Do cravings go away???
shanerichard1441
Posts: 3 Member
Trying to get ride of the sugar ( soda, tea, lemonade cakes etc..). Does the cravings for this ever go away?
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Replies
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What is your reason for trying to eliminate sugar from your diet? I can't imagine living that way for the rest of my life. Have you tried just staying in your calorie limit and indulging in small servings of food you love?
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They might, or they might not. For some they do, for some they don't.
Statistically speaking, eliminating a certain type of food doesn't work out well in the long run. You can have reasonable portions of anything and still lose weight. If you don't have a major health issue, sugar in moderation is not a big deal. (Soda can really add up quickly and generally the advice is not to drink your calories)
Why, exactly, do you want to eliminate it?0 -
Cutting out all of life's delicious foods, or labeling certain food as "bad" vs "healthy" is a recipe for failure.
The point of counting calories, IMO, is to learn portion control. Not to deprive yourself/make your weightloss experience into a miserable punishment. Find ways to fit smaller portions of the sugary treats you like into your daily calories and you won't crave so much, or be tempted to binge and quit.4 -
It's a control thing. As long as I stay away I'm good. I want it but can avoid it. Once I give in I over do it and blow my cal count. I can't just have one cookie or small taste of cake or coke. That's why I was asking.1
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My sugar cravings completely disappeared once I just stopped eating sweet stuff. This was the late 90s, a heady time for us all.
I have zero desire for sweet food of any kind these days, and frankly it's glorious. I'm kickin' it savory now, baby.4 -
Once I kicked the junk food sugar stuff, it was easy to avoid them. It took some time to kick that habit. I do allow ice-cream in my diet on a daily basis. I stay within my calorie count.1
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Once you stop eating sugar and carbs cravings go away and appetite decreases. The best part is there are excellent sugar substitutes and great low carbs recipes.107 lbs gone since Jan 2015.4
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shanerichard1441 wrote: »It's a control thing. As long as I stay away I'm good. I want it but can avoid it. Once I give in I over do it and blow my cal count. I can't just have one cookie or small taste of cake or coke. That's why I was asking.
This is my exact problem! I thought it was just me.I just finished the 21 day sugar detox, i felt great whilst i did it and didnt miss the sugar, but since ive finished ive had like 3000cals each day on a crazy sugar binge and cant stop! Not sure what the answer is because i dont want to deprive myself forever, but cant carry on as i am
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I have the same problem for chocolate and bread but if you take small amounts of things you like. What helped me is if you drink a lot of water and make your own food, when you homemake food you loose the craving a little more each time. And overtime if you're persistent on eating or drinking healthy stuff (for me it was Green tea - no sugar or anything added) your taste buds will adjust.1
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Nope.0
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shanerichard1441 wrote: »Trying to get ride of the sugar ( soda, tea, lemonade cakes etc..). Does the cravings for this ever go away?
Yes, they do.
Plus, once you start eating less sugar, the sugary things you do eat will taste much sweeter, so you end up satisfied with strawberries instead of cake.5 -
I haven't tried cutting anything completely out except for wheat. Oh, I still eat it, just in much smaller amounts.
That really seems to be the key for me. I've lost 60 lbs in the last 12 months and it's portion and calorie control. Eat what you want, including sugar, but log *everything* and stay within your calorie goal. The weight will come off that way. I know if I want a donut, I can have it I just have to allow for it in my total calories.
I still have cravings but that could be because I never cut anything completely out. I never did crave more wheat though as I scaled it back.0 -
My cravings for sweet stuff went away completely, but I did have to cut out sweet stuff completely for that to happen. I do, though, have some protein shakes that are artificially sweetened and they help, rather that hurt. And like zoink66 said, they taste much sweeter after cutting out other stuff. Some people respond badly to artificial sweeteners, too, though. Anyway... point here being that my experience with that would indicate that it's not the taste driving my cravings, but rather something hormonal and affected by ingestion of refined sugar.0
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Yes. After cutting carbs to low levels, and sugar to minimal levels, my cravings were gone within a week.
When my carb intake increases, or I eat moderate carbs at a meal, my cravings and appetite will increase though. My cravings are gone only as long as I eat LCHf.1 -
shanerichard1441 wrote: »Trying to get ride of the sugar ( soda, tea, lemonade cakes etc..). Does the cravings for this ever go away?
Yes, they do.
Plus, once you start eating less sugar, the sugary things you do eat will taste much sweeter, so you end up satisfied with strawberries instead of cake.
Funny because that never happened to me. Gimme cake and chocolate.1 -
Yes. I lost my craving to sugar and other processed food after gradually cutting back on them
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Start with calories...healthy eating (At a level you can be satisfied with) will follow. I have explained this to my friends who felt I was a little off my rocker to say "I'm getting back in shape" only to watch me eat a single portion package of M&Ms. It goes something like this:
Calorie deficit = weight loss.
Okay, I can have cake and ice cream and Cheetos and lose weight, right?
Sure.
Yay!
After a day of this, you realize it sucks not being able to eat anything after the 3 snacks you've had burned up all your calories for the day. So, you live, you learn and you start looking at what you *could* have had instead.
