Extreme cravings & portion control

akb2006
akb2006 Posts: 198 Member
edited September 20 in Health and Weight Loss
I have always had a hard time with emotional & not emotional eating. I eat when I'm happy, I eat when I'm sad, everything is celebrated with eating whether its good or bad. I know I'm like this because of the way I was raised and the fact that both my parents are over 300lbs each doesn't help matters either.

I feel great when I eat healthy and can do really very well with it. My problem I'm having is cravings. I don't just have cravings I have CRAVINGS. Yes right now I'm pregnant but this is just as bad even when I'm not pregnant. I can't just have 1 of something. 1 cookie -- forget it. If they are in the house I will eat until they are all gone be depressed and still be craving more. I haven't been buying any of the junk food but I've been so mean and grouchy that dh will bring it home because he knows that it will make me feel better. Its physically like a drug for me. He's stopped doing it because I got on him about it but what can I do to help minimize these cravings? For example tonight I was craving something sweet so I had a sugar free jello with fat free cool whip. It was GREAT and satisfied the craving only then I craved & ate 5 more. Not as bad as a bag of candy that I'd normally indulge but this behavior has got to stop.

Any advice would be great. I can do good all day (stay at home mom) and then in the evening & night is when these cravings come on. Even when I physically and mentally know I'm not hungry I can't seem to resist. :( HELP!!

Replies

  • sexygenius
    sexygenius Posts: 1,078 Member
    i feel the EXACT same way and do the same thing i cant stop until it's all gone. i can have a perfect day all day, not be hungry at all, be feeling great, then a 8pm turn into a craveing monster and eat everything! and when i start i cant stop i eat sooooo much it is just insane! does anyone know how i can help stop this diet destroying habit?
  • faile486
    faile486 Posts: 21 Member
    I saw a dietitian a while back who said there is such a thing as sugar addiction.

    Maybe treating it as an addiction would help - suffering through withdrawal for a while, then the cravings would diminish? It might be hard to do, and would probably require outside help. If you're pregnant I would recommend talking to your doctor about it first. You don't want to do anything that would endanger you or your baby. Your OB/GYN might think it's just pregnancy, but your regular family doctor should be able to help.
  • KarenLue
    KarenLue Posts: 94 Member
    I have heard of sugar addiction also. Everyone tells me if you can control your cravings for more than 3 days it starts to get easier. Just like drug or cigarette addiction. You have to retrain your brain that it's not going to die if it doesn't have all that crap.
    I know for me, sometimes I'm better off to not snack at all, because if I try to snack on something healthy it just wakes the binge monster up.
    I usually start binging when I walk in the door from work. I eat a healthy breakfast and lunch, and then go home and eat all the chips and cheese I can get my hands on! I have a lot of stress in my job right now and I think that is exactly why I do that. Time to go home and do all the things that make me feel wonderful now and horrible later! I'm trying to get in the habit of going for a walk the minute I get home and see if it helps to de-stress that way.
  • akb2006
    akb2006 Posts: 198 Member
    Thats very true! I should try just to stick it out and not give in. I had a severe headache because I haven't been drinking caffeine so had to cave so the headache would go away. If caffeine can do that to a person what the heck can sugar do. I was talking with my mom today and she said in one of her classes she took with her schooling they said sugar can be more addicting than cocaine or other drugs. Thats crazy! My husband doesn't like sugar or candy so he doesn't understand it. Ugh! After the baby comes I definitely need to really buckle down on things but still trying to make healthier changes before then. I got pre-eclampsia with my last pregnancy and even though no one knows what really causes it I figure eating healthier definitely won't hurt matters.
  • KarenLue
    KarenLue Posts: 94 Member
    I wish I had time to write you more on that, but I have to go get ready for work. Let's try to be successful today! And if you feel a binge coming on, get on here until it goes away! See ya!
  • Schaff
    Schaff Posts: 83
    There is a natural supplement that may be able to help. I too am a sugar addict. I feel as if a frenzy comes over me when I have anything sweet. And then I can't stop, so I totally know how ya'll feel. My trainer gave me the name of a supplement that increases the serotonin in your brain so you don't crave sweets as much, I started using it and I have definitely seen a difference. It doesn't totally stop cravings in their tracks, but it definitely takes that edge off, so you are in a better state of mind to make better decisions. The supplement is called 5-HTP, it is actually tryptophan (stuff in turkey). They usually come in 50 mg tablets. The key is to take the, on an empty stomach, if you don't then you won't get the serotonin benefit. I usually take one right before bed. Also, stay away from artificial sweetners, that my be why you are craving so much. Artificial sweetners trick the brain into thinking it is getting something sweet, and when it realizes you tricked it with something fake, it makes you crave sugar even more. So no more diet coke or coke zeros, kicking that stuff should also help a lot.
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 22,247 Member
    I used to do well all day and then binge at night. I really truly believe the answer for that is to eat enough quality food during the day and to leave enough calories (about 200 works for me) so that you can have a good, healthy snack at the end of the day. MFP has been invaluable to me in calculating and then spreading my calories out through the day so that I'm not still hungry and getting cravings at the end of the day. I find I still have the problem of not being able to stop after one (one cookie, one handful of chips, one anything bad), so I typically avoid the first one, but that's so much easier to do now that I'm eating enough in the first place. Hope that helps. :smile:
  • Georg
    Georg Posts: 1,728 Member
    I feel the same way about having snacks & sweets in the house. If they're here - I eat them. :noway:
    As if eating them quickly makes the calories less disastrous! :sad:

