The main issue of this weight loss battle

BaliDream
BaliDream Posts: 27
in Motivation and Support
When I'm not hungry or craving, I am the most motivated person in the world.
When I am beginning to get hungry or craving my mind will begin going through every negative thought in the book to get me to fail.

Simple as that. And I'm on my last breath.

Advice? Opinions? Experience?
Thank you. x 100000

Replies

  • Iron_Duchess
    Iron_Duchess Posts: 429 Member
    What do you crave? For example I usually crave certain flavors like Italian (lasagna), or Buffalo sauce and blue cheese. check if it is the flavor or the texture, if it is that just cook a healthier version of it. I know that if I'm craving lasagna I can cook stuffed zucchini with ground turkey, topped with marinara sauce and a little part skim mozzarella cheese. It come out to about 200 cals and it satisfies my craving. The Buffalo sauce and blue cheese; Large salad, chicken breast coated with a little Frank's buffalo sauce, and 1 serving of low fat blue cheese dressing. Everything is measured and accounted for. Like I said before, analyze your cravings, the why (it could be emotional), and then satisfy them in a healthy way. Now, if you just have to have it, promise your self that you will have it latter and plan for it. Self control is a habit that need to be formed and applied on a daily basis. Good luck.
  • BaliDream
    BaliDream Posts: 27
    I crave anything, and I must have it in the largest quantity and immediately. Unfortunately, I am in some ways internally disabled because I won't have the time nor strength to 'cook a healthier version of it'. My mind skips all of that negotiating - it goes straight to "MUST. HAVE. THIS. NOW". -_-
  • BaliDream
    BaliDream Posts: 27
    Oh, and it has never been directly an emotional problem... unless my constant frustration and sadness that is CAUSED by my inability to lose weight is causing my demotivation? Woah, brain twist!
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    Portion control has been a huge factor in my weightloss - and one of the most difficult things for me to master. I am still working on it. Smaller plates, immediately halving whatever it is I have (if I bought it at a resturaunt or something), and eating very, very slowly have helped.

    There is also a mental trick I read about that I use - when I've eaten what I want, I physically push the plate away from me. It's silly, but it honestly helps.

    Also, not waiting until I am ravenous has been a huge trick, too. Learning to time my meals and my snacks, and figuring out when I'm most hungry, helps me from over-eating. Forcing myself to wait until I want to eat OH DEAR GOD ANYTHING AS LONG AS I AM STUFFED makes me miserable.
  • hmuh
    hmuh Posts: 379 Member
    I've had to treat myself like a child at times by saying NO and putting my cravings in a time out. Once those cravings pop up, grab a huge glass of water and make yourself wait awhile. For me, the craving usually goes away after waiting it out and then making myself have a healthier snack. The more you take control of your cravings, the easier it'll get. You just gotta start getting tough with your inner tantrums.
    The suggestion to cook healthier versions is a really good one (love franks on chicken!). Try and make these now so it's ready to go when those craving tantrums hit. You're doing great by starting here. I'm sure there are a ton of other people that feel the same and have great strategies that have worked for them too. Best wishes!
  • Iron_Duchess
    Iron_Duchess Posts: 429 Member
    I crave anything, and I must have it in the largest quantity and immediately. Unfortunately, I am in some ways internally disabled because I won't have the time nor strength to 'cook a healthier version of it'. My mind skips all of that negotiating - it goes straight to "MUST. HAVE. THIS. NOW". -_-

    I'm sorry. I know how hard it could be. Before I started counting calories and trying to lose weight I used the entire summer to work on my habits. I had a similar problem with sweets; crave them, thought about them constantly, and went out of my way to get them. At the beginning I kept failing and went for whatever I craved, but after a while I started to make better decisions and walking away from things. I will take a bite and toss away the rest. I cried constantly because of it, but after a while the cravings subsided and I don’t have a problem with it anymore. Because I have better habits and better control over what I do, I can focus on controlling my portions and eating healthy food. I hope my experience can help you in the future. Work on you habits and reactions to food, find your triggers, and after you have master those, start counting calories. Attack one thing a time. This should be a permanent change; therefore, it should be a complete lifestyle change.
  • Rebirth08
    Rebirth08 Posts: 174 Member
    What do you crave? For example I usually crave certain flavors like Italian (lasagna), or Buffalo sauce and blue cheese. check if it is the flavor or the texture, if it is that just cook a healthier version of it. I know that if I'm craving lasagna I can cook stuffed zucchini with ground turkey, topped with marinara sauce and a little part skim mozzarella cheese. It come out to about 200 cals and it satisfies my craving. The Buffalo sauce and blue cheese; Large salad, chicken breast coated with a little Frank's buffalo sauce, and 1 serving of low fat blue cheese dressing. Everything is measured and accounted for. Like I said before, analyze your cravings, the why (it could be emotional), and then satisfy them in a healthy way. Now, if you just have to have it, promise your self that you will have it latter and plan for it. Self control is a habit that need to be formed and applied on a daily basis. Good luck.

