Cravings. What did you do to prevent yourself from giving in?

PurpleDandelion2
PurpleDandelion2 Posts: 8
edited November 2014 in Health and Weight Loss
I am constantly wanting to eat from the bag of kettle corn, or the box of cookies. I put them up in a cupboard in case someone else in my family wanted to eat them, but I just get so tempted to eat it when people leave. I've been doing good at keeping my diets low carb/low sugar except when it comes to the junk food which kills me. Or when it comes to drinking milk which isn't necessarily low carb.

I've tried dieting before, and always gave up because I was impatient and never saw the scale move. But I'm super determined now. I want to drop a pant size (hopefully two) by the end of this year. I'm currently a size 13 in juniors. I weigh 188.2lbs and I am 5'2.5" - I want to be a size 11 by the end of November, and a size 9 by 2015. But it's the junk food that's getting me. I've only been doing this diet for about a week, so I haven't seen the scale move yet. I know it takes time. I'm worried that my little bits of caving in, by stuffing my face with a handful of chips and cookies will cause me to not lose as much as I can as fast as I can.

Should I just get rid of the junk food all together? Should I put it somewhere else? are there other ideas to help me lose weight?

Replies

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    This isn't about "losing as much as you can as fast as you can". This is about learning to eat in moderation, in a sustainable way, to achieve a new lifestyle. This, for me doesn't include giving up anything, so I make them fit into my caloric allotment.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    I don't buy it.

    Not buying junk won't help people who will just get on the car and go buy whatever they're craving, but it helps me. :)

    Also, berries. They're so sweet and yummy!! If I have a sugar craving, I eat some berries and it's over. They're so good. It's like a gift from God that something so damn yummy can be low-cal.

  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    If you can't handle a reasonable portion of these foods, I would get rid of them and not buy more.
    I have a couple of things like that so I just don't have them around much.
  • balletgirl77
    balletgirl77 Posts: 61 Member
    Like others have mentioned, I would suggest to stop buying junk food. Eventually you should treat yourself 1-2 times per week with one serving junk food. I found that when I first cut back on sweets I had to avoid them completely for a month before I could treat myself once in a while without feeling the urge to binge. Maybe you don't need to do that, but that's what worked for me personally.

    Since cravings are not physical hunger, you have to be able to overcome them psychologically. I used to have (and sometimes still do have) extreme sugar cravings, but the following blog has really helped me to understand what cravings really are and how to dismiss them:

    http://www.beckdietsolution.com/diet-solution-blog/
    (type "cravings" into the search bar on the right side of the page; there are a number of really helpful articles)

    Basically a craving goes away one of two ways: when you decide to give in or when you decide to definitely not give in. It's not even about eating the food you were craving in the first place because cravings start to diminish once you've decided one way or the other.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    The more you resist cravings, the more you come to know you're able to resist them if you want to.

    That being said, I don't resist.
    I give in, in moderation, and adjust my menu for the day to account for it.
    I had a doughnut Sunday morning.
    If I want chocolate, I'll have a piece of really good dark chocolate & let it melt on my tongue, enjoying every bit of it. Or some semisweet chocolate chips, one by one, letting them melt & savoring them.
    I do have trouble with cookies. :frowning: And chips. (At least 1 week a month.)

    Or there's always the substitution ideas:
    drink a glass of water
    brush your teeth
    go for a walk or do other exercise to get away from the temptation
    clean, do yardwork
    knit (or anything that occupies your hands & mind)
    have some celery (or an apple, or something else low-cal & crunchy)

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  • LabAgility
    LabAgility Posts: 120 Member
    Hot tea. Lots of hot herbal tea.

    I do not get extreme cravings except one week or so a month. Those weeks are horrid. Like want to gnaw off my own fists. I just keep telling myself that I control the food; it does not control me.

    So far it is working.

    When I am in a normal place I adjust things to fit what I want. And if I need to, I can always exercise more to free up calories.
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
    I would say don't cut these things out completely. Have them but not as much, and make them fit into your calories allowance.

    Its like me, I love love love peanut butter. I always say I am going to cut it out completely... but then why? I love it. Now I am only having 1 teaspoon a day, whereas before I could keep having it throughout the day.

    Make the things you want or love 'fit' into your day - Its all about calories too lose weight, its not about eating clean or dirty!!!!
  • vickyjane1710
    vickyjane1710 Posts: 20 Member
    hi, while i agree that its everything in moderation etc, sometimes i just have to have some chocolate and i know full well that i wont be able to stop at just one piece. The only type of chocolate i have in the house is Cadbury's Highlites, a diet hot chocolate drink. Its only 40 calories per serving. True, i weigh out two servings of it into a huge mug, but it really stops the chocolate cravings for me!
  • D_squareG
    D_squareG Posts: 361 Member
    Don't buy foods that you absolutely can't control. For me that is Cheezits. But, also don't eliminate whole groups of foods, like carbs. I think that will set you up for binging on them. Eat carbs, protein, fat - all in moderation. That is how you learn to have a good relationship with food. Not a love/hate relationship.
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,519 Member
    I'm not sure if you are an adult, b/c you mentioned Juniors sized clothing. If you are the adult buying the junk food...just don't buy it. You don't need it, and really no one else in the house needs it either.

    If I want chocolate, I buy a single serving type deal, eat it, and don't obsess over what is in the cabinet, b/c there is nothing there! Also, a hot cup of tea takes the edge off of my evening cravings for something sweet.

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