I have difficulty controling cravings!

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So i have the hardest time, say at work the kitchen always puts out food like french fries, cookies, brownies, you name it and i have the worst time resisting. I dont really indulge myself or over eat i just find myself snaking. A little chunck of brownie (not a whole one) and a handful of fries for example. It makes me feel guilty every time, even know it really has not affected my weight loss, but i know i could do better if i could resist such snacking.

PLUS, I have a beach vacation starting tomorrow and i know i will be tempted by all sorts of evil (lol) food while i am there for a week. But i am also well aware of the awesome beach workouts that i can do to make sure i keep on track!

How do you control your cravings?

Replies

  • angrystarlyt
    angrystarlyt Posts: 10 Member
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    My work is the same way--it's always someone's birthday, or someone has been thoughtful and brought donuts for breakfast, or someone has returned from overseas and brought everyone exotic candy. I always make sure to bring my own healthy snacks--fruit, nuts, string cheese, a bit of lunch meat, whatever--and nibble on it throughout the day, so that my blood sugar isn't crashing and making those brownies look irresistible!
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    Exericise more and it will make up for extra snacking.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    Do you log these things? If you're not logging them, then maybe doing so will make you feel better about it. Log them, and move on. That helps me anyway. Logging everything makes me think twice about eating stuff when I'm not really hungry. I know I have to be accountable for everything. After a while of logging on MFP, I found that I can resist excess food much more easily. Yes, I still have cravings and yes I still indulge them sometimes, but things have got a lot better just by being more aware of the nutritional content of what I'm putting in my mouth. Try to let go of the guilty feelings though. Food isn't evil, and you shouldn't feel guilty about eating it.
  • KC4800
    KC4800 Posts: 140 Member
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    You can eat anything, but you have to track what your feeding yourself, then exercise more if you need to. A 1/4 of a brownie can still be tracked. A handful of fries can still be estimated. You'll see that it still adds up, to quite a bit. One day, you'll get tired of adding all these little bites and you're brain will say, I don't need this, and you will gain some control. You don't have to track it, if you don't eat it. Thats a NSV (non scale victory) that will give you a sense of accomplishment and control that you didn't think you had in you, and it will drive you to further successes. :)
  • kyanok1989
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    :)
    I have the same problem... I can't just eat "one" potato chip or "one" scoop of ice cream. But what works for me is I upped the amount of water I was drinking. I found that if drink a lot of water I feel full and don't feel the need to eat (I know they say drink 8 -8oz. waters a day but I was doubling that). I also stayed busy (I'm a stay at home mom so it was really easy to just sit on the couch and eat). I started doing things with my son or tackling the dreaded filing projects. Pretty much anything to keep busy! I also started eating really healthy. My doctor said cravings were my body saying they needed a certain mineral/substance so by eating really healthy, my body was getting all the nutrients I needed and I noticed all the cravings went down. Don't get me wrong- I still crave potato chips like crazy but its not nearly as bad as it used to be!

    Anyway, I started doing this about 9 months ago and combined with working out regularly, I am down 50 lbs. So- this is my experience. Don't feel guilty when you give yourself a little treat from time to time. If you constantly deny yourself things you want, you'll always want them! Good luck!!! :D
  • stevemarvell
    stevemarvell Posts: 2 Member
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    I too have worked in a kitchen and had cravings. I baked cakes and tarts for a cafe and it was a nightmare.

    I found there were a few strategies to beating the temptation.

    The first was to have something else on standby, in my case fresh apple slices. I'd have one of those instead.

    The next was to always halve what I would have had. So it if was one slice of pie, it would be half a slice of pie. Or alternate. "Not this one Marvell", but let myself have the next one.

    The next was to eat a good breakfast before work and have a healthy lunch at work.

    Finally, I'd have mints. This was largely after a cigarette break. It made the nice food taste weird, so I didn't want it so much. That was a happy coincidence, rather than a strategy.

    It also turned out that I started drinking the right amount of water whilst I was in the hot kitchen. That kept hunger at bay, but I know that you don't have to hungry to want a custard tart :)

    Have fun on holiday :)
  • Bailey543
    Bailey543 Posts: 375
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    My work is the same way! Although, during the summer the teachers are gone, so it's not too bad, but it's so frustrating! Why not bring in fresh fruit and veggie and turkey/cheese trays instead of all that crap? Makes me so mad!!
  • LastSixtySix
    LastSixtySix Posts: 352 Member
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    Been there so many times! Probably failed more than succeeded initially. Thank god that's turned around now.

