CRAVINGS!! HELP!!

Lilmrsbardeen
Lilmrsbardeen Posts: 24
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
I have a big problem when it comes to pizza or sweets, I get cravings and i fold and I can never just stay on a diet until i reach my goal, i feel like i have given up. I gained 6 lbs back and i took forever to loose those pounds. I'm desperate! Any advise you can give me please give me some hints or ideas!! Thank you so much!

Replies

  • denimarie
    denimarie Posts: 1
    I love those Extra gum dessert flavors like apple pie. They help. I also drink a lot of flavored teas in the afternoon when I want to snack.

    :)
  • anna_lisa
    anna_lisa Posts: 486 Member
    try to eat a low carb diet. I ahve cravings for these things too but when I eat lower carb and whole fresh and clean foods and will cut those cravings...
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
    the reason why people crave has a lot to do with blood glucose levels. Even if you are not a diabetic! What happens is you eat carbs that raise your blood sugar, and then they quickly drop, this is when your body starts to crave junk. Your ultimate goal should be to keep an even blood sugar level all day long, which will even decrease your hunger as well as cravings. This is how it has worked for me.
  • zoodalia
    zoodalia Posts: 294
    Hang in there:) we're all in the same boat... it's really tough, I find exercising really helps me ride out the cravings. If I workout, shower and put clean clothes on it seems to clear my mind and remind me of the reasons I'm doing this.

    It's tough, but you're not alone!

    Good luck:)

    x
  • MissMichellemybelle
    MissMichellemybelle Posts: 70 Member
    I'm the same way. What really helps me out is to not allow them ANYWHERE near me. If I don't have pizza, soda (one of my big downfalls), chips, candy, etc in my house, then I can't eat them.

    Another big problem of mine is stopping on the way home from work and picking up food. I live alone and work long hours, so its way too easy to stop and get dinner on the way home. To combat that, I leave my money at home! Don't have my debit card= don't have a way to pay for take out. Then, I get home and eat the healthy stuff I put in my fridge.

    No junk food around + no way to get it= Healthy eating!
  • RoxMyWorld
    RoxMyWorld Posts: 127 Member
    I absolutely LOVE pizza, so I have it every friday for dinner. I plan the week accordingly and I try and eat very clean on fridays so that dinner is guilt free. Portion control is a big thing. I try and eat salad first before my pizza so one or two small peices are enough. :drinker:
  • upinthecosmos
    upinthecosmos Posts: 149 Member
    There are ways to fit pizza in if you make it yourself and there are fruits that are almost like sweets, especially dried fruits. Try Funky Monkey dried fruits, they are pretty awesome. For pizza I take 100 (or less) cal tortilla shells, Arnolds Sandwich thins, or Joseph's mini pitas & put a little pizza sauce on that with any veggies you want and a low cal cheese. You can add turkey pepperoni or a little of any meat really & then I just put it in the oven (at 350) long enough for the cheese to melt & get golden. It's yummy & hits the spot for that pizza craving for sure!!
  • kellymarieb
    kellymarieb Posts: 1 Member
    I started to get desperate a couple weeks ago : ). I decided to take a break from losing and chose to maintain my weight instead. You'd be surprised how many more calories you can have when you simply maintain your current weight. Sometimes the deprivation gets to be too much pressure, and I can't stop thinking about eating brownies when I get home. ha ha. It only took a week and a half before I was ready to go back down in calories and get back on track. It's okay to take breaks!

    I teach adult education classes on wellness and sometimes I use the analogy of brushing your teeth. If you forgot to brush your teeth for a day, you wouldn't stop forever would you? Of course not! You might feel a little yucky : ) but you would pick up right where you left off.
  • upinthecosmos
    upinthecosmos Posts: 149 Member
    Oh for sweets I was also going to say that if you are missing cakes & brownie type sweets you can try taking a spice cake or devil foods cake mix (like Betty Crocker) & mixing that with a can of pumpkin filling (like Libby's) and that's it. Pour it in a pan & bake according to the box directions (heat & time wise). It doesn't rise quite as high as the cake would if you made it with all the fattening ingredients & it's a little denser but it's pretty great. Even my nephews loved it with a little fat free coolwhip (that I mixed some cinnamon into:-)
  • sandyfeet10
    sandyfeet10 Posts: 280 Member
    try to eat a low carb diet. I ahve cravings for these things too but when I eat lower carb and whole fresh and clean foods and will cut those cravings...

