Keeping the cravings back/ eating right for a picky eater

Danidelion
Danidelion Posts: 70
edited September 26 in Recipes
I have a self proclaimed food addiction, I don't just use it as a crutch, I just love food too much, plus I have the palate of an eight year old unfortunately >_<. So it's been hard for me to stick to a diet when I don't like salads and crave soda and other sweet and fatty foods. How can I remedy this?

Replies

  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
    salads are useless...they are mainly water plus the added calories from extra toppings and dressing make them worthless.

    eating healthy is about eating healthy. diets dont work in the long run. you need to change your entire attitude when it comes to food. i eat fairly healthy, but i have cravings too. i just dont eat those cravings all day every day.
  • helloiloveukitty
    helloiloveukitty Posts: 448 Member
    no easy answer really, just experiment with trying different healthy foods and see what tastes yummy to you. you might find yourself craving and looking forward to those healthier options.
  • themotivatedmomster
    themotivatedmomster Posts: 11 Member
    try athenos roasted red pepper hummus with wheat thins as a snack or some string cheese, for a sweet craving... frozen yogurt, 100 cal pack of cookies or my personal favorite peach activia. you'd be surprised how quickly you will get hooked on the healthier choices and actually get turned off to the idea of something greasy or drenched in sugar.. my body hates it when i eat anything greasy, so it doesnt happen very often anymore.
  • Not_Famous
    Not_Famous Posts: 15 Member
    Buy your boyfriend a water gun and have him squirt you every time he sees you're eating unhealthy :D
  • lcarr417
    lcarr417 Posts: 16
    As a picky eater myself I know what you are going through. I don't like much and the healthy things I will eat are getting old quick.
    feel free to friend request me and read my diary.
    my days usually consists of oatmeal in the morning, salad or grilled cheese for lunch and varieties of chicken or pasta at dinner. One way to get your healthier foods in to the diet is hiding them within the food. Try google to find ways to hide healthy foods. Most results will be how to trick children to eating veggies but since thats our diets, it has some good ideas. I blended peas in my marinara sauce and didn't notice... and i won't eat peas alone.
    I also try buying all the sugar free, fat free things to make it a little better. but that doesn't always work because unhealthier ones just taste much better. My biggest change is portion control. Not that I was eating enough for 5 but I never looked at serving sizes and boy was that an eye opener. for example, I was making raviolis which are smaller than my palm and i was making about 10 with no sides of garlic bread or anything but the serving size was 3... that is way below what I expected.
    good luck!!
  • FAtGiRLFItGiRL
    FAtGiRLFItGiRL Posts: 156
    I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM I AM A REALLY PICKY EATER. I HATE LETTIS TOMATOS ONIONS PRETTY MUCH ALL OF IT. SO I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL. WHAT I DO IS I STARTED BY CUTTING DOWN MY PROPORTION SIZES. EATING MORE VEGGIES. NO FAST FOOD!! AND EATING DIFFERENT FLAVOR YOGURTS LIKE WHITE CHOCO STRAWBERRY, AND BOSTON CREAM PIE. THOSE ARE MY FAVS AND THEY REALLY HIT THE SPOT IF YOU HAVE A SWEET TOOTH. AND IM LAZY SO THANK GOD MY ELLIPTICAL HAS A VIEW OF THE TV SO I CAN WATCH AND RUN AND THE SAME TIME. HOPE THIS HELPS.
  • Danidelion
    Danidelion Posts: 70
    babe....no. lol


    merissa, good ideas :]
  • thrld
    thrld Posts: 610 Member
    I love soda the way a 2-pack a day smoker loves cigarettes. It took me 3 months of cold turkey before the constant (and I mean constant) desire to have a soda went away.

    And then I found that after that, the fatty/salty food cravings went away too. I was eating the fatty/salty foods as a vehicle to make the soda taste better. Because what is better than chips? Chips and a soda. What is better than pizza? Pizza and a soda.

    I replaced my 3pm soda with a 10-minute walk. Did I mention it took 3 LONG months to stop craving soda?
    And now when I get hunger pangs, I find that an apple, or some protein (hummus, string cheese, chopped egg on whole wheat toast) takes care of it. Also water -- because sometimes hunger is caused by dehydration, and now that I'm drinking a lot more water, my appetite is smaller.

    Take a look at your food triggers -- time of day, type of food and figure out a way to avoid setting them off.

    Good Luck!
  • Danidelion
    Danidelion Posts: 70
    I love soda the way a 2-pack a day smoker loves cigarettes. It took me 3 months of cold turkey before the constant (and I mean constant) desire to have a soda went away.

    And then I found that after that, the fatty/salty food cravings went away too. I was eating the fatty/salty foods as a vehicle to make the soda taste better. Because what is better than chips? Chips and a soda. What is better than pizza? Pizza and a soda.

