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Old 08-20-2008, 11:03 AM   #1  
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Default attachment to our cravings and having an open mind

What I've found with old cravings I use to have (kind of forget what they are, as they evolve) , is that they change as my healthy body improves. I believe cravings can almost be trained.

Oy, I still can't seem to replace my craving for toast and butter , with toast and peanut butter (same fat, but healthy fat, with some protein). Butter is a really difficult one for me, but I believe one day after enough months off of the addiction habit, I won't crave it anymore.

Just having an open mind about cravings and food habits helps me with my attachment to my fat body, just for the sake of what I love to eat and what I am attached to psychologically. For an example, I use to crave chocolate like hersheys kisses, hershey's with almonds, or snickers, now it tastes absolutely raunchy to me because I've been allowing myself plenty of really quality European chocolate with pure ingredients, and of course, less sugar. Like salt, I believe I became satisfied at a much lower sweetness threshold level.

Another example is how I love, love, love icecream. Okay, so I've learned to make my own icecreams out of less sugar and lower fat half/half, and I don't think I crave the ooey gooey icecreams loaded with thickeners and sugar and high fats. Also, I make my own croutons for salads that are lower fat and salt.

For my husbands lunches, I make yogurt sandwich spread (condensed yogurt, onion powder, pureed roasted red pepper, salt and pepper), which he is surprisingly use to now instead of mayonaise, he who dislikes yogurt! I bake him cookies and he loves them even though they're way healthier and less sweet than the old storebought brands he use to buy. I got him off of sodas onto 100% pure fruit juices with some crystal geyser carbonated water added, and from potato chips to reduced fat wheat thins. He doesn't ask me to buy chips and sodas anymore.

Who else has experiences about their (and their family's) cravings changing?

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Old 08-20-2008, 11:25 AM   #2  
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Who else has experiences about their (and their family's) cravings changing?
I've learned that if I get the foods I crave completely out of my system AND AVOID TRIGGER FOODS, that I no longer have the cravings, or that *I need something... I don' know what* feeling, which is a kind of craving.

I mean, cravings are GONE!!! I've done this successfully for over a year at a time.

I LOVE how it feels! I LOVE not having cravings.

Aspertame is my #1 trigger. It will set off cravings in me for all the things that are worst for me - a big variety of foods. I avoid all artificial sweeteners now and cravings are really down.
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Old 08-20-2008, 11:31 AM   #3  
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I have to say I dont really have cravings..... I guess I am lucky that way..... and I have to honestly say when I do really want something badly..... I usually just have it..... I count it..... and move on.....

if its really bad for me.... then to be honest it usually never tastes as good as I made it out in my head that it will ...... I usually find its not worth how I feel after I ate it..... and if it is really good.... (I love egg mcmuffins) then I had it.... i get the "craving" out of my system and move on.....

its just how I deal with it..... If I totally and completely deny myself of everything that I really like or "crave" then I will never stick to this.... for me anyway its about moderation..... not having an egg mcmuffin every day..... but maybe once every 2 weeks or 3 weeks.... whatever.... and realizing that if I eat that mcmuffin something else is going to have to go.....

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Old 08-20-2008, 12:48 PM   #4  
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Well, my cravings have not changed at all. Pizza, tacos, and Chinese. I just replaced them all with their healthier counterparts. Delite pizza from Papa Murphy's, homemade tacos for about 2.5 points apiece, and lettuce wraps from P.F. Changs, 11.5 points (that one is a splurge).
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Old 08-20-2008, 01:07 PM   #5  
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Why don't you just have toast with spray butter? Just a spray or two and you're golden with no extra calories =]
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Old 08-20-2008, 04:51 PM   #6  
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Why don't you just have toast with spray butter? Just a spray or two and you're golden with no extra calories =]
You mean some kind of fake butter? What's in the list of ingredients I wonder ? I don't want to sound like a snob, but I am a real whole foods kind of nut, nothing artificial. Thanks though

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Old 08-21-2008, 08:44 AM   #7  
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You mean some kind of fake butter? What's in the list of ingredients I wonder ? I don't want to sound like a snob, but I am a real whole foods kind of nut, nothing artificial. Thanks though
LOL A woman after my own heart... Can you allow yourself the toast with butter maybe once a week? Or maybe have half a slice? I think it's better to have a way to allow for a craving (as long as it is with you) rather than fight it. If you fight it, eventually, it will win and you will be miserable.

