Give in every once in a while and then get right back to the healthy eating. I'd say eat the leftovers, but scale back to low low calories on the same day for your other meals. I've found it sometimes works for me. One thing I'll tell you though, if you totally cut out the complex carbs for about 3 or 4 days, you won't have those cravings any longer. Good luck to you! We can do this if we keep at it! :flowerforyou:

Since you have decided that you will not do this often, you are probably pretty safe. If u can, drink a cpl extra glasses of water right away. The water will help with the sodium you had from what was probably a pretty salty meal.
Above all, don't be too hard on yourself because you are making great progress!

If Im having a really bad day, or if I am premenstrual, its got to be pizza or cheesecake...or anything chocolatey!! I have a really bad addiction to chocolate and Im trying to work out how to stop my chocolate cravings, if its better to go cold turkey and not touch any chocolate. Someone once said it takes 21 days to break a habit. Good luck, Id say eat the leftovers, get it out of your system, draw a line under it then tomorrow is a fresh day!

Same here "it IS the chocolate" like you, I do better cold turkey than a small piece everyday!

I'm right there with you, Kit. It's been a terrible 2+ weeks at work and next week will be just as stressful. In fact, there's likely to be excess stress until at least mid-January. There are a few things that make me more successful dealing with this *IF* I remember to do them:

1. Drink plenty of water. Good for the body, helps prevent fluid retention, helps the belly not feel empty so much.
2. PLAN my meals. ALL of them. That way I know my macros won't be too out of balance and my calories will stay under control.
3. Get enough rest. I know you are like me with this, so I'll bet when you're stressed the tendency is to get even LESS sleep than usual, but it needs to be just the opposite. Alternate days if you have to where you force yourself to just let other stuff go and use the time to sleep. I know if you're stressed there's likely plenty that you HAVE to get done, but put your need to rest at a priority often enough and you'll feel and perform better both at work and personally.

When I catch myself craving something that is less than ideal, I take a minute to evaluate it. After all, we have to judge our success by looking at the overall pattern. Is the item or meal I'm considering part of an "All Things in Moderation" plan that won't really change my results over a week or two, or is it part of a pattern of splurge and excuses I make for myself? Is it a choice that might START that kind of trend? Example: At work this week I kept finding myself wishing for a sugar-sweetened Dr. Pepper. Multiple days, more than one time a day. I know it was mostly a stress thing. But I also recognize that this is something that done once, I might tend to repeat. And use one instance to excuse the next, and the next, until I'm in a pattern of consuming LOTS of excess calories in sugary soda. So I managed to remind myself of my goals, and more importantly my desire above all to NOT go backwards! So I skipped the soda. I drank more water. One day I made myself another cup of coffee late in the workday (only about 15-20 calories as I fix it). Another day I took a Tootsie Pop out of the communal candy dish and drank another 2 or 3 cups of water. That killed the sugar craving and didn't cost me what 250 calories of DP would have. What I have failed to do this week is keep my exercise going. Must get back to that!

I'm going to go get the laundry moving again momentarily and then sit down to work on meals for the next 7 days so that I have a plan and am prepared to make it work! Need to take a walk this afternoon before the temperatures drop off again too.

Good Luck!

I love Thai food. It can be high in calories. When I went out last night I asked them to put half as much sauce on it as they normally would and I thought it actually tasted better. Maybe you can find lighter versions of what you like so you don't feel banned from any particular food.

If you do eat the leftovers, work them into your calorie budget.

I try to work anything I'm craving into my calorie budget, except when what I'm craving is a day away from weighing, measuring, planning. Then I take my day and have whatever I want, but it's always in the back of my mind to limit how much of it I have, especially things like bread, chips, pasta, white rice, etc.

I have a cup of hot chocolate and 2 graham crackers every night before bed. I look forward to it and it has stopped me from snacking (grazing) in the late afternoon because I want to make sure I have enough calories for that bedtime treat. I know as I get closer to my goal I will have to replace it with a healthier snack but right now it works for me and keeps me on track through out the day.

i still give in every so often and just try to make up for it over the next several days. The thing that works best for me is substituting, though. I especially get cravings for chocolate. LIke a nice yummy Almond Joy bar, mmmm. Instead, I have a chocolate coconut exercise bar that has CLA as one of my snacks, and make sure I do my exercise for the day. I've found several flavors that taste so good to me I feel like I'm eating a candy bar even though I'm not.

That sounds really yummy.You have a lot of will power to leave some there. G ood for you.

All good advise here! For me, I took my self off all sugar and flour...it's been since last June. I found that when I wanted something sweet...I replaced how I thought about my cravings. A nutritionist said to a group of people dieting at my old work that our bodies respond to what we have been feeding it-makes sense, right? So, cravings are our body requesting what we have taught it to like, enjoy eating and need. I do say need...because it becomes habitual. The key is to replace the food item(s) to break the habit. Keep it simple, too. Too much effort in trying to figure our calories, weighing...bla, bla, bal can defeat us. One thing I read in here was a comment from a gal (sorry I didn't stick the post here) who has coco and gram crackers each night-she made an allowance for her calorie count and gave herself permission to enjoy this little treat. Perfect! Simple and sweet!!! I do the same thing with cranraisins. I know when I need a little something sweet, I can go grab a handful and it is just enough to satisfy my craving. I make allowance for this, too. When I want potato chips...I eat something crunchy. Carrots & celery and I splurge with a healthy dip. Not every day, but I think you see the scheme of replacing high fat/calorie items with better, similar-like foods. After awhile, your body will begin to request the new foods you've introduced back into your regular eating habits. It is really amazing how our body works and responds to how it's treated. Be encouraged and start small and keep it simple...you are on your way!:flowerforyou: