Can't lose weight because I can't control cravings?

someone once told me a sugar craving is really the body craving protein. I notice if i eat sugar it starts the process of craving. If I can go 3 days without sugar, they're gone. Zero cravings. so for me its like any other habits Ive kicked~a period of abstinence will make saying no so much easier. Sugar free gum can help. I recently stopped eating sugar free products because of all the aspartame-cancer propaganda. I dont know if its true and I dont want to find out. and BOY HAVE MY CRAVINGS COME BACK. even from just the regular sugar in my morning coffee now I want sugar all the time. So what do I do?? I want to lose weight. but ABOVE all I want to live craving free. So heres my attitude TODAY, subject to change but for now, Im trying moderation. Im trying to see if I can have just a little sugar or not. Thus far, a little sugar has not worked out so well in the area of cravings, but I continue to lose weight otherwise. Its possible that all the healthy foods i eat and all the exercise will pay off and I will be able to have my cake and eat it to. TBD. As for your diet. GO SIMPLE. Breakfast: eggs and turkey sausage for breakfast. add cheese, salsa and avocado for a treat! add a pc of rye toast and a banana. (its about 500 cals) you will be stuffed out of your gourd! make breakfast big and go smaller as the day goes on. Lunch: open faced sandwiches! Tuna, Turkey, Roast beef? doesnt matter just get rid of half the bread. Grab a healthy mayo (olive oil based?) and have a salad on the side with a healthy dressing. Dinner: Baked skinless chicken, and steamed veggies (I buy frozen if I dont have fresh) this time skip the bread and add a small white potato or a corn cob. Snacks: Boil up some eggs for a quick snack, string cheese, Greek yogurt, a piece of fruit. Think Protein and fruit combo. So those are just ideas, but remember the key is:

B: protein,carb,fruit
L: protein, carb, veggie
protein, veggie
Sn: protein, fruit

This has worked for me at a loss of about 2 lbs a week and I eat every 4-4.5 hours. The snack can be 2-2.5 hrs after the last meal. I didnt want to stop eating or GOD FORBID be hungry. When I eat like I described Im not hungry, my blood sugars stable (less to no cravings) and I lose weight. Everyone is different so do what feels right. Just remember, keep the food simple and FRESH. Lots of packaging, lots of ingredients, just have lots of extra stuff you dont need

Good luck sweetie! You got this!

Honestly, it comes down to how bad you want to lose the weight... If you truly want to lose it, you wont eat the junk.
Everyone gets cravings for things they cannot have. Most people who start off overweight are in some way a "comfort-eater"... The only way to control these cravings is to REALLY want to lose weight; the craving's still there, but you want a trim body more than you want your m&ms. It's the same as quitting smoking; If you don't really want to do it, you'll give in a have another puff.

Sorry but have to disagree a little bit here. Binge eating can be a form of compulsive behavior and is classified as an eating disorder if it is bad enough. In some people it is triggered by other mood disorders (anxiety, OCD, depression). If this is the case simply "wanting" to lose weight will never be enough. That is like saying someone with depression can get over it by "wanting" to be happy.

To the OP, and anyone else with binge eating they have tried to control over and over but can not, consider that there may be an emotional component to it. Try a support group like OA or even seeing a therapist. There is no shame is talking to someone about your feelings and finding out why you do the things you do.

I suffer from OCD and depression but never thought my binge eating was related to that. When I finally realized it might be and found a therapist who agreed I started on the road to change.

For some people it is a will power thing but not for everyone.

In my opinion its emotional AND chemical. I WANTED to be skinny for 6 years but I was also extremely depressed, on medications and UNDERNOURISHED. I ate, but what I ate was killing me. I believe 100% that certain foods can do nothing but trigger cravings and that if you load your system up with junk, thats what its going to crave (desire to be thin or no).

See a psychologist. No kidding; a psychologist who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy can help you learn to control cravings. If your employer offers an EAP (employee assistance program) you can probably even get at least a few visits free.

Kelli- Glad you are trying to find support and change your life! Congrats to taking the first step. It is not easy to give up the and thing and cravings are hard to overcome. I have done fit competitions and I still got during my diet period. My trainer told me this and it helped. It is have one "cheat" meal a week. It helps you cut down the cravings, you have something to look forward to and once you have it you are good until the next time. We can't always be prefect with our diets but having one "cheat" item or meal will help you have success while losing the weight. I live by this rule and find myself a much happier person when I get to have M & M or ice cream.

Good Luck!

Clean out your cupboards of all cravings. Fill yourself up on lean proteins. Like with any addiction, if you cut out those bad foods completely, your body will eventually stop craving them. Go on the internet and find healthy substitute recipes for those that you crave. Also don't be fooled by "fat free" foods. They are usually filled with sugar and carbs! Wish I had an easy solution for you, but I don't. It all breaks down to what is more important to you. That tasty treat or losing the weight.

willpower!! willpower!! willpower!! thats it! Try giving yourself a treat day at a weekend, and then you'll have something to look forward to. If its chocolate you crave try eating a spinach salad, (the body may crave magnesium rich foods). Get some Multi vitamins take them religiously, drink lots of water (avoid sodas!!)

something that worked for me is find a photo you particularly hate yourself in, write on the front of it next to your image how it makes you feel, and pin it to the fridge or cupboard (whichever you go to most) it helped me make sensible choices about food. This helps when you a share a house with people who arn't dieting.

finally dont think of it as a diet, if you feel your deprived then you will fail! think of it as a healthy eating plan or a lifestyle choice!

if you need support- there are lots of people on here going through the same thing. Feel free to add us as friends and send us messages! Check out other peoples food diaries can give you tips on the kind of meals to eat and in what quanties

.... you can induldge in your cravings. You just can't OVERDO!

