When Does It Get Easier?

tyresank

I totally agree with the poster above hastinbe.

This never goes away, and as someone who loves to eat, and use it as a past time.... it's been difficult at times. But I am motivated to get all of my weight off once and for good and not have to always be thinking about needing to loose, but just maintain. I have 38 lbs to go!! I have lost consitiantly 1.3 lbs for the last 9.5 months and just hit 60 lbs gone!! I have allowed a few cheat days for sure, otherwise I would have gone nucking futs! But the things I like to cheat with are bread :yawn: , and middle eastern food, greek food. The later are not that bad health wise actually, and I just allow for that in the total calories for the day. It sometimes means I have two very tiny meals to accomodate for the one splurge meal, but one a month or once every other month is not that big a deal! Now I take the time to think about if I want to eat something that I consider un-healthy and what the consequences will be. I often choose not to and go back to my boring hummus and veggies or other staples of my diet.

Good luck to you, and just hang in there...

kimmiedunne

I LOVE food! I know I love food - but I have still been able to resist the urge because I want to feel better about myself - and after losing nearly 85 pounds I do feel good about myself, which keeps me going! Also - your taste buds change. When I first started I cut out fast food, which I used to eat religiously. About 6 months in, I wanted Wendy's so I went and got it - the fries were greasy and too salty and the burger was greasy and didn't satisfy me like it used to - and I gained weight that week that I splurged. To me, it wasn't worth it. I haven't been to a fast food restaurant in 3 1/2 years and I don't miss it - and it's helped my family eat better too. If I crave something out, I usually end up at subway or a nice restaurant where I can choose healthy options. It's not easy...I still LOVE food...but I can make healthier versions of those food items and eat filling foods so I'm not craving something not good for me. But yes, I do splurge occasionally - of course you have to get soft ice cream every once in awhile! Hopefully it'll get easier for you as well!

lmfco46

Try to use the 80/20 rule.

Eat right 80% of the time and indulge in your cravings 20% of the time.

You'll see it will be much easier to stick to your goals when there's a day you know you can go nuts.

Also, don't tell yourself that you "can't" have something, that will just promote feelings of desperation and deprivation.
Instead, tell yourself that you "don't" eat that, it's an empowering yet simple swap of vocab that will pay off!

The more right choices you make the more pride you'll have about how you treat your body. It's a beautiful, wonderful thing, take care of it, don't feed it Bojangles! (BTW I have no idea what that is...)

Agreed!!

secretlobster

I've been maintaining my weight for about 3 years now after losing. It only got easier for me when fast food, soda, chips, and snacks were no longer part of my life. I never drink soda or eat fast food anymore, though I will occasionally have chips or something, but it's relatively rare. Previously, I ate Wendy's 3x a week at least, and I could have eaten an entire bag of Doritos in one sitting by myself. "Just eat it in moderation" didn't work for me, because "moderation" still meant it was part of my normal diet and that led to having addictive food in the house a lot of the time. The temptation caused me more internal strife than it was worth. Really, when you think about it, is a big mac worth the way you feel right now? I imagine not.

I can't remember the last time I've eaten fast food. It has no control over me anymore, none at all. It does take time but I think there's also a process where you find strength by resisting temptation at the start. It's when you leave the grocery store without buying the bag of chips. Or when you eat the sandwich instead of going out. Do that enough times, and the cravings will not be as bad, at least mentally. Because you won't feel like you MUST eat those things.

breyn2004

In my experience the temptation never really goes away, but your resistance to them increases. Along with understanding more about what makes a food healthy, the more disgusting that food is becomes revealed. The best motivation is seeing your own progress when you stick with it, then you have realistic expectations and know you can do it. I think one of the best reminders is to tell yourself "You are what you eat" when it comes to making food choices.

^^ This!

