Craving

If I find myself craving something often, I take a break from that thing for 6 weeks and the cravings basically disappear.

If you crave something, ask yourself what aspect of that food you desire most. Is it flavor, crunch, mouth feel, fizz, etc. Then find a low calorie substitute for the desired food. Maybe sugar free pudding, sugar free fudge sickles or chocolate mint gum for chocolate as an example. If you still crave the food after trying distraction or substitutes then wait a day or two before allowing yourself to eat it. There is a thread about riding the cravings wave but cannot think of its name. If you cannot delay eating the desired food or being able to fit it in your calories then do not buy or eat it. I had to stop drinking diet pop as it lead to overeating sweets for over a year. I can now drink it and not overeat. ”@Diatonic12’s thread on “delayed gratification “, was extremely helpful for me. “No” is a muscle that must be developed. And like your parents told you, not yet or no, because they loved you, you have to tell yourself “not yet” or “no” because you care for yourself. Good luck and hope you find a post helpful.

I'm not an abstainer, for most foods. I'm a moderator.

If craving something strongly, I can eat a portion-appropriate amount. If it's more than I can fit in right now, there are multiple options. I can eat it now, and accept whatever the consequences are for my long-term goals. I can promise it to myself in a few days, then eat a tiny bit fewer calories each day leading up to that one, and fit it in later. Or, I can have a light breakfast, maybe take a fun walk extra if it's a nice day, skip lunch and do a bigger treat at dinner. There's a balancing act, not just within the day, but over a few days.

On "junk food" specifically: I'm not sure what that means to you. Sometimes, when people try to "diet", they stop eating any and all fast food, or rule out other whole food categories they like, thinking of those foods as "bad".

Many foods that some people call "bad" have nutrients, and they can be fit into a good overall calorie-appropriate, nutritious way of eating. For fast food, there are reasonable options: Have the junior burger (not the mega sized one), skip the fries, have an unsweetened iced tea instead of a sugared soda/pop. If really short on calories, you can even eat just half the bun. There's protein and micronutrients in the burger, and they count toward your nutrition.

Ditto for lots of snack foods: They may be calorie dense, so one needs to be conscious, but some have nutritional value. It's a matter of piecing foods together, being reasonable about portion sizes, like a jigsaw puzzle. The day or few need to include some nutritious foods, some filling foods, and of course calorie appropriate portions, in a balance. (Once again, if you're an abstainer, YMMV.)

Another point is that cravings can happen when we're short on some nutrient . . . and we don't necessarily crave foods that contain the needed nutrient (according to a registered dietitian I heard speak on the subject). We may just crave "energy", i.e., calories, and the hit of pleasure from a "treat". In that sense, making it a point to eat plenty of fruit helped reduce my cravings for candy and baked goods (etc.). That doesn't work for everyone, but I've seen others here say it helped them, too.

Additionally, cravings - especially evening cravings - can be fatigue related. Calories are energy, right? So our bodies can crave quick calories as we get fatigued. If your sleep quality/quantity is sub-par, work on that. If your stress level is high (causes fatigue), use non-food stress management techniques to reduce it. If your nutrition is sub-ideal, that can increase fatigue: Eat nutritious things. If you're doing punitively intense exercise on a frantic schedule - as some people try to do to speed weight loss - cut that back to a level that's energizing, not exhausting. (Over-exercise is counter-productive for weight loss and fitness both.)

In addition to that, I have to ask: How fast are you trying to lose weight? Unless you're so very overweight that your weight itself is an immediate health crisis (in which case you should be under close medical supervision!), it's 100% fine to choose a slow but sustainable weight loss rate, rather than going for super-fast results.

A slower loss rate a person can stick to for the weeks/months needed to lose a meaningful total amount of weeks, can actually bring a person to goal weight faster than a "fast" loss rate that triggers backsliding and maybe even giving up altogether because it's impossible to stick with it. That time will pass regardless . . . there are choices about how to use it.

Best wishes!