Tell me the cravings go away...

jschliecher
jschliecher Posts: 2
edited October 4 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all.

New here. My girlfriend and I and trying to shed some extra pounds as well as get on the path to a healthier lifestyle. Here Achilles Heel is Ben and Jerry's...

mine is anything with fat or salt in it or on it... :(

She is a vegitarian so eating healthy is a little easier for her than it is for me. I am eating under my calorie allowance or right at it and even being IN a gym is a miracle of the highest order (but when I am in there I kill it)...

I don't really feel HUNGRY throughout the day ( well a little, but MFP did drop my intake by like 1200 cals) lol. I just cannot stop craving my favorite food. Chipotle burritos, papa johns pizza, wendy's.....*drools*

Does this get better? Or is this normal and a fact of life? :(

Replies

  • shovav91
    shovav91 Posts: 2,335 Member
    Fast foods and things like ice creams are loaded with fats and sugars. After a while of eating them, your body becomes dependent on them. Eating them releases serotonin making you feel calm and happy. It becomes somewhat of a drug, and there is a withdrawal phase. It will go away! Just keep with it. It's awful what these fast food places add to their food just to keep you coming back for more.
  • Fast foods and things like ice creams are loaded with fats and sugars. After a while of eating them, your body becomes dependent on them. Eating them releases serotonin making you feel calm and happy. It becomes somewhat of a drug, and there is a withdrawal phase. It will go away! Just keep with it. It's awful what these fast food places add to their food just to keep you coming back for more.

    Haha. I was actually going to add to my OP that I feel like an addict without his stash....

    I read somewhere that PURELY in the sense of calories in calories out weight loss...it doesn't matter WHAT you eat...merely HOW MUCH (how many cals) you eat. For ex: I need 2910 calories to maintain my current weight with my level or activity. If I ate 4000 calories a day of celery...I will still gain weight.

    Or if I eat 2500 calories of mcdonalds french fries...I will lose weight...

    Notwithstanding the fact that I wouldn't get any nutrients or minerals and I would probably feel like crap...I was just curious if this was accurate.
  • cirellim
    cirellim Posts: 269
    Water, water, water, I know doesn't sound like much nor does it sound all that appetizing. However, there are numerous studies on people who consume large amounts of water particularly before meals or at hunger cravings. Most results will show that drinking water right before eating will help in eating less because it tricks your stomach into believing its fuller than it is. Also at times of craving ingest a large quantity of water because it will have the same affect on the stomach.
  • LATeagno
    LATeagno Posts: 620 Member
    Why not just find alternatives and treat yourself on occasion? I still eat at Chipotle about once a week. I get a carnitas or chicken salad (no beans or rice) with fajita veggies, tomato salsa, cheese and even sour cream (no dressing though.) It clocks in at 450 calories and is extremely satisfying. Heavy on sodium, but so long as you don't make it a habit, you can eat it sometimes (drink lots of water to flush the salt).

    Meat is NOT bad for you. I've lost 72 pounds eating less processed food and more meat. Nothing against vegetarianism, of course, but I think meat takes a bad rap in the health department. I eat more meat and eggs than I have in a long, long time and have perfect blood pressure, ideal cholesterol and pristine blood sugar. Mmm... meat. :)
  • alyssamiller77
    alyssamiller77 Posts: 891 Member
    They don't go away, in fact if you ignore them my experience is they just get worse. I'm a firm believer that what you need to do is not give up your favorite foods, you just need to figure out how to work them into your overall diet in a more healthy way. Take the burritos, I'm a Qdoba addict myself. So to fit those burritos (over 1000 calories the way I like them) into my diet, I'll take a day where I've had a bigger workout and use those days to go to Qdoba. I'll also often times then only eat half the burrito, save the rest for the next day. Not only does this teach your body portion control, you get to enjoy the burrito twice.

    That's what I think is the key to long term success. If you can learn to fit those yummy foods into a lifestyle that you can continue for the rest of your life, you'll be much better at keeping the weight off.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    what's your ht/wt that your a male eating 1200 cals?

    and as others have said eat the things you like just fit them in your cals. controls cravings and teaches you eating things in moderation
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    one way to stop sweet cravings is to take 2T of organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar. Up to 3x/day for 2 weeks (if you can last that long).

