How do you fight off cravings?
Replies
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BodyzLanguage wrote: »FridayApril01st2016 wrote: »BodyzLanguage wrote: »FridayApril01st2016 wrote: »BodyzLanguage wrote: »FridayApril01st2016 wrote: »BodyzLanguage wrote: »I wouldn't recommend suppressing your cravings for eternity. Where's the fun in that? However if you crave donuts multiple times you day you can't exactly pander to every craving can you. You have to strike a balance between the two without it impeding your goals or nutrition. That balance is different for everyone. And when people on here say they eat what they want it doesn't mean what you think it means. Rather it means they actually eat "clean" for 80% of the day and fill in the rest with whatever they desire.
Although I've come to actually desire, my "clean" eating; especially if it's expensive because then, it has to be; a treat!
I hope you do otherwise you'll be unhappy for the majority of the day lol. It's easy to desire well cooked homemade food. At least I do.
For the most part I make my own food, typically with fresh produce/lean meats but I don't make my own sushi & I buy filet mignon, with the excess fat trimmed.
Likewise. I take pride in cooking. I'm awesome at it
. Sushi? 
I'd love to be more creative/adventurous with my cooking but my disability, often prevents that; so I don't make many different or gourmet/cultural dishes, therefore I am no chef but what I do make is enjoyable enough, for me.
And that's all that matters IMO. What's best for you.
I approve this message lol!1 -
I have Atkins Indulge items on hand for when I crave something sweet, but normally I crave things like steak-which I found generally means I'm low in iron.
I haven't had many strong cravings, but if I do, I go for it. Then I go work it off on a racquetball court.
Works for me.0 -
FridayApril01st2016 wrote: »BodyzLanguage wrote: »FridayApril01st2016 wrote: »BodyzLanguage wrote: »FridayApril01st2016 wrote: »BodyzLanguage wrote: »FridayApril01st2016 wrote: »BodyzLanguage wrote: »I wouldn't recommend suppressing your cravings for eternity. Where's the fun in that? However if you crave donuts multiple times you day you can't exactly pander to every craving can you. You have to strike a balance between the two without it impeding your goals or nutrition. That balance is different for everyone. And when people on here say they eat what they want it doesn't mean what you think it means. Rather it means they actually eat "clean" for 80% of the day and fill in the rest with whatever they desire.
Although I've come to actually desire, my "clean" eating; especially if it's expensive because then, it has to be; a treat!
I hope you do otherwise you'll be unhappy for the majority of the day lol. It's easy to desire well cooked homemade food. At least I do.
For the most part I make my own food, typically with fresh produce/lean meats but I don't make my own sushi & I buy filet mignon, with the excess fat trimmed.
Likewise. I take pride in cooking. I'm awesome at it. Sushi?
I'd love to be more creative/adventurous with my cooking but my disability, often prevents that; so I don't make many different or gourmet/cultural dishes, therefore I am no chef but what I do make is enjoyable enough, for me.
And that's all that matters IMO. What's best for you.
I approve this message lol!
I approve your love of strong straws
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BodyzLanguage wrote: »FridayApril01st2016 wrote: »BodyzLanguage wrote: »FridayApril01st2016 wrote: »BodyzLanguage wrote: »FridayApril01st2016 wrote: »BodyzLanguage wrote: »FridayApril01st2016 wrote: »BodyzLanguage wrote: »I wouldn't recommend suppressing your cravings for eternity. Where's the fun in that? However if you crave donuts multiple times you day you can't exactly pander to every craving can you. You have to strike a balance between the two without it impeding your goals or nutrition. That balance is different for everyone. And when people on here say they eat what they want it doesn't mean what you think it means. Rather it means they actually eat "clean" for 80% of the day and fill in the rest with whatever they desire.
Although I've come to actually desire, my "clean" eating; especially if it's expensive because then, it has to be; a treat!
I hope you do otherwise you'll be unhappy for the majority of the day lol. It's easy to desire well cooked homemade food. At least I do.
For the most part I make my own food, typically with fresh produce/lean meats but I don't make my own sushi & I buy filet mignon, with the excess fat trimmed.
Likewise. I take pride in cooking. I'm awesome at it. Sushi?
