Cravings: Real or BS?

Atlantique
Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
edited September 25 in Chit-Chat
I tend to think that cravings are BS--you have a mental obsession with a particular food item, but it's far from being a physical need.

Thoughts?

Replies

  • sexygenius
    sexygenius Posts: 1,078 Member
    isnt that what most people mean by a craving? (unless they are talking about nicotine or caffine)
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
    isnt that what most people mean by a craving? (unless they are talking about nicotine or caffine)

    I don't know, actually. I see a lot of folks here whinging about cravings as though they'd die without that Krispy Kreme. :wink: I'm tired of it.
  • beautifulnow
    beautifulnow Posts: 307
    I neeeeeeeeedeeeeeedeeeeedeeeeeeeeeeeed pudding...I love it...in a I could totally dress it in a tux, walk it down the isle, say passionate hand written vows and then take it home and make sweet sweet love....umm sorry drifted off there for a minute...yea craving are totally bs <3
  • KillyKhan
    KillyKhan Posts: 12
    Craving = want
    Hunger = need

    If I'm hungry, I need something substantial like some leafy greens or some meat.
    If I'm craving, I want some fries or french bread.

    Sometimes, it seems hard for people to distinguish the difference. If I feel a craving I try and fool myself into thinking I'm craving water and then go drink. If I feel hunger, I usually feel some physical ill-ease (headache, weakness, stomach ache).
  • CallejaFairey
    CallejaFairey Posts: 391 Member
    i know i don't mentally obsess over particular foods, nor is there anything i physically need. but occasiaonlly i do have a craving pop up, never lasts very long, and it is quite rare. and it's always different from the last time. so yes, i agree it is mental, for most things, but it isn't necessarily an obsession. i guess it all depends on what a person will do for that craving, and how long it lasts. i guess i am pretty lucky in the craving respect that it doesn't last long. lol
  • dancinblonde0099
    dancinblonde0099 Posts: 118 Member
    I think it makes people feel better about eating it lol Luckily I dont really crave anything but sometimes I want jalapenos on like everything lol weird right
  • HelenTheKitchen
    HelenTheKitchen Posts: 383
    I don't know, I agree and don't agree at the same time. I'm severely anemic and when my iron is really low I crave red meat. Also, when I was pregnant I used to crave chalk and the doctor said that was probably because of my iron deficiency as well. I think they are real, but I think what a lot of people call "cravings" (and I'm totally guilty of this) are more likely to be a sugar or salt addiction kicking in.
  • nerdyandilikeit
    nerdyandilikeit Posts: 2,185 Member
    it may be a mental thing, but that doesn't mean its any less real for that person. especially for someone with OCD. i can obsess about all sorts of things without wanting to (and actually hating myself for) obsessing about it. food is definitely one of those things for me, but willpower is also a factor. and willpower is sometimes a quality that has to be strengthened. i personally was not naturally gifted with that quality, so its a very real fight to overcome my cravings sometimes.
  • AnnaPixie
    AnnaPixie Posts: 7,439 Member
    I also think we crave foods that are deficient in our body :bigsmile:

    Are you upset by the word or the excuse? I don't really get whats making you tired?? :flowerforyou:
  • LindsayHein
    LindsayHein Posts: 73 Member
    When most people use the term craving, it is just a want. However, there have been some studies that show cravings can also be clues that your body needs something. For example: People low in iron will crave meat. However, this is usually a craving out of the ordinary, not an emotional or habitual craving.
  • taiyola
    taiyola Posts: 964 Member
    it may be a mental thing, but that doesn't mean its any less real for that person. especially for someone with OCD. i can obsess about all sorts of things without wanting to (and actually hating myself for) obsessing about it. food is definitely one of those things for me, but willpower is also a factor. and willpower is sometimes a quality that has to be strengthened. i personally was not naturally gifted with that quality, so its a very real fight to overcome my cravings sometimes.

    This. Although sometimes I think it may be a physical thing with sugary foods - isn't it a poison and addictive thing?
  • taiyola
    taiyola Posts: 964 Member
    When most people use the term craving, it is just a want. However, there have been some studies that show cravings can also be clues that your body needs something. For example: People low in iron will crave meat. However, this is usually a craving out of the ordinary, not an emotional or habitual craving.

    I'm anaemic and vegetarian... :laugh:
  • steacher24
    steacher24 Posts: 40
    I ALWAYS crave fruit after my period. I think my body is telling me that I need something.
  • Mrs_McFadden
    Mrs_McFadden Posts: 1,139
    So..
    This experience of smelling and tasting a particular food so vivid so almost real..the actual food calling me in it's siren song...for days on end...the odes I could write about the favorite recipe for what I deem is really fabulous cake with superfine ground sugar that melts in the beautifully whipped emulsion of unsalted sweet cream butter and a sifting of wondrous refined wheat and sunny golden yolks with just a tiny pinch of sea salt..

    isn't
    a craving?