I'm two years in. In the beginning, I didn't care what I ate as long I was in my calorie budget. Didn't take me long to figure out that I couldn't eat very much food that way. If I wanted to eat more, I had to make smarter choices. I progressively stepped up my game (which still has a lot of room for improvement) and still to this day, try to improve daily. Now it's like a game. I'm trying to clean up my eating a lot. Not to be a clean eater necessarily, but to pointedly eat more whole foods, etc. Challenging myself daily to see where I can improve helps me stay on track. It's not always easy, but it does get easier! You will fall down at times, but get dust yourself and get back up. Tomorrow is always a new day. Don't let your cravings eat away at you. Have some of your guilty pleasures in moderation and slowly weed them out. Some may not agree with that and of course, it's just my personal opinion, but you want to build yourself up to a new lifestyle and if you're having a standoff with your favorite foods daily, you're going to torture yourself. I'm to the point now that if I eat pizza or something I feel like crap. Most importantly...keep your head up!

Happy Logging!

Treece68

To be truthful If I have a craving I eat it but I always log it and keep within my calories. I know that I have started and failed so many times because I was denying myself something I wanted and finally I couldn't take it and I would eat and eat and eat.
If you have problems with food then its going to be harder than some schmo who can take or leave sweets or bread or whatever it is you eat.

Crochetluvr

You never stop WANTING the not so good foods. It took me about a month going off everything cold turkey for me to regain control. I still eat the not so good stuff on occasion, but in small amounts and when I can work them into my day's numbers. YMMV.

mmarzipan

Well said Alex_is_Hawks!

homerjspartan

In my experience the temptation never really goes away, but your resistance to them increases. Along with understanding more about what makes a food healthy, the more disgusting that food is becomes revealed. The best motivation is seeing your own progress when you stick with it, then you have realistic expectations and know you can do it. I think one of the best reminders is to tell yourself "You are what you eat" when it comes to making food choices.

Completely agree. It wasn't until I read South Beach that I understood what makes food "good for you" or what a good or bad carb was. Knowing these things and what creates a lot of cravings helps you avoid them.

Also, there is no way I am going through this world without big f--king plates of nachos every now and then. Allow yourself to cheat sometimes. Make it a reward meal, or a night out with the kids, or something - maybe once a week. For that one meal, have a blast and just enjoy, but know when it is over that you are back on the wagon for the week.

PetuniaJoy

In the last six months, I have learned that if I consume even a small amount (1 tsp) of refined sugars, it will trigger overwhelming temptations. For me, it is actually easier to have no sweets than a small amount. In April, I began researching Clean Eating by Tosca Reno and my temptations have been completely curbed. I eat a lot of natural, healthy, "clean" foods so I no longer feel hungry. In fact, I now need to remind myself to eat. Following this plan has lead to so many benefits that I no longer crave the junk I see others eating. Fruit is my favorite treat now.

If you have a sweet tooth, you may also want to look into this episode of 60 minutes: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57407294/is-sugar-toxic/

Another suggestion is Suicide by Sugar by Nancy Appleton.

Be strong!

EmilyMarieMo

I have to say it's always a struggle but in my world it's about balance. I will binge on bad things when I allow myself to get to a starving point instead of eating frequently and I will binge on bad things when I don't allow myself a LITTLE bad here and there mixed in all the good. I have managed to lose 62 since Jan and I still eat my cravings of mexican food and peanut m&ms way more often a week than I should. But I've cut back on queso and limit my chip intake when at Mexican food restaurants. I eat my tacos with no cheese now. I choose subway more often than other fast food places. I eat fruit and yogurt parfaits now at McDonalds instead of other stuff. IF I crave a hamburger ever, I order the kids size with no cheese and no mayo, and I throw away the top bun! Little alterations so far have allowed me to consume less calories, but still feel like I'm getting what I crave for the most part and cutting cheese from stuff and other fattening condiments... really hasn't affected the taste much at all. I still find myself enjoying it and getting satisfied from it. And at the meals I do choose to splurge a little, I usually try to make better choices for the other meals that day. Balance... that's what keeps me "ok" when it comes to food cravings for the most part. I will admit though... I HAVE had days that I eat like crap just b/c I feel like I need it.. I end up feeling bad about making bad choices, but I really try to remind myself that is going to be the REST OF MY LIFE! And if I just get RIGHT BACK ON TRACK.... then a bad entire day here and there isn't so bad.

helen0616

I am about 7 weeks in and while I would like to say it gets easier, I think a previous poster was correct in his assertion that we just get better at it.

