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.

Crunchy peanut butter. There is no substitute.

goldthistime wrote: »

The fewer treats I have, the less I crave treats. In fact, about a month ago I decided to have zero sugary treats. Forever. On bad days, where I would have had a treat as "comfort" I eat a little more, but nothing sugary. So far so good. We constantly have this "abstinence vs moderation" discussion here, but after trying moderation for years, I've given up on it. Abstinence feels much easier.

You might as well be describing me here I also tried moderation for years without success. It always backfired on me. Every. Single. Time. I quit sugar multiple times only to be lured into a false sense of security: "I haven't had sugar in months now and I seem to be doing OK. I think I can get away with having a piece of cake once a week. Right?" Wrong! Then I would be a whole week counting down the minutes to that moment I could have my piece of cake and all other meals were worthless in comparison to the 5 minutes in heaven the cake provided. Then I started resenting my normal meals and thinking like a brat: "Why do I have to wait a whole week for my treat?" Then I'd start having treats twice a week. Then I'd start eating way more than just a piece of cake. It snowballed and soon I was bingeing daily. I am not a moderator. I'm an abstainer

I get really odd cravings. Cottage cheese and protein bars. Baked potatoes. Bananas. Almonds.

They do pass sometimes but I’ll usually have some of what I want.

I’m not a moderator when it comes to chocolate or salted stuff like salted peanuts. I can eat them till they come out of my ears. So I don’t have them in the house often.

I give into my cravings if I give myself any wiggle room. Wine has been a wiggle room opener for me so I stopped drinking alcohol last month. Then I read on mfp about a book called Atomic habits and how if you change 1% of your life habits here and there the benefits will compound. Since alcohol was a “keystone habit”, a biggie for me, I picked that to change first (I fail at moderation after a week or month or year).

Once I was more with it after work I started changing little (atomic) habits such as: Clean litter boxes daily, put away dishes, add one day to my workout routine, etc. I still wanted something in my wine time so I dug out the tea and tea set I got in China last year (pu’er tea) and now brew a cup or two at night while watch TV. I’m not a big fan of tea so if you’d told me 2 months ago I’d be drinking it I’d have said you were crazy.

So, I’m starting to gain back better control of my life in the tiny ways. Now it’s easier for me to not give in to cravings. To just say “I don’t eat gluten, refined sugar, whatever” and keep going. Then that becomes a little, atomic habit. If I could eat the stuff in moderaton I would. I can eat 85% dark chocolate in moderation and don’t crave it, so bars of that are in my cabinet.

neugebauer52 wrote: »

Eventually I realized that food cravings have something to do with my daily macros intake. I have made small adjustments when necessary and haven't had cravings for a long time now.

@neugebauer52
This is true for be, too.

@brenn24179
1. Not keeping food that calls me in the house✅ no chips, crackers, cookies...for ex.

2. Adding healthier yet still yummy foods to my daily diet
82% dark chocolate, 1/2 oz, at 2 meals a day
1 oz unsalted, just peanuts PB
Or just almonds, almond butter per day
1/2-1 oz raw unsalted almonds and/or walnuts per day
My motto: “If you can weigh it to the gram & stick with the plan, you can have them!”
Side note: a house yes gave me a large can of salted nuts & as others said that’s totally different. Called me all day long from the cupboard.

3. Studying nutrition. If I have the science about why something is good - or bad- for me, it is SO much easier for me to eat it - or not eat it.