Cravings?

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rikkejanell2014
rikkejanell2014 Posts: 312 Member
in Food and Nutrition
How are you able to fight through cravings if you get them?

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  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited January 2017
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    I don't fight through. If I want something and I have room, I eat. But my main line of defense is to aim to not get them, and then not being able to act on them.

    I eat regular meals of good food, enough food, food I like.
    I don't have access to foods that produce intense cravings.
    I avoid commercials and don't look up recipes for desserts and sweets.
    I aim to get enough sleep and rest and exercise, and to reduce stress.
  • ZacLeNoel
    ZacLeNoel Posts: 9 Member
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    look up alternative recipes - i was craving some good ol pancakes with maple syrup the other day so i googled a healthier alternative and found a blueberry protein recipe which so good and fixed my cravings :)
  • studiog608
    studiog608 Posts: 27 Member
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    I fit it into my macros for that day.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited January 2017
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    Depends on what you mean by "cravings." If you mean a desire to eat something not on my plan for the day or simply to eat, I don't. I remind myself that I have plenty of food I like planned, and within a reasonable amount of time, that I can't possibly be really hungry, and I focus on other things. Often for me it's either a result of a bad habit (snacking to procrastinate or some such) or a desire to emotional eat or just because I see others eating, and it will go away.

    If it's something I think I really want (like I develop a desire for a pizza), I figure out how to fit it in, usually not that day but later in the week, assuming I still want it. Sometimes it's just a flavor (buffalo chicken, say), and I can easily make it part of a planned meal or develop a meal around it that doesn't require any "fitting in" at all and is fun.

    If something really worth the calories is offered me, then I will adjust my day to fit in at least some, but make it a rare occasion. Food is always at my office and most of the time it's not worth the calories/going off plan.

    I find I am most likely to get "cravings" if I am hungrier than usual (don't eat at a time I'm used to eating) or tired, and that I tend to crave foods I eat more often -- when I ordered Indian a lot I'd often crave Indian at the end of an exhausting day, now I rarely do. I crave foods I make more often, often what I'm planning to have for dinner and looking forward to.

    (I would consider a desire to keep eating something once I started different from a craving, but if I eat under certain conditions -- emotional eating, or snacking at work because of stress -- I definitely get that, so I avoid such situations. I mainly eat sweets, when I do, right after dinner as that's when I don't get that. Grazing doesn't work for me, as it makes it harder than it needs to be.)
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
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    I fit it in my calories for the day... Or I don't and eat it anyway and move on.
  • Mkristoff1206
    Mkristoff1206 Posts: 8 Member
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    I get cravings too but I find them to be mostly due to monthly hormone fluctuations. Its frustrating and find they are very hard to resist!! Sometimes distraction, a walk outside or sipping tea helps...
  • Spiegelchan
    Spiegelchan Posts: 78 Member
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    I drink water and eat something healthy and tell myself if I still want whatever I'm craving when I'm not hungry or thirsty anymore, I'll eat it. I never do.
  • WatchJoshLift
    WatchJoshLift Posts: 520 Member
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    I don't resist cravings, I find ways to make what I'm craving fit into my calorie and macro goals.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,598 Member
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    When I was first losing, I experimented with the timing & composition of my eating until I found strategies that minimized cravings. Diary review can be a big help in this, especially if you take note of non-food/non-exercise exceptional things that can affect cravings (stress, sleeping for example).

    By "timing", I mean things like 3 even meals, vs. big breakfast & smaller meals later, vs. skip breakfast & bigger meals later, saving calories for evening snacks or not, intermittent fasting or not, snacks or not, etc.

    By composition, I mean - within a healthy range - whether to "spend" relatively more calories on protein, or fat, or (for some people) carbs (though other people find that eating carbs causes more carb cravings), or high-volume/low-cal foods (usually fiber-containing veggies).

    Your actual results will differ, but just as an example, I did better with a solid breakfast with plenty of protein & some fiber, a good amount of protein throughout the day, a small snack (usually protein-containing) if I started getting truly hungry when a meal wasn't imminent in order to stave off a major over-eat, plenty of low-cal veggies (5+ servings), and 2-3 servings of whole fruit daily to keep cravings for sugar-y treats in check. Oh, and plenty of water or hot tea (herb tea if I was already topped up on caffeine.)



  • leejoyce31
    leejoyce31 Posts: 794 Member
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    rikkejanell2014 wrote: »
    How are you able to fight through cravings if you get them?

    Generally, the only time I get cravings is hormonally related every 8 weeks or so. I give in each time. I eat at maintenance or a slight deficit most other times. So, it balances out.
  • leejoyce31
    leejoyce31 Posts: 794 Member
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    Mkristoff1206 wrote: »
    I get cravings too but I find them to be mostly due to monthly hormone fluctuations. Its frustrating and find they are very hard to resist!! Sometimes distraction, a walk outside or sipping tea helps...

    Mine are impossible to resist. So, I don't. I admire that you can. That's great! :)
  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
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    Since I started tracking I get this weird craving for grilled chicken sandwiches like once a week. I usually grab one from McDonald's for lunch when I'm thinking about them. I find figuring out a way to fit in what I'm craving works for me.

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