Hello need help

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ashley_mulvey
ashley_mulvey Posts: 67 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hello can anyone give me some advice please im on day 5 of sticking to my calorie limit ive been doing so well but im really craving chippy i want a burger and some pizza how do i fight this craving i feel so hungry its stupid

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  • SueSueDio
    SueSueDio Posts: 4,796 Member
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    Have you set your calorie limit too low? Try increasing your limit for slower but more sustainable weight loss, and learn how to fit a reasonable portion of the foods you love into your goals.

    This approach works for a lot of people, but some find it difficult to stick to just a small portion of chips/fries, one burger, a couple of slices of pizza or whatever. For those people, sometimes it's better to cut out the "trigger foods" altogether and push through the cravings until they can control themselves around those foods again.

    If you're feeling really hungry then it might be that you're being overly restrictive and need to increase the amount you eat. Or it could just be that you're so used to eating however much food you want at whatever time you want it, that your body is complaining out of habit. I don't know you, so I couldn't say which it might be! :)

    But, you don't have to be hungry and miserable to lose weight... you just need to experiment with different methods to find what works best for you. Check out the threads in this stickied post:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest

    There's a lot of helpful advice there to get you started. Good luck!
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
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    When losing, I still worked in a Friday night out dinner of burger, pizza, or Mexican. It's all about balance. You can stay under your goal for the week to leave extra calories for your splurge meal, or just be extra careful the rest of that day. You might also try making a larger deficit by doing some extra cardio.
  • jps2222
    jps2222 Posts: 61 Member
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    I haven't cut anything from my diet altogether; instead, it's been about finding ways to fit it in. If I know I want to have something that's going to use up a lot of my calorie allotment, I might do extra exercise to "buy" more calories, or look at portion size and realize that I can have half a slice of pizza and feel satisfied without taking up 700 calories of my daily allowance, or decide to have the pizza today and the burger tomorrow. If I think I can't have something then I feel deprived, but when I think I can have it but just want to plan for it then I feel in control.
  • BarbaraJatmfp
    BarbaraJatmfp Posts: 463 Member
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    You have the right idea: a smaller portion size and not both "extras" in the same day.

    Cravings are tough. I don't know if they ever go away completely, but I have found that if I resist them, they aren't as strong in the future.

    I like your plan to exercise and offset the extra calories from your planned non-regular foods. And that is how we lose weight: planning the high-calorie extras. And that doesn't count as cheating because you are planning what you will eat, how much, and when. This is a lifestyle we can live with.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    Eat a little of what you want and take it out elsewhere. If I have cravings I usually find I really really want a bite or two and that does it for me. I'll get a burger with my son, eat half of it and let him finish the rest. Half a slice of pizza never killed anyone. I eat ice cream daily, but by the 1/4 cup.
  • ashley_mulvey
    ashley_mulvey Posts: 67 Member
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    What type of icecream can you eat i have ben and jerrys chocolate fudge and mint i dont know if i can have them
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    ashley_mulvey wrote: »
    What type of icecream can you eat i have ben and jerrys chocolate fudge and mint i dont know if i can have them

    Do you like it? Does it fit into your personal calorie and nutrition goals for the day? Do you have any negative effects after eating it?

    You're way over complicating this. I have the occasional Ben & Jerry's. Sometimes I get regular store brand ice cream. Sometimes I get Halo Top. Sometimes it's ice cream bars or sandwiches. Sometimes it's Skinny Cow. Get the kind you like as long as it works for you.
  • ashley_mulvey
    ashley_mulvey Posts: 67 Member
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    I dont know ill halft to put it into my calorie scanner thing i might just not eat no fatty foods atall thats all i eat so think i need to stop it altogther or i will get nowhere
  • jschleit
    jschleit Posts: 4 Member
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    I found I need to include some treats in my diet. Without them I would feel very deprived. Plan our your meals and see where you can include small portions of treats. I find I look forward to them more this way.
  • PennWalker
    PennWalker Posts: 554 Member
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    ashley_mulvey wrote: »
    Hello can anyone give me some advice please im on day 5 of sticking to my calorie limit ive been doing so well but im really craving chippy i want a burger and some pizza how do i fight this craving i feel so hungry its stupid

    Three suggestions:
    If you feel hungry a lot, eat some food that will make you feel full like oatmeal with fruit or a bowl of vegetables. Steamed squash, leafy greens etc. are low calorie and give you fiber and bulk.
    Make sure you have enough fat in your diet -- some almonds, avocado etc. can help with cravings.
    Have pizza if you want some. Exercise if you need the calories.
  • Lo0BLu
    Lo0BLu Posts: 84 Member
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    For me, if I am not hungry then I don't crave the 'bad' foods.

    I guess the default food for me was oats. Just good old, Quaker Harvest Oats. Easy to make, you can make savoury or sweet types (mmm cinnamon) add seed and nuts or just buy the ready weighed, flavoured pots from the supermarkets. There are even gluten free ones for those with allergies.
    Overnight oats are fantastic, easy to make and served cold and creamy for breakfast. I know it sounds disgusting but seriously, google some recipes, you won't regret it. They are massively good for you and keep you fuller throughout the day than most foods (in my opinion).

