Cravings / hungar

Cravings and hunger pangs are separate for me.

Let me start with the hunger. If I get them, I try drinking water first. Sometimes the hunger pangs are really telling you that you are thirsty. If I am still hungry 30 minutes later I know I have to eat a snack if it is not time for a meal.

Cravings. I crave sweet and salty. Since I am on low sodium, I allow something in my plan every day to have a low salt snack (popcorn, etc) or I will go crazy. If it something sweet (chocolate, cookies, etc..) I choose better options like peanut butter and graham crackers...
peanut butter and celery. You will surprised that you try to make a snack healthier. Allow you self each week to enjoy something you love or it will be impossible to maintain in the long run...

But the key is, I do not drink my calories and allow my snack cravings in my plan every day. If I do not eat these calories it is plus for me.

Sorry to the OP. I guess I just do not understand cravings and hunger pangs.. Oh well..

I must have given out this blog link five times today.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/jgnatca/view/halting-a-binge-session-715131

I feed hunger.

First off, I'm glad you can recognize a weakness. That's the first step.

Now to work on tackling it... There are things you'll need to ask yourself. Are you eating enough? Consider any exercise you're doing. You should be eating at least 1200 calories per day. (There are a few exceptions, like if you're very short and past a certain age, but most people need at least 1200 calories.) If you're exercising vigorously, you might need more.

Are you eating often enough? Don't skip meals. Most people find that it helps to break down their calories into three main meals and three snacks per day as opposed to just three meals. Schedule them about 3-4 hours apart so that you're eating at regular intervals.

Are you getting enough fiber and protein? Look for foods that are low in calories but high in fiber and protein, which will help you keep feeling full. A typical serving is going to be around 100 calories (give or take about 20) and contain at least 1g of fiber or 5g of protein. Try to balance those out. You can also round things out with non-starchy veggies. (Go to the American Diabetes Association website for a nice list.) Usually, you can have as many servings of those as you like, and the high fiber content will help you feel full. You should also try to work in a serving of fruit each day. Note here... I said NON-STARCHY vegetables. There is a difference. Things like corn and potatoes are good in their own right as a serving of fiber, but they're certainly not unlimited.

Are you getting enough water? Believe it or not, feeling thirsty can lead to you feeling hungry. If you're feeling hungry ahead of time, try having a cup (8 oz) of water and waiting a few minutes.

If the answer to all of the above questions is yes, then ask yourself if you're really feeling hungry or if it's a craving for a sweet or something you enjoy. Sometimes it's a habit. This was where I struggled for a long time The good news is that there are ways to combat this, too.

First, if it's a habit... If you sit down to the television and feel like you have to snack on something, try doing something else with your hands. This will break that need to feed. If you absolutely MUST eat SOMETHING, have some non-starchy veggies ready to chow on.

If it's a craving you're dealing with then you might genuinely have issues with feeling deprived. How you handle this highly depends on how you handle your own eating habits. So here are two situations:

1. Do you find that when you eat something, you can control the amount so long as you don't feel like it's "the last time" when you eat it? If this is you, then I have good news. You can eat that food again-- just limit it. Some people give themselves a "free day" or a "free meal" every week when they can eat anything they like as long as it's in moderation. What this means is that you'll have a small portion of, say, lasagna (not a heaping whole plate full), add some good veggies to the mix. If you want a chocolate dessert, stick to a smaller portion. Keep track of your calories, and try not to go too far over your goal for that day. Don't stuff yourself. For the other six days, behave yourself knowing that as long as you stay on track you can occasionally indulge. You might even find that you crave it less now that it's not a "forbidden fruit." If you set limits, you can work just about anything into your diet.

I realize that this sounds CRAZY to a lot of dieters, but that was me. I was able to stick to my diet better because I'd occasionally allow myself these things. For me, telling myself that I can never have them ever again just wasn't realistic.

2. Do you find that if you start eating something, it's a slippery slope toward falling off the wagon entirely? If this is you, you might have to ban the food from your life for a while. Make sure it's not in the house. (I promise you that the husband and kids will survive this.) Find healthier alternatives to the food you crave. Maybe you can find a sugar-free or lower calorie version. Google is your friend.

Like I said, everyone is different, and your situation might not be covered here. But this is what helped me, so hopefully it'll help someone else.

These are my really general tips for hunger, since we don't know anything about your diet or exercise routine:

1. Make sure that your calorie goals are actually set appropriately. Don't skip this step. A lot of people set goals that are too aggressive and then wonder why they're having a hard time. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

2. Look for foods higher in protein, fat, and fiber. These help us stay full and more satisfied longer. If you're using MFP's default settings, try to consider protein, fat, and fiber as minimums to reach every day rather than maximums to stay below.

3. Drink plenty of fluids. Some people really do confuse thirst and hunger.

4. Get plenty of rest. This includes sleeping enough and taking rest days from the exercise. Sometimes our bodies look for food when they're exhausted.

5. Play around with your meal timings. Some people do really well on 5-6 small meals a day and others feel like they want to gnaw their own arm off eating like that. Skipping breakfast, eating breakfast, 16:8 fasting, 6 small meals, 3 larger meals, snacks, no snacks, meal timing won't make a big difference to your weight loss, but it may help your hunger levels, mood, concentration, gym performance, etc. throughout the day. Don't be afraid to try a different way and see if it helps.

6. Wait it out. If you know you're eating enough and the other steps above aren't helping, you may just have to wait it out. Our bodies send out hunger signals partially out of habit. If you eat at a certain time every day your body will start to get hungry at that time. The good news is that these signals can be retrained to stop telling you to be hungry all the time. The bad news is that you may just have to be hungry for a little bit while that happens.

7. I also think it's important to remember that there's a habitual component to hunger. This goes along with point #6, but if you eat because you're bored or you're used to eating in front of the TV or in the car or whatever it is, then you can replace those habits with others that are better for you. Things like keeping water on hand to sip instead of snacking or picking up hobbies that keep your hands busy or that get you out of the house more can help out a little while you're retraining your hunger cues. You might need to pay attention to why you're eating/hungry or what you're feeling when you eat and try to replace food with other things, but it can be really beneficial over time.