How to beat the cravings.

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daklatt
daklatt Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
How do I beat the cravings? The gym I was going to closed about 6 months ago and I've struggled to keep any kind of consistency with my work outs, if I'm doing them at all. Then the holidays rolled through with all the glory of sugar and sweet delights. I've started T25 to give myself a jump start to get things moving again, but I'm really struggling to beat the cravings for chocolate and potato chips! How do I work through the cravings? Is there a good way to include small portions of some of my favorites without blowing a strict diet?

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  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
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    Bump
  • tyrsnbdr
    tyrsnbdr Posts: 234 Member
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    Gum and water. I also spread my meals through out the day. I try eat every 3 hours and keep the mental picture of filling up the gas tank at 1/4 tank and only filling it to 3/4 tank.
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
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    Is there a good way to include small portions of some of my favorites without blowing a strict diet?
    Unless you have issues with binging and these are triggers, yes, that's exactly what you do. It helps many with long term adherence.
  • carriern2006
    carriern2006 Posts: 15 Member
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    Is there a good way to include small portions of some of my favorites without blowing a strict diet?
    Unless you have issues with binging and these are triggers, yes, that's exactly what you do. It helps many with long term adherence.

    i agree! if you can, put a portion out and fill the craving! If i want something, i dont suffer-i just satisfy it with one portion and count it! its easier to mess up one meal or snack then to go crazy trying to fulfill it because you didnt get what you wanted! I feel like I keep eating and eating until I go back to the original thing I wanted anyhow so might as well start with it!
  • angdpowers
    angdpowers Posts: 311 Member
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    For me, having "a little" always makes me want MORE! Unless I can have plenty, I have to stay away because well, I sadly think and obsess about that dang piece of chocolate because sure, I wish that one miniature piece was great, and it was, but then I want like 5 more pieces. :s Wish it weren't true for me, but it is.

    Winter is tooooough I think. Just want to eat (and those good comfort, tasty, filling foods) and hibernate.

    I know if I drink some coffee with 1/2 and 1/2, that seems to ward off the sweet tooth.

    How strict is your diet? You look fabulous in your profile picture :)
  • ottermotorcycle
    ottermotorcycle Posts: 654 Member
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    Yup, that's it - portion control! You can also allow yourself occasional "maintenance days" where you eat more but not over your maintenance level. It does no harm and you can treat yourself to fattier things :)

    You can also try to find lower-calorie or higher-nutrient versions of your favorites. I can't tell you how many awesome recipes there are for chocolate chip cookies on here!
  • shira324
    shira324 Posts: 156 Member
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    Gum and water. I also spread my meals through out the day. I try eat every 3 hours and keep the mental picture of filling up the gas tank at 1/4 tank and only filling it to 3/4 tank.

    I love this image, never really thought about it like that, but I'm definitely going to try it for a while.
  • garbagedog
    garbagedog Posts: 31
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    I could not give up my sweets. Any diet program that means I can't have the good stuff would fail. So, since I couldn't beat sweet treats, I decided to join them. Ha! I actually searched for some alternative/substitution recipes. The following is a collection of them that get me through any sweet craving:
    http://voices.yahoo.com/holiday-cookie-recipes-dieters-12430316.html?cat=5

    I also do the gum and water thing, but these cookies keep me from the guilt of slipping with real high-fat, high-sugar sweets. I think they'll help you. The one cookie, in fact, is so good I even eat it for breakfast some days!
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
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    First, no reason to give up the things you love most...just eat them occasionally in moderation.

    Second, cravings can be reduced if you greatly reduce/eliminate processed foods from what you eat. I'm not going to hit you with any "eat clean" campaign or anything, but I can tell you that when I focus on lean proteins (chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, quality protein powder, beans, etc.), healthy fats (natural PB and other nut butters, EVOO, coconut oil, nuts, etc.) and carbs with a low glycemic value index (basically all veggies, berries, apples, sweet potatoes, etc.).....cravings for processed sugar/food are pretty much eliminated after a relatively short period of time (3-7 days). Whether or not you want to believe that processed foods/sugars contain chemicals or other things that create cravings for more processed foods/sugars, I can only tell you that when I stay away from processed foods/sugars, I don't have a craving for them. When I start to eat the processed foods/sugars, I crave more of them. In short, its easier for me to say no to any Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies than to limit myself to only a few of them.

    For me, I read stuff and if it makes sense, I try it. If it works, I try to keep doing it. But this journey should be about your own trial and error. I'm not trying to sell you on any science mojo. Instead, I'm telling you I read some science mojo, it made sense to me, I tried it, and it worked for me.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    Think about why you're craving them. Are you craving the chocolate because it makes you feel better? Or the potato chips because you want something salty or crunchy? If there's an underlying reason for the cravings, it's probably a good idea to deal with those underlying reasons.

    That said, chocolate, in and of itself, is actually a good food to include, if you can go with the dark chocolate. Chocolate is full of antioxidants, but they get destroyed when mixed with milk and diluted in the "milk chocolate" recipes. Go with a high quality dark chocolate (the darker, the better), and reap some of the benefits.
  • GBrady43068
    GBrady43068 Posts: 1,256 Member
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    Three things:

    1) Up your water intake. Sometimes when you're "hungry", you're actually just dehydrated. This MAY work..
    2) Eat more fiber....leafy vegetables will keep you full longer. This could work if you like them...
    3) Plan a HEALTHY way to fit it into your macros...buy a "Skinny Cow" brand (or similar) chocolate bar with less fat/calories. Or choose dark chocolate over milk. (for reasons Dragonwolf mentioned) Buy the bag of potato chips but immediately portion them into baggies in the ACTUAL serving size (not what your craving says you should "get" to eat...AKA by the bagfull :laugh: )
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I try a healthier version of the stuff, typically, or a small portion, and fit it within my calories.
  • marrynew
    marrynew Posts: 5
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    I have no more cravings since on Phentermine. ... and this is so cool! :)

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