What do I do about cookie-binge cravings?

PocketNaomi · January 2011

Okay, I know all the stuff that says if you really crave something, let yourself have a little bit of it, budget it into your calorie total for the day, and walk away. The problem is that (a) I already ate brunch out today, meaning I'm close to my calorie budget by evening just on the one meal and will have to go over with a frozen diet dinner just to get dinner at all, and (b) I'm not having cookie cravings. I'm having cookiebinge cravings. What I really, really want is to stuff myself with cookies until I feel too full to be able to eat any more no matter how divine they taste.

That isn't, obviously, something I can have a little of -- how do you have a "little" of a binge? -- and if I try having one cookie I *will* binge-eat the rest, if not now then later, so long as they're in the house. There are plenty of foods I am able to eat a little bit of and enjoy and walk away from... Lofthouse soft iced cookies are not among them.

So I think the answer is basically "eat my frozen diet dinner, stay away from the cookies altogether (fairly easy for the moment in that there aren't any in the house; I just have to refrain from going and buying some), and ignore the cookiebinge cravings. But I wanted to know if anyone had any ideas for how to make said cravings go away, because I sure don't.

leslielove · January 2011

Stop buying them, stop eating them, think about something else. You'll eventually 'get over it' and they'll become less interesting to you.

And here's some tough love - think about how dumb you'll feel if you go to the store solely for a bag of cookies. If you get in your car and drive someplace for one dumb thing like that, you just let yourself be ruled by a friggen cookie. Rule the cookie damnit. Don't let it be the other way around. Its not that important.

SoCalKammie · January 2011

do not deny yourself otherwise you will cheat and binge. Get yourself the 100 calorie packs of cookies/treat that you enjoy and allow yourself ONE bag. Drink a glass of water before you eat them as well drink a glass of water with them and eat them slowly - this should help the craving. It works for me. Good luck

dwarfer22 · January 2011

I recently found a website for food addicts like me. www.foodaddictsanonymous.org. It really shifted my thoughts about cravings/ my binging nightmare and why I CAN"T "just have a little bit then walk away". It is something I have been aware of for years but never put a name to it. Just puttin it out there as an interesting read that may shed some light. GL.

CMCMom · January 2011

Tip I learned awhile back...drink a big glass of water then brush your teeth. You are less likely to eat so as to not get teeth dirty or mixing the tastes in your mouth...added bonus of cleaner teeth

Larry7995 · January 2011

I don't buy cookies anymore. If I have a cookie/chocolate craving I have an oatmeal and dark chocolate granola bar with a glass of 2% milk, works for me!

Jourdan_Rystrom · January 2011

I did the same as you. I had 4 cookies every hour for 3 days over Christmas...gained 6 pounds...it was terrible.

Honestly, the only thing you can do is get rid of ALL bad foods in your home. Throw out those cookies! If they are there, you'll eat them! For us binge-craving eaters you cannot have any of the food at all in your home or you'll go crazy. Believe me...my cravings are gone now that nothing like that is in my house anymore.

jimmydeanbakker · January 2011

I don't bring any foods into my house that might cause problems with my diet.

peachyxoxoxo · January 2011

If you struggle with bingeing, maybe look at the books "Intuitive Eating" and "The End of Overeating." They take slightly different approaches (the latter calls for us to stay away from trigger foods altogether, at least for the time being, while the former encourages you to have "play" periods during which you can eat whatever you want). But either way, you might discover some helpful techniques! I tried intuitive eating for a while but it lead me to eventually go back to overeating, so I'm trying the "End of Overeating" tactics instead. If you keep the cookies out of the house, there's no way you can binge on them. My boyfriend's suggestion to me was to "ruin" the excess food beyond what should be my stopping point, either throw it in the trash, dump salt on it, etc. My personal advice would be think about how eating all those cookies would make you feel and how much you'd regret it. Take one cookie, put the rest away, have the cookie with a big glass of water, then brush your teeth or chew a piece of gum. If you are actually hungry after having the cookie, eat something nutritious rather than have more cookies, because those definitely will not satiate hunger.