    Good advice! I am going to try that stuffed zucchini!
  • MidwestAngel
    MidwestAngel Posts: 1,897 Member
    What do you crave? For example I usually crave certain flavors like Italian (lasagna), or Buffalo sauce and blue cheese. check if it is the flavor or the texture, if it is that just cook a healthier version of it. I know that if I'm craving lasagna I can cook stuffed zucchini with ground turkey, topped with marinara sauce and a little part skim mozzarella cheese. It come out to about 200 cals and it satisfies my craving. The Buffalo sauce and blue cheese; Large salad, chicken breast coated with a little Frank's buffalo sauce, and 1 serving of low fat blue cheese dressing. Everything is measured and accounted for. Like I said before, analyze your cravings, the why (it could be emotional), and then satisfy them in a healthy way. Now, if you just have to have it, promise your self that you will have it latter and plan for it. Self control is a habit that need to be formed and applied on a daily basis. Good luck.

    OMG, now I am going to have to eat lasagna!
  • Juliejustsaying
    Juliejustsaying Posts: 2,332 Member
    The only thing that has ever worked for me regarding cravings is visualization. That and getting myself out of the situation. IF I'm hungry and it is late at night, I remember what it feels like to get on the scale in the morning...and I turn off the tv which has tons of food commercials.

    Visualize how much better it feels to lose weight and get into a small size pants vs that mouthful of whatever.
  • Bobby__Clerici
    Bobby__Clerici Posts: 741 Member
    When I'm not hungry or craving, I am the most motivated person in the world.
    When I am beginning to get hungry or craving my mind will begin going through every negative thought in the book to get me to fail.

    Simple as that. And I'm on my last breath.

    Advice? Opinions? Experience?
    Thank you. x 100000
    Here is what helped me...fasting!
    I detest that word.
    And no, I am not religious in any way.
    FASTING!
    It's like training your muscles but we're training our minds and emotions to be strong.
    Google "Intermittent fasting", give it a go, but just don't get sucked into buying anything or falling into some dogmatic philosophy.
    I fast 16 hours every day just for calorie control and to help learn discipline.
    Simple deal...:bigsmile:
    Good Luck!
  • floridagirl7264
    floridagirl7264 Posts: 318 Member
    I know what you mean! I'm the same way. Try eating smaller meals but stretched throughout the day. You won't get the chance to get hungry. Eat a piece of fruit or other low cal snack and then make yourself drink a big glass of water. After I get through the water, the apple will have a chance to satisfy my hunger and then I'm passed that phase of wanting to eat everything in site.
  • CupcakeCrusoe
    CupcakeCrusoe Posts: 1,441 Member
    I try to follow the "first bite" rule.

    Nothing is ever quite as good as the first bite of something. The other bites afterward just aren't as good.

    If it's something I know is super bad for me, and I haven't planned for eating a decent portion, I eat just the first bite of whatever it is, and then throw the rest away or give it away and eat a salad or fruit.
  • MsDover
    MsDover Posts: 395 Member
    This happens to me when I wait too long to eat. I go from hungry to RAVENOUS in a 10 minute span when I should have eaten long before I got to that point. I try to time my meals and snacks, and when I'm having a routine day I can do that. On days when something else is going on it throws me off and I'll either eat something I shouldn't because it's there, or not eat at all and deal with a blood sugar crash (NEVER fun). Sweets are like crack.... eat a few sweet things and your body craves MORE. I had horrible blood sugar spikes and declines from Monday through Thursday this week because I ate some sweet things over Christmas. It can take days to readjust.

    Eat when you're truly hungry. Don't keep junky food in your house. That's the only thing that works for me.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    drink a large glass of cold water

    log BEFORE you eat
  • happycauseIride
    happycauseIride Posts: 536 Member
    What do you crave? For example I usually crave certain flavors like Italian (lasagna), or Buffalo sauce and blue cheese. check if it is the flavor or the texture, if it is that just cook a healthier version of it. I know that if I'm craving lasagna I can cook stuffed zucchini with ground turkey, topped with marinara sauce and a little part skim mozzarella cheese. It come out to about 200 cals and it satisfies my craving. The Buffalo sauce and blue cheese; Large salad, chicken breast coated with a little Frank's buffalo sauce, and 1 serving of low fat blue cheese dressing. Everything is measured and accounted for. Like I said before, analyze your cravings, the why (it could be emotional), and then satisfy them in a healthy way. Now, if you just have to have it, promise your self that you will have it latter and plan for it. Self control is a habit that need to be formed and applied on a daily basis. Good luck.