Once eating all the good things becomes a habit, you will stop thinking about that other stuff. And for me, honestly, part of this process was to change the route I take to work. Now the only thing I drive past is a grocery store. No more fast food - and when I do feel tempted, I can't go because it will make me late. Out of sight, out of mind.

Another thing that worked for me was to look at how much money I was spending each week on junk food. Between coffees in the AM and out to lunch and then picking up something easy for dinner, it was really a lot of money. I'm able to remind myself that I am saving my body and my budget at the same time, while also setting a good example for the other members of my household.

Stick with it, give yourself a pat on the back when you make a good choice. You can do it, I promise.

Edited to correct typo

DesignGrrl

I know your struggle. I have good days where it's really easy and bad days where I crave Chinese takeout all day. I used to eat for every occasion - stress, comfort, celebration, boredom, and occasionally hunger.

I have always known I'm an emotional eater and have had a major problem with food my whole life. I finally figured out I had to approach this issue outside of the "feelings" arena and move it to the logical side of my brain and make it a project with timelines and progress tracking.

So now when I have any kind of food craving, I just open up my food diary and look at what I already ate and my exercise, assess my numbers and come up with options. (It's like I substituted opening the fridge and staring at the food in it with opening my diary and staring at what I already ate.)

Once I made it all about the numbers, it fell into place! It was like a light switch turned on.

Keep with it, you're doing great!

sammniamii

So far it hasn't and propably won't. I love food too much, but I do try to watch what I am eating, how much and so forth.

I just hoping that if I keep it up long enough that it will become 2nd nature and I won't consider any other way.

But... when I do indugle, I hold myself accountable and record it. Not to punish myself, but rather to see what I choose and how to recorrect what I've done. Plus... I am not going to live my life completely devoid of treats & snacks. I've found out that's counter-productive to my health (mental and otherwise).

Elzecat

Try to use the 80/20 rule.

Eat right 80% of the time and indulge in your cravings 20% of the time.

You'll see it will be much easier to stick to your goals when there's a day you know you can go nuts.

Also, don't tell yourself that you "can't" have something, that will just promote feelings of desperation and deprivation.
Instead, tell yourself that you "don't" eat that, it's an empowering yet simple swap of vocab that will pay off!

The more right choices you make the more pride you'll have about how you treat your body. It's a beautiful, wonderful thing, take care of it, don't feed it Bojangles! (BTW I have no idea what that is...)

Some days are easier than others. The 80/20 rule works pretty well for me...I let myself indulge and have treats on occasion, but I've noticed that when I eat healthier I crave less junky stuff. And when I absolutely do have a craving for something, I try to fit it in to my eating plan for the day. There are a few things I don't keep in the house because I have difficulty with portion control over those items, but generally I haven't cut out anything 100 percent. That kind of balance works for me, although it may not work for everyone.

DonM46

A sure fire way to resist all temptations is to go radical! I've been vegan since January 5th and while I am not truly enjoying a plant-based, meat ... cheese ... dairy ... free lifestyle, it keeps me 100% on task with eating right. While I still think about and crave pizza and chicken wings and steak ... I just cannot eat it. Veganism is forcing me to make smart choices.

This morning on my way to work when I would have normally bought an egg and cheese and sauage breakfast sandwich ... I bought a banana.

Again, this is VERY radical and not for everyone .... [snip]

Eric, if you are "not truly enjoying" it, scrap it.
We are all going to die someday anyway, so why deprive yourself?
So what if your radical change gets you two more days, two more weeks, two more years, etc. of living a life that you're NOT enjoying?
Unless you have allergic implications, religious reasons, or other valid points for the self-deprivation, it ain't worth it.
Instead of eliminating the pizza and steak, just cut back.
I can't imagine myself living under such sacrificial conditions, but I'll admit that I'm certainly NOT a 'health nut.' I just wanted to lose some weight, which by itself, is a health benefit. My doctor has trimmed my blood pressure and cholesterol meds by 50% .... so far, possibly more reductions later.
You're gonna do what you wanna do, but as you said, it's "not for everyone" and certainly isn't for me.

lcn1220

OP: Whenever I crave something I look at what's in the food that I actually want. If I want to pound down a box of Cheez-Its, it's usually the salt and fat that I want. I go and cut myself an oz of full fat cheese and that craving is usually sated. If I want ice cream or something sweet, it's usually sugar--I'll go eat a piece of fruit. Fries? It's the starch. I make myself a baked potato or healthier home fries on the stove. When I was first starting with eating healthy (and struggling), the above tactics helped. But over time the less I eat of the unhealthy stuff, the less I want it. It did not happen overnight .