    I replaced my 3pm soda with a 10-minute walk. Did I mention it took 3 LONG months to stop craving soda?
    And now when I get hunger pangs, I find that an apple, or some protein (hummus, string cheese, chopped egg on whole wheat toast) takes care of it. Also water -- because sometimes hunger is caused by dehydration, and now that I'm drinking a lot more water, my appetite is smaller.

    Take a look at your food triggers -- time of day, type of food and figure out a way to avoid setting them off.

    Good Luck!


    thanks :]. That's good to now cuz i'm the exact same way lol
  • monkeybelle83
    monkeybelle83 Posts: 141 Member
    I discovered that once I cut out high fructose corn syrup, a lot of my sweet cravings went away. I also discovered I had more energy. I don't drink diet soda because I don't particularly like it. Serving sizes kill me sometimes.
  • Shawnalee0703
    Shawnalee0703 Posts: 1,093
    salads are useless...they are mainly water plus the added calories from extra toppings and dressing make them worthless.

    eating healthy is about eating healthy. diets dont work in the long run. you need to change your entire attitude when it comes to food. i eat fairly healthy, but i have cravings too. i just dont eat those cravings all day every day.
    This statement about salads is completely inaccurate! It fully depends on what you put on your salad! Sure if it is only iceburg lettuce and you cover it in some fatty processed dressing then-yes! My salads are every color of the rainbow and filled with MANY different vegetables, which by the way, are full of nutrients, not just water! I also include a protein usually and make my own dressing.or, trader joes Has a few great options.

    My suggestion here is to eat as close to the source as possible, avoid processed foods and be creative! Get a fun eating clean cookbook. They are full of yummy recipes that u can alter if needed. Try something new or try something a different way...you just may like it. Watch your calories and drink lots of water. Challenge yourself to a new recipe each week, make it interesting.....no boredom. ;) holler if you want ideas-more specifically. Good luck and keep at it!! :)
  • believetoachieve
    believetoachieve Posts: 675 Member
    salads are useless...they are mainly water plus the added calories from extra toppings and dressing make them worthless.

    Soooo inaccurate! My salads are made with spinach leaves instead of lettuce (more vitamins),and topped with a protein (egg, lean chicken breast), extra vegetables (carrots, zuchini), and a low-cal/healthy dressing. How is that NOT healthy? And since when did foods with water become bad for you?!
  • thrld
    thrld Posts: 610 Member
    I think the original poster's point was more about how dieting is more than just substituting salads for meals. So many people go on 'diets' by severely limiting their food choices, or making food substitutions that are not sustainable. I believe the (original) point is that there is no magic food. What works for some people, may not work for others. Everyone should eat healthy foods that they like, in portions that are appropriate. Limiting your caloric intake by way of any one food is tough to sustain, which makes 'dieting' seem futile.

    Luckily MFP has lots of recipes of yummy food, from all cultures and food groups -- so I would say, try something new, or even try a new version of something familiar. Little changes can result in a big difference. And remember, you didn't go to bed one night only to wake up 20lbs heavier -- weight gain happens over time. Weight loss happens over time too. So make small changes that you can sustain, and be patient. It will happen!

    P.S. I like to add pear slices and sunflower seeds to salads, and in place of dressing use gorgonzola crumbles -- yummy!
  • Britt22706
    Britt22706 Posts: 97
    I also have an addiction to sweets! Well...good news...there are still ways to satisfy your addiction on a diet!! Although, I would advise you not to call it a diet, it's a lifestyle. Diet just sounds too constraining!

    A great way to think of the way you are addicted to sweets, you've trained your body to be that way, so why not train it another way? Our bodies are like dogs, it will learn eventually.

    One great way I satisfy my addiction to sweets is Greek Yogurt. My favorite is Stonyfield Oikos Greek Yogurt. Not going to lie, going from the sugary Yoplait dessert like yogurts to this is hard at first, but your taste will adjust. It's so much creamier than regular yogurts and you can have fun dressing it up with honey, different fruits, and nuts! You should be able to buy it from your local grocery store.
    This is the website: http://www.stonyfield.com/products/oikos

    The first steps I took were 1. portion control, and 2. substituting slightly healthier things for the not so healthy things. I still indulge in sweets now and then, but it is portion controlled and I have cut down the number of times a week I consume these things.

    As for the salad thing, although salads can be very nutritious, there are other ways you can get that great serving of veggies. The first veggie I got addicted to was sweet potatoes. They provide TONS of health benefits, and they are almost a dessert in themselves! They look a little funny and the flesh is a bright orange, but man are they tasty! They don't need anything added to them to be tasty and sweet either!
    Read this to find out the benefits: http://home.howstuffworks.com/sweet-potatoes3.htm

    Friend me if you want, I've got TONS of substitutes for sweet things and great ways to curb those cravings that have all worked for me!
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