How Do I Stop Cravings?
bobthecoolsmileyface
Posts: 12 Member
I would say that I'm generally good at keeping a diet until it's night time. I literally have this sudden craving to eat everything in the house or near me depending on where I am.
Does anyone have any tips of how to ignore or get rid of cravings?
Does anyone have any tips of how to ignore or get rid of cravings?
4
Replies
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Are you actually hungry or just bored?4
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I wish I had some tips because I do the same thing! That’s why I decided t track everything on here...
Even the “fun size” butterfingers I eat after 10pm. I do great all day then crave bad food at night, SUCKS1 -
L1zardQueen wrote: »Are you actually hungry or just bored?
I'm not hungry but I'm also not like "oh what a boring life. I don't have anything to do so let me just eat."1 -
To stop this I delay my last meal to within two hours of bedtime. That means eating my first meal a little later, like three to four hours after I get up.
Also I eat enough food and the right macro split to keep me satisfied. If I try to cut too many calories I have problems.
How many calories per day are you eating and how many of those are for your supper (dinner/ last meal of the day.)3 -
I get it! It’s almost like somewhere in my head I tell myself “ you did good all day go have something” then it’s on and I pig out on crap! I want to get rid of all the crap food in the house but we take care of my elderly in-laws and I’m not gonna tell the 93 year old WW2 vet that he can’t have cookies and candy because I will eat it! Lol. Just have to find out how to choose healthy midnight snakes if I have them at all.2
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Do you have a hobby? I like to knit and I cannot snack and knit at he same time. I have many hobbies that keep my mind off food and snacking. Go for a stroll.3
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billsfitness32 wrote: »I get it! It’s almost like somewhere in my head I tell myself “ you did good all day go have something” then it’s on and I pig out on crap! I want to get rid of all the crap food in the house but we take care of my elderly in-laws and I’m not gonna tell the 93 year old WW2 vet that he can’t have cookies and candy because I will eat it! Lol. Just have to find out how to choose healthy midnight snakes if I have them at all.
I'm so glad that I've got a fellow late night snack comrade out there. I live with my mom and sister and because life is unfair they still stay slim even when they pig out every day on crisps and chocolate. They bring the food into the house and it's hard to resist it once it's there XD1 -
cmriverside wrote: »To stop this I delay my last meal to within two hours of bedtime. That means eating my first meal a little later, like three to four hours after I get up.
Also I eat enough food and the right macro split to keep me satisfied. If I try to cut too many calories I have problems.
How many calories per day are you eating and how many of those are for your supper (dinner/ last meal of the day.)
I take in most of my calories for dinner. Like dinner is the only time I eat a big helping and I don't mind digging into0 -
When I have cravings I try to establish first if I am "hungry" or "thirsty". Usually I didn't drink enough all day and a nice cuppa or mug of coffee will do nicely.0
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I am on the same boat with cravings! But I am a compulsive eater and I eat when I am bored or stressed (basically all the time). Especially if I keep junk food around. I would say, don't fight cravings. The more you do, the more you are going to want something. Instead try to keep healthy popcorn, or low cal candies around & or wholesome snacks that you like. In addition, if you are able, when you get a craving choose to make yourself smoothies with yummy ingredients like bananas, coco powder, and or some other great fruits and veggies. Loads of water and non-caffeinated tea with a natural sweetener like liquid Stevia work very well for me. For salty cravings I try veggies with some sort of lime, a bit of salt and hot sauce or pico de gallo (mexican). These are packed with flavor and you are eating veggies which is good for you. Make sure you get plenty of omega oils from healthy sources like nuts and avocados. Get plenty of sleep and exercise for 30 minutes on a regular basis. It makes a huge difference if you are begin a routine little by little. I started to box on a regular basis and it is getting me in a routine. Most importantly, be kind to yourself. Don't beat yourself up when you have a set back, but do try to be better than yesterday. I look at it this way, its is about more than loosing weight. I think it is about a journey towards health. A path towards understanding how our bodies react and function and how to feel at optimal levels of performance, energy and mental focus.
