What do you do when the munchies creep up.
MrsDogLady
Posts: 156 Member
I'm sure there are a few amusing ideas out there that help you overcome those weak moments. Like mine for instance, if I change the path I drive home tonight I'll skip driving past all those fast food places and groceries stores. Instead I can get straight home and the craving will have passed. Anyone else want to share their strategies?
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Agree with alternative driving routes being a good strategy.
I sometimes walk around the grocery store with something in my cart until I talk myself into believing I really don't need it.
I try not to eat after 9 PM. I make it sound more positive by calling it fasting. That way I am doing something rather than trying not to do something.10 -
Have a couple pickles! Seriously!11
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I'm drinking hot tea reading this. so, hot tea is a good go to when you've closed down calories for the day. Other than that.. hard and fast rules have worked for me. No fast food ever, no eating in malls, or at sporting events.7
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Thanks! I also find that making sure I'm feeding myself good-for-me food, those cravings are not as intense.2
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I totally agree with you on the hot tea elisa123gal. Especially green tea, but I also like chai or english breakfast. I throw in a little sugar free sweet Italian creme creamer since it's only 15 cal & that can usually get me through to my next meal. I brew it really strong and have a little sweetener.
Also if I'm by myself and get really tempted, sometimes I just sit there and curse violently. It's cathartic, takes my mind off of the hunger for a minute, and I'm good at it. Lol.
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My plan is to schedule my food and nutrition in such a way as to avoid the munchies altogether. It works.
Breakfast = high protein and fiber before work. Lunch = 4 hours after arriving at work, very light. Dinner = variety of good stuff within the remaining available calories. Snacks = Whatever calories are available after my dinner.0 -
I know it's already been mentioned, but tea is what I usually go with. Or just a lot of water.
If the munchies start creeping up late at night, sometime I'll go to bed sooner that way I don't have to constantly have to fight against eating.2 -
Tums yes Tums helps a lot.0
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Night time craving suck !!! No other way to describe it !! I do great all day stick to the plan. But when the clock turns 9ishhh the craving start. I always leave 200 calories for it BUT as they say it is the worst time to eat cause right after I go to bed.2
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Enriching food and drink tastes with things that cost no calories: garlic, pepper, ginger, vanilla, herbs, drop of orange juice, etc.1
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Rushgirl82 wrote: »Have a couple pickles! Seriously!
Rushgirl82, as another massive Rush fan, I LOVE your hat!
I agree with pickles too. If I want something salty/savoury, I also drink some instant miso soup. You can get them in the international section of the supermarket. Just add hot water and stir. An entire packet is only 25 calories and there is a bit of protein in it as well.
If I feel like having crisps/chips, I snack on salted roasted seaweed. Not everyone's cup of tea, but if you don't mind sushi, they can really hit the spot.
If I feel like having something sweet, I snack on frozen grapes. When you freeze them it does something to the sugars to make them taste extra sweet. It's a nice sweet and crunchy snack.
I also mash up a banana and put a few chocolate spinkles on it. Or I add a bit of honey and vanilla extract to Greek yogurt.4 -
I try to stay ahead of hunger by eating nutrient-dense foods—such as avocado, flaxseed, salmon, quinoa, berries, nuts, vegetables and legumes.0
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What's been my saving grace lately (sweet tooth) those flavored carbonated waters! It's like soda but nope! It's a fruity delicious zero cal/carb/sugar/fat drink! Some of that with a ton of ice! Carbonation kinda makes me full and I just sip on it, cravings go away for me!1
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Ps, they sell them almost anywhere, Walmart, Kroger brand, in the water isle lol0
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I'm with the people that said 'pickles'. I crush pickles daily.1
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Drink water or try to fit the craved good into my calorie goal. Sometimes I just need an indulgent snack.1
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@GeorgiePie88 thanks! Yeah Rush is the reason I get up every day. Haha. Rush fans unite! My license plate says Geddy lol.
I tried the seaweed this week so it's funny you mention that. Couldn't do it! Lol. But I like the banana and chocolate chips idea.3 -
What's been my saving grace lately (sweet tooth) those flavored carbonated waters! It's like soda but nope! It's a fruity delicious zero cal/carb/sugar/fat drink! Some of that with a ton of ice! Carbonation kinda makes me full and I just sip on it, cravings go away for me!
My husband loves those 3% fruit infused sparkling waters and it helped him kick the cola habit. He also lost about 12 pounds in 3 weeks.1 -
La Croix or Simply Ice drinks.0
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Hartleys Jelly pots. 175g and only 10 calories.1
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I turn off the stupid food shows that are always on!2
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Or save some calories throughout the day, knowing that you'll have a craving at some point. I usually have a scoop of whey protein powder during the day or a scoop of slower releasing casein powder later at night.0
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Drinking lots of water helps.. most of the time we feel hungry, we're actually thirsty. Drinking heaps of water helps to fill us up :-)0
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Keep your hands busy, in turn keeps the mind occupied. Like read a book, knit, whittle, do a puzzle, etc... Ya know the saying idle hands are the devils workshop.1
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MrsDogLady wrote: »I'm sure there are a few amusing ideas out there that help you overcome those weak moments. Like mine for instance, if I change the path I drive home tonight I'll skip driving past all those fast food places and groceries stores. Instead I can get straight home and the craving will have passed. Anyone else want to share their strategies?
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Craving salty- pickles/ need sweet - apple sugar cinnimon. Bored and want to chew- frozen fruit ( blueberries, peaches, strawberries., etc)
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I have a small teapot full of jasmine green tea, or whatever tea I have available if I run out of jasmine green tea. I also have a navel orange with it as well.0
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I'm down with pickles (crunchy) and also sun flower seeds. It takes along time to eat sunflower seeds and there are some good flavors out there now.
The down side is the salt in both will hide weight loss, till you have a woosh and lose 4 lbs in 2 days0 -
As others have suggested, I kept tweaking my macro/micro levels (within a healthy range) and timing of eating until I rarely felt hungry/crave-y when losing.
The exact formula to accomplish satiation varies by individual, but a good general approach is to review your diary often at first, looking for opportunities to replace foods that "cost" too much in calories with others you enjoy that are tastier, more filling, or better meet nutritional goals.
At the same review, look for things that may've triggered your bout of undesired crave-y-ness, like less sleep, more stress, boredom, habit, under-nutrition beforehand, social cues, timing of eating vs. exercise, dehydration, etc. (Sometimes it can be things on the previous day!) Then you can think of new strategies to try that may address the underlying cause.
After I got to a satisfying routine, I knew what to do if I had a rare case unexpected hungries when it wasn't close to mealtime: I needed a small protein snack. I started keeping something shelf-stable in my car to nip the hunger in the bud when necessary, such as dry-roasted soybeans, individual packs of all-parmesan crisps, or single-portion bags of seeds or nuts. That specific snack type wouldn't work for everyone, but it was what worked for me.
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