Do cravings last forever?

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Mockingbirds531
Mockingbirds531 Posts: 18
in Food and Nutrition
Guys please answer this because this is REALLY Bbothering me.

I have binge eating disorder. I am absolutely crazed about pizza and sugary things AND EVEN STUFF THAT AREN't JUNK FOOD LIKE NUTS AND FRESH RASPBERRIES!!!! I can't ever have just one piece and the cravings are absolutely UNCONTROLLABLE.
I dont want to be fat but i loooooooooooooooove food so. freaking. much. And in order for one to maintain a slim figure then they have to make their new diet a LIFESTYLE change right?
Yeah, we'll, i have an issue. I CANNOT imagine it as a lifestyle because i have extremely intense cravings. Every day. I mean every day i have these madly wild cravings that i face DAILY, and they dominate every thought of my life. It's so tiring. No matter how hard I try to eat healthily i will ALWAYS want to eat 12 bars of chocolate. Please, help, someone, will cravings as intense as these last with me for the REST of my life????
If anyone here no longer craves overeating, tell me your story :(
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Replies

  • xDawnsgrace
    xDawnsgrace Posts: 436
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    it goes away after not bingeing for a while.

    for the most part, anyway.

    i used to crave nutella all the time.. i'd buy the 5 pound jar and eat it all with a spoon within about 3-4 days. sometimes less.

    I stopped buying it, started eating healthier, and now i haven't had nutella in a year.

    i miss it, but it's a "trigger food" for me.
  • jaya_lakshmi
    jaya_lakshmi Posts: 5
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    Nope, cravings go away eventually! I gradually got anorexia. When I started restricting, I wanted EVERYTHING. But the less I ate it, the less I craved it. Just do it gradually. First, stop eating ONE thing you want. Don't eat it until you stop wanting it, wait for a week or so, and then quit something else. Soon you'll stop binging on everything (:
  • HealthyMakeover
    HealthyMakeover Posts: 142 Member
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    Get rid of those foods that trigger a binge. Log everything that you eat, and when you crave something, drink a lot of water or tea. It's going to be hard. But you really can regain self control and push through it.
  • humptydumpty40
    humptydumpty40 Posts: 21
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    Yep I have to agree with the person who said nutella was still good. I have also found trigger foods. I looooooovvvvvvveeeeee for too. If I stop at Dunkin Donuts I eat three donuts. Then why not there's a snickers candy bar at every check out. If I eat healthier I crave less. I have an ever growing list of trigger foods though. Treat your self sometimes, but you're looking to change past behavior.
  • GothicaAdore
    GothicaAdore Posts: 82 Member
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    I've been doing this for about three months and the craving is still there for me. I crave food basically constantly. I find chocolate Special K does a good job of holding me over and I drink a lot of tea. But every day I want a giant plate of rice. It is my craving and my desire for it is ever present.

    I manage to hold to my diet most days, but it costs me focus in all other aspects of my life. I do not work as well at work, I am less attentive to events around me and I am less able to do things I don't like. Willpower it seems, is a limited resource.

    Good luck with your craving.
  • misti777
    misti777 Posts: 217 Member
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    Yes, they do end. Just preoccupy yourself using your hands, in the meantime . Maybe draw or write, or even doodle if you have to. Maybe clean up the house. I know what you mean about wanting to binge on things that aren't even junk food, or considered junk food. And also:

    Try to talk to people more. When I talk to my sister and other relatives more I feel less depressed and lonely, which is part of the reason(for comfort) that I would binge
    Find a good tasting tea too fill you up and maybe satisfying a craving you might be having. Lipton apple cinnamon tea is wonderful.
    If you really want something, you can have it, just portion it out so you know when to stop.
    When it comes to pizza and sugary things, just eat the pizza one piece at a time. Also, home baked pizza's are usually better for you and have less calorie. Some extra thin whole pizzas at grocery stores have as many calories than in only half a fast food pizza does.
    Count calories and work out. Get into the habit of meeting or coming close to your calorie goal. It'll be kind of like self-training.
    Also, allow a cheat day/meal once a week, it'll help keep a lifestyle change sustainable. Cause nobody wants to go their whole without pizza and fries. : )