    I couldn't agree more!! I've been eating low carb for 11 weeks, have lost 20 lbs, and never feel hungry!! There have been a couple of weekends where my hubby and I ordered pizza, but we order WW crust and I only eat 1 slice.
  • GLLove
    GLLove Posts: 77
    I know this sounds like a crazy thing to say, but maybe you should give in. Especially if you're just starting. Cravings kick my *kitten* sometimes too. I'm not saying you should gorge yourself, but if you make something off limits a lot of time it ends up being more appealing. IF you want pizza, make it a real decision. Find ways to make the decision a little healthier. Ex: Instead of thick crust have thin, instead of meat lovers have canadian bacon. This is a lifestyle change and you have to train yourself to eat better, and it's ok to start out with small changes and add to it. If you are going to splurge keep control over it. Ive been in the position where I decided to have a healthy meal and then ate pizza instead and just said to hell with it because I felt like I had messed up too bad to care. This is your life and you've got to make the best choices for you. Once you're able to stick with the little changes the next step gets easier (more veggies, less fast food, etc). You wont get to your goal eating pizza and sweets every other day, thats unrealistic, but cutting a few calories will get you those first few pounds lost and motivation to do more.
  • veggiepug
    veggiepug Posts: 82
    I'm the same way. What really helps me out is to not allow them ANYWHERE near me. If I don't have pizza, soda (one of my big downfalls), chips, candy, etc in my house, then I can't eat them.

    Another big problem of mine is stopping on the way home from work and picking up food. I live alone and work long hours, so its way too easy to stop and get dinner on the way home. To combat that, I leave my money at home! Don't have my debit card= don't have a way to pay for take out. Then, I get home and eat the healthy stuff I put in my fridge.

    No junk food around + no way to get it= Healthy eating!

    I'm stealing your idea! My biggest obstacle as of late has been ruining my day on the way home from work. I have a healthy breakfast and lunch, and a healthy dinner planned but then stop at in n out on my way home :( I'm definitely going to leave my cards at home now!

    To the OP: Are you completely depriving yourself of these things? Are they totally off limits to you during your "diet'? I think it's important that we treat ourselves once in a while to avoid deprivation and bingeing. I think labeling certain food as completely off limits can be tricky, because it often makes us want them more. Plan for a couple pieces of pizza on a Friday night after a good work out. Losing weight shouldn't make you miserable, you should allow yourself a sensible and planned treat every once in a while.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Mine is not a popular mindset (RoxMyWorld and GLLove have the same idea) but I truly believe in avoiding deprivation. I know in the past, not allowing myself to have sweets or pizza or chinese once in a while would drive me to the point of just giving up and eating whatever I wanted. I love food, it makes me happy, and why deprive yourself of a little happiness once in a while?

    Now, I just make sure that there's room in my calories for the occassional treat. The four big factors in maknig it work are:

    1) find an option that's a bit healthier - for instance, instead of loaded pizza on thick crust, try veggie with thin crust. If you like chocolate, try the 90 or 100 calorie snack bags and bars, some are really great and take care of that craving without killing all your calories.
    2) portion control - this can be though when you're on your own so order a small and wrap up half of it right away - and like Roxy said, eat a salad first to help get you filled up so a few slices will do.
    3) planning - pick one day per week when you can have a treat - it will motivate you to be good all week and if you do have cravings, you can think - ok, I can do this, just a couple more days left and it's pizza night!
    4) exercise to earn the extra calories
  • amber_hanners
    amber_hanners Posts: 388 Member
    i cant fihght my cravings at all so when im craving something i usually research thealthier versions of whatever im craving
  • aimes3747
    aimes3747 Posts: 11 Member
    Oh for sweets I was also going to say that if you are missing cakes & brownie type sweets you can try taking a spice cake or devil foods cake mix (like Betty Crocker) & mixing that with a can of pumpkin filling (like Libby's) and that's it. Pour it in a pan & bake according to the box directions (heat & time wise). It doesn't rise quite as high as the cake would if you made it with all the fattening ingredients & it's a little denser but it's pretty great. Even my nephews loved it with a little fat free coolwhip (that I mixed some cinnamon into:-)

