Every time I try to eat more healthy and in moderation I always want to pig out...even on the healthy stuff...it happens all the time and i really dont know what to do about it..ill crave stuff and drink water to help the craving but it never goes away..like i been wanting pizza hut for the past 3 days!! uugh whats wrong with me??..lol

I find it takes about a week for the cravings to go away. The first week giving stuff up is th ehardest and then your body adjusts and, if you've made it the first week, you're so proud of not giving in that helps make it easier too.

A HUGE, GROUND BREAKING realization for me: I finally realized that I didn't have to have something just because I wanted it. We're not spoiled children after all. Nothing terrible would happen to me if I didn't have it. No limbs will fall off, no harm will come to me. JUST THE OPPOSITE IN FACT. You don't have to give into a craving. PERIOD. “Wanting” alone, just for the sake of wanting is no longer relevant. Because now I want something more than just the food. I want to be slim, trim and healthy. I've made the DECISION to get to a healthy weight. THAT is my priority. I've raised my standards. I require more from myself.

Not sure why food is the last hold out of responsibility and maturity. You go shopping for a pair of shoes, you see 6 pairs that you LOVE. You want them ALL. You have to have them. But you can't have them. That would put you way over your monetary budget. You don't come home with 6 pairs. It's not an option to do so. If you were to do so, let's say you charge it on a credit card, well then, you'd have to pay the price further down the road. And then possibly you won’t have money for your other bills. There is always a price to pay. Most likely a better head will prevail. You'll talk yourself out of it. Because we're responsible adults. We know there are consequences to our actions. We don't have to give into momentary desires. Food is no different. This is your new mantra. I have never, ever - not even once in fact, looked back and regretted NOT eating something. NEVER. I have never thought, “gosh, why didn’t I eat that.”

Yes, I gave up a bunch of "those foods", but you see I ADDED in much better, tastier, healthier foods. Foods that make me feel good while I'm eating them - and after wards too. I no longer settle for foods that just taste good and make me feel good during the eating process. I need them to benefit and work for me long after I'm finished chewing. The foods I eat now are BOTH delicious and nutrient rich, though modest in calories. Which frees me up to, to be happy, healthy, slim, active, confident, energetic, productive and thrilled with life. And that is what I truly want.

Oh and without a doubt it gets easier. MUCH easier. You've got to push through the first couple of weeks though. Don't give in - just get past it. ANY WAY THAT YOU CAN. Work past the discomfort. It was nothing short of miraculous to me when my cravings decreased immensely, IMMENSELY. You will be shocked to see how your wants and desires and tastes change - if you allow them to.

Hang tough. Hang tough. HANG TOUGH. You CAN do this. You've got it in you'. You've got the ability to do so.

I'm 11 days into this as of tomorrow morning. I know that doesn't sound like long, but it is a huge deal for me. I have been forever starting over and forever caving to temptation (often after 2 or 3 days). This time around I feel so much stronger, I feel like I'm finally getting a bit of perspective on the food vs. me battle. But, loudmexigirl, I can sympathize - I've been there so often myself. I've been forcing myself these past 11 days, every day, every hour, but I'm telling myself that if I fight through this it will get easier.

Rockinrobin, thank you so much for sharing. That was exactly what I needed to read right now. If there's one thing that helps me it's reading a thread like this one in a moment of weakness.

We can do this, mexigirl!

Loudmexigirl,

I felt very similarly to you not that long ago. The longer that time passes and the more you resist the cravings the easier things will get. I know that probably doesn't sound like a comfort now though. I think rockinrobin is right- I really needed to hear that too.

Good luck loudmexigirl- you can fight off these cravings and things do get easier!

amy

Boy, I wish I had the answers for you, but I think robin was pretty good with them.

For me, it seems like a roller coaster ride. Most of the time, I'm fine, but sometimes I get resentful that I can't eat the way I used to. And I used to be able to eat pretty much whatever I wanted and wasn't a fat chick. Then I quit smoking. It was supposed to be a good, healthy thing to do. Not sure I would do it over again, but here I am, smoke-free after over 1 1/2 years, and FAT. So, just because I want to eat something is no reason to have it. I worked so hard to quit smoking, and I've worked so hard to lose just these few pounds, I am NOT willing to squander all that effort on a couple of fast food splurges.

I think that the hard work and the weekly number on the scales, as well as being ble to do more than I could 27 lbs ago are what keep me going so far. I know that the food will be there if and when I can c9mfortably eat some of it, too.

Barb

So eat some Pizza Hut, silly! Or go to another pizza place and buy a single slice of pizza. It's not helping if you REALLY want it. The goal is to not binge on it once you have it! Most of what I am hearing are people who deprive themselfs seem to always binge on the little thing they craved. One night being 100 or 300 cals off plan is better than being over a thousand.

Forbidden fruit is always the most tempting.

I would suggest making a more nutritious version of pizza at home. I take a whole wheat pita (or a Western Alternative pita, which has even more fiber), lightly toast it, add some spaghetti sauce with no sugar or HFCS, and top it with Kraft 2% mozzarella (I've tried other brands, this is the best one IMO). You could add toppings if you want, I happen to prefer plain cheese. Bake it for a few minutes at around 350 degrees and cheesy pizza goodness for around 400 calories (depending on the specific ingredients you use).

Maybe it won't be AS good as Pizza Hut, but it's so much better for you that to me, the tradeoff is well worth it.

And as everyone has said, just hang in there, it does get easier with time.

I love pizza and Pizza Hut! My solution, "Hormel Turkey Pepperoni" Spray a bit of Pam on a piece of Sara Lee 45 calorie bread, broil lightly, add a bit of pizza sauce, some turkey pepperoni and a bit of mozzerella, put it back in oven and broil till cheese melts. Not as good as Pizza Hut, but it does the trick.

I did watch something on tv the other night that really got me to thinking about eating. It was called "delicate eating". You could not do ANYTHING else while you were eating. No talking, no tv, no reading, etc., and you had to put your fork/spoon down after you took a bite and chew your food 20 times, swallow, take a drink of water, wipe your face, wait 30 seconds or so and only then could you take another bite. That's the general gist of it. What it does is force you to focus, and not eat blindly. It was very interesting and the ladies doing the class were amazed and had lots of thoughts about it.

It was a group of overweight women, and most did not like it, because they were used to eating with friends or family, with the tv blaring or yakking and visiting, with absolutely no thought to what they were shoveling in their mouth.

I am guilty, I have a bad habit of reading while I eat, while hubby has the tv blaring and watching a movie. Habits I think we need to break.

I don't have a particular point, I just thought the "delicate eating" was very interesting, and it did give me a new perspective on that side of food and eating.

Do you think you'll be happier or better off in any way after eating that Pizza Hut stuff? Will that be all it takes to make you happy?

Exactly how much do you require to be happy? A mouthful? A quarter of a slice? A whole slice? Half the pie? The whole pie?

And then, afterward, will you really feel contented? Or will you just find something else to crave afterward? Like, now you need something sweet, to counter all the saltiness? And then something after that?

I always think that a craving is really me giving way too much power to one silly little particular foodstuff of all the foodstuffs in the world. Yes, this one thing will finally do it. I will be happy. I will be contented. I will want for nothing after I have it.

Funny how it never works that way. It never really is as satisfying as what your imagination builds it up to be.

It's only food. That's all. And if you do without this particular thing, for once, as Robin says, you really aren't being deprived of much, or being wounded or neglected. The craving will fade eventually. It's not going to haunt you like an obsession for the rest of your life.