Lyadeia · January 2011

I used to have cravings for things like ice cream all the time. I completely stopped buying it and I don't let Justin walk into the house with it either. :flowerforyou:

Also, when a craving hits, I immediately get down on the floor and do 10 push-ups. If the craving is still there, I do 10 more. I keep doing this until my body finally takes the hint that I will not be eating ice cream. After a while, I simply got sick and tired of doing push-ups all the time...so whenever the thought of ice cream came into my head I was able to dismiss it. Now, I hardly ever have the stuff anymore. I don't even want it. My body doesn't need it, and it's no longer a crutch. I can have it as a treat every now and then and it doesn't take over.

Once you are able to beat the craving, you will be able to control yourself when you are around the food again that caused the craving to being with. I can eat a small bowl of ice cream now without killing my daily calorie total, and it doesn't kill me to stop eating it either.

clover27357 · January 2011

I Totally Empathyze! For me, it's cookies or chips or Ritz crackers, snacking. One day I looked at a Ritz box and asked, " Who only eats 5 crackers?!!" FYI, remember to consider the time of month you're eating at night. Not that it's excusable for either of us, but it definitely changes your physical dietary needs.

My best advice is to stop feeling guilty and just be aware of how much.
I love the water and brushing teeth idea mentioned earlier!

kekkerz · January 2011

Everyone's suggestions are fantastic!

My advice would be to tell yourself you can have them tomorrow or even in an hour. Chances are, by the time you are "allowed" to have cookies, you will not want them anymore.
Exercise can also help with this.

And this may work also if you like protein bars - a lot of them taste rather like cookies so you could buy one and let yourself have one.

Good luck, you can do it!

aprilgicker · January 2011

I would say you have a good ole addiction. The best way to kick the bad one is with a good one. To sit and veg with 15 cookies it takes about 30 45 min. Find something that takes that long and do it instead. If you have a significant other try being selfish, Play an online game, clean your house. These things keep you busy and if you still feel the craving you can keep on going.
good luck.
I don't keep anything I binge on in the house.

PocketNaomi · January 2011

Thanks for everyone's suggestions! For the moment, I'm incorporating both the "get rid of the bad foods/keep them out of the house" idea and the "tell myself I'm allowed to have it in three hours (my own choice of timeframe, I can be pretty sure to be refocused by then) if I still want them then, and then throw my attention into doing something different/helpful for that time, so that by the time I get there I've lost interest," idea. It seems to be working -- I haven't had a cookie craving to which I surrendered in the last few days, and I feel more in control. And I'm back losing weight again -- 1/2 pound in the last two days.

CasperO · January 2011

Make a big salad. Take your time, make it huge and varied. A whole head of lettuce, 4 tomatoes, a green pepper. Some onion, shrooms, whatever veggies you have in the house. Then eat a big bowl, add a drizzle of lite dressing if you're into that. It's not cookies, but it's not 800 jillion calories either.

When you're belly's full of lettuce you will not want to cookies anymore. It works.

I can't do the 'wait 3 hours' thing,,, to me that's just anxiety and torture. I'm not ruining my afternoon fretting over a cookie.

Another possibility when the weather's right,,, go for a nice bike ride and earn the cookies. :-)

toots99 · January 2011

Okay, I know all the stuff that says if you really crave something, let yourself have a little bit of it, budget it into your calorie total for the day, and walk away. The problem is that (a) I already ate brunch out today, meaning I'm close to my calorie budget by evening just on the one meal and will have to go over with a frozen diet dinner just to get dinner at all, and (b) I'm not having cookie cravings. I'm having cookiebinge cravings. What I really, really want is to stuff myself with cookies until I feel too full to be able to eat any more no matter how divine they taste.

That isn't, obviously, something I can have a little of -- how do you have a "little" of a binge? -- and if I try having one cookie I *will* binge-eat the rest, if not now then later, so long as they're in the house. There are plenty of foods I am able to eat a little bit of and enjoy and walk away from... Lofthouse soft iced cookies are not among them.

So I think the answer is basically "eat my frozen diet dinner, stay away from the cookies altogether (fairly easy for the moment in that there aren't any in the house; I just have to refrain from going and buying some), and ignore the cookiebinge cravings. But I wanted to know if anyone had any ideas for how to make said cravings go away, because I sure don't.

I feel the same way almost all the time. I can't have one cookie. I don't WANT one cookie. I want the ENTIRE BOX. one does me no good.

What do I do about cookie-binge cravings?

Replies

Categories