    Warning: while some people like the taste (?) it tastes to gross to many, so have a big glass of water ready to chase it!

    Often sugar cravings are caused by yeast overgrowth, and ACV is helpful in eradicating yeast.

    Another easy trick to try when you are craving something is to brush your teeth with strong minty toothpaste.

    blessings.
  • AshDHart
    AshDHart Posts: 818 Member
    Mine have. The first month was really rough. But I stuck with it and now I don't even crave chocolate during TOM. Once the body gets used to not having it the cravings really do go away. My husband used to be a huge coke drinker and he went several months not drinking any soda. He had one yesterday and said it didn't taste good.
  • crzyone
    crzyone Posts: 872 Member
    Nope...the cravings NEVER go away for some of us.
  • I think the thing to remember is portion size. If you go to Chipolte, get a salad, not a burrito... or, cut the burrito in half or thirds and save the rest for later.

    Don't cheat yourself of your favorite foods... treat yourself once in a while but don't overeat
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    what's your ht/wt that your a male eating 1200 cals?

    and as others have said eat the things you like just fit them in your cals. controls cravings and teaches you eating things in moderation
    He said it dropped his intake BY 1200 calories, not TO 1200.

    Cravings happen to everyone and you can indulge sometimes. But if you are talking about craving things all day evey day, no that is not a normal part of life. I would think it will go away as you get used to eating healthy foods.
  • StevLL
    StevLL Posts: 921 Member
    Once you clean up your eating, the craving can be satisfied with healthier versions. We still have sweets and have fats and sugar in our diet, but in moderation and when we do go bonkers it's usually on good stuff. We gave up all breads, pasta and junk food in January and now if we eat it we usually don't feel that good physically so it's lost it's appeal. Guess we've retrained our seretonin receptors. Good luck.
  • They've gone away somewhat for me, but not completely. I do sometimes have a massive craving for ice cream. In which case I keep some vanilla frozen yogurt in the freezer. 100 cal for a half cup serving. Not bad. And if I do have any, I usually just have a spoonful or two.
  • ONE03
    ONE03 Posts: 125 Member
    mine didn't go away until i started taking multivits, but then these come with its side effects, too... and not very pleasant.
  • It's completely okay to have them once in a while, but also think about how you can make them healthier. By simply getting a burrito bowl instead of a burrito at chipotle, you save almost 300 cal from the tortilla alone.

    It does subside, I'm a huge fan of peanut butter, and by switching to the natural peanut butter (only roasted nuts) I don't get as much salt and sugar, takes some getting used to, but now I can stand regular peanut butter, it's too rich.
  • It's still not the healthiest food in the world but has your girlfriend tried B&J's frozen yogurts? Their Phish food one tastes exactly the same as the full fat ice cream version.

    Also someone on here, (I forget who, sorry), suggested eating a sweet pickle when you get sugar cravings. I've tried it and weirdly it seems to work!

    Aside from that, I believe in everything in moderation. If you've stuck to your calorie and exercise goals and eaten healthily for 95% of the time then why not have a little treat?
  • stonebrakerm
    stonebrakerm Posts: 7 Member
    It does subside, I'm a huge fan of peanut butter, and by switching to the natural peanut butter (only roasted nuts) I don't get as much salt and sugar, takes some getting used to, but now I can stand regular peanut butter, it's too rich.
    I also am a HUGE peanut butter lover. I still love processed peanut butter, but natural peanut butter has really grown on me. (If only it spread as nicely!)
  • The craving do go away. I was told that the gurgling in the stomach is the stomach shrinking. If you are used to eating large portions and high fatty goods, the first month or so is very hard. Drink plenty of water. I use crystal light to give my water some flavor. I also drink iced tea with truvia throughout the day. It keeps me filled so I'm not snacking at work all day. I think I drink at least a gallon of tea a day and I rarely get hungry. I eat when I need to, and I don't go overboard. There are things out there that you can eat and it's free calories/negative calories. Pickles, zucchini, squash, broccoli...the green vegetables take the body more time to digest them than to burn them off. These are negative calories. I've made a few simple recipes that fill up up and you can freeze it and eat it again and again!
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