How to kill a craving...when you just want "something"?

SkFarmMom
SkFarmMom Posts: 46 Member
in Motivation and Support
So, only 4 days back on MFP, tracking my eating, and I'm prowling around the house with this "I just need SOMETHING" feeling...

I know I'm well hydrated. I'm not actually hungry...I tried a Tbsp of peanut butter, but I don't want to "boredom" eat...

What's your favorite way to kill a "something" craving...in the kitchen, or out of it?
«1

Replies

  • Jennloella
    Jennloella Posts: 2,286 Member
    you're bored. Get out of the house. Clean something. Organize your closet. Make a shopping basket online at your favorite store of what you'll buy when you reach your first goal. Go for a walk.
  • blossomingbutterfly
    blossomingbutterfly Posts: 743 Member
    I agree, keep busy and get your mind off of it. When that happens to me, I first try to drink some tea. Then I grab my bf and we get out of the house!
  • aliwhalen
    aliwhalen Posts: 150 Member
    Eat 'something'. Whatever it is, I have some amount of it if I'm craving it. I aim to meet a calorie deficit over the course of a week, and I don't have daily cravings. So, when I crave something, I indulge and then eat within my calorie goal for the week. Alternatively, going to bed early sometimes helps :smile:
  • ell_23
    ell_23 Posts: 103
    I don't bother trying to avoid cravings, I just make it low-cal or healthy.

    For example, if I was craving chocolate, that craving would not go away until I ate chocolate. I know that for a fact. So I'd either go and buy a small chocolate bar for about 150-180 calories and incorporate it into my diary and calories for that day, or just go burn it off at the gym after. Or I might bake a healthy version of chocolate flavoured cookies or something.
  • nxiety
    nxiety Posts: 84 Member
    Ignore it?
  • JenniBaby85
    JenniBaby85 Posts: 855 Member
    I drink unsweetened tea, or chew gum.
  • GulfcoastAL
    GulfcoastAL Posts: 74 Member
    I love ground (milled) flax seed with a vanilla Greek Yogurt or I will make a Nutribullet drink which is 1 cup greens with pears and frozen blueberries. It really helps.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    SkFarmMom wrote: »
    So, only 4 days back on MFP, tracking my eating, and I'm prowling around the house with this "I just need SOMETHING" feeling...

    I know I'm well hydrated. I'm not actually hungry...I tried a Tbsp of peanut butter, but I don't want to "boredom" eat...

    What's your favorite way to kill a "something" craving...in the kitchen, or out of it?

    Exercise, or a big glass of water.
  • SkFarmMom
    SkFarmMom Posts: 46 Member
    Well, I tried the glass of water, but was still randomly opening and closing cupboard doors...I settled on overhauling the master bedroom until it was time to cook supper. Lol!
  • AmigaMaria001
    AmigaMaria001 Posts: 489 Member
    Chew sugarless gum
  • Arizona_C
    Arizona_C Posts: 1,476 Member
    get OUT of the house -and don't bring your purse! Take a walk, a loong one if necessary. Bring your ipod with captivating music to make you focus on something else. return when it's meal-time :D
  • SkFarmMom
    SkFarmMom Posts: 46 Member
    Arizona_C wrote: »
    get OUT of the house -and don't bring your purse! Take a walk, a loong one if necessary. Bring your ipod with captivating music to make you focus on something else. return when it's meal-time :D

    I should do this more before the snow flies. I used to love walking the fence lines of our farm, but it's harder now. I need to get a new guardian dog...we live in a pretty remote area and I'm not comfortable going walking on my own. Last winter my little border collie walking companion was killed by wolves during her night patrols. My other dogs are too timid to be of any use and we live in an area with wolves, bears and cougars, but I'd feel silly packing a rifle just to go for a walk. Not too worried about bringing a purse though...it's about 30 km to town...lol
  • oxers
    oxers Posts: 259 Member
    100 cal single serving bags of popcorn do it for me. Sometimes I just want to munch, and I'm not going to pretend that I'm going to deny myself the pleasure of munching in front of netflix for the rest of my life. So yeah, either a serving of popcorn or, if it has to be sweet, a pudding cup or a bowl of sugarfree jello with some lite whipped topping or.. something. Something that won't put a dent in my day's calories but still gives me that feeling of nibbling just because I want to, which is an important part of making sure I don't feel deprived.
  • cranberrytape
    cranberrytape Posts: 29 Member
    I find that if I want "something" but can't pinpoint a specific craving and don't actually feel hungry, it's just boredom. Eating foods that we like triggers the reward centers of the brain which is why eating good food is pleasurable. So it makes sense that when you're bored and craving stimulation, you'd have the urge to eat. Your brain is craving some kind of pleasure or just something and food is an easy fix. Not the healthiest choice, though. I'd recommend setting aside a little time to do something that you enjoy other than eating, even if it's something simple like taking a hot bath. Exercising can also release endorphins, so you may find after a workout that your urge to eat is gone.

