Cravings..how do you deal with them?

[zoebartlett]

My FI and I are on a new health kick and we just got back from our third consecutive day at the gym. Okay, we''re only doing 20 minute workouts right now but it''s something, right? We need to watch our sugar intake and as I''ve said before, we need to lose weight. I''m finding myself craving sweets sooooo much and it''s really bugging me. What do you recommend? What do you reach for when you want a snack or dessert after dinner but you''re trying to eat healthy? The obvious answer would be a piece of fruit, but what else do you allow yourself? It''s hard to do the "everything in moderation" thing because I am slightly addicted to food. Ughhh!

 

[Independent Gal]

Hiya Zoe! I''m a HUGE cravings person. Usually I crave salt, but sometimes sugar. So here are my substitutes. If I want something sweet, I''ll have apple sauce (unsweetened!) with cinnamon on top. Only 50 calories, plus lots of nutrients and fibre! Or I chew some delicious sugar-free gum. Or I have a sugar-free selzter to drink. The last two are sweet for my craving, without any calories.

If I want something salty, it''s all about the dill pickles. NO CALORIES! Crunchy and salty as you could wish.

Another thing I do is if I''m craving something, I go to the gym instead. I know that sounds weird, but it actually works for me.

Oh, and often, when I think I''m craving something to eat, I''m actually thirsty, so I start by having a big cold glass of water and that does it for me sometimes.

Hope some of those ideas help!

 

[decodelighted]

This is a weird one but ... frozen mini Peppermint Patties. They're tough & chewy & satisfying -- yet leave you with that minty aftertaste that makes you kinda not want to eat anything else.

(like toothpaste does!)


ETA: I never eat more than 1 or 2 because too much mint is just YUCK, yanno? It has a natural cut off point!

 

[Independent Gal]

I do peppermint patties too! Never thought of freezing them, though. Gotta try that. Sounds so good!

Zoe I just thought of something else. Sugar is ACTUALLY physically addictive. So it could be that you''ll stop having as many cravings after a few days. The more you eat, the more you want!

Yogurt with a drop of honey is good too. Just thought of that.

 

[door knob solitaire]

I brush my teeth. Not kidding.

DKS

 

[Sundial]

Keep up your good work at the gym! I have intense cravings for sweets and I have found that eating seedless red grapes helps get me through them.

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 8/26/2007 2:57:57 PM
Author: decodelighted
This is a weird one but ... frozen mini Peppermint Patties. They''re tough & chewy & satisfying -- yet leave you with that minty aftertaste that makes you kinda not want to eat anything else.

(like toothpaste does!)


ETA: I never eat more than 1 or 2 because too much mint is just YUCK, yanno? It has a natural cut off point!

HA! Nope, this isn''t weird at all. I do the same thing sometimes. I love them frozen!

 

[Skippy123]

Well, great job on working out!!!

For cravings, I eat sugarfree jello, sugar free jello chocolate pudding, weight watchers gummy candy's sold at the WW meetings. I try not to buy sweets because for me it is really out of sight out of mind. I don't buy sweets I love because I have no self control.

I eat cucumbers, brocolli, veggies w/low cal dressing and fruit w/fat free fage. Fiber One chocolate chip bars are super yummy and filling. I also like the 1 point weight watcher fudge bars or 2 point oreo cookie bars. I like Melba Whole grain toast which I find filling. I also like fat free balogna and sara lee delightful bread which is also low cal. I eat lots of small meals to keep me full throughout the day. I also like to drink hot tea or miso soup to keep me full in the evening or 94% fat free popcorn.

A good thing to do is write down what you eat and note if it was filling or not; then work off what keeps you satisfied. Also make sure you drink 8 glasses of water a day. I also brush and floss my teeth; which I agree helps. Also, going for a walk keeps your mind off boredom eating.

Best wishes and hope mine and the others suggestions help

 

[Stone Hunter]

Well honestly this summer I have just given in to my cravings. But if you are addicted to sugar you need to make it through the withdrawl stage without giving in.

Drinking more water helps me. I usually want to snack at night so if I can''t ignore the craving I''ll go to sleep.