Then you go to things like fast food and realize that what you used to eat to fill you up was almost a day's worth of calories in one shot. Well...crap. I guess I'll just have the value meal...wait, that's two meal's worth...dammit! Fine, a salad...wait, HOW MANY CALORIES ARE IN THAT DRESSING? I COULD HAVE A SLICE OF CAKE FOR THAT!!! AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!
And so on.
Eventually you realize, sodas are empty calories - toss them to the way side, get diet soda instead and start upping your water instead of soda all the time. Maybe swap out a bottle of water for a can of soda.
Next you realize that fried = more calories. Baked is better. But even baked chips have half a meal's worth of calories in them, so you better really be craving chips (and be willing to only eat one serving...wait, you don't know what a serving size is yet!!!)...
Then you start to measure out your servings. You start by counting chips. Eighteen in a serving? Seriously? I thought half the family-sized bag was a serving...well crap.
But then you learn that gauging things by volume isn't accurate and can actually lead to robbing you of yummies! (Seriously, one of my snack foods claims 18 chips is a serving (28g) but when I measure out 28g, I swear I've got 25+ chips on that plate!)
Then you start to prioritize...Hamburger is yummy and delicious and....and you could be having TWICE as much chicken for the same calorie count...hmmm...well, maybe chicken is better...
Then you find out about Seafood and the high protein to calorie ratio...and this thing called Omega 3 fatty acids...whatever they are...supposed to be good for ya...
And then you move up into the veggie world and realize that your mom had it right - eat your veggies, they're good for you (and really low in calories, too!)
Eventually 90% (or more) of your diet consists of yummy but really healthy things, you feel better, you look better...but you still have something...that 10% piece of junk that you *adore* and wouldn't leave behind for the world.
For me, that's my chocolate. Don't get between me and my chocolate, you could get hurt. To satisfy my health needs and my chocolate cravings, I have found that M&Ms are awesome. I can pop one or two in my mouth and savor them...or if I am really desiring that feeling of gorging, I can pop a dozen and (again) savor this big ol' lump of chocolate just overwhelming my taste buds. Mmmm...
What I'm trying to say is that slowly, almost without effort, you will move from being a junk food junkie to a healthy eater.
But good grief don't try to run the Boston Marathon when you still haven't managed a mall walk! Baby steps, baby steps.
Calories first, the healthy eating will come naturally...just like your foods.
This is a craving-free process, because when those cravings hit, you can just have a little taste, not a binge and keep with the calorie count.10 -
Wow - what an awesome post!! It's too sensible for a lot of the all or nothing crowd but I'm sure it will help many people!0
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Nah, cravings come and go depending on what else you are eating, doing, feeling. For example, I've been craving pizza for a couple or three Thursdays in a row ... so maybe next time I have a craving for it I'll go have some.0
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shanerichard1441 wrote: »It's a control thing. As long as I stay away I'm good. I want it but can avoid it. Once I give in I over do it and blow my cal count. I can't just have one cookie or small taste of cake or coke. That's why I was asking.
I began this journey during Girl Scout Cookie season with Girl Scout Cookies in the house. For the first couple of weeks, I had 1 serving of cookies, which in the case of the little G.S. lemon cookie is 5 cookies. For every day of this journey I've worked in an office which freely offers candy and snacks. For the first month of this journey I planned and had 1 chocolate candy. Some days it was a Snickers mini. Other days it was a Hershey Kiss. I did not try to conquer the sugar craving. One day, the cookies were gone. One day, I just didn't want the candy. Perhaps you can plan to have one small sweet after a filling meal of protein and vegetables. You might be able to corral this appetite into a manageable zone. Indeed, you may be able to grow (mentally) away from it.
As it is you have already declared failure. That's no way to succeed.0 -
Start with calories...healthy eating (At a level you can be satisfied with) will follow. I have explained this to my friends who felt I was a little off my rocker to say "I'm getting back in shape" only to watch me eat a single portion package of M&Ms. It goes something like this:
Calorie deficit = weight loss.
Okay, I can have cake and ice cream and Cheetos and lose weight, right?
Sure.
Yay!
After a day of this, you realize it sucks not being able to eat anything after the 3 snacks you've had burned up all your calories for the day. So, you live, you learn and you start looking at what you *could* have had instead.
Then you go to things like fast food and realize that what you used to eat to fill you up was almost a day's worth of calories in one shot. Well...crap. I guess I'll just have the value meal...wait, that's two meal's worth...dammit! Fine, a salad...wait, HOW MANY CALORIES ARE IN THAT DRESSING? I COULD HAVE A SLICE OF CAKE FOR THAT!!! AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!
And so on.
Eventually you realize, sodas are empty calories - toss them to the way side, get diet soda instead and start upping your water instead of soda all the time. Maybe swap out a bottle of water for a can of soda.
Next you realize that fried = more calories. Baked is better. But even baked chips have half a meal's worth of calories in them, so you better really be craving chips (and be willing to only eat one serving...wait, you don't know what a serving size is yet!!!)...