    Really hope this helps : )
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,714 Member
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    I personally do not believe you have to give up what you crave (unless it's drugs, alcohol, gambling, or other true addictions) to enjoy a good lifestyle. What you do have to do though is change your HABIT of food consumption. Don't eat a whole pizza. Don't eat 12 bars of chocolate. Will it be tough? Probably, but if you are determined and committed, you can learn how to have what you enjoy in moderation.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Mockingbirds531
    Mockingbirds531 Posts: 18
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    I've been doing this for about three months and the craving is still there for me. I crave food basically constantly. I find chocolate Special K does a good job of holding me over and I drink a lot of tea. But every day I want a giant plate of rice. It is my craving and my desire for it is ever present.

    I manage to hold to my diet most days, but it costs me focus in all other aspects of my life. I do not work as well at work, I am less attentive to events around me and I am less able to do things I don't like. Willpower it seems, is a limited resource.

    Good luck with your craving.

    Oh my goodness yes, this is what I fear :( I don't want to spend the rest of my life like this
  • Sunbrooke
    Sunbrooke Posts: 632 Member
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    It took years, but I don't really get strong cravings anymore. Try to replace them with healthier cravings. Start rituals, like the same healthy meal after a workout, or the same healthy snack after dinner. If you are an emotional eater, the positive connotations will start to add up. I like tuna and mrs dash after a work out and sparkling water over frozen berries as an after dinner snack. Concentrate more on adding the things you want to be eating than on restricting the things you don't want. Chocolate is the worst for me. I can have a piece, but if there is a box in the house, I will keep thinking about it. This valentines day, I asked for a spa gift card instead lol.
  • FMcrafter
    FMcrafter Posts: 3
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    I was wondering....i had cravings until my vitamins and minerals got in order...that helped for alot...the rest seem to be mood eating
  • Mockingbirds531
    Mockingbirds531 Posts: 18
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    Nope, cravings go away eventually! I gradually got anorexia. When I started restricting, I wanted EVERYTHING. But the less I ate it, the less I craved it. Just do it gradually. First, stop eating ONE thing you want. Don't eat it until you stop wanting it, wait for a week or so, and then quit something else. Soon you'll stop binging on everything (:

    What if there a billion things i want to eat???
  • strivingfor130
    strivingfor130 Posts: 221 Member
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    I'll be honest. I am actually going to therapy for my emotional eating. I have intense cravings and once they hit I think about food obsessively. I may not end up eating that food I'm craving, but I end up overindulging in something similar. I'm trying to figure out what is behind all the bingeing for me, so I can feel satisfied with a normal portion. Something you may want to look into...
  • x311Tifa
    x311Tifa Posts: 357 Member
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    Nope, cravings go away eventually! I gradually got anorexia . When I started restricting, I wanted EVERYTHING. But the less I ate it, the less I craved it. Just do it gradually. First, stop eating ONE thing you want. Don't eat it until you stop wanting it, wait for a week or so, and then quit something else. Soon you'll stop binging on everything (:

    Did everyone else miss that??

    Also, I started craving things like fresh fruit and specific kind of meals that I used to have when I ate healthier. Weird, I know.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    Nope, cravings go away eventually! I gradually got anorexia . When I started restricting, I wanted EVERYTHING. But the less I ate it, the less I craved it. Just do it gradually. First, stop eating ONE thing you want. Don't eat it until you stop wanting it, wait for a week or so, and then quit something else. Soon you'll stop binging on everything (:

    Did everyone else miss that??

    Also, I started craving things like fresh fruit and specific kind of meals that I used to have when I ate healthier. Weird, I know.