There's no reason why you can fit a piece of chocolate per day into your calories or a few chips.

If you keep telling yourself you CAN"T have those things you're defeating yourself before you begin. Chill out and adjust your day to make room for the things you want. This isn't a sprint it's a marathon and if you don't learn how to include those things and eat for the long run even if you do lose weight you'll gain it right back when you start eating 'normally'.

Make room and use portion control.

Do this and you *will* lose weight:

1) Eat mostly to get the nutrition your body needs, and less for enjoyment. Establish a healthful diet and find pleasure in other things.

2) Three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That's it. No snacks, and no "in between" meals.

3) Give up sugar. No sugar in coffee, soda, or on cereal. Give up fruit juice -- it's mainly just another form of sugar. Water is the only liquid you need.

4) In the beginning, establish a very regulated moderate calorie diet. Don't follow any sort of fad. Just pick a selection of foods that add up to a normal balanced diet -- whole grains, veggies, fruit, dairy, a little meat, etc. But start out by having exactly the same three meals each day -- the same foods and the same amounts. Weigh the portions on a scale. Consider frozen dinners. Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine, Kashi, Smart Ones, and probably other brands have several that are low in calories and saturated fat, 25% daily value or less of sodium, and high in fiber.

5) Weigh yourself every day on a 0.2 lb. accuracy scale. Your weight should go down over every two or three days. If it doesn't, eliminate items from your diet or reduce the size of portions until your weight does go down. (If you don't have a 0.2 lb. accuracy scale, I'd recommend the EatSmart Precision Plus Digital Scale, which is sold on Amazon.) Don't obsess over the scale — let it be your friend and point the way to a weight losing diet.

6) When you have achieved a weight losing diet, then you can start making adjustments to add variety, but make sure that you keep losing weight.

7) Maintain your exercise program.

This is a lot of bad advice.

Well done on taking the first step on your journey.
I have been a major closet eater for a long time & would overload on chocolate as comfort food. I just decided that enough is enough & it's only going to change if 'I' decide to make a change for myself.

Track everything that you eat - MFP has really opened my eyes to how much I was overheating - especially with home cooked meals in the evening, it's so easy to add food & create your own recipes & easy to see exactly where you are at each day.

Find an exercise you like to do - even if its just walking - it all helps! And if you burn some calories, you get to eat a little bit more.

I find its easier to stick to my day if its planned out ahead. I plan a weeks meals & shop for what I need, not for what I don't. Of course, there are the odd unusually days, like when a new dinner you try is gross, so you end up the take away! (yes that happened to me last week!). But even all that is in MFP and can be tracked.

Allow yourself little treats now and again - it's good for the soul! But be sensible with it - I use to buy a fusized packet of smarties as my Sunday treat because they take a long time to eat!

Log in each day and get some support - we are all trying to do the same and the support here is amazing.

Good luck to you :-D
Feel free to add me a s a friend for support if you like :-)

Do this and you *will* lose weight:

1) Eat mostly to get the nutrition your body needs, and less for enjoyment. Establish a healthful diet and find pleasure in other things.

2) Three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That's it. No snacks, and no "in between" meals.

3) Give up sugar. No sugar in coffee, soda, or on cereal. Give up fruit juice -- it's mainly just another form of sugar. Water is the only liquid you need.

4) In the beginning, establish a very regulated moderate calorie diet. Don't follow any sort of fad. Just pick a selection of foods that add up to a normal balanced diet -- whole grains, veggies, fruit, dairy, a little meat, etc. But start out by having exactly the same three meals each day -- the same foods and the same amounts. Weigh the portions on a scale. Consider frozen dinners. Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine, Kashi, Smart Ones, and probably other brands have several that are low in calories and saturated fat, 25% daily value or less of sodium, and high in fiber.

5) Weigh yourself every day on a 0.2 lb. accuracy scale. Your weight should go down over every two or three days. If it doesn't, eliminate items from your diet or reduce the size of portions until your weight does go down. (If you don't have a 0.2 lb. accuracy scale, I'd recommend the EatSmart Precision Plus Digital Scale, which is sold on Amazon.) Don't obsess over the scale — let it be your friend and point the way to a weight losing diet.

6) When you have achieved a weight losing diet, then you can start making adjustments to add variety, but make sure that you keep losing weight.

7) Maintain your exercise program.

This is a lot of bad advice.

I read and thought the same. I do agree with #1 though. If you are having trouble with emotional eating, work on fun hobbies, and try to see food as Nutrition not source of happiness. (not that there is anything wrong with enjoying food, but if it is a source of happiness, then you will turn to it when you are sad or stressed if that is your inclination.)

Completely agree - do not follow that advice!