Identified a Carb Craving

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MaiLinna
MaiLinna Posts: 580 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have finally pinpointed all of my cravings and at which time of the day I crave it. Almost immediately after lunch I crave sweets. This happens every single day. I crave any kind of sweet, be it chocolate, cookies, cakes, whatever. This is around the 1-2pm mark.

Anywhere between 5-8pm I crave sweet carbs. A perfect example would be a doughnut - it's chewy, soft, moist, and sweet. I crave it so bad.

Now that I have pinpointed the "Whens" and "Whats," how do I pinpoint the "Whys" and the "WTF to do about its?"

Replies

  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
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    Plan the rest of your day around these snacks and have them. E.g. I like something sweet at night - I keep the required calories/macros so I can have a snicker or whatever.
  • MaiLinna
    MaiLinna Posts: 580 Member
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    I can't possibly macro these things. They're too ridiculous. 500 cals? I could plan 2 meals for that!
  • SaraC1977
    SaraC1977 Posts: 51
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    Can you work these items into your diet by just having a smaller portion? For example, instead of having 10 Oreos btwn 1-2 pm, maybe 1 one medium size oatmeal cookie or a couple pieces of sugar free candy. For the donut craving, instead of having a bunch of frosted sugary donuts, maybe have one plain or glazed donut and split it. Eat one half around 5 pm and save the other half for the same time the next day.
    I've found that if I allow this into my diet, in moderation, I'm less like to cheat and go on an eating binge by eating a whole Ben & Jerry's ice cream or a jumbo pack of Twizzlers. You have to make it long term and the reality is that if you deny the things you love, it won't last and then you binge. I don't lose as fast as some people but I've kept it off the longest.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
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    I don't know what to tell you then. Deprive yourself, then binge?

    Make it work, or don't. I have more cals to play with now but still managed to fit things that I enjoyed in when I was eating 1200, 1600 and 1800 cals.

    Maybe try adding more exercise so you can fit them in. I know my mum and her friend will go walking till they have burned enough for vodka :/
  • lavendy17
    lavendy17 Posts: 309 Member
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    I don't know you, or what you eat, but this helped me a lot- if I eat a fruit at breakfast (alongside my normal slice of bread with cream cheese), and I have another fruit around 10:30, it reduces my sweet tooth significantly. For 2-pm I have another juicy fruit like grapes or an orange.
    Our bodies need and want sugar- that's perfectly normal, and fruits are nature's sugar. They really are what your body wants. Give it a go.
    For me, it got rid of craving all those baked goods, for real.

    Besides that, I tend to have coffee after lunch which helps with my chocolate craving.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    I can't possibly macro these things. They're too ridiculous. 500 cals? I could plan 2 meals for that!

    Then it seems the answer is that you can't eat it.
  • CanGirl40
    CanGirl40 Posts: 379 Member
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    I also feel like I need a "sweet" after lunch, and I'll often pack "dessert" like a bit of Greek yogurt and fruit, or a square of dark chocolate.
    And I *always* have a treat at night - lately I freeze "healthier" muffins and heat one up every evening after the kids are in bed. Only 200 cals and it satisfies the craving. Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins...yum. Oh yeah and a light hot chocolate. #heaven
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    I found that a) eating enough and b) getting a good mix of protein, complex carbs and fats in my main meals has helped me with this issue.
    I still get cravings after my dinner for something sweet, and I solve this by having nuts and dried fruit for dessert, or an apple or banana. Sometimes I have 81% dark chocolate. A few squares are 140 calories, and they are big squares.
    I also sometimes have Fage Greek yoghurt with a little agave nectar or stevia thrown in, or a banana mashed in with it.
    You can either find some healthy alternatives, or you can find a way to fit these treats into your day sometimes, even if it is half a doughnut, or half a cookie etc. Or simply have one of the items you crave on the weekend.
  • SquidVonBob
    SquidVonBob Posts: 290 Member
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    I misread the title as Identified a Crab Carving.

    Set aside a day every so often for a doughnut, but other days try to swap out for a low cal alternative. Toast with a little bit on honey or cinnamon sugar is nice. Or just try having less of said doughnut.
  • MaiLinna
    MaiLinna Posts: 580 Member
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    I have a love affair with Halos, so I've been eating them with breakfast and I throw them in my snacks. I hope that'll help eventually. I'm trying a coffee day today - going to drink a few cups through the day with just a bit of my vanilla Almond Breeze in it. Unless I'm out and about the coffee I drink is relatively low in calories so that's a plus.

    There's a chocolate I love called Endangered Species. it's organic, and they have a 72% dark with blueberries in it. I went on a "binge" and ate half the bar the other day. Feels good when a binge is only 200 calories. XD

    I also love coffee flavored ice cream, and since I eat so slow I really don't eat more then the 1/2 cup servings. I happened to find a cappuccino froyo with 4 servings in it for only $2 at Walmart!!! It's so good!!! Such a steal considering I can't buy large cartons of ice cream because it gets freezer burned by the time I get around to eating it in the winter time. :P

    Thanks for the help! Lol...Crab Carvings.

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