How do I deal with the cravings?!

BeckyBee223
BeckyBee223 Posts: 19 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I swear my fridge is calling my name and I'm sure I can smell the salted caramel ice cream in the freezer!
How do you deal with cravings at night? I'm eating 1200 cals a day, exercising and doing everything I can to drown out the sounds of the food shouting "eat me! I'm so tasty!!"
Help me or else the cake gets it!!
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Replies

  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,754 Member
    edited March 2017
    Are you eating your exercise calories back? 1/2 cup of ice cream is approximately 250 calories. Yay!

    Edited for clarity
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
    Some things like potato chips I had to take out of my house for awhile. I still don't bring them in the house in family size bags unless family/friends are coming over to help eat the whole bag:).

    Sweets I buy in one small single serve portions.

    Also see if Halo Top ice cream is in your area. Tastes great and relatively low calorie.

    I'm spending my time while losing weight figuring out how to have things like potato chips and saltines in my house but until I have a good grasp as to why I tend to overeat those they stay out in large portions.

  • BeckyBee223
    BeckyBee223 Posts: 19 Member
    Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »
    Are you eating your exercise calories back? 1/2 cup of ice cream is approximately 250 calories. Yay!

    Edited for clarity

    Unfortunately yes :( I'd have devoured the ice cream if I hadn't lol. I'm just going to take it as my body adjusting to the shock of less cake and more green stuff
  • BeckyBee223
    BeckyBee223 Posts: 19 Member
    Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »
    i find putting ice cream on a cone also helps keep the portion size to where it should be.

    That's actually a really good idea! I'll be adding that to my little book
  • KMMRN
    KMMRN Posts: 104 Member
    I add a tablespoon of whey protein powder to almost everything I eat.....the protein seems to keep me feeling full. It can be mixed into ice cream, soup, veggies....just about anything.
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
    I keep a bowl of low calorie snacks on a table beside me in the evenings so I don't wander out to the kitchen and end up bringing back half a loaf smeared in butter and a jar of peanut butter.

    Protein bars, fruit, boiled eggs etc are all handy snacks. Also a bottle of water.

    Then I get on here and read the success stories :)
  • BeckyBee223
    BeckyBee223 Posts: 19 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Buy ice cream, eat ice cream. Or don't buy ice cream, then you can't eat ice cream.

    But it's so much fun tormenting myself!
  • BeckyBee223
    BeckyBee223 Posts: 19 Member
    I think the pictures are a good idea!
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
    It's a waste of money if you don't intend to eat it some time.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    Did you set your calories too low/rate of loss too high?

    I swear 99% of those who write in the forums asking about how to deal with cravings are the ones that set their calorie goal to 1200 or set their weight loss rate for 2 pounds a week... maybe it's not cravings, maybe you're just hungry.

    You can always adjust your goals to get more calories to eat, it just means you'll lose weight more slowly- which actually might turn out to be a good thing.
  • cwagar123
    cwagar123 Posts: 195 Member
    For me it had to be about preplanning. Before mfp I was quite literally eating very little and then superbingeing on nachos and junk all night. I make my diary up the night before now and eat what I set out and it has been a lifesaver
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    Also I find eating clean healthy real foods and plenty of protein and fiber helps a lot.

    The more sugar, refined carbs, salt, and/or high fat foods I eat, the more I ceave them. When I cut them out of my diet then I don't crave them.

    Unless I'm not eating enough and then I crave things that are calorie dense no matter what.

    Also stay hydrated. Water, water, water!!
  • neldabg
    neldabg Posts: 1,452 Member
    If you're active, there's a chance you're eating too little, meaning that you have more than enough room for a snack.
    If you increase your intake, but still have cravings, experiment. Some people find it helpful to go cold turkey for a short while and then slowly reintroducing their craved foods when they think they can handle eating it in moderation. Others can simple pre-portion food and handle moderation right away.
  • dorkyfaery
    dorkyfaery Posts: 255 Member
    First and foremost, I eat more than 1200 calories/day. I decided that slow and steady was better for me than crash and burn (which is what happened every time I over restricted my calories). In addition to that, I try not to keep food in the house that I will hear calling me from the kitchen. Ice cream is a rare treat because I don't have the will power to stop before I have a catastrophe. I've also found that single serving desserts help me with portion control.
  • akgrown2014
    akgrown2014 Posts: 1 Member
    I have had a hard time with cravings and keeping within calories count as well. When the cravings seem unbearable, I try to be introspective into my reasoning into why I HAVE TO HAVE such and such (usually icecream fro myself as well). Most the time, I have had a bad day or hormones have control so I try to do other things, such as take a nice bubble bath or walk, to try to appease them.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
    courtneyfabulous wrote: »
    Did you set your calories too low/rate of loss too high?

    I swear 99% of those who write in the forums asking about how to deal with cravings are the ones that set their calorie goal to 1200 or set their weight loss rate for 2 pounds a week... maybe it's not cravings, maybe you're just hungry.

    You can always adjust your goals to get more calories to eat, it just means you'll lose weight more slowly- which actually might turn out to be a good thing.

    Yes yes yes!

    Set your calories at a level you can actually stick to long term (unless you are very short and/or disabled or elderly, 1200 is not it) and then plan your day strategically so you can have a treat after dinner. Don't white-knuckle, it never ends well.

    I honestly don't know what is with the 2lb a week/1200 calorie thing. You don't get points for suffering.

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