about2loseit
New member
We all have them. No one is immune. We may not share a craving for the same food, at the same time, or for the same reasons . . . but everyone craves something. For the longest time I wondered what was wrong with me. I craved the goodies in the kitchen at work and honestly thought I was the only one that could not resist. Others can pass by that piece of cheesecake without a second glance. Not me! I glance. I stare. I drool a little. I might even take a picture with my cell phone to enjoy it later. Well, okay, maybe I don't go that far . . . but dealing with cravings has been the hardest aspect of my diet. (Sorry, new lifestyle.)
Here are some tips I found at Reader's Digest for dealing with cravings:
Avoid your triggers! "You crave what you eat, so if you switch what you're eating, you can weaken your old cravings and strengthen new ones," says Marcia Pelchat, PhD, of the Monell Center. This can happen pretty fast. For five days, her study volunteers drank bland dietary-supplement beverages. During that time, they craved fewer of their trigger foods. By the end of the study, the volunteers actually wanted the supplements instead. The first few days are always the hardest, and you probably can't completely eliminate your old cravings. But the longer you avoid your trigger foods, the less likely you may be to want them. In fact, you'll probably begin to crave the foods you eat, a real bonus if you've switched to fresh fruit.
(I believe in this one . . . for the longest time I actually craved asparagus. How strange is THAT?)
Destroy temptation! If you've succumbed to a craving and bought a box of cookies or some other trigger food and start to feel bad while eating it, destroy it. "Don't just throw it away; run water over it, ruin it. You'll feel a sense of accomplishment that you've licked your binge," says Caroline Apovian, MD, director, Nutrition and Weight Management Center at Boston Medical Center. Don't think about the money you're wasting. If the cookies don't go into the garbage, they're going straight to your hips.
(The garbage disposal works wonders!)
Go nuts! Drink two glasses of water and eat an ounce of nuts (6 walnuts, 12 almonds or 20 peanuts). Within 20 minutes, this can extinguish your craving and dampen your appetite by changing your body chemistry, says RD's "Health IQ" columnist Michael F. Roizen, MD.
(I've not tried this one. Let me know if it helps, willya?)
Jolt yourself with java! Try sipping a skim latte instead of reaching for a candy bar. The caffeine it contains won't necessarily satisfy your cravings, but it can save you the calories by quenching your appetite, says Dr. Roizen. And the warm richness and ritual can distract you.
(I try to avoid processed and unnatural sugars these days - yep a trigger for me! One little trick I have adopted when I am absolutely craving chocolate is to pour myself a cup of coffee and put in half of a pouch of hot chocolate mix (I go with sugar-free but fat-free would work, too.) No milk, no cream, no sugar. Just the mix. It has enough flavor and I can trick myself into pretending I am drinking a mocha cappucino.)
Let it go! Since stress is a huge trigger for cravings, learning to deal with it could potentially save you hundreds of calories a day. This will take some practice. You can try deep breathing or visualizing a serene scene on your own.
(And you won't pull out quite so much of your hair! A double bonus!)
Take a power nap! Cravings sneak up when we're tired. Focus on the fatigue: Shut the door, close your eyes, re-energize.
(OK, in the real world for those of us with jobs, kids, school, etc., this is not realistic. There have been times I will take off my glasses, put my hands over my eyes to block out the light, and just stop thinking for 5 minutes. Only 5 minutes. It really, truly helps. If you can't do it at your desk, go to the restroom. But it does help.)
Get minty fresh! Brush your teeth; gargle with mouthwash. "When you have a fresh, clean mouth, you don't want to mess it up," says Molly Gee, RD, of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
(Another one I agree with! Really, who likes bbq potato chips mixed with the minty flavor of Crest? Not I!)
Distract yourself! If only ice cream will do, it's a craving, not hunger. "Cravings typically last ten minutes," says John Foreyt, PhD, of Baylor College of Medicine. Recognize that and divert your mind: Call someone, listen to music, run an errand, meditate or exercise.
(OR, run to the Weight Loss Forum and hang out like I am doing right now!
)
Indulge yourself -- within limits! Once in a while, it's OK to go ahead and have that ice cream. But buy a small cone, not a pint. Try 100-calorie CocoaVia chocolate bars and 100-calorie snack packs of cookies, peanuts or pretzel sticks. The trick is to buy only one pack at a time so you won't be tempted to reach for more. And since even 100 extra calories can sabotage weight loss if you indulge daily, strike a bargain with yourself to work off the excess calories. A brisk 15-minute walk will burn 100 calories or so.
(I am a HUGE ice cream fan (freak!). I buy those little single cups so that I do not put waaaay too much in my bowl. It took me a while to realize that just one extra scoop DOES have calories and it really IS cheating. The single portions help keep me honest.)
Plan or avoid! Vary your usual routine to avoid passing the bakery or pizzeria. If you know you'll be face-to-face with irresistible birthday cake, allocate enough calories to fit it into your diet.
