I need help with CRAVINGS

hmsteph
hmsteph Posts: 23
edited September 22 in Health and Weight Loss
So I am really new at this to the point that the cravings are ridiculous. I dream of food, my mouth starts watering when I see food on t.v., I am obsessing and it's hard. It makes me irritable and Its worst when I am at work (I work at the front desk of a hotel) so it's not like I can just leave or go work out. I feel so stuck. I crave SWEETS specifically chocolate can anyone tell me a healthier solution for my chocolate craving than the butterfinger bar screaming my name from the vending machine?

Replies

  • MommyOfThree260
    MommyOfThree260 Posts: 18
    I love 100 calorie packs!! They have Reese's, brownies, cookies...you name it!! Works great for my sweet and salt cravings!
  • kmart20
    kmart20 Posts: 72
    I agree the 100 calorie packs are awesome for craving. Also I drink chocolate milk to get my chocolate fix. I have one cheat day a week for my cravings as well.
  • msbanana
    msbanana Posts: 793 Member
    A square of dark chocolate or a 3 musketeer mini and some berries (strawberries and dark chocolate YUM!!) will do the trick for me. I found a chocolate Oatmeal that is pretty good (Better Oats Lavish) If I have that as my afternoon snack (usually when I crave chocolate) It helps a lot too.

    As a side note: I don't know if you drink diet soda BUT the artificial sweeteners in diet soda will make you crave sweets. I know they're really hard to give up but try water with lemon, tea or anything that doesn't have the artificial sweetener it REALLY REALLY will help.

    :drinker:
  • KLP75
    KLP75 Posts: 21
    I freeze a bag of hershey kisses. They take longer to melt in your mouth! That way one or two will satisfy a craving instead of half bag, lol.
  • bushman124
    bushman124 Posts: 85 Member
    I have a horrible sweet tooth. Here are my favorites that get me through the day. I have not had a candy bar in awhile, and now I crave my "new favorites": Fiber One Key Lime Pie Yogurt; Weight Watchers Raspberry Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Bars; Strawberry Frozen Yogurt bars; grapes. Hope this helps and best of luck to you in your journey! :flowerforyou:
  • hmsteph
    hmsteph Posts: 23
    Thank you guys for the info! I have been off soda for 2 weeks and maybe this is some weird residual craving for that who knows...
  • kappyblu
    kappyblu Posts: 654 Member
    I know it's hard. The fiber one oats and chocolate bar are awesome! The 100 calorie packs and don't forget the 90 calorie quaker mini drizzle rice cakes. They are fabulous! Also, Extra makes a new gum now (sugarless) that have dessert flavors. Try the mint chocolate chip....it's delicious!! Good luck!!
  • bikerbiz
    bikerbiz Posts: 179 Member
    Carrots, celery sticks...lots of water. Try cup of hot tea or broth. And if you have some room for calories, you'll be surprised how a spoonful of peanut butter will curb your cravings--it has a good dose of protein and good fats. Bring some of it on celery. I also try the single packs of applesauce (Mott's no-sugar-added Granny Smith is really good and juicy), or low-fat cottage cheese (Breakstone's single packs--90 cals).
  • CarlydogsMom
    CarlydogsMom Posts: 645 Member
    May I recommend Jello Mousse Delights, Dark Chocolate Decadance? Only 60 calories. Light, fluffy, and dark-chocolatey. They have other flavors too. Perfect after-dinner treat.
  • KimbersNewLife
    KimbersNewLife Posts: 646 Member
    I agree peanut butter is a life saver and in a PMS emergancy I will have a bite size butterfinger I eat it very slowly and savor it. I only allow cheats at TOM and only after I try all my secrets. Apple Cider vingar pills help me a lot also I drink a huge glass of Water Before I have a bad treat and again I only do it the week before or of TOM. I have found knowing I can do this keeps me from binge eating or obsessing the rest of the month. I hope this helps!! Good Luck!!!
  • smedlund
    smedlund Posts: 117 Member
    I literally crave peanut butter. I allow myself 1 serving when I find I need to have it. I found these single serving, all natural packets of different "nut butters" that I've been having for my afternoon craving. They're called Justin's. I randomly stumbled upon them when I was in Whole Foods. They have several different kinds.