If you're eating a healthy balanced diet, cravings are really just thoughts in your head. You have other thoughts in your head you don't necessarily act upon, why act on cravings? Next time you're eyeballing Bojangles or where ever, ask yourself who is the boss of you? You? Or the thoughts in your head?

cleavagefurrow

Unfortunately for me, it never got easier. It actually got more difficult. Which is how I ended up gaining back the weight I lost. I just couldn't do it anymore. Every meal was a struggle. I'd eat something high in protein and fibre, but I'd still be wanting that chocolate chip cookie or ice cream. It took so much energy to resist, but I did it until I lost about 14lbs. Then life got busy and I got tired. Weight came back. Now I'm trying to get back on track and it's still so hard. Sometimes I wonder: is it worth being miserable and slim, or happy and chubby? Food just tastes so good to me. My brain is addicted to high-calorie foods

SoDamnHungry

It never really goes away for me, but it does become less. You just have to get away from that food for awhile and lose the taste for it. After my last successful loss, I found myself no longer wanting really greasy foods, and they'd taste too greasy when I would eat them. ...I still ate them. Right now I'm trying to quit candy and cookies just to save myself from the addiction...

ghessit

I compare it to quitting smoking. I found as time went on that the urge will always be there but the temptation lessens. I've eliminated a lot of junkfood from my fridge and cupboards. I keep healthy snacks at hand and I only drink water. After a few weeks, I found I was craving water and had little desire to eat junk. I miss soda and potato chips but after 20 lbs lost, I'm glad I've stayed away. It does get easier and you will see progress. You just need to hang in there.

MNguerita

I agree about building the habbits...I find the more I eat healthier, the more I want those healthy foods. That being said...I also do not deny myself...if I have those cravings, I will give in, but I will either make sure I have someone to share them with me, or I only eat a small portion and save or toss the rest. But I also find...the things that I used to just love...when I give in to the cravings, more often than not...now that I am in this new healthy eating....they don't taste as wonderful as they used to, or they don't agree with my body any more so I think that also helps to build up a resistance. And then I also remind myself....if I eat this, am I going to want to do the work to work it off later? It is all about give and take.

wildcata77

I love this site.

I wish I could respond to each and every answer, but so far I'm only through about 1.5 pages and I truly appreciate all the perspective and ideas you all bring to the table. There are definitely a few ideas I will try.

I know my problem is with sugar and salt...no surprises there. And I am improving on how to resist, but a push and fresh ideas surely help.

Thank you everyone SO much for your advice and motivation! Even my husband told me that he can tell I'm more dedicated this go round than he has ever seen before.

yoovie

is eating the foods you crave simply a higher priority than getting fit?

its time to teach yourself to crave healthier sweets - like strawberries and mango and chocolate covered almonds.

teach yourself to crave different kinds of crunchy and salty- like Triscuits and hummus or cottage cheese and cherry tomatoes and pretzels.

if you are telling yourself that your cravings can only be satisfied by the exact food you want more than you want to be healthy - then remind yourself of two things.

If you are craving something very specific- then it isnt hunger. Its taste entertainment you want.

If you tell yourself that only mcdonalds french fries will fix your hunger pains at the moment, then you know for sure that eating what you want is a bigger priority than your health and goals and you can either accept it and always eat what you want - or you can change yourself because you are so awesome that you dont need to live in such a boxed in, limited, unhealthy, sad little world of eating.

especially when there is just soooooooooooooooooo much awesome healthy food out there!!!

ajdplusthree

I wish I could say that it gets easier. In all honesty, it doesn't. I have to resist temptation daily and remind myself that I am doing this forever - not just for now. I also find it helps to say out loud "this will never taste as good as my brain thinks it will." That almost always gets me past it.