You got this girl!!!! Cheering you on! 2 -
bobthecoolsmileyface wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »To stop this I delay my last meal to within two hours of bedtime. That means eating my first meal a little later, like three to four hours after I get up.
Also I eat enough food and the right macro split to keep me satisfied. If I try to cut too many calories I have problems.
How many calories per day are you eating and how many of those are for your supper (dinner/ last meal of the day.)
I take in most of my calories for dinner. Like dinner is the only time I eat a big helping and I don't mind digging into
How many total calories per day are you eating?
Try getting a good amount of protein in that dinner - like 30-40grams, along with sufficient fiber throughout the day. That should help.0 -
I looked at your food log.
Most days you are logging under 1000 calories - some days barely 500 calories - and most of what you're logging is sugary stuff. Eat more real food like meat and vegetables during the day and hit those protein goals and calories every day.10 -
bobthecoolsmileyface wrote: »I would say that I'm generally good at keeping a diet until it's night time. I literally have this sudden craving to eat everything in the house or near me depending on where I am.
Does anyone have any tips of how to ignore or get rid of cravings?
Save some of your calories for nightime craving but do make sure you have some stuff on hand that will satisfy you.
I always have hard boiled eggs on hand because an egg eases my craving.
If sweets are the ticket...sugar free cool whip with pb2 mixed in and a drizzle of sugar free chocholate topping. Be prepared!0 -
Are you really only eating 500 to 1000 calories a day? No no no
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bobthecoolsmileyface wrote: »I would say that I'm generally good at keeping a diet until it's night time. I literally have this sudden craving to eat everything in the house or near me depending on where I am.
Does anyone have any tips of how to ignore or get rid of cravings?
Go for a walk. Get your mind off food.0 -
Find a hobby. That will keep your mind busy and you won't think about food.0
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your body is telling you it is hungry because you are dangerously under eating if your diary is true. listen to your body. eat a reasonable amount to sustain yourself now and in the future.6
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What helped me get past this same issue was the following: budget enough calories for a proper dessert. Eat the dessert right after dinner (or within an hour or so if you’re not hungry right after). Eat it at the table. Log it and close out your day on MFP. Then brush your teeth and THEN sit in front of the tv (with a glass of water).
Edited to say: I just saw the above post about your numbers being low. Obviously, the above method works when you’re hitting your calorie goal with that after dinner dessert.0 -
Your body is protecting you. If you undereat during the day (500- 1000 calories is undereating unless you are under medical supervision) it will demand food later.
Unluckily, if you deprive yourself of good food at mealtimes, the food available late at night tends to be high calorie and quite dense - so you can eat a lot of it.
This isn't you lacking will power or being greedy - it is a response to trying to lose weight too fast. Slow down and win.3 -
I find myself in your nighttime snacking shoes quite often, and like other posters say, we need to be prepared! First off, as I've often done and learned from, do not eat too few calories during your day!! Second, try to up your protein amount; I found that satisfies me often. Finally, I'll bring a hot cup of sweet & spicy (decaf) tea with me to bed to sip on. It feels like a treat and goes a long way in warding off binges. I also have learned that the more I avoid treats, the more I am drawn to them voraciously! So I acknowledge them and mindfully eat and log them each day. I hope you find some tips that really help you.1
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Cravings are usually the result of a nutrient deficiency (pickles and ice cream are cravings for pregnant women because their bodies need more sodium and calcium) or the psychological effects of food.
First thing is to make sure that your diet isn't lacking in any macro or micronutrient that could cause cravings of specific foods. If that's not the case then you need to protect yourself against psychological impacts. Keep a healthy snacking alternative handy if you need it, if you notice your cravings corresponds with an activity or emotional state, try to avoid those.0 -
When I think I should be done eating for the night, I sometimes floss and brush my teeth. Makes me much less likely to eat more because it won't taste right and I'll have to brush again.
Also, I just don't buy things I used to crave...though if you live with others who eat those things this won't be practical.
I used to drink bouillon when I just wanted "something" but wasn't really hungry. Tea (unsweetened or sweetened with stevia) also works. Just drinking a big glass of water also often helps to override any cravings.
Finally, I plan to eat the majority of my calories for dinner and often leave some calories for a planned snack later. When I do snack, it is always the same type of things (natural peanut butter with some dark chocolate or unflavored yogurt with natural peanut butter or a couple dozen almonds. Knowing I have a snack planned usually helps me hold off on any other snacking.
You just need to try different methods and find some that work for you.0 -
I'm a night eater. No matter how much I eat during the day I'm always hungry at night so rather than fight my natural tendencies, making myself miserable by denying my cravings and generally make things difficult on myself I just eat my calories when I'm hungry.
Light breakfast (10%-20% of my calories), usually skip lunch as I'm busy at work, maybe a light snack in the afternoon (5%-10% of my calories) if I think I need it then a big dinner at night (70%-85% of my calories). This way of eating also means I generally have enough calories left over for a few fun size sweets every night to satisfy my sweet tooth.2 -
Eat properly! A minimum of 1400 per day and you won't be so hungry later on - eat proper food as well - not cereal bars, diet yoghurts whatever. Proper meals with protein, vegetables and carbs involved. All as unprocessed as possible.3
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bobthecoolsmileyface wrote: »I would say that I'm generally good at keeping a diet until it's night time. I literally have this sudden craving to eat everything in the house or near me depending on where I am.
Does anyone have any tips of how to ignore or get rid of cravings?
If your food diary is even remotely accurate, you are struggling at night because you are aggressively under-eating, and eating a dangerously low amount of protein.
Make a commitment to log accurately for a couple of weeks to see what you are really eating. In order to do this:- Use a food scale for all solids whenever possible, and try not to eyeball anything. Most of us are incredibly bad at estimating how much we've eaten. Weighing out portions for a while can make you better at estimating when you have to.
- Double check that the entries you are using in the database at least have the correct calories. Most entries are user entered, and many of them are just plain wrong. Don't use generic or recipe style entries.
- Be honest with yourself and log everything - whole foods, packaged foods, condiments, cooking oils, nibbles, late night snacks - everything. Even if you eat something you wish you didn't or you think looks bad, log it. Accurate data is the only way to be able to understand where you might be going wrong and how best to fix it!
While logging accurately, eat the calories MFP is giving you. Eating too little and losing too fast comes with a whole host of short term and long term health issues, dangers, and downfalls. It's just not worth it.
Once you've been logging accurately and eating enough for a couple of weeks, if you are still struggling, it will be easier for us to troubleshoot what's causing the problem and what strategies might help. Right now, all we can guess is that you are starving yourself and your body is begging you for a reasonable amount of fuel.3 -
I've been having a terrible time with cravings lately, probably due to stress/depression. I am determined to stop giving in because it's gotten so bad. So my new rule for myself is going to be: before eating the food, I have to take 5 long, deep breaths and ask myself "Is this really what you want? Is it going to make you feel better afterwards?" I will try it and let you know how it works. Good luck!
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I find it also helps to put the food I really crave up high on the shelf so its harder to get. If I have to drag a chair to the cupboard to get a handful of chocolate chips I can sometimes talk myself out of it.1
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Night time snacker here. I make sure I keep enough calories for a snack in the evening, it's easier than fighting it. I say a snack, it's more like a meal lol. But it works for me as long as I stick to it. Which is hard when the other half has chocolate, crisps and all sorts of nice things in.
If you're under eating massively though that's probably why you're struggling
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I've found that drinking diet soda or flavored water helps keep the night time cravings at Bay.0
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