    And if you do something fun and still feel like eating, then make it something healthy. Have some pineapple or some broccoli, something that isn't going to pack on an extra 300 calories. If you aren't willing to eat something healthy, then you probably aren't really hungry in the first place.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    Why not go for a jog?
  • Missjulesdid
    Missjulesdid Posts: 1,444 Member
    Coffee or tea works for me 75% of the time. The other 25% of the time my husband finds himself getting lucky.
  • cherys
    cherys Posts: 387 Member
    I discovered a fun one recently - go to you tube and put on some music you love, ideally by someone you makes your heart flutter a bit. Maybe a live gig or acoustic. You get that 'in love, can't eat' feeling. It's brilliant. :) Bit silly but it can work.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    I eat whatever I fancy - I just work it into my daily/weekly goals.
  • 13bbird13
    13bbird13 Posts: 425 Member
    I brush my teeth... that kills the desire to eat anything pretty quickly.
  • SkFarmMom
    SkFarmMom Posts: 46 Member
    cherys wrote: »
    I discovered a fun one recently - go to you tube and put on some music you love, ideally by someone you makes your heart flutter a bit. Maybe a live gig or acoustic. You get that 'in love, can't eat' feeling. It's brilliant. :) Bit silly but it can work.

    Oh! I like this! I'll give it a try next time. I'm musically driven...love to play, and already know listening to music impacts my moods. Actually, now that you mention it, I think even sitting down at the piano (my "go to") or picking up the flute (the latest instrument I'm learning) would probably take care of it (although it may kill an hour). Yay! Now I have a plan for the next time it hits...youtube, here I come! (And if no one's around to watch me, maybe I'll even pick something I can dance to...) :wink:

    If I know what I'm craving I don't have a problem indulging in a bit...especially dark chocolate :wink: ...but this was one of those unspecified cravings...where I knew I wasn't actually hungry and water didn't work. Thanks for all the suggestions!
  • sherambler
    sherambler Posts: 303 Member
    I just try to refocus my attention on something else, especially something that requires real concentration or use of my hands...reading, studying, cleaning, exercising, journaling, looking at before and after pictures online. If those don't work and I'm still hungry, then I might try my best to isolate exactly what it is that I'm craving and either eat a small amount of that or find a best swap for it. If I want something sweet, I'll make some sugar free pudding and top it with a little whipped cream or fruit. If I'm looking for savory, I'll make sautee some spinach. Sometimes swaps won't do and I have to go for the real thing.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    Dill pickles... that is the lowest calorie that I think you could find. In my case, when I crave something specific, I crave it until I get it. That could be days or weeks, and the craving doesn't just go away by trying to focus on other things or waiting it out.
  • postrockandcats
    postrockandcats Posts: 1,145 Member
    Bored eating was, and is, a big enemy of mine. I do a number of things from leaving the house, watching a movie, or even eating a small snack if it will be a while before a proper meal. The trick is accountability and being honest with yourself.
  • meridianova
    meridianova Posts: 438 Member
    midwesterner85 wrote: »
    In my case, when I crave something specific, I crave it until I get it. That could be days or weeks, and the craving doesn't just go away by trying to focus on other things or waiting it out.

    i'm the same way, especially with indulgence foods that i limit to once every few weeks.

    with me, if i'm just randomly hungry, i can ignore it and it'll go away after a while. if i'm actually craving a specific food, and i'm STILL craving it 20-30 minutes later, then i'll figure out a way to either have it or a close approximation that still fits in my goals for the day.
  • mz_getskinny
    mz_getskinny Posts: 258 Member
    13bbird13 wrote: »
    I brush my teeth... that kills the desire to eat anything pretty quickly.

    I brush my teeth too! Worst case scenario, you have really clean teeth :)

  • mizroxy13
    mizroxy13 Posts: 466 Member
    Take a hike.

    No, really...go take a walk. Even if it's around the block, it will readjust your thoughts. I also usually make a special cup of tea or something to feel like I'm treating myself.
  • Tkichler
    Tkichler Posts: 26 Member
    Missjulesdid wrote: »
    Coffee or tea works for me 75% of the time. The other 25% of the time my husband finds himself getting lucky.

    I love this idea!
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    I drink coffee as long as I can for the day- and I just keep going back to that. Then I'll start eating and usually try to eat something big enough to make do for several hours- but if I'm just generically hungry and not sure what I want- and I have little to no calories left but definitely have a craving for food- I often will pop a bag of steamable veggies and eat that- only 30 calories and usually something I can make work.

    If its' something incredibly specific- I'll just eat the thing- I'm not going to fix a specific craving with something else- just eat the thing and be done with it.
  • Oi_Sunshine
    Oi_Sunshine Posts: 819 Member
    If I don't have room for the calories, I do my nails. Lol if my nails are wet, I can't go digging in the cupboards for food.
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
    I've read that taking a walk around the block is the best thing to do when this happens. Also, listen to your cravings and log whatever it is--work it into your day.

Categories