GREAT job working out!! Good luck with the cravings.

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks for the suggestions! DKS, I''ll have to try to remember to brush my teeth when a craving kicks in. Great idea! Thanks for the encouragement Sundial! My goal is to get to 3-4 times at the gym per week, for 30 minutes each time. For me, that''s a HUGE workout.

Indy, we checked out an elliptical machine that our gym is selling and we''ve decided against it. My FI is has been telling me lately that part of getting into the workout habit is being around others who are doing it at the same time. I think I agree now. I think hearing the sounds at the gym -- the machines whirring, the feet pounding the treadmills, etc. are a tad more motivating than the little ol'' TV I''d use at home. I just wanted to give you an update (this is from a previous thread).

 

[gwendolyn]

100 calorie packs are from HEAVEN! They give you enough to satisfy the taste craving, but don''t rack up much in the way of damage. And now they''ve got them for everything!

 

[Mara]

hi zoe, i don''t know if you ever check out WWT (i thought i remembered you there previously) but i lost some weight last year and have had a hard time figuring out how to keep it off and still be able to eat things i love in moderation. my problem is not cravings as i don''t really crave anything, but it''s more mental aka thinking ''oh i deserve that'' when in reality i''m not even hungry, XYZ just sounds good. i want to keep what i lost off and stay healthy so i finally enlisted a personal trainer (along with a wellness facility) who recommended i see their nutritionist. she was excellent. i have come so far on my own that she really wants to help me fine tune my diet. first off she put me on a low glycemic index diet for 2 weeks to detox my system of useless white carbs and most if not all sugars.

sugar IS addictive and also it gives your body and mind a false sense of satiation and when the high subsides into a low, your body wants more so you tend to think you want more, but in reality your body doesn''t NEED any more, you are not hungry, your body is just confused. my nutrionist says it takes 21 days for your body to get over cravings of things like sugars and white carbs, but just one day for your body to remember it and crave them again, depressing huh?!?! but it could be that you were consuming a lot of sugar before and you just kind of have to wean your body off it, so you might want to eat natural sugars if possible but try to stay away from ''processed'' sugars.

what they say for an actual CRAVING is to wait 20 minutes because a craving typically subsides within 20 min. if it does not, then most of the time people say just have what you want, in moderation. or take a walk. this totally works for me because walks typically take longer than 20 min and then afterwards you will find your taste in your mouth has kind of changed, chances are at this point you just want WATER nothing else. or a workout might do this too. i don''t like to eat right after a workout. also if i go outside and do something in the hot sun, chances are i want something cold and sweet, like fruit...rather than something with chocolate, which almost sounds gross after being outside sweating.

i find many times that you can trick your brain once you know how it works. in any case, i agree with the others that after a while your sugar cravings will subside, my basic suggestion is to say if you give into a sugar craving, try to make it a natural sugar like with fruit or something because then your body takes longer to process it than a quick fix like candy sugar which is burned and then gone and you want more fast.

good luck with the working out and avoiding bad things...you should check into the weekly workout thread (wwt) over in family home and health as we post there all the time, we have a great group of people, everyone is in different stages of weight loss or maintenance...we work out and eat right most of the time, it''s fun to talk about our successes and also ask advice or give it and talk about what works or doesn''t work.

 

[monarch64]

Brush your teeth, paint your nails, go for a walk...anything to get your mind off what you''re craving...also I agree with Skippy, you can start writing down everything you eat in a day and you''ll become more aware of patterns and how many calories you''re consuming. Check out the WWT like Mara mentioned as well, it''s a great way to stay motivated and get support from likeminded "weight watchers," or whatever.

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 8/26/2007 8:05:51 PM
Author: Mara

sugar IS addictive and also it gives your body and mind a false sense of satiation and when the high subsides into a low, your body wants more so you tend to think you want more, but in reality your body doesn't NEED any more, you are not hungry, your body is just confused. my nutrionist says it takes 21 days for your body to get over cravings of things like sugars and white carbs, but just one day for your body to remember it and crave them again, depressing huh?!?! but it could be that you were consuming a lot of sugar before and you just kind of have to wean your body off it, so you might want to eat natural sugars if possible but try to stay away from 'processed' sugars.

