OMG I gotta eat! moments

Ando3242

New member
I'm sure many are familiar with these moments. You are doing good on your diet and suddenly you get incredibly hungry. You are so close to cheating and you just can't stop thinking about food. What do you do during these moments? Just ignore it hope it goes away? Eat some sort of healthy snack? What can I do to prevent myself from binge eating when this occurs?
 
Well it depends if I am really hungry or if I just think I am hungry. Sometimes I get hungry after eating a meal, and then I make myself wait a bit (20 minutes or so) to see if i am really hungry or not (it takes 20 min for fullness cues to get to the brain).

If I am hungry, and I know I have room in my calorie intake for the day, I have a healthy snack. Nothing wrong with that.

If I just think I am hungry, some things you can do are:

Chew gum
Drink water
Drink herbal tea
Go for a walk
Get away from food so you won't be tempted
Talk on the phone (can't eat when talking!)
Brush your teeth (this is a great one)
 
Yeah, I agree with shygemini. It really depends if I'm actually hungry or if I just want food.

If I'm actually hungry, I get a healthy, low-calorie snack. Even if I'm at my calorie goal for the day. Honestly, if I go over my goal by 50 calories because I ate an apple, that's not going to derail my weight loss.

If I just want food, I find something else to do. I leave the house and go where there isn't any food (take a walk, go to a clothes store, take my daughter to a park, etc). Or I play a computer game (I don't like to eat at my computer) or call someone, or come on here and write about it in my diary.

Remember, if you aren't hungry enough to eat an apple (carrot, banana, yogurt, etc) than you aren't really hungry.

But, on the flip side, some times you feel like you just really need that cookie/ice cream/pizza. And, for most people, having a little bit once in a while actually helps you stay on track. When I get a really bad craving for something, I try to adjust my calorie intake for the day so I can have it in a small amount. Just try to keep this at a minimum, and avoid it altogether if you find you are the type that can't eat just one cookie or one piece of pizza.

Keep in mind that you are in charge, not the junk food. And the longer you go without it, the fewer cravings you'll get.
 
I don't keep anything unhealthy in my house, so when I have one of these moments I just eat something. Whatever sounds good in my house. If I have been eating normally (healthy) for some time and one day I feel like this then I go out to eat for whatever I am craving.
 
Knowing about the 20 minute wait to detect fullness is great. Recently had one of those moments and was so close to driving to a fast food joint and getting a greasy burger and fries. But, I ate a turkey sandwich on wheat with mustard instead. Still over my calorie limit for the day, but only a fraction of what I would eat had I got fast food. I then waited 20 minutes and found out by the time 20 minutes had passed food was completely out of my mind. Thanks for the input!
 
Here is somthing that works for me, might help you out?

Well first off..fast food is out for me. I will refuse to eat at them. So that leave them out for an "easy" food to get to.

And to be honest if I get hungry at home at night I may have a snack before bed. As long as the food is healthy and you don't go overboard it won't hurt you. Now you can't do this every night but on an occasion when you just can shake the hunger. I think what helps here is...there is no junk food in our home anymore. So if I do have a before bed snack it will be something like a couple of whole grain crackers, maybe with a teaspoon of peanut butter or no fat cream cheese on it. An apple or banana, maybe a small glass of skim milk. Or just a small bowl of popcorn popped in a small amount of canola oil...Yes it may put you a bit over your calorie limit but at least it isn't junk food. And going over by a few hundred calories is not like hitting a fast food and going over by say 500 or more calories and eating junk with little or no nutritional value.

Use your nutritional common sense when you do cross your line and you won't wake up the next morning feeling to guilty ;-) And your waistline will still be ok.

Best to you.
 
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