(If there is something you know you can not avoid - like the candy drawer at work - learn to become immune. Tell yourself it will always be there so it's no big deal and one day when you are stronger you will PLAN a small indulgence.)
I really hope this helped someone. It helped me while I was sitting here writing it because now my horrible craving has faded. I won! Go me!!
Here are some tips I found at Reader's Digest for dealing with cravings:
Avoid your triggers! "You crave what you eat, so if you switch what you're eating, you can weaken your old cravings and strengthen new ones," says Marcia Pelchat, PhD, of the Monell Center. This can happen pretty fast. For five days, her study volunteers drank bland dietary-supplement beverages. During that time, they craved fewer of their trigger foods. By the end of the study, the volunteers actually wanted the supplements instead. The first few days are always the hardest, and you probably can't completely eliminate your old cravings. But the longer you avoid your trigger foods, the less likely you may be to want them. In fact, you'll probably begin to crave the foods you eat, a real bonus if you've switched to fresh fruit.
(I believe in this one . . . for the longest time I actually craved asparagus. How strange is THAT?)
Destroy temptation! If you've succumbed to a craving and bought a box of cookies or some other trigger food and start to feel bad while eating it, destroy it. "Don't just throw it away; run water over it, ruin it. You'll feel a sense of accomplishment that you've licked your binge," says Caroline Apovian, MD, director, Nutrition and Weight Management Center at Boston Medical Center. Don't think about the money you're wasting. If the cookies don't go into the garbage, they're going straight to your hips.
(The garbage disposal works wonders!)
Go nuts! Drink two glasses of water and eat an ounce of nuts (6 walnuts, 12 almonds or 20 peanuts). Within 20 minutes, this can extinguish your craving and dampen your appetite by changing your body chemistry, says RD's "Health IQ" columnist Michael F. Roizen, MD.
(I've not tried this one. Let me know if it helps, willya?)
Jolt yourself with java! Try sipping a skim latte instead of reaching for a candy bar. The caffeine it contains won't necessarily satisfy your cravings, but it can save you the calories by quenching your appetite, says Dr. Roizen. And the warm richness and ritual can distract you.
(I try to avoid processed and unnatural sugars these days - yep a trigger for me! One little trick I have adopted when I am absolutely craving chocolate is to pour myself a cup of coffee and put in half of a pouch of hot chocolate mix (I go with sugar-free but fat-free would work, too.) No milk, no cream, no sugar. Just the mix. It has enough flavor and I can trick myself into pretending I am drinking a mocha cappucino.)
Let it go! Since stress is a huge trigger for cravings, learning to deal with it could potentially save you hundreds of calories a day. This will take some practice. You can try deep breathing or visualizing a serene scene on your own.
(And you won't pull out quite so much of your hair! A double bonus!)
Take a power nap! Cravings sneak up when we're tired. Focus on the fatigue: Shut the door, close your eyes, re-energize.
(OK, in the real world for those of us with jobs, kids, school, etc., this is not realistic. There have been times I will take off my glasses, put my hands over my eyes to block out the light, and just stop thinking for 5 minutes. Only 5 minutes. It really, truly helps. If you can't do it at your desk, go to the restroom. But it does help.)
Get minty fresh! Brush your teeth; gargle with mouthwash. "When you have a fresh, clean mouth, you don't want to mess it up," says Molly Gee, RD, of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
(Another one I agree with! Really, who likes bbq potato chips mixed with the minty flavor of Crest? Not I!)
Distract yourself! If only ice cream will do, it's a craving, not hunger. "Cravings typically last ten minutes," says John Foreyt, PhD, of Baylor College of Medicine. Recognize that and divert your mind: Call someone, listen to music, run an errand, meditate or exercise.
(OR, run to the Weight Loss Forum and hang out like I am doing right now!
)Indulge yourself -- within limits! Once in a while, it's OK to go ahead and have that ice cream. But buy a small cone, not a pint. Try 100-calorie CocoaVia chocolate bars and 100-calorie snack packs of cookies, peanuts or pretzel sticks. The trick is to buy only one pack at a time so you won't be tempted to reach for more. And since even 100 extra calories can sabotage weight loss if you indulge daily, strike a bargain with yourself to work off the excess calories. A brisk 15-minute walk will burn 100 calories or so.
(I am a HUGE ice cream fan (freak!). I buy those little single cups so that I do not put waaaay too much in my bowl. It took me a while to realize that just one extra scoop DOES have calories and it really IS cheating. The single portions help keep me honest.)
Plan or avoid! Vary your usual routine to avoid passing the bakery or pizzeria. If you know you'll be face-to-face with irresistible birthday cake, allocate enough calories to fit it into your diet.
(If there is something you know you can not avoid - like the candy drawer at work - learn to become immune. Tell yourself it will always be there so it's no big deal and one day when you are stronger you will PLAN a small indulgence.)
I really hope this helped someone. It helped me while I was sitting here writing it because now my horrible craving has faded. I won! Go me!!
Last edited:
