Dieting = Craving BAD foods

EVERY TIME I tell myself, "You can't have that..." my body wants it all the much more.

I've found that that methodology, philosophy, whatever you want to call it simply DOES NOT WORK for me AT ALL.

Therefore, I simply find ways to work it in that aren't going to tank me for the day.

For example, I LOVE chili con queso. LOVE IT. Can't have it in the house. SO, I go to lunch at Don Pablo's, order the "kid sized queso" that's only a few ounces, count out my 8-12 tortilla chips, and enjoy it profusely. That way I have it, it's in a "controlled environment", and I get it "out of my system."

When I have a regular cheeseburger from McDonald's, I cut it in half, remove 1/2 the bun, and put all the meat/cheese on the remaining 1/2 bun - that way you have 1/2 a double cheeseburger, and have just saved yourself some carbs from the bun. You can do that with breakfast sandwiches too. OR take the bun off altogether! That way you can have a handful of fries for the carbs, and not feel as guilty about it!

Just like it's not healthy to completely eliminate all fats or all carbs or whatever, completely eliminating certain foods you love is like going through a grieving process almost. Why put yourself through all that? Find creative ways to get in foods you love. I remember coming back to the office with a piece of key lime pie. I told them it was for everybody to have a taste of - and everybody had a bite or two. That way you aren't depriving yourself.

You can lose weight this way - I have.

Does anyone else have the problem that when you are trying your best to eat healthier, make better choices, and move more that it's like your body/mind is fighting you?

I feel like I have NO control over what my body craves and wants. I get tired of telling myself that I can't have pizza, hamburgers, french fries, etc and I give in. My husband says it's because I don't have the willpower or the "want to", but I feel defeated EVERYTIME I make a lifestyle change and I don't stick with it.

I've tried the "food swaps" and while some of them are reasonable and delicious, most of them leave me wanting the real thing. Example: I made Spinach and Feta pizza on whole wheat crust instead of Three Meat pizza. While the taste was delicious, I still wanted meat.. and lots of it!

Then you probably needed the protein.

Two years ago, when I was 215 pounds and brought home a bunch of premium dark chocolate, my husband snarked about my "diet" chocolate and suggested that I eat nothing but watermelon.

I told him I needed to boost my potassium. And then I showed him what a balanced moderate diet and consistent exercise is all about.

1) The human body really, really doesn't like being in a calorie deficit. Really. This makes sense when you realize that the human body literally consumes itself to make up for the missing calories. It responds by making you crave high-calorie foods; particularly those rich in carbs and fats.

2) The human mind really, really doesn't like being told no. If you try to tell yourself that something is totally off-limits, the psyche responds by saying "gimme and gimme now."

There is a proper response to this, and it is two fold.

Part 1: You need discipline and willpower to overcome the body's cravings. As long as you are in a calorie deficit they will never be 100% met, and you have to exercise control over that. Period.

Part 2: Don't treat any food as actually off-limits. Focus on your calorie and nutrient goals. Meet those, and occasionally indulge in the foods you love like pizza and burgers. There will always be more food the next day or the next week. Have the pizza tomorrow night and the burger on Saturday. Or whatever. Plan these things ahead so you can look forward to them. This allows you to exercise control in the short term.

First things first - your husband needs to butt out about willpower. He's not helping.

Second - If you want a burger, have a burger. If you're an omnivore, red meat isn't off limits. If you want fries, go to McD's and get a small size. If you want three meat pizza,have a slice. Just plan the rest of your day around those foods.

Don't deny yourself the simple pleasures in life (within reason). Eventually, you might find yourself eating an entire pizza because you can't stop thinking about it..

I agree with what everyone has said, but wanted to add one thing. Sometimes the scaled down version is just not what you want. For example I had a craving for a pancake breakfast topped with fruit and whipped cream. I really wanted it. I didn't want just one pancake and to save the rest for later. It's never that soft deliciousness later. So I gave myself a date. I would have the pancake breakfast on Sunday morning what I was going out to eat with friends. All week whenever I thought of pancakes, I'd tell myself, "Sunday" and I save a little calories for it all week. Not a huge amount any day, but some each day. I woke up Sunday morning and went for a run. Then met with my friends and really enjoyed my breakfast. My craving was satisfied. I was well within my calories for the week and there was no guilt.