Hi Mara,

Really??? I never knew that! I lurk on the WWT and I may have posted once or twice. I think I'd find it helpful but there are times that I feel that what I'm dealing with is on a completely different plane than everyone else. ETA: I'll try to post more there, and I do find it helpful.

Thank you so much for these tips!

 

[sera]

Everything in moderation... a little sugar or salt isn't gonna kill ya, but overindulging in it will- it's having just a little bit to enjoy it and satisfy the craving vs. craving it because you're denying yourself and ending up cramming it down your face when you can't take it anymore

ETA: just noticed you said you can't do the moderation thing... lol, duh me. What about just keeping in the house the amount you could eat rather than what you want to eat? Or not eating it by yourself but when you and your fi can keep each other accountable to not binge on it?

 

[princesss]

Okay, when I''m trying to beat an addiction to sugar (because, as my thighs can attest, I LOVE sugar) I suffer. Seriously. I go a week. It''s the hardest thing ever. I drink water and I ignore the craving. After a week, almost all the cravings go away, and honestly, at 1 week and 2 days I can turn down an open bag of M&Ms.

But yeah...I don''t beat them. I suffer and I''m grouchy. But after that week I''m generally off sweets for around 3 months.

 

[neatfreak]

Well, while I totally agree with Mara''s nutritionist on the weaning off sugar thing (the more I eat the more I crave, if I cut it out for awhile I don''t miss it nearly as much!), for me the best thing when I''m having a craving for sugar that won''t subside is one of two things:

1. A small (personal size) bag of Orville Redenbacher''s fat free kettle corn. Sweet, salty, and only 100 cals for the bag!
2. A 60 cal original fudgesicle. Yum.


Both are great pick me up snacks without a huge calorie impact.

 

[Kaleigh]

Fat free popsicles rule!! Or water ice. I also am loving an apple sliced with a dash of cinnamon. Yumm.

Cravings are tough.

I also drink a ton of water and that helps to fill me up.

 

[chiefneil]

I think the best way to deal with cravings is to not have that sort of food in the house. Throw away all the junk/snack food, and don''t buy any more. And never go to supermarket when you''re hungry! Also be very cautious about diet drinks and artificial sweeteners as I''ve been reading articles lately that say they may actually promote weight gain. Try plain water only instead of diet drinks for a while and you''ll get used to it faster than you might think.

 

[eks6426]

frozen grapes
fat free fudgsicles
yogurt poured into popsicles molds then frozen
low-fat icecream served in custard cups (so I only eat a few)
a banana and and a few chocolate chips (I count them out and put the rest away)
fat free popcorn sprinkled with cinnamon & splenda
baked apples served with fatfree vanilla pudding sauce

and my personal favorite.....low fat vanilla icecream sprinkled with cinnamon & splenda...then served with homemade baked sweet tortillas....take 1 6" flour tortilla cut into wedges...spray with PAM...sprinkle splenda & sugar. bake in 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes until crispy. I use 1 tortilla to share with my husband so we just get 3 little wedges each and the 1/2 cup of icecream. Add a spray of fat free whipped cream and it feels like a real dessert.

 

[Lorelei]

Zoe, I find what works for me is a small bowl of Kashi GoLean Crunch - I eat it dry without milk! It fills me up, takes a while to eat and is fairly sweet, fills that " I need a sweet something..." gap nicely

 

[musey]

Date: 8/26/2007 3:07:38 PM
Author: door knob solitaire
I brush my teeth. Not kidding.

ME TOO! I was worried about damaging my enamel (because I was doing this 6-7x a day to curb cravings!) so I got a SUPER soft kid's toothbrush for my mid-day brushings.

For sweet indulgences, I like no-sugar-added popsicles and sugar-free jello. 10-15 calories each. For bready cravings (I get those a lot) HIGH HIGH HIGH fiber crackers (like 6-9 grams per serving) and only a couple.

Otherwise, I indulge in teeny, eensy weensy servings of whatever it is I'm wanting. It's usually more satisfying than you'd think.

