This is why I'm fat

LauraRN88

when I get peckish in the evening I cut up a few different types of fruit and have it in a bowl to pick at. I always make sure i've got enough calories left over mind you!

StevenJColquitt

I would go with not watching T.V. One thing I noticed on an earlier diet was how many fast food commercials there are. Add that in with any desert commercials and it can lead to disaster. Also I would recommend to just keep chugging water late at night. Won't really cure the craving so much as give you something zero cal. to keep putting to your mouth.

tinkermommc

Leave calories for an evening snack. I do every day, it helps alot. I can cut 60 calories in the morning to save for a pudding cup.

To add more fruits and veggies, look for a local fruit/veggie coop. I use bountiful baskets.

BeckyLH

eat dinner later.
go to bed earlier.
exercise. stay busy.
stop watching tv.

This is good advice

queenhiphop

healthy food is cheaper than processed crap.
once i stopped buying mostly frozen foods and 'things in boxes' i saved 50 bucks a week, easy.

tell your kid and hubby too bad. they will eat what you eat.

High and Mighty..

elyelyse

When I get that totally uncontrollable urge to eat a lot of something mindlessly... baby carrots are my best friend. After a single serving I feel REALLY full. Sometimes I will add a very small handful of nuts, just to get some protein into the snack. If you are still hungry after that, it's not hunger, it's habit or boredom or something else, but it's not hunger. I am only really beginning to learn the difference myself.

I just went shopping today and a 2 pound bag of baby carrots was in the same price range as a large bag of chips, and much more valuable to my body.

I also have to chime in about television. Television and snacking go hand in hand. It's ok to like to watch TV, but if that is your nightly routine, and also when you struggle the most, you do need to consider changing that routine. No one is going to tell you that you need to stop watching TV completely, but limiting the number of hours you spend in bed watching TV each week is sure to help. Probably not what you want to hear but, no one ever said change was easy!

Anola13

http://healthwellness808.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/cravings1.jpg

Here is a chart on "Craving this...Means you're missing this..."

May be helpful to you!

kitinboots

Plan your calories differently.

My lunch is often smaller than my breakfast because I keep down my calories in the middle of the day to allow for more food later on. I have dinner as early as 6pm some nights, go to work with a snack and have another snack when I get in, just before bed because I know I'll get hungry.

csandra1219

the excuse that processed foods is cheaper and that healthy food is All expensive is not true!
OP, if you are determined to lose weight and stop your cravings, you do need to change up your meals - go to trader joe's. MOST of their food is organic or natural - and Most of their stuff is very fresh. the best part is they are so cheap - of course not Everything is, but you have to be smart about it! they have such a huge variety of things your family will like it too.
i'm a college student and the nearby grocery store has those specials where things are extremely cheap bc they are abt to expire - but their ingredients in all their food is unhealthy and not fresh. and the brands they sell are the big name brands that use so many chemicals and processed stuff. i just assumed that trader joes which i had to take a subway to would be too expensive but when i went there, the local grocery store was a Ripoff! i save so much money now with groceries -

corsetiere

Or at least part of the reason. I'm in bed watching tv around 8pm and literally all I can think about is food. I've already eaten my calories for the day. I start craving cinnamon rolls, even look up low calorie recipes. I eat a portion of mozzarella cheese. I exercise for 10 minutes. Still all I think about is food, specifically something sweet. Hours later, still thinking about food. I exercise for 10 more minutes.

How the hell do I deal with this every single night?

Hi. To be honest you sound like me. I have struggled with my weight for years. Finally when I went to a nutritionist she had me keep a journal of not just what I was eating, but how often I think about food or my next meal. For me, I honestly have an addiction to food. I over eat and have "trigger" foods that put me into binges. I started going to online OA meetings and found that it helped.

I think it might be helpful if you were to just take a chance and hang out in an online Over-Eaters Anonymous (OA) meeting. Its confidential, no one knows who you are, no faces. Its a good place to talk about the food cravings, "falling off the band wagon" and to network with people who have the same thing going on.

As for justifying not eating healthy simply because your husband and son are ok with putting food in their bodies thats slowly killing them over time, that honestly is a cop out. I say that because I did it for years. Then I justified eating it myself because they "wouldn't" eat healthy foods. I realized that the longer I let that go on, the more unhealthy my child was going to be; and I was setting him up to be in the same exact position that I was struggling with. Once I threw all of it out and refused to let anymore of it in my house, they magically started to enjoy the healthy, home cooked meals. While I'm divorced now, my son still refuses to eat anything that is pre-packaged. He says it tastes bad. *SUCCESS*

It takes 21 days to make or break a habit. Its better when you have your family supportying your healthy choices. I say give it a go.

Smiles!
Katie

~Feel free to send me a message if you ever want to talk when your having your cravings or just in general~

extrafluff

I read somewhere when you feel like your hungry, most the time its your body actually craving water. I personally dont drink enough water, which Im trying to fix. Try drinking a glass or two of water. It fills you up, great for your skin, the list goes on and on.

MissShancey

you screen name is very close to kegel

goingwithgrace

Drink more water during the day and it helps with hunger. Fresh produce, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, bags of chicken breasts are less expensive than processed foods. I also shop generic brands and at Trader Joe's for great deals. Try farmer's markets too. Very inexpensive to buy local. Also try using Truvia to kill sweet cravings and check out some of the Skinny Girl cookbooks for great low calorie sweets including cinnamon rolls!

I once read an article that the craving for sweets after a meal (the way we get used to desserts) is actually a "programming" we do to ourselves. To break it, just start slow. Go from a sweet after dinner 5 days a week to 3. Then 3 to 1. The article also said to try fruit instead or sugar free Jell-O or a favorite tea flavor (self brewed) with Truvia.

kekagel

you screen name is very close to kegel

Uh, thanks. That's helpful.

Katahna

brush your teeth =] then you won't want to eat because it will taste bad

mrsslimkatie

bump

derpina88

Brush and floss your teeth. It crazy but It works for me about half the time. Eating healthy can be much much cheaper than pre packaged food. Fruit can be pricey but veggies are DIRT CHEAP. At the moment I am hooked on frozen cherries. I eat them at night when I'm craving something sweet. Delicious!

lolly2721

My best advise for the nighttime cravings is to drink water. If you are not a big water fan then put a little lemon or cucumber in the water.

As for the not being able to afford fresh fruit and veggies, well, they are actually more bang for your buck than processed foods. You can even make a box of mac-n-cheese go farther with steamed veggies thrown in. Sometimes you can use one box instead of two if you use veggies as fillers. Fruit will help curb your sweet tooth. Buy fresh veggies and fruits that are in season or at a local farmer's market.

You can also buy the fresh stuff on sale and chop it up and put it in the freezer for later use. You just need to re-adjust your thinking about the foods you purchase.

As for the hubby and kid(s), there are a ton of recipes you can follow or create that use the fresh produce and don't contain the additives that processed foods do. You will be helping your family in the long run too. I am a teacher and it is heartbreaking to see obese children and know that they can tell me the menu from McD's but don't know how to peel and orange.

SuperMammaLeah

I just recently went out and purchased protein powder. I actually tried it out today in some skim milk, and I have to say my portions have been under control today. Not doing too bad. I would totally suggest trying it.

jesusHchris

I'm a little disappointed that almost every single reply on here has to do with eating food and reinforcing the behavior. I stick to my earlier comments about habit correction...

That, and the kegal thing. I agree.