So stop telling yourself you can't have something.
Set reasonable goals.
Stop labeling some food as "bad."
Make small changes at a time.
Do not expect everything to change overnight.
Be patient.

this...anyone who looks at my diary who is "dieting" would be shocked and disgusted by what I eat I am sure.

My ticker proves you don't have to give up those things you love to lose weight.

I eat burgers, DQ, BK, KFC..and all the other initals you can come up with along with chocolate, FF etc.

I eat the food I want ensuring I hit my macros, stay in goal but don't feel deprived.

QFT!!
Stop it, its quantity of what you consume that causes the issue , not the food itself, "i cant eat this" makes you only want it more, the power of the forbidden fruit and all that jazz...

Have you tried eating the foods you love/crave/want, but just in smaller portion sizes? Most of the time this works for me. There are a couple of things that I avoid all together, but there aren't many.

What helped me when I first started eating in moderation was buying items in a single serve size, instead of buying in bulk and portioning myself. Example, I eat ice cream on a semi-regular basis, but I buy the single serving of my Haagen Dazs chocolate peanut butter ice cream instead of the pint because it controls the portion size for me.

Also, pre-logging my food for the day helped me figure out how I could fit in the foods I truly wanted, rather than only choosing "healthier" foods. The way I look at it, is that all foods are fine, as long as you pay attention to portion sizes. If I want ice cream, I'm going to budget those calories in my day somewhere! If I want pizza, and I know I'm going to want 3 slices, I make the choice to cut back my cals during other meals and/or snacks.

^ this. I can have moments of weakness too, but if you plan for it you can get out of it ok. For me, I still love eating out, but I just choose to do it on the weekends and try to walk more or eat a little less prior to my large dinner beforehand to make room for the caloric intake. I'm also an advocate for prelogging or at least having the menu/list of items in your head that you know you're going to eat-that way you'll know how much wiggle room you have for treats-for me I almost always have a 100 calorie pack of oreos or some peanut butter-that's my treat during the weekdays so I try to make sure I have enough calories for that, or if not I'll take a few walks around the block to bump my calories up to have them .

You can still certainly have what you want, but as people mentioned it's all about moderation. I LOVE pasta, and I'm bringing it back into my diet-but I shoot to have the appropriate serving amount now (which isn't a whole lot) alongside something else yummy and nutritious.

Also, stuff happens and you give in to what you want or you relax because you're celebrating something, which is totally ok- happened to me last weekend. I went out to eat twice in a row! Boy I was full afterwards and the scale looked like I had gained like 3lbs out of nowhere! Guess what-after two days of going back to my regular routine, my body reset itself to the weight I had before my restaurant meals. I guess what I'm trying to say here is even if you have a few days where you go over, it's not the end of the world-just go back to your routine, drink lots of water and time will fix things.

Finally, It might sound crazy, but after some time of eating better/in moderation your cravings will go down-at least it did for me. Best of luck, hope this helps!

Sorry if I end up repeating what someone else said.

Yes, work it into your regular food budget. When I think substitutions, I don't think "wheat crust for regular". If I'm craving a big thick rare burger a turkey burger isn't going to cut it!

Have the craved for food at lunch, not at the end of the day when you are tired. Go to a nice place to eat, make it a production not a "I can't take it any more" drive thru run. Get the thick yummy hamburger, but have a side salad with a light dressing or an order of veggies instead of fries. Drink water instead of soda or beer. Either have a light breakfast or cut the sandwich in half and let the second half be part of your dinner that night. Make it a deserved treat with good company. Then if you need to burn some extra calories because you went a little overboard, you have all afternoon and evening to get in some extra workout time.

Same thing for the pizza. Go to the place that makes the BEST pizza. Order a small and split it with a few friends and have a salad to round out the meal.

Doing that once a week will not throw you off your stride. In fact it might make it easier for you to stay on track because you can say to yourself "I am NOT caving and having ice-cream tonight, I don't want to cancel my Saturday lunch plans."

I have a free cupcake sitting on my MyPanera card. I'm fully intending on using it, not flipping out over the calories. The day of my next hair appointment "mommy" is going to have a cappuccino and a cupcake and read her book by the fire and get some alone time. I may end up taking the dog for an extra long walk that night, but I'm having the cupcake!