For your fast food cravings, I would say cut out the fast food completely. Your brain/body will eventually not crave them as badly. Keep being prepared with good food and keep planning.

Most importantly, keep it up!

MsKeelah919

As my results progress and I start to FEEL the positive effects of health-full living, I have less desire to ruin my results... However I'm not sure if the natural desire will ever go away. I just get stronger in my resolve to avoid them. For the most part.

Scribetoo

I wrote a blog not too long ago that sort of addresses this.

First of all, stop punishing yourself for eating something bad. The consequences of gaining or not losing weight are bad enough, you don't need to go all "catholic-school" on yourself and guilt yourself even after you've already paid the price.

Forgive yourself. Seriously. The more you suffer over a misstep or a mistake, the worse you're going to feel about it as time passes.

Second of all, what is so wrong with having a serving of whatever it is you are craving?

Granted, this doesn't work if you crave ALL those things in the same day.. but maybe you can approach this one craving at a time. Here's how I did it and it quite literally changed my relationship with food. I'm not PERFECT and I've got a long way to go, but I am more at peace with food now than I have been in the past:

When I get a craving, I drink some water immediately and then count to ten. That usually tells me if I'm really hungry or not (sometimes I can't tell when I'm ACTUALLY hungry and when I'm "head hungry").

If I truly am hungry, then if I have access to the thing I am craving, I'll go read the label and see how much of what is in a serving. Calories, fat, carbs and protein are the things I pay most attention to... Can I afford the calories, knowing what I have left to use up and how many meals I have left to use them for? Is the protein content enough to make it worth my while to put this in my mouth? Am I going to pay for it later from carbs/fat (I have no gall-bladder so I will dump on certain amounts of fats and sugars).

Now, by the time I've gotten to the label reading, I'm usually able to talk myself out of it -- I don't want to spend the calories this way for only 6 crackers or whatever it is I'm having.. BUT... if all the criteria are met.. and I still want it, I'll have a serving of it.

No guilt.

No internal reprimand.

Just have the dang cookie.. satisfy the craving with a serving and move the eff on!!

I've had a lot of success personally with this and I no longer feel guilty when I eat.. I felt like I was perpetuating an eating disorder to so closely assign an emotion (guilt, joy, sadness.. whatever) to the act of nourishing my body..

I agree with the earlier poster who suggested counselling. I didn't get to this line of thinking all on my own.. I went to group classes, I talked to a therapist.. and I'm not CURED by any means.. but I'm definitely feeling more normal and in greater control of my cravings now than they are of me.

the greatest of the advice I have to give you is the second thing. FORGIVE YOURSELF.

You're not a bad person for making a poor choice.

Stef

Ali155

I don't think it ever gets easier, you just get stronger. As time goes on, and you stick with healthy choices, you become stronger in resisting the 'crack' foods. What I've also had to do is understand the connection between wanting these types of foods and what's going on in my life. Am I stressed out? Am I down? What am I struggling with? Usually, there's a reason why I'm craving the 'crack'.....I've also learned to not obsess about craving 'crack' food. I try to think over and over again about something else, even if it's just repeating a phrase over and over again - "I will make healthy food choices" "I will NOT sabotage my progress with junk food". Do I still crave my 'crack' foods? Sure! ...and occasionally, I allow myself to a treat, but I make sure I make up for it the next day in my activity.

So true, and very well said. I'm pretty sure it never gets easier. Although, with time and continued success it should become more automatic. Cravings will always be there as will the inclination toward instant gratification. It's much easier for me to grab a handful of chocolate or a pint of ice cream than deal with the "issue of the day". But I think being aware of those things helps me to put on the brakes and either skip the "issue food" or find a way to work it into the day. And as you see success, your motivation will become stronger. Just know that giving in is not the end of the world. And sometimes you should treat yourself. When that happens, you just go back to healthy habits with the next meal. None of us will be perfect, but we can all be better.
Good luck! You can definitely do this.