Craving Junk

sharibrat · February 2010

Auuuuuuuuugh. Both days that I exercised this week I have craved junk the rest of the day.......cookies, salty nacho chips, etc.

And it's easier to 'give in' to those desires when you know you've 'earned the extra calories'.....what better day to cheat than one you've exercised???????

sarina87 · February 2010

I have a problem with cookies craving as well, The only thing that works for me is giving them up for 2 weeks and the craving goes away. When i give in, my cravings come back. Valentines day, i gave in and now i'm working on curving the cravings

JennaM222 · February 2010

After I work Out I ALWAYS crave salty foods. try having a few pickles and more water. this usually works for me!

kilburni · February 2010

I always plan out my meals to leave myself about 200 calories under my self-enforced limit so when I really want to have my favorite candy bar (pb cups) i don't feel bad picking one up on the way home! Sure, it adds some fat and other things to your diet but I'm focusing mainly on calories so I can snack a day or two a week without feeling TOO guilty!

superschupp · February 2010

The problem I have with giving into the "junk" craving is not so much the calories. If you have calories to spare, it matters little how you get them. The problem is with the impact on your blood sugar (my assumption her is the junk involves refined sugar) When blood sugar goes up, your body responds with a massive injection of insulin to combat the extra sugar. That leads to low blood sugar levels and more cravings. This roller coaster ride usually ends in over eating and extra pounds. If you can keep you blood sugar level even throughout the day, you won't be plagued by cravings. That is why you always hear about eating more small meals rather than one big one. It is all about keeping the blood sugar level.

Jennplus2 · February 2010

My first thought is that you might not be eating enough food during the day. I have read that if you don't eat enough that after a workout you might get cravings.

I don't have the issue of not eating enough, however, and I still get cravings (at night mostly for me). I watch my man eat all kinds of crap, all the stuff I love that I use to eat right along with him. I give in, then feel bad for days. This is my biggest issue with weight loss. I am a mindless eater. I can pass of really good yummy cake at work, but at home I eat 3 bowls of cereal I don't even want/like/need. HELLO, the cake would be so much better!
I try to plan calories so I can have my treat on Saturday nights.
When I plan a treat for myself (peanut butter frozen yogurt is my weakness) I have to be very focused. It costs less to get the biggest size, but I will eat that whole darn thing! I do share with the family but I eat most of it, Over 24 oz! :blushing: I even weigh out my 8 oz and put it into a small bowl, but then I keep going back to the freezer over and over until it is gone. :sad:
So, I am trying out a new idea. I will get the kid size, get a kid size for my little kiddos to share, and a small for my guy. I don't really care that it costs 2x as much for less yogurt (well I do care, but I want to lose my tummy fat more than I care

)

Sorry this turned into a rant, back to your question! :flowerforyou:

MacMadame · February 2010

I find that, if I ate a lot of junky carbs, I crave more of them in an endless cycle.

OTOH, craving salty stuff after exercise probably means you are low in electrolytes. If you are doing intense workouts or extra long ones, then maybe you should consume some electrolyte products during your workout.

There are stand-alone products such as Salt Tabs and Nuun that are just electrolytes. There are sports drinks that have electrolytes in them such as Hammer Heed and Gu Brew Electrolytes. There are also gels and bean/chomps/sharkies/shot blocks that are kind of like salty candy. The gels, chomps and electrolyte drinks also provide carbs, which you may or may not need depending what sort of exercise you are doing.

There are also some cool products like Infinit where you can make a custom sports drink that suits your needs, controlling how much carbs, protein, electrolytes, etc. are in it and how strong the flavor is.

Alternately, for shorter workouts where consuming a lot of carbs doesn't make sense, you can make sure your recovery food/drink has electrolytes in it. (You should be having a light snack within 30-60 min. of working out with 4:1 or 3:1 carbs to protein ratio to help repair your muscles and recovery faster.) Something like chocolate milk won't have a lot of salt, but something like cheese and crackers will.

Craving Junk

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