cravings??

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kinmae
kinmae Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey Guys,

I just wanted to reach out and ask you guys how you deal with cravings. Like if you are a chocolate lover or for me it's Chinese food, how do you get through those moments of choosing a better choice? And do you think that it's better to cook at home or is this possible to do eating out?

Best,
Katie

Replies

  • Peekadoo
    Peekadoo Posts: 29 Member
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    I had a craving for Chinese myself the other night, so I came home and made some myself. It was much lower in cholesterol and sodium than regular chinese food. It was pretty delicious, actually. I much prefer to cook at home, but not everyone can do that. It's safer because I am in control of the contents...particularly the salt content.
  • hkuiuc99
    hkuiuc99 Posts: 79 Member
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    When I am craving chocolate (which is almost every night), I make a glass of skim milk with Hershey's syrup in it. Its way less fat and carbs than a candy bar or blizzard that I would rather have but it helps me get through the craving usually.

    I am also pregnant so I have a lot of weird cravings that I give in to, but that's my best defense for chocolate cravings. :wink:

    I hope that helps!
  • heathermrls
    heathermrls Posts: 91
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    it is ok to eat those things in moderation. this is a lifestyle change. not so much that you can never eat those things again. just dont do it every day. like instead of eating a whole chocolate bar i will eat a piece. and if you go to an all you can eat chinese buffet just make one plate with small portions. and make sure you log it. and have the calories in your diary if you do. if you are not sure just estimate. you will almost always fail if you give up on everything. and yes it is much better to eat at home. but stay away from processed foods. lot of sodium.
  • DropsOJupiter
    DropsOJupiter Posts: 131
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    Hi kinmae....I agree with Peekadoo...much better to cook at home as you are in control of the contents of the meal. However, I've learned that sometimes if I postpone a craving for too long, I will binge out on it later. I've found that research and label reading help a LOT regards my trigger foods. I know in advance what the choice will be for a specific craving and can allot for it. I've also found there is no good or bad food, just food I have limited control over and so they are never in my house. I have to make the effort to go get them. Wasteful as it may be, I portion out what I should eat and the rest goes in the garbage, down the disposal or to a friend/neighbor to get it out of the house.

    The point is to NOT wait until the craving hits...because it WILL hit. The point is to research and plan in advance what you will do when the time comes ... well, and to implement the plan of course! :bigsmile: Lastly, if you don't implement the plan (it happens, right?), don't beat yourself up...just get up, dust yourself off and MOVE! Hope this helps!
  • Saruman_w
    Saruman_w Posts: 1,531 Member
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    I don't get them anymore. In the beginning of my diet though, they were relentless. And it'd eventually get me to gaining weight again. Might be a psychological thing? Anyway, everybody's different so I'm not sure if one method will work for everyone. For me, thing're out of sight out of mind. If don't have junk food in my cupboards or is easily accessible I simply won't get them. Laziness maybe? There're times when that might not even work either, you start getting those hunger pains and the thought pops into your head "Maybe I should quell it with some Chinese food this once" and then you break down and stuff yourself with too many calories. Those're hard to deal with. I'd suggest planning out what you're going to eat each day ( making sure they fit into your calorie goals ) and have that instead when you're hungry so you won't be craving for too long since eventually your will's gonna break. After like a week or so maybe of eating healthier foods your body should get used to the new diet and the cravings should fade ( worked for me anyway ).
  • LifesPilgrim
    LifesPilgrim Posts: 498 Member
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    Chocolate milk is good, or just a single square of dark chocolate usually gets me through.

    I recently found some protein bars at Costco "Oh Yeah" is the brand name. They taste like a "real" candy bar, but are nutrient dense and high in protein so they are much better for you. Those are working wonderfully well for me right now.

    A small treat every once in a while is actually good for you, just be sure you keep it in moderation.

    Oh, and in my opinion, any time you can cook from scratch at home, the better it will be for you. This gives YOU total control over what goes in your body, not someone else.
  • MOMSHOME
    MOMSHOME Posts: 72
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    My biggest weakness is starbucks frapuccino and I would kill for one but I am new at this dieting things and really trying hard to stay away from those things that I am craving that I know would kill my efforts and hard work. I did find out just last night that I would much rather cook at home then go out and eat, my husband and I ate out last night and the food that was on the bar was nothing that was good for me. I know it is possible to eat out and not gain back the pounds you just lost but I have not learned all that yet.
  • Mommawarrior
    Mommawarrior Posts: 897 Member
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    I have found that I don't crave the things I used to hardly at all anymore. I used to be a chocoholic, a diet cokeaholic, pizza, fried anything aholic and an i ce cream aholic.
    The way I stopped my cravings was to simply not give into them. I know that that is alot different advice than what others might give, but it worked for me and I seldom eat anything that I used to eat. I ate 3 fried onion rings last night, not because I was craving them but because I cooked them for my husband, I about barfed.
    I simply stopped putting the stuff in my mouth and replaced it with fresh fruits and veggies, I don't eat hardly anything processed, no bleached flour, everything is 100% whole grain or 100% whole wheat and the cravings for the junk food I used to eat are all but gone.
    Hope this helps you some. I just know for me that the only way to not continue to crave something is to just not put it in my mouth to begin with.
  • TinaS88
    TinaS88 Posts: 817 Member
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    Self Control is the biggest thing!