    You can also replace the eggs, oil and water with 12 oz of diet coke and then there's completely no guilt. It still rises pretty good and you can cook it in the microwave in a microwave safe container for about 8-11 minutes depending on the watts.
  • susanswan
    susanswan Posts: 1,194 Member
    try to eat a low carb diet. I ahve cravings for these things too but when I eat lower carb and whole fresh and clean foods and will cut those cravings...

    And I agree! Keep your diet clean and whole! Eliminate junk food TOTALLY. "Diet" packs of food are loaded with chemicals. Eat lots of fiber found in whole grains and fruit and veggies! Although I am never sure what folks mean when they say "low carb". What works for me in the "low carb" department is cutting out white flour (pizza, enriched flours, white pasta, white rice, etc.) things and refined grains and ALL SUGAR: white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, honey, dextrose, sucrose, corn syrup, and the ultimate bad ingredient - high Fructose corn syrup! Do read labels.

    I swear I could NEVER follow any diet until I got the junk out of my diet and eliminated the white flours and sugar. Believe me it sounds harsh, but it made all of the difference for me between failure (for 50 years) and success! Don't focus on what you can't have, focus on what you CAN have! You can eat a TON of strawberries and watermelon and cantaloup for 100 calories compared to those crummy rice cakes and 100 calorie packs of fake oreos! Give it a try and after a week or two at the very most you will be able to say no to all of that junk! You will still want it, but it won't be screaming at you all day long! Good luck!!
  • Lilmrsbardeen
    Lilmrsbardeen Posts: 24
    Thank you guys very much for your inputs! And i'm so happy i'm not alone, last night after i ate the pizza I went on the elliptical for like only 15 minutes, i have to get used to it before I push myself, but I'm going to take everyone's helpful ideas. So good to know I have supportive people like you when I am pinned to a wall. :) Add me as a friend if you would like :)
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    It is really all mental girl. You have to want the body more than the pizza.

    Or, if that isn't enough, eat one small piece and be done with it. Self control is a hard tool to learn, but a very helpful one in having a fulfilled life.
  • nburns325
    nburns325 Posts: 174
    Oh for sweets I was also going to say that if you are missing cakes & brownie type sweets you can try taking a spice cake or devil foods cake mix (like Betty Crocker) & mixing that with a can of pumpkin filling (like Libby's) and that's it. Pour it in a pan & bake according to the box directions (heat & time wise). It doesn't rise quite as high as the cake would if you made it with all the fattening ingredients & it's a little denser but it's pretty great. Even my nephews loved it with a little fat free coolwhip (that I mixed some cinnamon into:-)

    You can also replace the eggs, oil and water with 12 oz of diet coke and then there's completely no guilt. It still rises pretty good and you can cook it in the microwave in a microwave safe container for about 8-11 minutes depending on the watts.

    Love both of those ideas! Especially making in the micro and not heating up the whole house! Never tried to bake a cake in the micro!
  • runner328
    runner328 Posts: 174
    They key for me is there is nothing I do not eat. The big thing is portion control. If you want pizza have it but just one piece. Eat a salad first and drink plenty of water. After 15 minutes if you are still hungry. Eat another small piece. You can't eat the way you did when you put the weight on or it will never come off but you can still have the things you crave.
  • 4himalone
    4himalone Posts: 69
    I have made this and it really helps me....but sometimes you just need to eat 'real' pizza..and that is ok!!!!


    http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/lisa-lillien/pizza-fied-chicken-recipe/index.html
  • kd10680
    kd10680 Posts: 31
    I love those Extra gum dessert flavors like apple pie. They help. I also drink a lot of flavored teas in the afternoon when I want to snack.

    :)

    This also helps me! Those dessert gums are awesome!
  • cupotee
    cupotee Posts: 181 Member
    Whenever I get a strong craving, I go to my closet and try to pull on a pair of the tightest, smallest jeans I own. If I want to eat, then I have to do it in those pants. The craving usually goes away
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