Then you start to measure out your servings. You start by counting chips. Eighteen in a serving? Seriously? I thought half the family-sized bag was a serving...well crap.
But then you learn that gauging things by volume isn't accurate and can actually lead to robbing you of yummies! (Seriously, one of my snack foods claims 18 chips is a serving (28g) but when I measure out 28g, I swear I've got 25+ chips on that plate!)
Then you start to prioritize...Hamburger is yummy and delicious and....and you could be having TWICE as much chicken for the same calorie count...hmmm...well, maybe chicken is better...
Then you find out about Seafood and the high protein to calorie ratio...and this thing called Omega 3 fatty acids...whatever they are...supposed to be good for ya...
And then you move up into the veggie world and realize that your mom had it right - eat your veggies, they're good for you (and really low in calories, too!)
Eventually 90% (or more) of your diet consists of yummy but really healthy things, you feel better, you look better...but you still have something...that 10% piece of junk that you *adore* and wouldn't leave behind for the world.
For me, that's my chocolate. Don't get between me and my chocolate, you could get hurt. To satisfy my health needs and my chocolate cravings, I have found that M&Ms are awesome. I can pop one or two in my mouth and savor them...or if I am really desiring that feeling of gorging, I can pop a dozen and (again) savor this big ol' lump of chocolate just overwhelming my taste buds. Mmmm...
What I'm trying to say is that slowly, almost without effort, you will move from being a junk food junkie to a healthy eater.
But good grief don't try to run the Boston Marathon when you still haven't managed a mall walk! Baby steps, baby steps.
Calories first, the healthy eating will come naturally...just like your foods.
This is a craving-free process, because when those cravings hit, you can just have a little taste, not a binge and keep with the calorie count.
This. Very well said!1 -
I still eat added-sugar items, but I've reduced my consumption from what it was. I find myself craving fruit more often now. I had a bunch of pineapple and grapes with Greek yogurt for lunch. Fruit was practically spilling out of the bowl. It was fantastic. I had an 800 calorie whoopie pie yesterday, and it was soooooo good, but I think I may have enjoyed the fruit-with-a-side of yogurt today more because it was filling.
So, basically, you may find that you start to love and enjoy different things in your eating routine, but you'll still have a desire to eat this or that. If I want something, I fit it in, and I have a portion that I find satisfying. If I'm going to eat a slice of cake, it's going to be a decent-sized piece. People have different calorie goals that can make fitting things in more difficult, but I have learned to have days here and there where I plan to eat at maintenance if I need to. That way I'm not obsessing about "forbidden" foods, and that, in turn, keeps me from being bothered too much by cravings.
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shanerichard1441 wrote: »It's a control thing. As long as I stay away I'm good. I want it but can avoid it. Once I give in I over do it and blow my cal count. I can't just have one cookie or small taste of cake or coke. That's why I was asking.
Here's the solution and it's part of what I said earlier - count out the portions. That doesn't mean to do it every time you eat...do it before. Put the portions in zip lock baggies. Put the baggies in a hard to reach area. When the craving hits...start talking to yourself, "Okay me...I know we want us some BIG OL chocolate chip cookies and MAN they are AMAZING. We have some too...they're not easy to get to, but...while I'm struggling to get my butt up this ladder to find them, we're in agreement, one baggie, right? I'm not gettin' you high, I'm gettin' you a FIX. That's it. You want more, you're gonna have to walk up and down this ladder a LOAD of times before the next baggie. You want that? I didn't think so, neither do I....so nibble those cookies. Make them last."
And if it doesn't help, just remember that laughter burns calories.
All joking aside, what you're dealing with isn't cravings. It's called food addiction. When you start to eat something and you physically cannot control yourself and stop - that's an addiction and the above method helps. It's helped me end my Cheetos addiction, it might just help you.3 -
A few years ago I stopped eating junk food, I didn't really mean to it just happened (stopped working at a Tim Hortons and couldn't stomach the smell of sugar or baked goods I guess) anyway I started eating it again when I was pregnant and haven't stopped. Like some other people eating one cookie triggers me to eat more and more, so until I can deal with that I also am trying to cut out junk. I find the first three weeks are the worst for cravings, after that I don't seem to want it anymore, after a few months my tastes change and I don't care for the taste of junk. Its just so hard to get past those first three weeks for moi.0
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If I try not to eat sweets I end up going nuts and way overeat on them, but if I plan for them in my calories I feel satisfied. I like to pre-plan what I'm going to have and always try to log before I eat rather than the other way around. I'm still losing well with chocolate and ice cream in my diet. I've done low carb and gone without and ended up being less satisfied and binging from time to time. I also exercise to earn more calories to fit my sweets in:)2
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shanerichard1441 wrote: »Trying to get ride of the sugar ( soda, tea, lemonade cakes etc..). Does the cravings for this ever go away?
Yes, they do.
Plus, once you start eating less sugar, the sugary things you do eat will taste much sweeter, so you end up satisfied with strawberries instead of cake.
Funny because that never happened to me. Gimme cake and chocolate.
Didn't for me either. I would make it a couple months maybe 3 but I would fail. Now I make room for chocolate and that and its so much better.0
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