    –noun
    great or eager desire; yearning.
  • LovelySnugs
    LovelySnugs Posts: 389
    in many cases, yes, cravings can be just silly wants. but i know that when i was pregnant and living on fruit, i would get seriously ILL if i decided i needed meat and didn't get any within about 5 or 6 hours. my friend susanna put it best "i know it mostly only happens to pregnant ladies, but darn it, if your body lacks sodium, calcium, AND fats, just pour some pickle juice over your freakin ice cream! if you need it, you need it, and the consequences for not letting yourself have it can be dangerous".

    chocolate is a similar thing - the body recognizes its ability to lift a person's mood and asks for it on occasion. but, it also tastes wonderful and feels like an incredible indulgence even if it's cheap.

    so, it's a little of both. i sometimes crave salty foods the day after an intense workout. but i sometimes also crave cheddar cheese for no other reason than that i'm bored and it's yummy. it becomes a matter of learning what's "real" and what isn't, and answering your body according to its ACTUAL needs.
  • nerdyandilikeit
    nerdyandilikeit Posts: 2,185 Member
    in many cases, yes, cravings can be just silly wants. but i know that when i was pregnant and living on fruit, i would get seriously ILL if i decided i needed meat and didn't get any within about 5 or 6 hours. my friend susanna put it best "i know it mostly only happens to pregnant ladies, but darn it, if your body lacks sodium, calcium, AND fats, just pour some pickle juice over your freakin ice cream! if you need it, you need it, and the consequences for not letting yourself have it can be dangerous".

    chocolate is a similar thing - the body recognizes its ability to lift a person's mood and asks for it on occasion. but, it also tastes wonderful and feels like an incredible indulgence even if it's cheap.

    so, it's a little of both. i sometimes crave salty foods the day after an intense workout. but i sometimes also crave cheddar cheese for no other reason than that i'm bored and it's yummy. it becomes a matter of learning what's "real" and what isn't, and answering your body according to its ACTUAL needs.

    i also agree with this. when i feel a strong urge to eat something nutritious, i may still describe it as a craving because thats how it feels. your body can send you clues to what it needs. the times when i know thats not the case are more like the addiction factor: when i want a cookie or some chips so bad, but i know i dont need them, they would just be yummy and comfort me (which is a big hurdle in my weight loss journey that i plan on conquering).
  • mommared53
    mommared53 Posts: 9,543 Member
    Personally, I don't think cravings are just all in your head. I know that when I want chocolate I'll say I'm craving chocolate but in reality it's not really a craving. But when I was pregnant (many, many years ago) with my son, I craved onions. That was more than just wanting onions, it was a real craving.
  • sbwood888
    sbwood888 Posts: 953 Member
    It does not matter what word you use to describe it. If I struggle with it, then it is real to me. I am fat because I struggle with these things and have not yet learned how to always win the battle.
  • poisongirl6485
    poisongirl6485 Posts: 1,487 Member
    crav·ing
       /ˈkreɪvɪŋ/ Show Spelled[krey-ving] Show IPA
    –noun
    great or eager desire; yearning.

    crave
       /kreɪv/ Show Spelled [kreyv] Show IPA verb, craved, crav·ing.
    –verb (used with object)
    1.
    to long for; want greatly; desire eagerly: to crave sweets; to crave affection.


    Seems pretty simple to me.
  • mommared53
    mommared53 Posts: 9,543 Member
    crav·ing
       /ˈkreɪvɪŋ/ Show Spelled[krey-ving] Show IPA
    –noun
    great or eager desire; yearning.

    crave
       /kreɪv/ Show Spelled [kreyv] Show IPA verb, craved, crav·ing.
    –verb (used with object)
    1.
    to long for; want greatly; desire eagerly: to crave sweets; to crave affection.


    Seems pretty simple to me.

    Why didn't I think of that? :ohwell:
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    I tend to think that cravings are BS--you have a mental obsession with a particular food item, but it's far from being a physical need.

    Thoughts?

    Great question...

    Cravings are "real" in that psychological states and physiological states are inter related. The body can follow the mind and the mind can follow the body. For example stress and cortisol. Somatoform disorders are mental illnesses characterised by physical symptoms.

    If you look at the people who experience the hardest time managing weight they tend to exhibit rigid, all or nothing, mindsets and to put it politely are very highly strung. They obsess over every little detail and blow even the slightest negative into a sign of abject failure.

    Want to lose weight? Chill out...
  • mikeda
    mikeda Posts: 2
    I think /most/ of the time when people say they are craving something, yeah it's an excuse, but not always. I watched a health-documentary thing a few years ago about a little boy who kept craving salty foods to the point he would sneak and just devour entire containers of it. They hospitalized him and restricted his sodium intake, unfortunately he died shortly thereafter and only after he had diet did they figure out something was going on in his body to where he needed all the salt. I have no idea what it was, I watched this years ago, I just always remembered that. Often your body does crave what it needs, a real no b.s. craving.
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