that a low-calorie breakfast is a lot easier for me to take if it includes some protein or fat. (I switched from 350 calories of cereal and milk to 125-200 calories of buttered toast, and I have many fewer cravings before lunch.)

One of the best three diet books that I have ever read, Dr. Yoni Freedhoff's recent _The Diet Fix_, gives this advice. If there's a treat that you crave, ask yourself this question: "How much of this do I need to be satisfied?" Then eat that much.

I love cheese. I could eat a whole plate of cheese, at least until I got sick. But when I have cheese at the end of dinner, I ask myself that question, serve myself that much cheese, and then ignore the rest. My wife, who doesn't need to lose weight, might eat a bit more, but that's her right. I do what's right for me.

Kalikel

Try cutting it out entirely for six weeks. Do not allow a bite.

After a while of telling yourself "No!", it gets easier. I promise!

The cravings start to just disappear after a short time.

Maybe once you're in the habit of being able to turn away, it will be easier to allow a little in without going too crazy.

You are strong enough to say No. You just have to believe in yourself. You can do it.

aemommy1973

I am in the same boat, but I find if I eat a really big breakfast I am not as hungry the rest of the day.

blondegreen716

Sweet tooth here. I'm talking nutella obsession lol I eat fairly unprocessed but I've learned to not deprive myself too long or I binge. Of I'm craving something I just run a couple extra miles or do an extra session at the gym. Also my rule of thumb is never consume (of anything) in one sitting more than you're willing to burn in one workout. Works well for me. And I'm 5'1 so a couple extra pounds on me is very visible

DonnaJones7

Don't know if it will work for you, but I found that protein HAS to be a part of breakfast or I crave everything sweet all day and night.

MillenniAKA

Try the Fiber One bars... There are a bunch of chocolately varieties, and they work for me when I have a sweet craving. Also, sometimes in the afternoon instead of having a cookies or candy, I'll eat an instant oatmeal... It's sweet and not as damaging. If you do the bars, eat them slowly... the satisfaction goes farther that way.

lemurcat12

The desire for something sweet is crazy. Chips, ice cream and chocolate call my name. I need to get off the sugar and sodium I am craving. I live with family members who are not diet conscious so there is always something kind of junk food around. Any suggestions for killing the cravings. Help!

I schedule in something sweet (a dessert after dinner that fits in my calories, for example) and knowing that's going to be available if I have the calories for it (i.e., don't decide to have an unplanned snack that afternoon) seems to prevent me from craving or thinking about sweets at other times. You might want to try something like that.

FeefWV

Hi. It's hard to not crave sweets. Just don't buy the stuff. If you are still at work, take along some fresh vegetables and snack on those during the day with some hummus. An apple with 2 Tbsp of peanut butter. Popcorn - (air popped - no added salt). There are so many choices out there. Try to stick to 3 oz of protein and a non-starchy vegetable for dinner. For dessert try fruit and 1 oz of cheese. Don't forget that fresh fruits and fresh vegetables also have "natural" sugar to them. Try to stick to the Low Glycemic fruits and vegies. Do not beat yourself up over this. You have proven you can lose. Do not go back to your old ways. Good luck to you!

happyfeetrebel1

Try the Fiber One bars... There are a bunch of chocolately varieties, and they work for me when I have a sweet craving. Also, sometimes in the afternoon instead of having a cookies or candy, I'll eat an instant oatmeal... It's sweet and not as damaging. If you do the bars, eat them slowly... the satisfaction goes farther that way.

I love these. LOVE them

Unfortunately, they are uh...a bit 'explosive' when I eat them. I think it's the Chicory root that they use for fiber

Hubby and I, neither of us can tolerate them, our daughter is fine with them. I know of at least one other person who gets very very gassy when she eats them.

So..if you DO eat them, they are delicious. Start SLOW!

FeefWV

Donna, I absolutely agree with you. Protein has to be a part of breakfast for me too.

FeefWV

same here

SabrinaLily

I take my daily vitamins in the morning and I swear they help- one in particular. I think some of it is up for scientific debate BUT, even if it is a placebo effect, I don't mind because for me, it's working and I'm staying off the sweets. I take Wholemega fish oil, a slow release iron, a multivitamin AND, my FAVORITE one that I swear helps with sweets is Nature's Bounty (I believe, bottle is at home) Cinnamon plus chromium. The chromium is the key in that one. I hear other people say cinnamon helps with weight loss, not sure if that's true but it's the same cost to buy chromium separately or with the cinnamon so I figured hey, why not.

And I always try to tell myself, I'm not going to have missed this treat tomorrow, though I may regret it if I eat it today.

Lottiotta

If I had a 200 kcal smoothie for breakfast I'd be craving sweets and carbs all day. Sugary smoothies don't fill me up properly. I try to go for a bit of fruit and a lot of protein and that usually works well.

FitOldMomma

Perhaps eating more at breakfast and lunch you'd be less likely to want to binge on sweets later in the day?
There's not a thing wrong with eating sweets, as long as you're eating at a deficit. Right this minute I'm noshing on 12 Hershey Kisses, lol.

I do notice though that on days that my breakfast consists of mostly carbs, I'll crave them the rest of the day. (Today!)

Maybe start your day with eggs or other protein and save your sweet fruit smoothie for a late afternoon snack?

SteampunkSongbird

I eat some kind of sweetie most days, I simply can't cut them out of my diet, I crave them too much and it makes me think about them all the time, I tried replacing them with fruit and stuff but it just didn't work for me. I'm quite happy to have a sweetie or bit of chocolate every day, or some biscuits or bit of cake, whatever; so long as I don't go over my calories and I'm still getting nutrition from other foods, I don't feel a need to beat myself up over my love of sugary treats.

Losing4real

Thanks I do find having good health snacks during the day has worked in the past. I had not taken that into consideration.

Losing4real

Thanks. I like the idea of pre planning the day before. Makes sense and probably would save me time an anguish. Thanks!