    ^^ This is good advice. Now I want Buffalo on chicken. I'm going to try that.
  • LucyT4dieting
    LucyT4dieting Posts: 284 Member
    I struggle with this on almost a daily basis. My cravings go from sweet to salty and everywhere in between, but you can bet whatever I'm craving isn't good for me, especially during this holiday season when there are so many goodies around. Even if I'm not hungry, the cravings get so bad that I start to feel like I have to eat. If I try to ignore it, it only gets worse. So for me, first I down a large glass of water, and then eat something healthy that will fill me up (like an apple or a couple of rice cakes). After about 5 minutes, the cravings usually go away. It's just something I have to fight, but it's worth fighting for! I don't always succeed, but when I do, it sure feels GREAT!
  • BaliDream
    BaliDream Posts: 27
    WOW I love you guys.

    What I'm going to re-enforce to help solve/minimize this (SO FAR):

    - Have a bottle of water ready.
    - Smaller meals through out the day.
    - Use the 'first bite' technique.

    I will google this "intermittent fasting" that has been brought up, see how it looks.

    Keep these rolling!
  • Linli_Anne
    Linli_Anne Posts: 1,360 Member
    I find that planning my meals out ahead of time really helps wtih the cravings. I know that when I have everything on hand then I can make myself a delicious, nutritious meal/snack and feel satisfied.

    But, for times when I know I'm going to need something extra I keep some squares of dark chocolate, and a couple of 100 calorie "treats" in the cupboard. Lately though, I haven't been reaching for them as often.

    I would also say try to eat more during the day so that you don't get to that mind-boggling hungry/crazy state.. You might actually find that you will start to crave healthy things too.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member

    - Smaller meals through out the day.

    for me....this does not work

    if I feed the hunger with a small meal, it just makes it worse and a binge can smack me

    once you get past the "feeling" of hunger, ( a full glass of water and about 10 minutes will usually do it)

    then I forget about it

    a few minutes of some exercise has been shown to drive away hunger feelings

    do 3 minutes of jumping jacks or marching in place and it will help
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,654 Member
    I see that you are only 18. The need for instant gratification is HUGE at this age, in every area of your life, not just food. You CAN train your brain to stop and think before you act. Try it with everything, like shopping, speaking your mind, drinking and partying, etc. Just start making yourself take a step back before you do anything and ask yourself questions, such as, is this something that I REALLY want? What are the possible bad results that can happen if I choose to do this? Am I prepared to live with the consequences? Will anything GOOD come of this decision? Is the temporary pleasure in this, worth the possible negative result? etc.
    Writing down the pros and cons will also help you get a great visual of your decisions.

    Learning to take the time to think thru decisions will help you in every area of your life and will save you a LOT of trouble and bad consequences in the future.

    ETA -As far as eating goes, I have a rule that I will not put anything in my mouth until I know exactly how many calories are in it. This way I can make an informed decision to include it in my daily total. Oftentimes I see that it just isn't worth it, and I make a better choice.
    Think of calories as money and budget them out like you do your bills.
  • edennew
    edennew Posts: 231 Member
    This may or may not be true, but it seems to me that when I cut refined sugar and flours out of my diet, my cravings go away. Only when I cheat do i find myself wanting more. Could this also be your body asking for more food? Are you eating enough to support your body? Just a thought.
  • macquelanderson
    macquelanderson Posts: 6
    drink a large glass of cold water

    log BEFORE you eat

    "Log BEFORE you eat" ... This is ALWAYS my rule! It helps me determine how much cushion I have in other meals and what I need to do that day to EARN what I eat. This is one of the best things about MFP. If you burn X amount of calories, then you can eat X amount of calories. It If I want to satisfy an icecream craving and eat a Skinny Cow, then I need to earn it. Go to the gym or go on a walk. It is okay to have cravings, but in moderation.
  • BaliDream
    BaliDream Posts: 27
    After some reflecting, some influences from advice and some internet research, from tomorrow I'm going to experiment with a new 'diet' (which I will apply as a lifestyle change) - big breakfast (700~ calories), medium lunch (500~ calories) and a small dinner (400~calories). This has many big and small advantages that I believe could work with me, including the fact that it would reduce/prevent hunger during the day, in my opinion it is simpler, and other things as well.

    I'll see how it goes. As others have said, different things work for different people. But, I will be applying most of the advice you wonderful people have supplied me. I may begin a simple blog to track/reflect on this 'experiment'.

    It's the same idea - calorie counting, eating healthy, it's just a new strategy that hopefully I can stick to.

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