Cravings and feeling deprived

AliceRabbit13
AliceRabbit13 Posts: 138 Member
in Food and Nutrition
For starters, I AM NOT MAKING EXCUSES. Just looking for suggestions on how to kick cravings and feelings of deprivation.

Situation: I am currently working night shift at the hospital (yay, nursing!) and I rotate every two months. I have been packing my lunch. I realize that I have not put a lot of thought into it, and tend to grab and go since I'm always running behind (darn you, snooze!). I packed a similar lunch today that I had yesterday, ran around about the same amount of yesterday as today, but today I felt hungrier to the point of splurging for mini donuts (I felt better, but now...oh, the shame!)

Question: What works for you to kill cravings? I have tried drinking lots of water, distraction, etc., but always come back to being hungry. Any suggestions?

Replies

  • Aperture_Science
    Aperture_Science Posts: 840 Member
    Consistency & Planning: Monday you had 500 cals spare. Tuesday you were very hungry and overate by 363 cal. This is not a coincidence. Planning and managing your calories in and out (at least in the early days) will help continually give you enough food every day.

    Also, many people find that getting a decent amount of protein (although you did do that on Tuesday) and fat helps keep them feeling fuller than regularly eating high carb foods. Experiment and see what works for you.

    Best wishes
  • rotill
    rotill Posts: 244 Member
    Protein works for me. If you are always a bit busy and late and need something really quick, start carrying an emergency low-carb protein shake. I kept a small bag of protein in a drawer at the office, and would mix it with milk and drink it when the cravings got unbearable. (This was when I lost the most weight I have ever lost: 15 kilos.) I'll get back to doing that now, when the vacation is over. When the days are too busy and I end up skipping lunch as I keep running late to meetings, I need something like that.
  • ITS_MY_CHOICE
    ITS_MY_CHOICE Posts: 62 Member
    A craving is specific to a food. Hunger is non-specific.

    Are you hungry or are you craving?

    If you are hungry - eat
    If you are craving - wait 24 hours, if you are still craving it, eat it. Don't deprive yourself. 90% of the time if you wait 24 hours you don't want it anymore.
  • shivles
    shivles Posts: 468 Member
    Planning! Prepare your dinner and a few healthy snacks before you go to bed. Eat lots of protein in your lunch (think chicken,tuna etc with lots of veggies and maybe some brown rice, lentils or quinoa) pack some veg sticks and hoummous, some nuts, fruit, low fat yoghurt. If you have healthy options ready to go then you're much less likely to eat them doughnuts ;)
  • fatzombiegirl
    fatzombiegirl Posts: 29
    Looks like you're eating a lot of fruit. Maybe substitute veggies. Less sugar means fewer cravings.
  • AliceRabbit13
    AliceRabbit13 Posts: 138 Member
    Thanks, everyone! Will give it a try. Not cravings, by your definition, plain old hunger. Gnaws my insides and I end up eating whatever is closest to hand...I like contingency plans, think I'll make a few

    :)

    Thanks again!!!
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
    I know everyone has mixed opinions on this but it works for me. I eat several small meals (100 - 300 calories each) so that I can spread out my eating through the day and not end up hungry with no calories left at the end of the day. I try to make each of those small meals/snacks balanced to have the right kind of energy to take me to my next meal. I KNOW my body can go 3-5 hours without eating, so for the most part, if I eat and I am "hungry" just an hour later, I know that it's not actual hunger. If I think about it this way: "I only have to wait 3 more hours before I can have my next food" it seems like something I can handle, and I push through.

    I see you have your meals broken down into Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and "in betweens". I actually have a separate spot for Snack 1, Snack 2, Snack 3. this way I can track what things I eat together, and look for patterns. and I use the "notes" area to indicate what time I ate. If I look and see that I ate an hour ago, and im hungry, again, I just have to remind myself that 2-3 more hours is really not a big deal, I can wait that long.

    It really helps me to break it down into hours. Lots of self-improvement programs use phrases like "one day at a time"... I take it a couple of hours at at time!
  • DontStopB_Leakin
    DontStopB_Leakin Posts: 3,863 Member
    Looks like you're eating a lot of fruit. Maybe substitute veggies. Less sugar means fewer cravings.

    Sugar has absolutely nothing to do with cravings. Especially fruit sugar. I have, on multiple occasions, completely cut out ALL sugar, both processed and natural, for at least 30 days at a time. And lo' and behold, at the end of the 30 days, I still want to consume the entire bakery section of Whole Foods.

    Some people are just predisposed to sugar cravings. Just like some people crave salty instead.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    Soup! A big can of Progresso soup has 160-200-280 calories depending on whether you pick a broth w/veggie, broth with protein, or cream based soup. I had a that for lunch and it kept me full for several hours! It would be a great filling snack or filler for your lunch. Add a chicken breast for a bit more substance. Check out my profile to see how I saved up for a huge pizza dinner! Cravings satisfied and still nearly a 500 calorie deficit!
  • momtokx2
    momtokx2 Posts: 37 Member
    I have found that gum helps me :) Also making sure that I pack a really good meal (I work night shift too). I always have carrots and popcorn in my lunch, as well as a high protein main course. Good luck!
  • AliceRabbit13
    AliceRabbit13 Posts: 138 Member
    I try and stick with low glycemic index foods when I can (as I type that I realized I needed a more definite list, and found good ones here: http://www.lifetimefatloss.com/glycemic-index-list-of-foods.html ) . Between this and preplanning better with some 'just in case' snacks, hopefully I can do better...
  • Thaelvyn
    Thaelvyn Posts: 67
    Hi,

    Try having 6 meals instead of 3. Split what you eat in smaller portions. I was always hungry on 1800 cals a day with 3 meals. I switched to 6x300 cals, every 3 hours (starting from 7 am, so it could be whenever you wake up + 1 hour onwards). What it did to me: Right when my hunger kicks in, it's time to eat again, that keeps my metabolism very high, and my body never goes into a craving/starving/storing mode.

    Hope this helps :)

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