How to beat the cravings?!?!?!?!

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Em6212
Em6212 Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I just recently started my weight loss journey. I'm in my 2nd week. and the same thing that always happens is happening again. The first week is actually quite easy. I'm motivated, dedicated, and religious about what I eat. Then the 2nd week the cravings start setting in. These are cravings that are so bad its all I can think about and my body sometimes even hurts until I get "my fix" of very bad things like ice cream, french fries, etc. Last night I had such a bad craving that I went to Wal-Mart at 1am just to but ice cream! I'm looking for advice on how to help control/curb these cravings. I plan on living a healthier lifestyle from now on and with over 200 pounds to loose I'll be on this journey for a very long time. I know I won't succeed, though, if I can't control my cravings. I try to have things in moderation- like a small piece of candy here or there and count it in my calories for the day- but when these intense cravings hit one piece doesn't help and before I know it i've eaten almost a gallon of ice cream. I'm looking for some support/guidance/suggestions from people who have experienced the same problems. Please!
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Replies

  • bethFromDayton
    bethFromDayton Posts: 112 Member
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    I have NO CHOICE. I am not going to eat ice cream. I will be glad when I don't eat the ice cream. I want ice cream, but I want to be thinner and healthier more. Ice cream is not a choice for me. I am glad I didn't eat the ice cream.

    (See The Beck Diet Solution)
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
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    I was in the exact same situation. I started limiting myself to 50g net carbs a day and all of the cravings went away within a few days.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    Aim to eat stuff higher in protein and fat. Satiety is much greater than carb related products. Also, realize that you can eat ice cream or potato chips or my personal favorite Chipotle, as long as it fits in your calorie goals
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
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    When helps me the most is to get busy with a project that engages my hands and my mind - anything. Not too long ago, I ironed everything that needed to be ironed. Sometimes I string beads/necklaces. Or get outside with the dog. Or pull weeds.

    I've learned that if I get busy, cravings don't last very long. I was surprised by that. I always thought they'd get worse and WOrse and WORSE, but that hasn't been the case.

    Good luck! Changing bad habits is HARD WORK. So is being obese. Choose your hard.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    I have NO CHOICE. I am not going to eat ice cream. I will be glad when I don't eat the ice cream. I want ice cream, but I want to be thinner and healthier more. Ice cream is not a choice for me. I am glad I didn't eat the ice cream.

    (See The Beck Diet Solution)

    What's wrong with ice cream? How is it unhealthy? As long as it fits in your calorie goal, then you should be good.
  • JoyousRen
    JoyousRen Posts: 3,823 Member
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    I beat my cravings with sticks. Sharp pointy ones.
  • suzyalice
    suzyalice Posts: 1 Member
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    We all struggle with choices...this helps me..."there is always the first bite and the last bite...just skip all the in between bites when it comes to sweets or other foods that are the cause of weight gain".:smile:
    Good job!!!
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    Aim to eat stuff higher in protein and fat. Satiety is much greater than carb related products. Also, realize that you can eat ice cream or potato chips or my personal favorite Chipotle, as long as it fits in your calorie goals

    ^^^ this

    and also if you only get cravings when you're on a diet, it's possibly caused by either not eating enough (i.e. too few calories overall) or not eating enough of certain nutrients (e.g. not eating enough healthy fat). There's a thread "in place of a road map" where you can check how many calories you can eat and still lose weight, without feeling deprived. You'll lose weight more slowly with this method, but you have a much better chance at keeping it off in the long run, and it's a lot more sustainable, i.e. the diet itself won't cause you to have all these cravings.

    Bear in mind though that not all cravings are caused by this, some are psychological and need to be dealt with in a different way. Just that IMO you should rule out the possibility that it's caused by eating too little first, so that you know you're not battling against your own body's normal survival responses.
  • cathrynfay
    cathrynfay Posts: 32
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    I started out with a massive sugar addiction. I felt like I needed chocolate or dessert to get through the day. What worked for me was going cold turkey. For a couple of weeks I did no refined starches, no sugar, no desserts. I even stopped eating fruit for a few days in the beginning. Once I got through three or four days my cravings went away. I incorporated fruits into my diet and I have some whole grains now. I'm at a point now where I will indulge in a square of chocolate once a week and not crave more, but I think for some people it helped to just get rid of it all for a while to get rid of the strong cravings.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    If you are trying to cut calories and crave ice cream, try Skinny Cow or Weight Watchers ice cream treats. They are delicious and only about 90-150 calories each.

    If you crave potatoes, try mashed cauliflower. Add one potato to get that potato taste, if needed.

    French fries made from turnips or sweet potatoes are a good alternative to white potatoes if you want to lower the GI.

    But a lot of the initial switch to different foods, especially lower sugar foods, is good old fashioned willpower. You can also "earn" treats through exercise. 1/2 of ice cream for 50 jumping jacks, a small fry for 2 miles run/walk, etc.
  • lbesaw
    lbesaw Posts: 267 Member
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    Plan ahead and "identify" your cravings. Cheesy, sugary, salty, etc. and work out a solution for each of your "demons". I have revamped my diet to include lowfat options that hit all my bells and whistles. Important to eat your meals and snacks on time as much as possible and never skip meals. Take along healthy snacks and meals so you always have something good to eat instead of being tempted by fast food and impulse eating. It's hard initially but once you get into it it becomes second nature.....and oh so worth it! I am at my halfway mark and plan to eat this way the rest of my life. I don't ever feel deprived and sometimes find it difficult to get all my calories in for the day---I know---sounds unbelievable---but true. Good luck. --You are such a beautiful girl-just imagine how fabulous you will be in the months to come. :smile:
  • katejkelley
    katejkelley Posts: 841 Member
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    I completely understand what you're going through! This is what helped me. It may not work for anyone, so those of you who can still enjoy your sugary sweets in moderation, please don't jump all over me. I had to give up processed sugar completely. I truly believe I have an addiction to it so when I eat a little, I end up craving more. So I went on The 17 Day Diet. The first 17 days is a good cleanse to rid your body of the bad sugars, fats, carbs, etc. The next 17 days, you start to add in good foods, and so on each cycle. It slowly helps you change your eating habits and, if you do it right, you'll find the sugar cravings are gone after two weeks. After that, I just told myself, "Don't have that first bite." I've learned to enjoy the tastes of other foods more than ever. I eat fruits and vegetables, which contain all the sugar you need but don't seem to trigger the cravings like processed sugar does.