Maybe a treat after a workout? Early morning is best. Don't eat it late at night.

my 2 cents,
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Old 08-21-2008, 08:47 AM   #8  
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P.S. Speaking of butter... we've been lucky enough to get some homemade from a nearby farmer. Cow's name is Clarabelle. I've met her personally, out in her sunny field. Lovely cow... beautiful moo... yummy butter (in small amounts!)

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Old 08-21-2008, 09:57 AM   #9  
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Hopefuldreamer ~ YOu're adorable! YOu actually went and met your butter baby, didn't you? You're so good to be into the CSA sort of thing, I applaud you! As for me and toast, yeah , a half slice without gobs of butter would be a step in the right direction. But so would one slice instead of 4. I think each slice of bread is close to 100 calories, the butter is likely 200 if not 300, so I'm probably downing 300 to 400 cals per buttered slice of toast, times four, is well over a 1000 cals . That's a snack. No wonder I'm obese. Yikes.

There are some cravings that are triggers, and toast with butter seems to be my worst. And pasta with all the stuff I put on it (olive oil, crushed garlic, chile flakes, nutritional yeast flakes, and parmesan cheese) . I allow myself to work with chocolate, and sometimes I can make just a small amount of pasta , or one piece of toast, but those are only on good days. I think I just have to stay away from it all together for a couple of weeks, until I get a better perspective. Odd how the psychology of trigger foods work, a real riddle !

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Old 08-21-2008, 07:40 PM   #10  
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Hopefuldreamer ~ YOu're adorable! YOu actually went and met your butter baby, didn't you? You're so good to be into the CSA sort of thing, I applaud you! As for me and toast, yeah , a half slice without gobs of butter would be a step in the right direction. But so would one slice instead of 4. I think each slice of bread is close to 100 calories, the butter is likely 200 if not 300, so I'm probably downing 300 to 400 cals per buttered slice of toast, times four, is well over a 1000 cals . That's a snack. No wonder I'm obese. Yikes.
Yes, I did meet that cow! LOL We actually belong to two CSAs, one with an Amish farmer and one with a feminist-hippie type farmer. Totally different! The cow is owned by the hippie farmer. She raises mostly goats and poultry, but has one dairy cow, Clarabelle. We get lots of organics from them, and have a garden as well. I am canning like crazy right now.


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There are some cravings that are triggers, and toast with butter seems to be my worst. And pasta with all the stuff I put on it (olive oil, crushed garlic, chile flakes, nutritional yeast flakes, and parmesan cheese) . I allow myself to work with chocolate, and sometimes I can make just a small amount of pasta , or one piece of toast, but those are only on good days. I think I just have to stay away from it all together for a couple of weeks, until I get a better perspective. Odd how the psychology of trigger foods work, a real riddle !

You're probably right. Have you figured out what sets you off?? Are you bored, nervous, stressed, or whatever?? For me, I've noticed (with all my mindful observation) that I eat when I'm bored, or when I'm stressed. Just knowing that helps. I find myself craving junk (my cravings aren't quite so healthy... mostly salty snacks) and lately have been stopping to ask why I feel like I need to eat right then. Usually, it's one of those two biggie reasons. I've been journaling about my history with food too. Lots of childhood stuff has come up which has been really helpful.

Here's to the cows in our lives..

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Old 08-22-2008, 11:09 AM   #11  
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Hopefuldreamer ~ Canning ? Too COOL!!!! I love that you get to buy your stuff from an Amish farm. I love Amish culture. My DH is descendant from Amish great grandparents, so we kind of do it up in our house. Right now I'm starting an Amish quilt project, and i love, love, love that.

