CHIPS! ICE CREAM! FRIES! Help me, please!

Make a list of reasons why you want to lose weight. As you get better and lose weight these things will start to sound less appealing to you. Distract yourself when a craving hits. Say "i'm going to go do something else for 30mins, 2 hours.. whatever, if I still want the food at the end then I can have some" but you have to go do something else to distract yourself. Nobody said this was going to be easy, if it was everyone would be thin. Your reasons for wanting to be healthy have to be stronger than the food you want.

From one sweet-tooth-fried-foodaholic to another, I hear you.

French fries are my weakness. Dinner doesn't feel complete without dessert, but here's what I've done and maybe it'll help you too.

By eating cleaner and healthier, day by day, my palette has changed. I don't crave McDonalds like I used to. I crave spinach salad with fresh strawberries. It'll take time, but eventually, you will crave healthy, nutritious, colorful fruits and veggies and less sodium-packed, greasy fried foods

I refuse to buy any on my triggers at the store, because stores always sell them in quantities where I will binge or have leftovers (which I'll binge on the next day). I only have goodies when out with friends, and then only rarely.

I refuse to buy any on my triggers at the store, because stores always sell them in quantities where I will binge or have leftovers (which I'll binge on the next day). I only have goodies when out with friends, and then only rarely.

So true! I've learned to completely avoid the chip aisle altogether. Same thing with Chex Mix Muddy Buddys (like puppy chow). I bought a bag with 10 servings this week and it was gone in two days. Eek.

Personally I refuse to give up anything completely. I still eat chips, ice cream and fries...even hot wings (my downfall)...just a lot smaller portion than I used to. I don't think I could stick with this change in lifestyle, for a lifetime, if I couldn't have what I wanted. One thing I have started is when I get hungary for chips, I put some in a bowl. when the bowl is empty, I'm done. I no longer eat out of the bag.

In my opinion, if you cut out stuff you love completely you are setting yourself up to fail. But like I said, that's just me.

I just try to keep the crap food out of my house. If its not around then I won't eat it. And yes water helps.

Over time our desire for our high carb and high calorie foods dissipates and you get the same satisfactions from a more fruit and veg.. Orientated diet. My experience had been that the sweetness of all food gets more noticeable and more satisfying. It may be all mental but it's working so I don't over think it.

I am craving a buffalo chicken wrap, but I didn't have the ingredients to make it at home, and I didn't want to buy one because who knows how many calories are in one of those. So I made myself a fish taco with cottage cheese, which was wierd. Didn't work. Still craving. I think maybe you have to choose your battles.

If you want something sweet and tasty, try Jell-o (sugar free of course.) It tastes good like the regular sugary jell-o but a fraction of the calories. Add fruit to it!

Good luck!

edited

Personally, as I've seen results and stayed at this for 6 or 7 months now I've actually come to embrace being a little hungry every now and then. Its not going to kill you. My palate has changed as well. Don't need sugar anymore to feel happy after a meal. The key is to stay busy when you are not supposed to be eating. Go for a walk. Do a project around the house. Keep yourself busy. The rare moments I watch TV now instead of having food with me I have an ipad.

No food porn pics which sucks, but here is what I do.
I always eat a Fiber One bar with lunch. Tames the chocolate beast.
I watch my sodium like a hawk, so I try not to buy so much processed foods.
I made a rule for myself: Thou shalt not eat anything I dislike just because it's healthy. I eat veggies, but I hate and refuse to ever eat another salad (unless it is at the diner near my house with homemade blue cheese dressing).
I indulge, but I limit it. I am indulging during the superbowl.
I make all my junk healthy and modify recipes accordingly.
I try to exercise 5 days a week. I wish I could all week, but my schedule gets crazy.
I eat six smaller meals a day or at least try too
I drink 8 to 10 glasses of water
I don't feel like I am on a diet. This isn't a diet. This is a lifestyle change. I feel better now and still eat what I love, just modified versions.

IMO you will either just have to deprive yourself and be miserable, or stop using the word "CAN'T" as a reason to overeat.

You CAN do the moderation thing if you really want. You can do anything you want, if you want it bad enough.

There is no reason you should never feel full while losing weight. Are you eating enough calories? Enough fat? Enough protein? Are you exercising and eating more when you do?

Workout a little extra or harder to "earn" the calories for treats if you need to. Tell yourself if you eat healthy foods all week, you can have the treat on the weekend. Do whatever tricks you need to do to make yourself healthy and happy. Happy is important, too.

After the 1st couple weeks the craving really went away for me once I was eating a more balanced nutrional diet. Here are the tricks I used when I got hungry and staying on track.

1.) I measure everything for portion control - this is huge.
2.) I went from my large dinner plates to the smaller salad plate. Correct portions of food will fill the plate and when you finish you have the same feeling of accomplishment that you get from the big plate. Most of us were brought up to clean our plate.
3) When I start getting hungry I drink water. A lot of the time your really not hungry your actually dehydrated.
4) If water doesn't work then I use the apple test. I keep an apple with me all the time. I ask myself are you hungry enough to eat an apple? If your not hungry enough to eat an apple then your not really hungry.
5) For my chip fettish I keep Special K cracker chips around. There really yummy, give you the crunch, the salty satisfaction. The best part is a serving size is 27 of them so you really feel that you having a snack.
6) When and if I do have regular chips. I measure out the serving and put the bag up and away. Amazing if out of sight & you have to get up for it you won't usually go back for a 2nd. Again the smaller amount looks correct with a snackwich on the smaller plate.
7) Ice cream craving - I have a ninja so I take frozen fruit add a little milk or silk or what ever you drink and blend you get a wonderful fruit sorbet which takes care of the ice cream craving.
8) Chocolate - Hersey kisses or miniture bars works. A hersey kiss is only 22 calories. So eating a few of these will take care of the craving without being detrimental to your diet.
9) Exercise - Sometimes just getting up and walking and getting your heart rate up with help subside a craving while at work, plus you burn off some calories.
10) When I know I am going out for dinner to a resteraunt I make sure that I get some extra exercise in to accomodate the glass of wine I know that I'm going to have with dinner.

So far it has worked for me I have lost 19#'s in month and a total of 9.25" from my waist, hips, thighs, & bust. Hope this helps.
Tina