How to combat cravings that are always popping in my head?

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summer92008
summer92008 Posts: 202
in Health and Weight Loss
Since I have been dieting (2 weeks ago), I have been trying to cut down on my sugar intake. However, I have a huge sweet tooth and love sweets as much as the next guy. Ever since I have been dieting, mid-day, like right now, foods will just pop in my head for no reason. For an example, I was watching this woman on television who found out her husband was cheating. I was thinking in my head, "You can do better than that. That's not right...BROWNIES!!!" That's how it is. I don't have to be thinking about food or anything, it just pops up for no reason. Is there any way to fix this? I eat watermelon for snacks and sometimes have a block of dark chocolate. I must be thinking about it subconsciously because they pop up for no reason.

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  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
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    I don't know enough about your situation, but either this will pass eventually OR maybe you're eating at too large of a deficit and really are hungry. Do you think you're getting enough calories every day?
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
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    If you haven't done so already, write down all of the specific, deep down in your gut reasons why you want to lose weight/get healthier. If those reasons are important enough to you....then when you review your list anytime you have a craving...it should help. I've also found drinking water and eating a cup of Cheerios or Broccoli helps as well. Another thing that might help is entering the food on MFP and seeing how many calories it is...sometimes that type of "calorie shock" helps as well.
  • giggitygoo
    giggitygoo Posts: 1,978 Member
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    You've only been at it for 2 weeks. The impulse control gets easier with time.

    In the mean time try figuring out how to fit smaller portions of the things you love into your daily calorie goal. You can have a brownie, but those calories need to be balanced by another, lighter meal.

    You don't have to cut out all the things you love. Moderation will make you more successful in the long run.
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
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    Also, when you eat carbs with medium to high glycemic index values (like watermelon and chocolate), those foods help trigger a desire for more carbs with medium to high glycemic index values. This is why I try to really limit my carb intake to carbs with mostly low to low medium GI values (so.... most veggies, all berries, apples, some citrus, sweet potatoes). OR I mix some quality protein powder with water and that satisfies me as well.
  • jess17587
    jess17587 Posts: 153
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    think about what you are doing around munchy times? probably nothing so just find some house work to do or go out the house with a bottle of water, keys and no money for a nice long walk it sounds silly but i do it all the time.

    your body is going to get cravings just because you simply like to eat (we all do) and also you are eating less calories than your body needs so your brain is going to send signals of hunger because it is trying to maintain your weight while you want to lose i think it is like your natural instinct but thats just my guess good luck! :drinker:
  • paulandrachelk
    paulandrachelk Posts: 280 Member
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    Cheerios and broccoli-sounds like a great trade for brownies! Honestly-I understand. Get a book called "The Sugar Diet" by Rodale publishers. It is available through Prevention.com (Prevention magazine). Get the expanded version as has more appendixes. It really helped me though I didn't do the full sugar elimination program. Good luck!
  • MindainVA83
    MindainVA83 Posts: 17 Member
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    I've been on my life change for 7 months now and I can tell you, my sweet tooth was NEVER as bad as it is now. I tried everything to get it to go away. I've come to find that if I give in just a little, it helps me chill out. Every day I have at least a piece of chocolate. Sometimes I'll have chocolate milk, hot chocolate, or even a few chocolate minis. It helps keep me on track and stay sane. I tried to go a week without any sweets and I was not myself. So, my suggestion is don't try to cut it out all the way. Maybe if you have the craving mutliple times a day, have a small piece of chocolate twice a day. I always make sure to take a tiny bite, and drink lots of water with it. Hope that helps! Good luck to you on your journey!!
  • fatbegone85
    fatbegone85 Posts: 70
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    I think someone else mentioned: Try finding a way to fit smaller portions of the sweets into your diet? I know I can never give up pizza, ice cream, cake, etc. So I work around it. I haven't had cake in a couple months, but I had pizza recently, and ice cream. And cookies. And a big ol' 500 calorie muffin. Just not in the same sitting or day. All about moderation. With the pizza of course, a few modifications (light sauce, light cheese, medium size slices). For ice cream, I by the one serving size cups. Edy's slow churned has less than 200 calories. For cookies, I buy the pre-sliced frozen ones. I have one or two. I never buy chips a hoy because I can't stop at just one or two. MUST. EAT. WHOLE. PACK. Well the muffin, just took that straight to the head and figured out how to plan my meal with 500 calories less :laugh: . These little small changes have been enough to keep my cravings at bay. If I buy chocolate, I buy dark, eat a bit, leave the rest at work or in the car. For me personally, going cold turkey just causes me to have an all out stuff-my-face-until-I-pass-out-fest. Can't have that. :noway:

    It gets easier with time.
  • shireeniebeanie
    shireeniebeanie Posts: 293 Member
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    I think someone else mentioned: Try finding a way to fit smaller portions of the sweets into your diet? I know I can never give up pizza, ice cream, cake, etc. So I work around it. I haven't had cake in a couple months, but I had pizza recently, and ice cream. And cookies. And a big ol' 500 calorie muffin. Just not in the same sitting or day. All about moderation. With the pizza of course, a few modifications (light sauce, light cheese, medium size slices). For ice cream, I by the one serving size cups. Edy's slow churned has less than 200 calories. For cookies, I buy the pre-sliced ones. I have one or two (never more 170 calories PER COOKIE). Well the muffin, just took that straight to the head and figured out how to plan my meal with 500 calories less :laugh: . These little small changes have been enough to keep my cravings at bay. If I buy chocolate, I buy dark, eat a bit, leave the rest at work or in the car. For me personally, going cold turkey just causes me to have an all out stuff-my-face-until-I-pass-out-fest. Can't have that. :noway:

    It gets easier with time.

    The Edy's/Dreyers single-serving ice cream cups are great! The single pieces of chocolate they have at the QuikTrip checkout are often just enough to satisfy that little craving voice in my mind. (If a few days' worth are around, I'll eat them all, so I have to go out each time to get a small treat if I want it.)

    Being busy or out of the house in the evenings can really help, but we shouldn't have avoid our living rooms either. Luckily, it does get easier the longer you go without a binge. Control the cravings by eating a light meal so you can going for a scoop now and then.
  • summer92008
    summer92008 Posts: 202
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    Thanks everyone. I have a little something sweet every day. Probably 3-4 nights a week I will have half of a cup (170 cal.) of ice cream. It helps me look forward to something sweet when I'm eating healthier throughout the day.

    As far as my calories go, I have MFP set for 1,200 calories a day. I walk around 4-5 miles a day (which according to the MapMyWalk app is 350-450 calories). It seems MapMyWalk says I burn more calories than MFP, but it is actually tracking how far and how fast I walk via GPS. Really good app. Anyway, I try to not eat back most of my work out calories. Should I? I know some people say to, and others don't. I'm assuming I should make sure I eat 1,200 net calories a day? I don't know.

    But some days, I just feel like caving in. I want so badly to go out and eat a double cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate xtreme blizzard. Yum. But what I do most of the time, is eat a smaller breakfast and lunch, and have a larger dinner. Most of the time, I have enough calories left over for dinner to eat whatever I please, which is always nice. Once I eat dinner, I'm pretty satisfied and don't crave much of anything else.

    In the past 2 weeks, I've dropped 3 pounds. I know this is good but in a way still discourages me because I am impatient. But I have to think positively. I just don't know if I'm eating enough calories. Even if I'm not, I'd like to stay where I'm at so the weight keeps dropping. My main problem is knowing whether or not I should eat back my exercise calories.

    Also, I weigh 146 lbs. now and am 5'6'' tall. 20 years old and a full-time college student.

    Sorry for such a long post!!!
  • shireeniebeanie
    shireeniebeanie Posts: 293 Member
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    Shoot, your body's begging you to eat more!

    With a 20-year-old's metabolism, and at 5'6" tall, you definitely need more than 1,200 net.
  • sexymamadraeger
    sexymamadraeger Posts: 239 Member
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    Sugar cravings are awful! I found that dark chocolate helps so much. Sounds like you figured that out too! It's all habit. Your body is used to eating sugar and it pops in your mind because you probably used to be eating it around the same time. You have to create different habits. Plan your snacks ahead. Learn to tell if it's real hunger or not. Hunger is when you feel hungry and an egg or piece of cheese satisfies you. Cravings are when you feel hungry, eat something healthy and you are still hungry. The cravings do go away eventually but it takes 2 or 3 or even 4 weeks. The mind is a powerful thing and it wants what it's used to. Maybe you could also try distracting yourself? Do something with your hands and keep your mind busy?
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    Thanks everyone. I have a little something sweet every day. Probably 3-4 nights a week I will have half of a cup (170 cal.) of ice cream. It helps me look forward to something sweet when I'm eating healthier throughout the day.

