Non specific craving aka feeling a little itch

NovusDies
NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
This week has been a bit odd for me. I feel like I want something but I can't pinpoint what it is. It seems to be happening in the late afternoon. I can ignore it because it is not that bad but I would rather deal with it and move on.

I haven't had a specific food craving in close to 3 months. I am in no way deprived and I adjusted my calories up about a week and a half ago to slow down my weight loss a little. That decision was completely optional I might add. I just past the 5 month mark and I am doing great. I do not struggle with hunger and I am losing weight at a nice pace.

I am certain this is mental not physical and I honestly do not care what it might take to scratch this itch. If I thought binge eating double my daily calories in meat lovers pizzas and ice cream would do it I am game. I doubt the "setback" would even register on my radar outside of some minor bloating. I would eat maintenance for a few days if I knew what I wanted to eat that was different from what I am eating. Lately I have hit almost all of my treat bases anyway. I even made homemade bread last week.

Anyone get a stupid itch like this? Do I just ignore it and wait for it to pass?

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    I get it all the time. Sometimes hard to ignore, but I have to live with it. I think it's human nature to always want something more, and it gets frustrating when we already have everything we need.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    If I get it, normally I'll check my micros/supps. then rotate through various sweet/savory/salty mini-treats trying to scratch the itch.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    @pinuplove It is definitely time for a divorce if I am getting sympathetic TOMs.
    @kommodevaran That could be true.
    @stanmann571 What specifically do you check?
    @jgnatca I don't often have much opportunity to get bored M-F but I will consider it.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    i call it being bored lololololol
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    I sup everything on a JIC, so I start with minerals, then B/C/E. There's some semi-wooful guides out there that suggest for example if you're craving salty it's this if you're craving sweet it's that, etc.

    Usually for me it's not that nonspecific, But I'll have to try a couple things before I scratch the cravy. Sometimes it's an intersection of "I'm bored" and " I wanna be bad" I'll just play with it(mostly within my limits) for a few days.

    This time of year, there's a lot of social pressure and craving, and potential for hydration imbalance due to weather. So I usually check that as well.
  • categ78
    categ78 Posts: 47 Member
    I crave sugar when I’m dehydrated ... throw back to drinking squash when I was a kid I think
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    edited June 2018
    @stanmann571 I have mixed feelings about those craving sites too. The only ones that I have seen that seem real is chewing on ice for anemia and excessive thirst for insulin issues. I think there is a possibility that needing a certain nutrient might explain a craving some of the time but there is a mental factor too imo.

    No harm in checking but I eat pretty well and varied.

    I have been good (under target each day) for a pretty long run so your theory about being "bad" and just letting loose might hold water.
  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
    You've gotten some great answers, so I won't repeat those. I've seen some long term successful members on here state that when they raised their calorie goal a little, they actually felt more hungry.

    Also, have you done a diet break?
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    I am not hungry which is why the mystery itch is kind of annoying. I did consider raising the calories a possibility and maybe it is a factor even though it was only a slight 250 bump.

    I haven't taken a break yet because I haven't felt like I needed one. Up until this week things have been going mostly smooth for months and even this week hasn't been bad just itchy. I promised myself I would keep an eye on my mental state better this time which is why I even bothered to start the thread.

    I think I will give it a few more days before taking any action to see if it works itself out. The theory that makes the most sense to me at the moment is going off script because I do have this side of me that likes to rebel against my own rules. As I mentioned I don't really care if I go overboard one day. The days of thinking I have damaged my diet by eating too much are not even visible in the rearview mirror anymore. I might be more concerned about getting sick...
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,672 Member
    Are you now perseverating on the itch? If so, one answer would be a new distraction . . . a new, complicated, challenging hobby, or perhaps a puppy. ;)
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Are you now perseverating on the itch? If so, one answer would be a new distraction . . . a new, complicated, challenging hobby, or perhaps a puppy. ;)

    I think I should probably be working during work hours.

    If I were dwelling on it I would assume it would be an all day long event instead of a few hours. This isn't anything major. It is a mild annoyance and I wouldn't care except that it is new and I don't want to repeat past mistakes of ignoring the mental aspects of dieting.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Are you now perseverating on the itch? If so, one answer would be a new distraction . . . a new, complicated, challenging hobby, or perhaps a puppy. ;)

    A puppy is the answer to anything!!

    I have the most random cravings, but almost always for something very specific. So I just eat it and get over it. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever had a non-specific craving.

This discussion has been closed.

Categories