    An earlier post recommended staying busy. I agree - I usually have some sort of project I'm working on. I like to sew/quilt, which keeps my hands busy, but you find whatever works for you. I don't snack when I'm staying busy.

    One last tip, don't let yourself get too hungry. Eat small, healthy snacks between meals to keep your insulin level. Cravings often occur when we have a drop in insulin. I keep a little cooler bag with fruit, nuts, veggies, etc., so I can have a little something during the day and don't pig out when I get home from work.

    Good luck!
  • skinnybinside
    skinnybinside Posts: 8 Member
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    Moderation is the answer..if you can control the amount you have ..then have it..If you totally band something from your food intake you are going to crave..but a word of caution..sugar makes you crave sugar..diet sodas make you crave sugar...have a half cup of ice cream and eat it slowly ..it will be satisfying and your craving will be gone! Don't buy your icream by the gallon..buy little tubs and when its gone its gone!!
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
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    How many calories are you eating? If you restrict too much, yeah, they weight may come off faster, but it is at a very high price. If you are having a lot of problem with cravings and even bingeing, I'd look at adding some calories back into your diet, especially if you are trying to stick to 1200 calories or so.
  • plafleur76
    plafleur76 Posts: 107 Member
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    I have found when I have those cravings, such as for ice cream and I don't have the calories for it, I will resist as long as I can, then if I break go for one spoon full. One small one. but don't make it a habit because a lot of spoonfuls add up to a bowl. So one spoonful a week is not going to do that much damage if that is what you need to get your fix.
  • tamaramsay
    tamaramsay Posts: 10 Member
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    I struggle with the same problem, starting of great and the overeating whenever I get near ice cream. To stop the cravings I started stocking my house with fruits, mainly grapefruit. I no longer trust myself to buy ice cream because I can go through a whole pint in one sitting. But if I do want sweets, I buy 1 kid size bag of oreo cookies only on the weekends. It's so easy to fall off when you're doing so well, but if you mess up just start again the next day. However when my ice cream craving gets really bad I buy the smallest container (kid size) for a weekend treat.
  • Msveebee24
    Msveebee24 Posts: 8
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    I completely understand, but it's more of a mind trick. I know I was a "sweets addict," I needed at least two to three snacks a day (i.e. honey buns, reese's, etc.) to be happy. However, I just went cold turkey one day and started replacing my need for sweets with fruits and nuts. I start surrounding myself with healthy snacks at work and at home. It's still a constant struggle to say no to sweets but watching my calories add up forces me to say no. And occassionally I do fall backwards and eat a candy bar (or two) but I don't beat myself up. I just try to do better the next day. So don't feel like you are alone with this struggle and remember tomorrow is always new day to do better.
  • cali08
    cali08 Posts: 12 Member
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    Okay I went over this with my trainer. My bad spot is going out to eat, mainly taco bell! She told me don't completely remove all cravings right away. Start out your diet with maybe 3 cheat meals and each week go down to one day and have that day as a set "cheat day." You can eat what ever you want but just still be somewhat reasonable. Example if you go out to eat try eating half the meal and asking for a to go box right away so you don't have to stair down that other half. It can either be one set day in the week or if you have a party or event one day designate that day as your cheat day. If you get cravings throughout the week, incorporate those foods into your diet! You don't have to get rid of them 100% I do it all the time and it seems to work well. She also recommended to plan out your day for all your meals so you know what your getting. Sometimes even plan out part of your week if that works better for you.

    Also for the ice cream craving. I have found that there are a lot of frozen yogurts out there that taste pretty close to what ice cream does or try freezing greek yogurt one serving of that is 1 cup at only 130 calories! Experiment with them and find your favorite. You are basically cutting the calories and fat in half vs regular ice cream!
    Good luck!
  • bkknauer
    bkknauer Posts: 28
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    i am a big time food addict who made the plunge two years ago and had bariatric surgery. I have lost 170lbs. I follow a pretty strict diet and work out every day except sunday. One thing that helps me is to learn how alot of ordinary healthy people eat. They make a distinction between ordinary days and special days. I almost never eat anything not on my planned diet on regular days so each day i follow my routine and eat only protien, water, fruit ,veggies and healthy carbs. I save enough calories everyday day from something filling like an apple with freshground peanut butter as an evening snack as that is my worst time for cravings. on special days like a date night(maybe), birthdays, aniversaries, parties vacations etc. I still follow my plan all day and then when we go out I pretty much have what i want although my husband and i split everthing. If i over indulge on vacation and say gain 5 lbs i immediatly go back on my strictest version of my plan when I get back. The first few days are hard and then i slip back into my routine by day 3. I hope this helps.
  • FabFran33
    FabFran33 Posts: 36
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    I have NO CHOICE. I am not going to eat ice cream. I will be glad when I don't eat the ice cream. I want ice cream, but I want to be thinner and healthier more. Ice cream is not a choice for me. I am glad I didn't eat the ice cream.

    (See The Beck Diet Solution)

    Freeze some bananas, throw them in the blender until smooth, add some cocoa powder and BOOM healthy ice cream.

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