    I also will crave spicy. I am a spicy addict. LOVE LOVE LOVE super spicy food! I keep a packet of Big Red in my purse and chew a piece when I think I need to go get some spicy asian food. It gives me the spice I crave, but not the calories.
  • jenna_watsonator
    jenna_watsonator Posts: 99 Member
    Im a total binger at heart and could not have enough discipline with 100 calorie snack packs....id end up eating the entire box! Maybe try a little bit of something that tastes super rich instead of a bigger portion of "diet food"...a decadent piece of chocolate, a spoon of full fat ice cream...
  • ksimmons19
    ksimmons19 Posts: 223 Member
    I agree that spices will help your body get what it may be needing that is creating the cravings. After a while of eating right and making sure you're getting enough of the nutritions your body needs, it will stop begging you for the things it wants. Usually when you have cravings it's because your body is lacking in some area. I don't know about the whole aspartame thing-everyone says that it makes you crave sweets more but I eat that stuff like it's going out of style and I don't even like sweets very much... I guess to each their own. Just do what you can to get over the cravings and after a few weeks when your body has gotten used to this new way of eating, it will fade away and you'll be craving other healthier things!
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    I am all for enjoying your favorite foods in moderation. Trying to give things up does not help your weight loss at all. I haven't really craved candy or sweets for a while, but when I needed chocolate I loved the Trader Joe's 100 calories chocolate bars. They are the most amazing chocolate I think I've ever eaten and they're big enough to be satisfying. I also really loved the Oreo 100 calorie packs. Also, as weird as it might sound, Japanese cookies are great! They often come in small individual packs and are almost always made with a ton less sugar than American cookies. If you have an Asian market near you it's worth checking out. Or a lot of times big grocery stores will have an Asian section, you can try to find some there. Pocky, dipped pretzel-like cookies are really good and so are the Hello Panda/Koala filled cookies.
  • rai8759
    rai8759 Posts: 296 Member
    I drink tea with fat free milk and 2 teaspoons of sugar to give me something that fills my tummy but is also low calorie
    For a chocolate craving I would recommend low-cal hot chocolate. I've got some in my pantry. Like 60 calories a serving. Take a travel mug to have with you at the front desk.

    Also water water water... all the time, all day. Sometimes I play games with myself saying "I can have a snack, but I have to drink X amount of water first". Often by the time I've drank whatever I planned to I'm not even hungry anymore, but if I am I know I'm actually hungry and I should eat my snack.

    Timing. I used to feel hungry like half hour to an hour after I ate. The truth is that your body is lying to you. It does not need food. It had more to do with insulin levels in your body or you are in the habit of eating frequently, boredom, anxiety, etc. Make a rule for yourself that you have to wait at least X time between eating. For me I try to make it 3 hours because I feel like my body genuinely needs food every 3 hours. It used to wait 4, but I was so miserable. For you it might be one or two, but then you have to plan your calories that way.

    Planning- record the times your cravings hit. Plan your meals/snacks accordingly. If you feel like you always need a snack at 2pm then have something ready.

    And as always...meals with protein and loads of veggies. You can eat more of these for your calorie value.

    I hope this helps. =)
  • Bermudabarbie
    Bermudabarbie Posts: 568 Member
    You just started MFP earlier this month. It does get a little bit easier as you go along. I caution you now, please change your settings to include your sugar grams. Even the 100 calorie packs can be loaded with sugars. Hidden sugars are everywhere. Be careful!

    Go Lightly sugar free cinnamon hard candies do usually handle the cravings for me. But (to be honest) the cravings never go away 100%. I have lost a total of 84 pounds -- 9 on MFP -- but I still crave cookies and candy. What can I say? It does get easier though. Good luck in reaching your goals.
  • hmsteph
    hmsteph Posts: 23
    You have all been so helpful I really appreciate it! Just changed my diary to include sugars Holy cow!!! I had no idea and here I was craving even more! Definitely a real eye opener something about being 37 in the red suddenly put things in a whole new perspective.
  • biglazydog
    biglazydog Posts: 15 Member
    A cup of hot chocolate mint tea works for me. Going to make a cup!!
  • ActionJackson
    ActionJackson Posts: 31
    Dark Chocolate Plum Sweets by Sunsweet taste just like chocolate covered raisins. 14cal, 6 grams of fat.
  • rayfromtx
    rayfromtx Posts: 111
    I try to avoid sugars and instead use protein and fiber to get me through the day. These foods take longer to digest and the energy is longer lived. They also help with blood sugar levels. I eat a bowl of oatmeal and maybe an egg white for extra protein or I have a breakfast taco. For lunch, I have a taco with lots of protein. This gets me through the day and saves lots of calories for the evening when I'm sitting around more with time to think about snacking. Look at my diary to see what works for me.

    I checked your diary and it is a little worse than you thought since the orange juice you logged doesn't show a sugar content but actually contains about 3 grams per ounce. Make sure the entries you choose from the data base include all the nutrient values as many here don't and make sure they make sense as some are wrong. Compare several to see if the one you were going to log is way off from the others.

    I would avoid the bagel and cream cheese and the juice in the morning; because when I go that route I'm really hungry by 10 in the morning and thinking about food until lunch which makes it harder to choose wisely for that meal. Go protein and go balanced.

    The 100 calorie snacks didn't work for me. They are so small and unsatisfying and use up calories that I need later to fill up on things that last longer like 2 oz of steak or 3 oz of fish or a big serving of veggies. I hope this helps, and spend a little time in my diary to see what works for me, especially the work days to see what my "get me through the day" foods are.
  • msbanana
    msbanana Posts: 793 Member
    The 100 calorie snacks didn't work for me. They are so small and unsatisfying and use up calories that I need later to fill up on things that last longer like 2 oz of steak or 3 oz of fish or a big serving of veggies. I hope this helps, and spend a little time in my diary to see what works for me, especially the work days to see what my "get me through the day" foods are.

    I'm totally with you here. I can't do the 100 calorie packs. I think the biggest thing for me is that I know that it's the same CRAP that's in the big bag just portion controlled. I personally would rather have all natural fat free yogurt and berries or oatmeal or ANYTHING with some substance to kill that sweet tooth.
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