    But at the end of the day it's not about making yourself miserable and denying yourself food or feeling hungry all the time. This is not a diet, its a life change. It's ok to splurge today if you balance it out tomorrow. If you want it, have it.....when i do this I off set it with some extra exercise or don't eat as much of it as I normally would.
    Hope this helps.
  • PennWalker
    PennWalker Posts: 554 Member
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    Lo0BLu wrote: »
    For me, if I am not hungry then I don't crave the 'bad' foods.

    I guess the default food for me was oats. Just good old, Quaker Harvest Oats. Easy to make, you can make savoury or sweet types (mmm cinnamon) add seed and nuts or just buy the ready weighed, flavoured pots from the supermarkets. There are even gluten free ones for those with allergies.
    Overnight oats are fantastic, easy to make and served cold and creamy for breakfast. I know it sounds disgusting but seriously, google some recipes, you won't regret it. They are massively good for you and keep you fuller throughout the day than most foods (in my opinion).

    But at the end of the day it's not about making yourself miserable and denying yourself food or feeling hungry all the time. This is not a diet, its a life change. It's ok to splurge today if you balance it out tomorrow. If you want it, have it.....when i do this I off set it with some extra exercise or don't eat as much of it as I normally would.
    Hope this helps.

    I totally agree with you about the oats. I've rediscovered oatmeal and while I was never a fan in the past, I'm eating them now. I add a sliced apple to sweeten the oatmeal and find that meal keeps me full for hours. Sometimes I eat oatmeal for dinner too if I'm feeling lazy and don't want to cook. Steel cut oats are my favorite but instant is okay, too.
  • dvici
    dvici Posts: 4 Member
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    I remember when I started and it was like being a drug addict and wanting certain food and the cravings were strong. I found that bubba turkey burgers worked for me to replace the regular hamburger. I ate it with no roll at first than incorporated a arnold pita pocket (only half the pocket). As for chips veggie chips might satisfy that craving or Popchips. I also loved icecream so in place of that I would do sugar free jello with reddi whip or sugar free chocolate pudding with reddiwhip. The less fat and refined sugar you consume the less your body will crave it. Good luck. U lost 73 pounds and trying to maintain the loss for about a year now.
  • dvici
    dvici Posts: 4 Member
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    Oh.. also for pizza I used a low calorie flat bread, thinly slice fresh tomatoes, 1/4 cup of mozzerella some sliced mushrooms and a sprinkle of grated cheeze. PUT that in the toaster oven tI'll cheese melts and get golden.
  • Baconismyreligion
    Baconismyreligion Posts: 14 Member
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    OMG I love to make a flat bread healthy pizza!! I feel like I had something really bad when I reality it wasn't bad at all...now, my favorite is cauliflower pizza! I use cauliflower to make mac and cheese and spag. and rice and pizza crust and potato salad and mashed potatoes!! Its so yummy. I understand the craving the bad things, the things we've told ourselves are off limits. For me it was all or nothing. Now I realize this DOES NOT WORK! So, if I'm tempted to eat a brownie, I eat one. A small one. I don't make a whole pan anymore. I make a mug brownie and enjoy every bite. And not every night but like once a week. Take it one day at a time and DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP if you slip. Even if you slip a week...just look forward. Remember, you want to do this. You want to feel good about yourself. Eventually you will look at the pizza and think FU Im fitting in my skinny jeans tonight!!
  • Baconismyreligion
    Baconismyreligion Posts: 14 Member
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    ^^
    wow, I think I wrote that to convince myself.
  • born_of_fire74
    born_of_fire74 Posts: 776 Member
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    Ice cream is pretty easy to overcome. Instead of ice cream, eat sorbet. It's got about 1/4 of the calories of an equivalent amount of ice cream.
  • tahxirez
    tahxirez Posts: 270 Member
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    If you want something make it fit. english muffin pizza, portabella mushroom "burger", black bean burger, oven baked zucchini sticks or sweet potato sticks instead of fries...My go to move is the swap and it worked out great for me. I even feed it to my boyfriend and he likes it too. For pizza make a big batch of cauliflower crusts in individual sizes then freeze with parchment paper between. bam! (almost) instant pizza.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    ashley_mulvey wrote: »
    What type of icecream can you eat i have ben and jerrys chocolate fudge and mint i dont know if i can have them

    A 4 oz serving of a vanilla with strawberries ice cream is much lower in calories than a 4 oz serving of chocolate with fudge ice cream. The strawberries in the ice cream take up space and have very few calories in that space. That's one way to fit ice cream into your calorie budget. The other, hideously expensive, way is to use Halo Top brand of industrial byproduct and pretend that the awful taste is good because the contents of the pint are indigestible.


  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    I've started making my own pizza. With a 150 gram dough ball I can make a very thin crust pepperoni pizza for under 500 calories. That's a meal.

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