INTENSE cravings?? Help?

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frickhead
frickhead Posts: 17
in Health and Weight Loss
So...I made a decision a few days back to be pescatarian because it's healthier than eating red meats with a lot of fat. So..about two days ago I started craving peanut butter! Not just a little bit of peanut butter, either. I ate a WHOLE JAR of peanut butter BY MYSELF in less than 24 hours. My mom thinks it might be my body trying to get the protein that I'm losing from the meat? It also may be because I'm PMSing and I know my period is going to come soon.

Is this normal though? It's as if every time I see peanut butter I binge like crazy. Those calories add up really quick and then I regret eating so much at the end of the day. Any advice?

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  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Peanut butter has lots of sugar.
    Try eating more green vegetables for a week and see how how feel after eating two big salads a day.
  • jakichan
    jakichan Posts: 109 Member
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    Here's something I learned. This may not apply to you, but it does to me:

    If you're craving something specific, and if you're prone to emotional eating, then it's probably not real hunger. Like if you open the fridge and stare at a fridge full of good fruit and veggies and "nothing looks good", then you're not really hungry. If you're really hungry then any food will do (as long as it's something you mostly like).

    "The only thing food fixes is hunger."
  • frickhead
    frickhead Posts: 17
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    Peanut butter has lots of sugar.
    Try eating more green vegetables for a week and see how how feel after eating two big salads a day.

    Will do!! Thanks for the advice!!
  • frickhead
    frickhead Posts: 17
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    Here's something I learned. This may not apply to you, but it does to me:

    If you're craving something specific, and if you're prone to emotional eating, then it's probably not real hunger. Like if you open the fridge and stare at a fridge full of good fruit and veggies and "nothing looks good", then you're not really hungry. If you're really hungry then any food will do (as long as it's something you mostly like).

    "The only thing food fixes is hunger."

    That's a really good point. I think I eat a lot when I'm bored and especially now that it's summer and I'm out of school and currently not working I get bored a lot. I'll definitely have to keep this in mind and hopefully my crazy binge cravings will go away.
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
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    Here's something I learned. This may not apply to you, but it does to me:

    If you're craving something specific, and if you're prone to emotional eating, then it's probably not real hunger. Like if you open the fridge and stare at a fridge full of good fruit and veggies and "nothing looks good", then you're not really hungry. If you're really hungry then any food will do (as long as it's something you mostly like).

    "The only thing food fixes is hunger."

    Agreed! I always think when people become "picky" on food it usually means they are not truly hungry...I can eat a bag of carrots on those hungry days...
  • sexymamadraeger
    sexymamadraeger Posts: 239 Member
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    Yep. Definitely a craving if you're eating a whole jar of peanut butter. I don't eat red meat either and I've never craved protein like that. I eat chicken and fish. When I get truly hungry I go for protein first. Every so often I have a day where I'm sooooo hungry and even when I eat lunch I'm still hungry. THAT"s a craving. It can be hard to ignore. Distracting myself and staying busy works the best for me.
  • jakichan
    jakichan Posts: 109 Member
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    When I get crazy hungry then that's where I go for high volume low-cal snack with fruits and veggies. A big salad, some fruit, etc.
  • LessHeavyVeggie
    LessHeavyVeggie Posts: 208 Member
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    First of all, on the peanut butter containing sugar issue, it depends what peanut butter you get - you can get ones with pretty much just peanuts (maybe a little bit of oil). I'm vegetarian and I eat peanut butter almost everyday - I just eat an amount that fits into my calorie allowance. As well as protein, nuts/nut butters contain healthy fats that your body needs.

    On the cravings issue, I've found it better to give in to cravings, but again, eating an amount that fits into my calorie/macro allowance has worked for me. I think the reason 'diets' have not worked for me in the past is that I've tried to go cold turkey on foods I like that are fattening/unhealthy in some way and I end up falling off the wagon because I miss them. So now, if I'm craving chocolate for example (only happens once a month for me) I have a low calorie choc ice cream or small amount of chocolate that fits into my eating plan for the day and a) the craving is satisfied and b) I'm not tempted to blow my allowances by caving in and gorging on a big bar.
  • frickhead
    frickhead Posts: 17
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    First of all, on the peanut butter containing sugar issue, it depends what peanut butter you get - you can get ones with pretty much just peanuts (maybe a little bit of oil). I'm vegetarian and I eat peanut butter almost everyday - I just eat an amount that fits into my calorie allowance. As well as protein, nuts/nut butters contain healthy fats that your body needs.

    On the cravings issue, I've found it better to give in to cravings, but again, eating an amount that fits into my calorie/macro allowance has worked for me. I think the reason 'diets' have not worked for me in the past is that I've tried to go cold turkey on foods I like that are fattening/unhealthy in some way and I end up falling off the wagon because I miss them. So now, if I'm craving chocolate for example (only happens once a month for me) I have a low calorie choc ice cream or small amount of chocolate that fits into my eating plan for the day and a) the craving is satisfied and b) I'm not tempted to blow my allowances by caving in and gorging on a big bar.

    I think this will help me a lot. I've been going strong for about 90 days and I've lost quite a bit of weight but I'm finding it really hard to keep up now. The initial weight loss was really easy for me but I think if I satisfy my cravings in moderation that fit with my calorie goal, I'll get rid of the craving and still be eating a healthy amount.

    I generally eat quite a bit of nuts and I think I might need the extra protein because I just recently(less than a week ago) cut out meat. So I think my body might be in a little bit of a shock right now. I'll have to look into getting peanut butter with less sugar too if I do continue to crave it so even if I do eat it, I will still be getting protein but not as much sugar. Thanks for the advice!!
  • frickhead
    frickhead Posts: 17
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    Yep. Definitely a craving if you're eating a whole jar of peanut butter. I don't eat red meat either and I've never craved protein like that. I eat chicken and fish. When I get truly hungry I go for protein first. Every so often I have a day where I'm sooooo hungry and even when I eat lunch I'm still hungry. THAT"s a craving. It can be hard to ignore. Distracting myself and staying busy works the best for me.

    I think I'll see a lot of results if I don't allow myself to eat too much. I think I should try to have my cravings in moderation and try getting more high protein foods to see if that helps me any! Thanks for the advice!
  • jakichan
    jakichan Posts: 109 Member
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    On the cravings issue, I've found it better to give in to cravings, but again, eating an amount that fits into my calorie/macro allowance has worked for me. I think the reason 'diets' have not worked for me in the past is that I've tried to go cold turkey on foods I like that are fattening/unhealthy in some way and I end up falling off the wagon because I miss them.

    This is something that is covered a few times a year in my diet program. There is a binge/guilt cycle, etc. So if you *can* "give in" just a little that's ideal. Some of us do not have that kind of control for example, which is part of my problem. I can't just eat a few cashews, for example. Wish I could.

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