    I certainly did not miss it, nor the fact her goal weight is 80 pounds.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    I've been doing this for about three months and the craving is still there for me. I crave food basically constantly. I find chocolate Special K does a good job of holding me over and I drink a lot of tea. But every day I want a giant plate of rice. It is my craving and my desire for it is ever present.

    I manage to hold to my diet most days, but it costs me focus in all other aspects of my life. I do not work as well at work, I am less attentive to events around me and I am less able to do things I don't like. Willpower it seems, is a limited resource.

    Good luck with your craving.

    I'm going to disagree with willpower being a limited resource. Starting out, I would say things like the above and "I just don't have any willpower" because I kept telling myself I didn't have it, that I couldn't do something, etc. When it boiled down to it, though, it was just an excuse I was using to allow myself to fail.

    It's taken years but guess what, I do have willpower and I am able to use. I've found it's like a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it gets. I think willpower is an unlimited resource. It just takes practice and the determination not to quit to build up on it.
  • LouiseChe
    LouiseChe Posts: 24 Member
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    Mine didn't! The first few months were hard as far as cravings go. Potato chips were my weakness - I found it so hard to stop. When I decided to lose weight, boy did I miss it. I cut them out completely for the first three months and eventually found that I just didn't crave them anymore. I've since added them in, but in moderation. It's a lifestyle change, not a diet, and I couldn't not have potato chips ever again. Now I stick to a small handful and everything is weighed and logged. I don't have them often because I don't crave them anymore. I've also found that I really like a certain brand of vege chips, which are less calories than potato chips. I have a small bag of them (12 g worth) if I feel like it.

    Push through it! Eventually they dull and you might find that, like me, you end up really wanting the healthy stuff. I've found that the junky stuff makes me feel bloated and yucky now if I overindulge. It probably always did, but now I notice!
  • echoecho11
    echoecho11 Posts: 20 Member
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    I was wondering....i had cravings until my vitamins and minerals got in order...that helped for alot...the rest seem to be mood eating

    ^^^ this

    Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can cause increased cravings so that the body has a chance to replenish, also can cause poor impulse control. If you eat nutrient dense foods you might find the cravings decrease. It has been found that people consume more calories of nutritionally void food (junk, rice, white bread etc) in a sitting just because the body is pushing for some vitamins and minerals.

    The above has to go hand in hand what other's have mentioned (gradual habit changes and working at self control).
  • echoecho11
    echoecho11 Posts: 20 Member
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    One way to get the goodies is to make fresh squeezed fruit and veg juices at home with a juicer(mostly veg though as fruit is high in sugar). A glass of this is a huge vitamin and mineral hit that is absorbed instantly. You could try this for a few weeks and see if this makes any difference.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I still have cravings. I just try and make healthier versions of things... Or eat them in a way that I can't binge (buy one slice of pizza, preportioned portions etc). Frankly logging everything I eat has made a big difference though... I know how many calories things have and it stops me from eating too much of them most of the time (or I don't have dinner... which kinda sucks).
  • Athena53
    Athena53 Posts: 717 Member
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    The great pieces of advice from these posts (IMO) are that you need to cut out your trigger foods and/or obtain only a small amount such as an individual serving. My triggers are all sugary. I've just had to stop eating some things because it's very hard to stop. Remind yourself that food is engineered that way. My mother pointed out years ago that after eating something sweet, you get an aftertaste that you an banish only if you eat more of it. (Her weakness was spearmint leaf gel candies.) Another way to get rid of the aftertaste, though, is to brush your teeth.

    And it's OK to love food. I do, too. I have baby carrots around all the time to munch on. When I want to treat myself, I buy arugula at the grocery store in the middle of the winter, or fresh mushrooms to sauté with a little garlic salt to go with dinner, or fresh blueberries to put in my yogurt. In warm weather when the farmer's market is up and running, I'm in heaven. Tons of delicious, healthy stuff to eat. Zero guilt.

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