    As far as my calories go, I have MFP set for 1,200 calories a day. I walk around 4-5 miles a day (which according to the MapMyWalk app is 350-450 calories). It seems MapMyWalk says I burn more calories than MFP, but it is actually tracking how far and how fast I walk via GPS. Really good app. Anyway, I try to not eat back most of my work out calories. Should I? I know some people say to, and others don't. I'm assuming I should make sure I eat 1,200 net calories a day? I don't know.

    But some days, I just feel like caving in. I want so badly to go out and eat a double cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate xtreme blizzard. Yum. But what I do most of the time, is eat a smaller breakfast and lunch, and have a larger dinner. Most of the time, I have enough calories left over for dinner to eat whatever I please, which is always nice. Once I eat dinner, I'm pretty satisfied and don't crave much of anything else.

    In the past 2 weeks, I've dropped 3 pounds. I know this is good but in a way still discourages me because I am impatient. But I have to think positively. I just don't know if I'm eating enough calories. Even if I'm not, I'd like to stay where I'm at so the weight keeps dropping. My main problem is knowing whether or not I should eat back my exercise calories.

    Also, I weigh 146 lbs. now and am 5'6'' tall. 20 years old and a full-time college student.

    Sorry for such a long post!!!

    Your calories are set way too low. You're already at a healthy weight for your height and you don't have much to lose, and what you do have to lose is vanity weight. The problem with such an aggressive calorie deficit is that your body can't handle it long term, you're going to stop losing and then you'll be upset that you're not losing anymore. Plus it wreaks havoc on your body and you'll start losing hair, have fuzzy mental process, you'll be tired…it's just not good for your health.

    Set your goal for a more reasonable 0.5-1 lb loss per week and eat back a portion of your exercise calories. You'll still lose weight, but it's much more sustainable.
  • motivatedmartha
    motivatedmartha Posts: 1,108 Member
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    I found keeping as busy as possible helped. Most of my 'cravings' actually manifested themselves when I was bored or inactive - finding lots of things to do helped distract me from snacking. I also found it easier not to have triggers foods in the house. If you've only been at it for 2 weeks you may well find it gets easier :smile:
  • summer92008
    summer92008 Posts: 202
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    A lot of you are saying that I should make sure I keep my mind working because being bored will trigger cravings. While that is true, most of the time I am on my computer doing homework. I am taking 2 summer classes right now, so I stay relatively busy. Like today, I was taking a test online, heard something interesting on the television so I turned around to look, and that's when brownies popped in my head. So maybe it is just a habit as opposed to being bored.

    Also on my calories; I'm honestly not very hungry throughout the day. I haven't tracked how many calories I normally eat a day, but I would imagine I would eat maybe 5-600 more calories a day than I am now. Is that too big of a calorie deficit? Most of the time I'm not really hungry, just have strong cravings for sweets.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    A lot of you are saying that I should make sure I keep my mind working because being bored will trigger cravings. While that is true, most of the time I am on my computer doing homework. I am taking 2 summer classes right now, so I stay relatively busy. Like today, I was taking a test online, heard something interesting on the television so I turned around to look, and that's when brownies popped in my head. So maybe it is just a habit as opposed to being bored.

    Also on my calories; I'm honestly not very hungry throughout the day. I haven't tracked how many calories I normally eat a day, but I would imagine I would eat maybe 5-600 more calories a day than I am now. Is that too big of a calorie deficit? Most of the time I'm not really hungry, just have strong cravings for sweets.

    Hunger is not always a great indicator of whether you are getting the calories you need. Set up your MFP account to lose 0.5-1 lb per week. Eat that calorie goal. Eat back a portion of your exercise calories as well - you need the calories to fuel your workouts.

    These links are helpful:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

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