I don't know what is wrong with me today but I am having some serious cravings! This morning I wanted homefries....now I'm craving Chinese food. I loooovvvvveeee carbohydrates! Especially rice and potatoes! But I'm on south beach so no carbs for me...how do you guys deal with cravings for things you can't have??

When I have a small craving, I just drink water. Usually it's boredom that gets me craving food and boredom eating was what kept me at 200 pounds.

My next strategy won't really help you since you're on South Beach but this works for me :O

If I have a serious "OMG I NEED TO EAT THIS NOW" craving, I eat whatever it is I'm craving. However, I don't eat a large amount of it. If I'm craving chips for example, I'll have one or two. A lot of times I just need the taste of something and when I have a tiny bit (making sure I savor the taste) I can get rid of that craving.

As a boredom eater I was used to just eating for the sake of eating. I've slowly trained myself to eat for the taste of food. Whether I eat one or one hundred of something, it will taste the same, so why eat so much just to get the same taste?

I do the same thing. When I am craving smoething to the point that it won't go away, I just eat a little bit of what I am craving. Or try to find a way to make it healthy/low calorie. This may not work with south beach though.

Stick with it though, it will get easier

For Chinese, order a steamed veggie/protein meal and ask for no rice - I always get steamed chicken and broccoli (my favorite since I was a kid!) and either make your own sauce, use soy sauce, or use a teeny amount of what's given on the side.

I love Chinese takeout because no matter what, it fits into my meal plan be it low carb, low fat, or low calorie.

Other cravings, I just make whatever I'm craving in a healthy way.

For me, cravings are normally a sign I'm just hungry, even without physical indicators. It usually goes away if I feed myself something healthy. Occaisonally, it is a real craving, and I usually indulge a little, because ignoring such things can make me binge way worse a few hours later.