Uuuuuuugh! Hungry! Cravings!! Help!!!

michedarnd

So, how do various people deal with...

a) Being hungry after every meal
b) Being hungry between all meals.
c) Rapidly degrading moods and energy levels due to calorie deficiency
d) Increased cravings for stuff that REALLY doesn't belong on the diet

I'd love to hear how other people approach it.

michedarnd

Bump

beccadaniixox

Well if i'm hungry after a meal I'll drink water, and I also make sure I stay away from the place where I ate. I know that probably sounds weird, but I've been told we pretty much condition ourselves to want to eat in certain places. I used to watch TV and go on the computer while I ate, so every time I did either of those for a while I'd want to eat.

If I'm hungry between meals, I'll normally have a snack. Normally I'll get some berries or cheerios. I like having a snack I had snack on for a period of time, since then I don't think about being hungry.

If I start to get moody and my energy levels get low, I have water and a fruit. If I get moody normally my sugar is low so I try to fix that with fruit.

And last if I have a craving I try to find an alternative for it, or I'll just find a healthier form of it. Like tonight I wanted chocolate, but instead of going to the vending machine on campus for a chocolate bar, I had chocolate goldfish. I pretty much get the same like 4 cravings, so I try to pre-plan them into my week. Currently, I am dying for Chinese food, but I know to get chicken and broccoli instead of sesame chicken.

webdiva1

Water is a key for me ... I drink LOTS. Definitely helps takes care of items 1 and 2 on your list for me.

Re: number 3 -- how many calories are you netting each day? You might think about opening up your food diary (My Home > Settings > Diary Settings > Diary Sharing (at the bottom) if you're interested in some feedback from folks. Perhaps there are different things you can be eating that could help.

Finally, number 4: cravings. It took me a while to figure out that most (not all, but most) of my cravings are in my head. Snacking in the evening is a big one for me ... I've just been in the snack habit for so many years, it took a while to break it. Nowadays if I'm hungry, I ask myself if I'm REALLY hungry (the answer is usually no, as I typically ate pretty recently). If it's yes, I down a big glass of ice cold water. If I'm still hungry half an hour later, I get a snack ... one that's fairly healthy, like strawberries or almonds, for instance.

Speaking for myself, I firmly believe that will power and discipline get easier with practice. Hang in there ... you can SO do this.

sleepytexan

1. make sure you are set at a LIVEABLE amount of daily calories (if you are starving all the time, your daily calories may be unreasonably low).

2. exercise and eat the exercise calories. If you do not understand why, read links on page 2 here: SHOULD I EAT MY EXERCISE CALORIES .COM

http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

3. spend your calories wisely. do not drink them. do not waste them on processed food items that contain partially hydrogenated oils and chemicals you can't pronounce. eat filling foods with protein, fiber and FAT. yes, fat.

4. do not declare that you will absolutely restrict anything forever. because you can't and you won't.

5. eat slowly and enjoy the taste of your food. when you are done, if you still want more, consider carefully, wait 20 minutes to see if you really want it.

6. brush your teeth!

blessings.