...Then I go and brush my teeth

 

[musey]

Ooh I forgot another good one--I put on some crest whitestrips! I''m doing that right now to avoid the nutella ice cream that''s sitting in my fridge

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 8/27/2007 4:22:59 PM
Author: musey
Ooh I forgot another good one--I put on some crest whitestrips! I''m doing that right now to avoid the nutella ice cream that''s sitting in my fridge

There''s nutella ICE CREAM??? Oh no. Must not go to the grocery store. Must not go to the grocery store. Must not...

 

[musey]

Date: 8/27/2007 4:56:22 PM
Author: zoebartlett

Date: 8/27/2007 4:22:59 PM

Author: musey

Ooh I forgot another good one--I put on some crest whitestrips! I''m doing that right now to avoid the nutella ice cream that''s sitting in my fridge

There''s nutella ICE CREAM??? Oh no. Must not go to the grocery store. Must not go to the grocery store. Must not...

Bristol Farms...

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Date: 8/26/2007 2:37:34 PM
Author:zoebartlett
What do you recommend? What do you reach for when you want a snack or dessert after dinner but you''re trying to eat healthy? The obvious answer would be a piece of fruit, but what else do you allow yourself? It''s hard to do the ''everything in moderation'' thing because I am slightly addicted to food. Ughhh!

I usually reach for a beer.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 8/27/2007 4:56:22 PM
Author: zoebartlett

Date: 8/27/2007 4:22:59 PM
Author: musey
Ooh I forgot another good one--I put on some crest whitestrips! I'm doing that right now to avoid the nutella ice cream that's sitting in my fridge

There's nutella ICE CREAM??? Oh no. Must not go to the grocery store. Must not go to the grocery store. Must not...

Crazy!!!! I never seen it; I guess because I am always looking for my WW fudge bars. hehe I love nutella but that is something I never buy since I have no self control when it is in my hands; hubby has to pry it away from my paws. hehe

Richard, a nice light beer is yummy! Cheers

 

[HollyS]

Date: 8/26/2007 2:37:34 PM
Author:zoebartlett
My FI and I are on a new health kick and we just got back from our third consecutive day at the gym. Okay, we''re only doing 20 minute workouts right now but it''s something, right? We need to watch our sugar intake and as I''ve said before, we need to lose weight. I''m finding myself craving sweets sooooo much and it''s really bugging me. What do you recommend? What do you reach for when you want a snack or dessert after dinner but you''re trying to eat healthy? The obvious answer would be a piece of fruit, but what else do you allow yourself? It''s hard to do the ''everything in moderation'' thing because I am slightly addicted to food. Ughhh!

I give in!! No, seriously -- Dave and I share one dessert if we are out at a restaurant. And by sharing, I do not mean ordering the big a$$ chocolate explosion desserts they seem to have at every restaurant. No, we order the "kiddie sundae" -- really. Most places will do the choc syrup, whipped cream, and cherry on the smaller version. If we are home, it''s all about portion control. But the frozen peppermint patties was a cool idea (pun intended!).

 

[KimberlyH]

I go for a walk, go outside and look around the yard, read, etc. Anything to take my mind off it, if I can''t get over it then I''ll give in, but that doesn''t happen too often.

 

[Sundial]

Date: 8/27/2007 7:28:51 PM
Author: Skippy123

Date: 8/27/2007 4:56:22 PM
Author: zoebartlett

Date: 8/27/2007 4:22:59 PM
Author: musey
Ooh I forgot another good one--I put on some crest whitestrips! I''m doing that right now to avoid the nutella ice cream that''s sitting in my fridge

There''s nutella ICE CREAM??? Oh no. Must not go to the grocery store. Must not go to the grocery store. Must not...

Crazy!!!! I never seen it; I guess because I am always looking for my WW fudge bars. hehe I love nutella but that is something I never buy since I have no self control when it is in my hands; hubby has to pry it away from my paws. hehe

Richard, a nice light beer is yummy! Cheers

OMG Nutella ice cream - I have never seen it either Skippy but we never get anything out here! I did get some Nutella gelato in Rome that was to die for!!!