    What's worked for me is
    1. not having those tempting things around. It's hard to train yourself not to buy them, but my husband has found snacks that I'm not fond of that will work for him.
    2. Then when I'm feeling munchy, I come straight here & it's not easy to snack while reading success stories!
    3. I grab a big glass of water when I walk in the door to help with that "head for the kitchen" habit. It's a matter of retraining yourself & making healthier habits.
    4. The more protein I eat, the better I feel & less junk I want. Carbs make me want more carbs.
    Good luck!
  • akb2006
    akb2006 Posts: 198 Member
    There is a natural supplement that may be able to help. I too am a sugar addict. I feel as if a frenzy comes over me when I have anything sweet. And then I can't stop, so I totally know how ya'll feel. My trainer gave me the name of a supplement that increases the serotonin in your brain so you don't crave sweets as much, I started using it and I have definitely seen a difference. It doesn't totally stop cravings in their tracks, but it definitely takes that edge off, so you are in a better state of mind to make better decisions. The supplement is called 5-HTP, it is actually tryptophan (stuff in turkey). They usually come in 50 mg tablets. The key is to take the, on an empty stomach, if you don't then you won't get the serotonin benefit. I usually take one right before bed. Also, stay away from artificial sweetners, that my be why you are craving so much. Artificial sweetners trick the brain into thinking it is getting something sweet, and when it realizes you tricked it with something fake, it makes you crave sugar even more. So no more diet coke or coke zeros, kicking that stuff should also help a lot.

    That is exactly what I'm going through. Its not just a craving it is like a ravenous monster coming out. I have taken 5-http before actually (its an herbal supplement sold at health food stores for those that don't know) but not for food cravings. As soon as baby comes I'll definitely have to try that again. I have a little bit of depression/anxiety and that helped me feel better. I wonder if half my problem is the increase in serotonin after you eat junk food which makes me feel better and when I hit that crash then I want more. Definitely something to think about. I ditched the pop and went to crystal light and OMG I made a pitcher of it and it was so sweet I had to use half the packet with the water just so it was just lightly flavored. I'm hoping to use less and less until its gone completely.
  • akb2006
    akb2006 Posts: 198 Member
    I feel the same way about having snacks & sweets in the house. If they're here - I eat them. :noway:
    As if eating them quickly makes the calories less disastrous! :sad:

    What's worked for me is
    1. not having those tempting things around. It's hard to train yourself not to buy them, but my husband has found snacks that I'm not fond of that will work for him.
    2. Then when I'm feeling munchy, I come straight here & it's not easy to snack while reading success stories!
    3. I grab a big glass of water when I walk in the door to help with that "head for the kitchen" habit. It's a matter of retraining yourself & making healthier habits.
    4. The more protein I eat, the better I feel & less junk I want. Carbs make me want more carbs.
    Good luck!

    I am going to try upping my protein. I should start plugging in my food again on here. I think that might be a big problem. I had a bowl of fiber cereal for breakfast and already feel so different so maybe more fiber and protein will help!
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
    Unfortunately, the only way that I've found to get through cravings is to suffer them out- especially for those of us who can't just have a little without having a LOT, and then still wanting more. I've tried giving up sweets completely, and I've tried giving them up temporarily with a date in mind, and I've tried tried just eating a little and learning to be satisfied with that...they're all hard to do. I think to stop the physical and emotional dependence on sugar, we have to give it up just like a drug addict would give up his drug of choice. I'm going to attempt it again for January 1st.
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
    I've had the same problem, especially with sweet stuff. I had to stop eating it -- cold turkey. I didn't have any candy & essentially no baked goods for about 3 months. Now I have no problem with my self control. Just now, after my run, I wanted a cookie out of the half batch I made last night. I ate one. Just one. The rest are in the refrigerator right now and it doesn't bother me at all.

    I guess I looked at my cravings and lack of control the same as if I was an alcoholic or drug addict. I used the same method to quit smoking 2 years ago. I quit cold turkey. To this day I can buy a pack of cigarettes, have one, and throw them in the freezer for months without wanting another. I know not everyone can do that after they quit so it certainly doesn't work for everyone.

    But, for me, treating junk food like an addiction worked well.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
    Have you tried chewing gum when you get a sugar craving? Gum has saved my behind plenty of times. And guess what! You can chew 100 sticks for the same amount as that jello! My favorite is Zing by 5 Gum. Also eating just about anything after chewing a stick of mint-type gum pretty much tastes BLECH!
    Try it some time if you haven't already, it might help curb your craving just enough for your will power to triumph :)
  • akb2006
    akb2006 Posts: 198 Member
    Well the jello is only 10 calories then with the FF cool whip it makes it 35 calories so its not too bad but yeah 5 of them definitely defeats the purpose. I'll try the gum!
  • KarenLue
    KarenLue Posts: 94 Member
    Well I did really good yesterday. Then I drank 3 "twisted tea's" and it put me 455 calories over! WOW! I had some times where I was starting to feel really sad because I wanted to binge! Isn't that funny. Your brain really thinks if you don't do that it's not going to be okay. You guys would not believe how similar this is to quitting smoking (emotionally). Well hopefully like quitting smoking, it will get easier with time. It's just a matter of re training your brain. The harder part is you can't just quit eating cold turkey and never touch food again!
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