Okay, about the butter craving, I bet that's a 'salty' craving, for sure. However, I don't care for other salty stuff, like pretzels, but it's the FAT and salt maybe. I've heard that the Japanese have a word in their language for another kind of taste, all about some kind of amino acid or something (obviously I don't know) and I wonder if butter craving is that . Hmmm. I would love to find a substitute, because I tend to eat chocolate to avoid toast, and then I eat too much sugar. I wish I could enjoy yogurt more, but I don't care for sour. I really think it's fat that I love to taste. I do love to drink coffee like mad, so I've switched to decaff, and that often helps me out of craving mind. Cept too much decaff is not good either. I wish I could just figure out the thing that would satisfy me, then buy a lifetime supply of it, and just get on with other things. I'm always snooping around the kitchen, looking for trouble. So I guess that sounds like I'm bored, but more like I'm looking for distraction because I get easily overwhelmed with just chores and projects. I am a squirrel chaser, looking to run off at any turn. I think I'm hanging out with my dog too much !

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Old 08-22-2008, 05:33 PM   #12  
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Hopefuldreamer ~ Canning ? Too COOL!!!! I love that you get to buy your stuff from an Amish farm. I love Amish culture. My DH is descendant from Amish great grandparents, so we kind of do it up in our house. Right now I'm starting an Amish quilt project, and i love, love, love that.

They are an interesting people, full of contradictions. My Amish guy has a cell phone for his business, but he keeps it in the shed, not in the house. Back in the day, it was not unusual to see a phone booth in the middle of a field around here. Very weird. Almost surreal, but the Amish would use it! I've seen Amish at the supermarket with their carts full of junk food. Go figure.


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Okay, about the butter craving, I bet that's a 'salty' craving, for sure. However, I don't care for other salty stuff, like pretzels, but it's the FAT and salt maybe.

I think so. Fat and salt. I crave the same thing. I don't crave sweets. I can pass up chocolate, which really does some people in. Ditto ice cream. Give me a bag of chips any day over ice cream.

The question is, how can we handle the craving without letting it get totally out of control? Or can we? I feel like I nee to allow myself a little wiggle room. I am looking to finding a truly sustainable way to eat. I am not interested in a quick diet fix, only to gain it all back the moment I eat "normally" again. I need a new normal.


hopefuldreamer, who canned pickled beets from the garden today...
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Old 08-22-2008, 06:01 PM   #13  
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They are an interesting people, full of contradictions. My Amish guy has a cell phone for his business, but he keeps it in the shed, not in the house. Back in the day, it was not unusual to see a phone booth in the middle of a field around here. Very weird. Almost surreal, but the Amish would use it! I've seen Amish at the supermarket with their carts full of junk food. Go figure.
Right, I get it , perfectly surreal! I love their contradiction, and the fact that they hold principles above anything else. That gene definitely has stayed in the blood down to my DH .
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Old 08-22-2008, 06:11 PM   #14  
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I am looking to finding a truly sustainable way to eat. I am not interested in a quick diet fix, only to gain it all back the moment I eat "normally" again. I need a new normal.
OKAY, you said it perfectly RIGHT HERE. What kind of words I've been searching for !!!

I came on to 3FC over a year ago actually, wanting to find my personal niche, and if they had a sub-forum that said "Sustainable Eating" I'd have gone straight to it. I had tried at one time to explain my approach , more that I didn't want to have "A Plan" , especially spending money (profitting off of people's tragic and vulnerable problems is just wrong in my thinking) and I got "told" by someone that "without a Plain, I am destined to failure" . Well, so I failed. And that was last year. Here I am again.

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hopefuldreamer, who canned pickled beets from the garden today...
Right on, Now theres a super Amish treat !

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Old 08-24-2008, 09:31 AM   #15  
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'K, so it's been since Friday since I've had a piece of buttered toast. I've decided to make a big deal out of everyday I *don't* have butter. Maybe I ought to make a ticker for this ! Butter is a major trigger for me into destruction, it's The Kiss of Diet Death for me. I can't get around that one food item so, I've decided to count the days until I am free from it's spell. This is day two.....
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