I'd love to be more creative/adventurous with my cooking but my disability, often prevents that; so I don't make many different or gourmet/cultural dishes, therefore I am no chef but what I do make is enjoyable enough, for me.
And that's all that matters IMO. What's best for you.
I approve this message lol!
I approve your love of strong straws
Lol!
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I am maintaining now. I really do not have sugar cravings because I stopped eating sugar rich foods. High sugar concentrated foods are addicting...you only want more, the more you eat, the more you want. Sure, I pass the candy section every time I am checking out somewhere, I would love a chocolate candy bar....oh, it would taste so good...but, I let the craving pass because I have something else to do...like pay for the items at the register. I do not keep sugar items in my home especially the ones I would eat out of control....like glazed donuts! Family brings them, my mouth goes crazy, I could eat the entire box if I wanted to. When the donuts are in the house, I have one, then I need to get away from the donuts or put them out of sight. Out of sight, out of mind. Anyway...4
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When I want chocolate, a pear isn't going to do it.
Same here. If I really want chocolate, then I'm having chocolate - the amount I have depends on how many calories I have available for snacks!
But, I have found that as time has gone on I actually want chocolate less than I used to. I've mostly substituted fat-free Fudgsicles for my chocolate treats now - I've been eating those quite regularly recently, but I have periods when I won't have those either and might have a yogurt instead. I never used to be able to last more than a couple of days without chocolate of some kind!
So, I don't deny my cravings when I get them but I do try to limit my portion sizes... and I don't get cravings anywhere near as often as I used to. Amazing how things change. 3 -
Unlimited mustard and pickles. Saurkraut is an acceptable substitute.
You're welcome.1 -
It's weird I don't really get cravings anymore maybe because I don't put anything off limits. If you make something acceptable suddenly you don't crave it as much.3
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I refuse to grocery shop, while hungry & I typically don't put what I consider for myself only, as being junk/trigger foods; on my grocery list even if it's on sale and/or I have a coupon (which I'll conveniently, leave at home), so that I'll either forget and/or won't have the incentive; to purchase them.2
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I take the opposite approach, having exactly what I'm craving, however I delay gratification. If I've craving something like a cinnamon bun or cake, I don't tell myself that I can never have it. I wait. Then I wait some more. If I'm still craving it after a few weeks, I'll work it into my calories, and have it, and not just any cinnamon bun or cake, exactly the kind, from exactly the bakery, that I want. Sometimes that means waiting even longer. For me, having fruit when I want cake is not an answer.
Here's the thing: most of the time, after the wait and the fuss to get exactly what I want, I don't really like it as much as I thought I would, and I never need to eat it again.
Fortunately, most of my cravings are for meat, cheese, nuts, chocolate and vegetables, things I can have everyday in reasonable amounts.6 -
kommodevaran wrote: »I don't focus on "combatting" inclinations anymore. If I have to struggle to be healthy, I'll lose. I have found adjusting my habits, environment and attitudes, a good strategy. Stocking up on real foods and leaving "trigger" food in the store - means reserving those foods for special occasions and "appropriate" settings. That way I can follow my cravings/instincts without hurting myself. I also let myself become decently hungry and eat regular meals of foods I enjoy.
As usual, I really love this response. For me, making it not a struggle is really important to. If it's working, I shouldn't be having to combat cravings.
But then, I always wonder what precisely people mean by cravings. A desire to eat a particular food, a thought that it would be delicious? I have those -- usually based largely on what I'm used to or expecting to eat, occasionally not. Generally they are not urgent and can be addressed by planning for the food later or, sometimes, just eating something else delicious (like my planned dinner -- I do find that if I get too hungry and tired I'm most likely to desire something easy and high cal, like ordering a pizza, but when that's the cause just eating my planned dinner or something quick like an omelet will take care of it). Or a desire triggered by something nearby to eat that thing? I have those too, but much more when I'm not in the habit of planning and eating regular meals and am in the habit of grazing/snacking throughout the day. I can usually deal with these by thinking rationally about whether the food is worth the tradeoffs (the calorie hit and what I won't be able to eat). On rare occasion it is.1 -
Ultimately, I found the best way to combat cravings was to eat foods that didn't hormonally create them in the first place. No I'm not perfect, I too have my vices with food and I ultimately don't feel anything is off the list forever. Ideally though, you should plan in some way to satisfy those urges rather than trying to ignore them totally or satisfy them as they come up. I found the latter of those two methods to beget more and more cravings and much harder to control myself when I did relent.1
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I eat the foods I crave, fitting them into my daily calorie and nutrient goals.