    For me, I just had Chinese last night. But instead of getting the normal, I got a Chicken and Vegg. STEAMED with no sauce and white rice. I must say my hubby's looked a lot more yummy but mine was actually pretty good!

    As for chocolate ( I've never been big on sweets myself) do you like dark chocolate?

    The key is moderation. It is OKAY to treat yourself once in while, just do it smart :P
  • jtinker2010
    jtinker2010 Posts: 10
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    I have the BIGGEST sweet tooth and the thing that works for me is my Shakeology. I know this may sound like a sales pitch, but I start drinking a chocolate shake and my cravings subside. I think it is all the great nutrients and healthy stuff that it is made of. I lost 3 pounds this week! All I did was eat clean and low sodium style and every time I felt a craving welling up, drank a shake or half of one. It was amazing! I think cravings have to do with a lack of nutrients.
  • Kimrenaud
    Kimrenaud Posts: 118 Member
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    My biggest weakness is starbucks frapuccino and I would kill for one but I am new at this dieting things and really trying hard to stay away from those things that I am craving that I know would kill my efforts and hard work. I did find out just last night that I would much rather cook at home then go out and eat, my husband and I ate out last night and the food that was on the bar was nothing that was good for me. I know it is possible to eat out and not gain back the pounds you just lost but I have not learned all that yet.

    Low fatty foods, low carbs, lots of water and lots of exercise!
  • cln714
    cln714 Posts: 174 Member
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    I try to keep in mind that I am craving it because my body and mind are so used to having that stuff. Then I think that if I don't eat the junk my cravings will dissipate over time. For some reason, for me I can handle it better if I think it's just some psychological trick my mind/body is playing on me and it's not something I actually "need", I can handle it. "Cause when you're craving something, you feel like your body really NEEDS it... and that's not the case.
  • wanttogetskinny
    wanttogetskinny Posts: 194
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    Cravings are so hard! I mostly crave carb-laden things. I'm hoping that by eliminating things I used to eat (potato or corn chips, sugary cereals) I can greatly reduce my intake of carbs - which I've heard helps to curb future carb cravings.

    It helps that my boyfriend recently discovered he has a gluten intolerance, so many things have been purged (and banned) from our kitchen and we're purchasing a lot more fresh produce and meat.
  • grimnir
    grimnir Posts: 61 Member
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    From the replies so far, It seems like there's several solutions that have worked for people:

    1. Eat what you want but keep it limited to small portions that can fit in your diet.

    2. Eat well most of the time but give yourself a treat every now and again.

    3. Replace it with similar but healthier choices that you can have more of without disturbing your diet.

    4. Suck it up and wait for your body to no longer have those cravings.

    How do you decide which one is the best choice for any given craving? Is there a difference for you between milder cravings and more intense ones, in terms of which route you'll take?
  • JennieAL
    JennieAL Posts: 1,726 Member
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    You can add another tool: distraction

    I read all the time, and right now I'm focusing on reading about nutrition, fitness, quitting drinking etc. It really helps me to stay distracted and focus on the positives of the reason I'm quitting or cutting back on whatever it is. Alcohol for example. I'm obsessive by nature, and so I have to switch my obsession to the good rather than the not-so-good thing I'm doing... have the small bites of chocolate every now and then, just not two whole chocolate bars in one sitting :) And find good dark chocolate, and read up on it and know what you're actually putting in your body when you do eat that chocolate bar. And also know the benefits of it... the antioxidants and other good stuff. And then, enjoy the taste while you eat it in moderation :)
  • angelicdisgrace
    angelicdisgrace Posts: 2,071 Member
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    I go through stages with my cravings. Like when I'm on a roll losing weight my cravings are way down. When I'm stuck on a plataeu my cravings are off the chart. I can barely control them. A simple way to control my cravings is just to eat one small portion. In my case chips are my weakness. So I ate one serving of whatever chips and the craving is gone. I try to focus on my goal and that also helps me alot. Good luck.
  • LifesPilgrim
    LifesPilgrim Posts: 498 Member
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    There was another topic and debate on cravings and the belief that you crave certain things because your body needs something.

    This site was posted on that thread and I'll repost it. Just take it for another way of thinking, not condoning it or trashing it.

    http://www.dailytransformations.com/food-cravings-here-is-what-your-body-really-wants/

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