If you are hungry drink water...

I had forgotten that one... sometimes I think I am hungry when all I am is extremely thirsty.

Looks like u have gotten some great replys... I would also add make sure u are getting enuff protein... and if u are truely hungry eat "protein" in the form of food or protein shake... protein fills u up and u stay satisified..

Wow I too am impressed with the replies here! One that has been said repeatedly and is a huge one for me is that I pretty much stopped eating processed food; not entirely and sometimes I use a can of low fat soup in recipes, etc.... but my general rule is "If God made it it is okay to eat; if mankind messed around with it to "improve" it use caution."

The wonderful part is... it is not hard! Got myself a crockpot and started digging out recipes and sharing them with friends. You can cook up a whole pot of something and put it in freezer bags and have wonderful meals! I make separate stuff for lunches at work, etc. So when everyone is chowing down on the cookies or other junk it is okay... because I know what I have stashed away or at home for dinner! YUM! AND they do satisfy my hunger much more than processed foods.

Also I always have fresh fruit and veggies around and pretty much eat all I want of it. BUT I find that most of the time when I am "hungry" I'm really not! A few big chugs of water cures it... and if I really AM... well, there's that apple right there!

Also true about exercise... gets my body moving and I don't think about or crave food nearly as much! AND all that sugar and junk IS addictive! Once I get past the first month or two without it, it's no problem! I can sit in a roomful of people eating cheesecake... my favorite! (In fact I DID last week LOL) and it doesn't bother me at all.

Hang in there and don't give up. And DO resist the temptation to go throw it all up!! I'm sure most of us have thought of it but that is NOT the solution. Stick around here where there is lots of support, advice and encouragement.

drbjaded- I am so sorry that you are feeling so low about this. I too, experience exactly the same thing and it drives me insane because the more I cave in and eat sweet foods, the more depressed I get about my weight so it is a vicious circle.
All the lovely people on here have given great advice and I completely agree that trying to do something to take your mind off eating helps. I have suddenly became very organised in my house as I find this keeps me occupied and so away from the thought of temptation. If that does not work then I put on my ipod and take the dog for a walk. It's only a small thing but if it helps me stop giving in to temptation then it has worked.
It is very, very hard and I am not going to deny it. I do have days when I feel like just giving up and eating tons of chocolate but I remind myself of just how miserable my weight is making me feel right now and then I ask myself 'Do I really want to add more weight to the misery?' The answer is always 'no' , I really want to change my weight and feel like me and not some huge blimp that I have let myself become.
Try and set yourself goals, however small. Think of something that inspires you and go for it. It may just have the right effect for you to realise that you can break the cycle and stay on the right path to your own weight loss goal.
I wish you every bit of luck and I am sending you lots of good vibes. xx

Oh and Janey... LOL about the garbage. For sure... it does no good to put it into the garbage unless you destroy it first LOLOL.

Lots of excellent suggestions above! Well done, folks!

One snack I've recently (re)discovered is baby carrots! They're sort of sweet, so you get that sweetish taste. They're quite crunchy, so your tongue, teeth and jaws get a good workout, like they would with cookies, crackers or chips (crisps). And they have virtually no calories at all, so there's no guilt associated with them.

I like them with ranch dip. 1/2 oz of dip can go a long way with an ounce of baby carrots (9-10 carrots). It's really more than enough, unless you really drench the carrots.

They really are a great snack!

Actually, the problem with eating sugar is that your body processes it very quickly and easily. ALL the food you eat, no matter what it is, is eventually broken down into sugars in your body. If you eat refined sugar or highly refined foods in the first place, there aren't any nutrients in the food and most of the work is already done for you. Excess calories consumed as refined sugars convert pretty instantly to body fat.

You've gotten great advice from all the posters above: if you crave sweets, try to eliminate them. The cravings will go away as long as you don't reintroduce them.

That doesn't necessarily mean you won't be hungry. Some people just are. I've been hungry for most of the 5 years since I started losing weight and maintaining at goal. I exercise a lot, so that's not the problem. Normally, I stay sugar free. It is true, stomach grumbling hunger. At this point in my life, it's a price I'm willing to pay. If I eat more (no matter how high quality the source of calories) I gain. That's life.

Mel

Fret not we have all been in the same situation at least once in our weight loss journey. Honestly, what really helps me is to drink lots of cold bottled water...the more water I drink the less hungry I am, Ive noticed a huge difference. Best of luck and hang in there, for this too shall pass

Sometimes I eat when I'm bored. So keeping busy helps keep me from eating. I get hungry a lot too. When I'm trying to sleep I notice my hunger more, so I tend to eat at night. I must cut out this bad habit. Got to stop eating sweet stuff too. Sweets and chocolate are my weakness. I have lots of fruits and veggies I can snack on, like apples, green grapes, baby carrots, and celery. Also, there is Dannon fatfree low calorie yogurt I can eat.