cravings

it depends. some days they pass, but when i do give in, i limit the amount i eat. like stopping at half a candy bar instead of eating the entire thing at once.

I save enough calories for a LITTLE BIT of my cravings daily, like dark chocolate caramels or some lower calorie ice cream or chips and salsa...etc. The rest of my foods, I have been focusing on what provides me with the most nutrition and satiety bang for the buck. I DO have my days though that I want to eat everything in sight or use up most my calories before dinner!

Now *I've* got a craving....Fluffernutters.
I find that most of the time a craving will pass; sometimes it takes a lot of work and mind control though. I try to have something similar to my current craved food but less in calories. I like nonfat plain Greek yogurt and it satisfies my ice cream cravings(sometimes) as will a 40 cal. fudge pop. I try to find substitutes, especially if it's a constant craving. But then once in awhile I just indulge. But as was mentioned, many things I just cannot bring into the house anymore because once I start I'll eat the whole thing.

I’m great about not buying the chocolate and sweets but when they are given as a gift, say at work, often I cave and eat a ton. Cravings- big problem. Eventually I can say “no” but it might be a half a pound or ten pounds later. I might try gum.

In my case they don't pass. They are like brain parasites poking my brain until I give in to them. I am a food addict I and I am particular sensitive to sugar & carbs. I had to change my whole diet because living with constant sugar cravings was mental torture. First I went keto and then carnivore. Keto was good but I still craved nuts and dairy and gained weight because I couldn't stop overeating them and now on carnivore I feel more at peace with food than ever.

I overeat on the rare day that my appetite increases but not on sugar or carbs. When that happens I don't specifically crave sugar & carbs - I just feel like I need a bigger amount of my regular food to feel satisfied. For example, the past two days I had a bigger appetite than usual because of my period and yesterday I went way above my calories but today my appetite is back to normal

amusedmonkey wrote: »

Not in my case they don't. I keep obsessing for days even weeks until I have what I want. I have a mind of a 3 year old when it comes to food. Of course, that depends on the type of craving. In my case, one question is the ultimate answer to the type. If I ask myself "is this worth the calories, am I willing to reduce or re-arrange my food today for it?" and the answer is yes, then it's the type of craving that doesn't pass. If the answer is "I can't be bothered", then I sulk a bit and forget.

Interestingly, cravings weren't a problem for me until my first time calorie counting and losing about 20kg. When I got to 'maintenance', all the foods I had had to decide 'is it worth the effort or not' became the only things I wanted. Eating less sugar, fat, within my caloric limit did not make me not want those foods; instead they became central to my diet in a way they hadn't been before the loss. It's like my brain thought I was using reverse psychology.

So now (having regained about 15 of those 20 kg and now lost 11 - so about 4 kg from goal weight) I do much what @amusedmonkey does. I look at my cravings, look at my diary (both in terms of food and activity) and ask 'is it worth making this work?' If the answer is yes, I do. If no, I don't. In a lot of ways I'm lucky: my appetite plummets from about 6 PM (making me generally very light in the dinner category and rarely eating anything after the PM meal), but it does mean that I will go to the effort of buying whatever I'm craving during the working day.

@brenn24179 you were spot on when you mentioned that we're so different. I'm sure there are those for whom the beck diet solution would work. But you and me? Quite possibly not.