    You are doing the first step - remaining aware of the dangerous food situation in front of you.

    Perhaps consciously reprogram your brain to exchange food with the word "fuel". Those foods tempting you are highly dense energy packed foods - too packed for our biological bodies to handle on a regular or even semi-regular basis. FOOD IS FUEL NOT A REWARD. Therefore, change up your vocabulary. You are no longer eating but fueling; not longer sitting down to a meal or snack but refueling. You get the drift.

    Then, pay attention to the type of fuel you ingest, just like you pay attention to the type of fuel you put in your vehicle. Quality fuel equals a better ride in your car or your body.

    Once you make yourself aware of your INTENTIONS - the intention to take back your sovereignty in regards to what you put into your body - then you will increasingly lose the temptation to indulge in low-grade highly refined fat or sugary products. It won't happen overnight but you'd be surprised by how quickly you can change your mind. Trouble is, if you allow yourself to slip back into old ways of thinking, your mind also will lose the new habits you've formed in less than six days of breaking the new habit!

    PRACTICALLY, to get into this new way of thinking while controlling your cravings, I use a blend of herb tea: I mix a bag of nettle with chamomile or mint (peppermint leaves are especially healing). I can drink that all day for three days sometimes for the cravings to subside for good. Of course, I'm exercising vigorously for 40 min daily and eating healthy things at the same time. . .this helps tremendously also.

    Good luck. Hope this helped.

    -Debra
  • NoleGirl0918
    NoleGirl0918 Posts: 213 Member
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    i totally agree with angrystarlyt - i know that having a healthy snack at my desk has kept me from giving into a temptation more than once for sure! Also, i've found that there are times i think i'm hungry but am really just thirsty - so i keep a cup of ice water at my desk. The added bonus is that i have no problem getting in my 64+ ounces for the day :wink:

    i would add that occasionally it's okay to have a brownie or some french fries, so don't beat yourself up over it - i know that i definitely crave chocolate leading up to my monthly, so i work extra hard in the gym & can have a small amount in my daily eating.

    Best of luck to you and enjoy your vacation :flowerforyou:
  • payupalice
    payupalice Posts: 126 Member
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    I bring plenty of healthy snacks, and WALK AWAY from the temptations. The more distance, the better.
  • rodneyderrick
    rodneyderrick Posts: 483 Member
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    I would say you do have problems controlling your cravings. You're killing bears to eat! Lol. Just kidding. Anyway, I try to find things to keep me busy at night when the urge to crave creeps up on me. One of my saving graces is I teach Step Aerobics, so I can write and practice on routines to keep my mind off of food.
  • jus_in_bello
    jus_in_bello Posts: 326 Member
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    How do you control your cravings?

    I found out I was gluten intolerant and can no longer eat things that I haven't made myself or at least seen the ingredient list. It sucks, but it has absolutely curbed my snacking!
  • Kaylee_Jeanelle
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    My work is the same way! Although, during the summer the teachers are gone, so it's not too bad, but it's so frustrating! Why not bring in fresh fruit and veggie and turkey/cheese trays instead of all that crap? Makes me so mad!!

    RIGHT!

    I fuss at the ladies who work in the kitchen all the time! In good fun of course. They are good to me though! If i ran late and didnt have time to pack lunch they hook me up with some awesome salads!
  • Kaylee_Jeanelle
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    I would say you do have problems controlling your cravings. You're killing bears to eat! Lol. Just kidding. Anyway, I try to find things to keep me busy at night when the urge to crave creeps up on me. One of my saving graces is I teach Step Aerobics, so I can write and practice on routines to keep my mind off of food.

    HAHA. I love my game meat. Good thing we have already eat all the bear meat, because i looked up the nutritional info and its not the best. Deer meat on the other hand has become my new favorite meat to promote weight loss!
  • rodneyderrick
    rodneyderrick Posts: 483 Member
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    I actually do computer programming for my Wildlife Department, and I eat quite a bit of wild game.