Is there an issue?2 -
I don't fight off foods that I really want. I simply eat in moderation and stop eating when I feel full.2
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I don't fight them, I ignore them and carry on.1
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I rarely get cravings for anything, so I have trouble understanding them as a daily thing.
When I do get cravings, it is because my body needs something so I analyse the craving and try to determine what it is that I need. For example, if I happen to crave potato chips, it is usually because I need salt. Eating a pickle or adding a bit of extra salt to my dinner solves that.
That said, I did have one craving which puzzled me.
When I started with MFP about 18 months ago, I started craving bread like crazy. I felt like I could devour whole loaves of it. That was really odd because I'm not that fond of bread and didn't eat it very often. I would have toast for breakfast on the weekends and that was about it.
I never did figure out what the bread craving was all about, but I started eating a slice of decent quality, whole grain bread every day and the craving went away.
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DeficitDuchess wrote: »I refuse to grocery shop, while hungry & I typically don't put what I consider for myself only, as being junk/trigger foods; on my grocery list even if it's on sale and/or I have a coupon (which I'll conveniently, leave at home), so that I'll either forget and/or won't have the incentive; to purchase them.
This is guerrilla shopping for pros
I have stopped buying trigger foods in bulk. There is no saving in buying lots of cheap food when you end up not only paying more than you planned, but also eating more than you planned. 0 -
I agree that the first step - is admitting there is a problem (for me at least). No, I DONT need that cookie at 3pm. Before, I acted on my cravings...every.time. That killed my diet. I had healthy snacks in between, but somehow always craved cookies and cake. Once I just said, ya know what, I'm not going to starve if I don't have that treat. Suck it up. Deal with it. And I learned, hey, the craving actually goes away after 30 minutes. And then I really enjoy my 6pm dinner - not consumed with guilt or trying to take items out of my dinner to account for the 300 empty calorie treat.1
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lemurcat12 wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »I don't focus on "combatting" inclinations anymore. If I have to struggle to be healthy, I'll lose. I have found adjusting my habits, environment and attitudes, a good strategy. Stocking up on real foods and leaving "trigger" food in the store - means reserving those foods for special occasions and "appropriate" settings. That way I can follow my cravings/instincts without hurting myself. I also let myself become decently hungry and eat regular meals of foods I enjoy.
As usual, I really love this response. For me, making it not a struggle is really important to. If it's working, I shouldn't be having to combat cravings.
But then, I always wonder what precisely people mean by cravings. A desire to eat a particular food, a thought that it would be delicious? I have those -- usually based largely on what I'm used to or expecting to eat, occasionally not. Generally they are not urgent and can be addressed by planning for the food later or, sometimes, just eating something else delicious (like my planned dinner -- I do find that if I get too hungry and tired I'm most likely to desire something easy and high cal, like ordering a pizza, but when that's the cause just eating my planned dinner or something quick like an omelet will take care of it). Or a desire triggered by something nearby to eat that thing? I have those too, but much more when I'm not in the habit of planning and eating regular meals and am in the habit of grazing/snacking throughout the day. I can usually deal with these by thinking rationally about whether the food is worth the tradeoffs (the calorie hit and what I won't be able to eat). On rare occasion it is.
I would describe cravings as urgent urges. An annoying tingling in my mouth, salivation. Focus hones in on "I must have it, now". The cravings are for things like cookies, cake, chips, candy, chocolate (why do they all start with the same letter). Anything highly caloric, with low nutritional value, with a strong and simple taste, and easy to eat/digest, will do, and the thought doesn't go away until I've had lots. Then I feel like I've lost a battle. It can be triggered by sight, smell, mention, association. In bad periods, I couldn't look at pebbles or bars of soap.
I can want particular foods, too, and this is like you describe - I plan to have it, plot it into my food plan, make an effort to obtain/cook it, look forward to eating it, feel content when I've had it; if I can't have exactly that, I'll usually be happy with something similar.1 -
eating Fruit usually does it for me1
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