I'm still pretty new to actually sticking with an eating plan. And I'm wanting to make this permenant! But I'm curious if these cravings ever go away?

I've been hungry all darn day! And I know it's not actual hunger, it's more of an emotional thing. And I've been good at keeping busy so I don't just chow down!

But honestly, do your cravigns ever change? (Like rather than chips, do you crave for something healthier?)

Simply, YES and NO... My craving for chips or insert favourite food here has changed, I can eat something healthier, BUT I can still overdo it on a healthier version of this food . What I think we have to work on is the emotion and to deal with that emotion and how not to eat food period when that emotion or situation arises, which is, to me the trick to this permanent and long term weightloss...

Good for you for keeping busy and not chowing down!!

Oh, you bet they change!! Even from a bingeing standpoint. I'd literally go to 3 different fast food places because I'd be craving them, but after a couple of months staying away from them, I do not crave them at all. I think I had a serious addiction to Mcdonald's. I'd want it every day. The only thing I really crave now (from before) is chocolate. And I do crave fruit now (especially citrus fruit) so much that I binge on it! If I happen not to be getting enough vegetables in, I'll start craving peas and raw carrots. And I make a great healthy fried brown rice and I crave that too. Oh, and I used to crave french fries like crazy and now they've swapped with mashed potatoes!! I'm still not big on eating potatoes at all, but as long as I keep the butter and full fat milk out of the mashed potatoes, they aren't so bad (and a heck of a lot better than fries!).

Your cravings will definitely change. Some of them you'll leave completely behind, some new ones will be formed, and unfortunately you might not be able to shake a couple of them. Just wait it out and you'll start noticing the change.

My preferences have changed. One day at work I had a craving, and I had to go to the cafeteria and satisfy it...........a banana, and I used to hate bananas!

There are some cravings for me that haven't gone away, and that is chocolate but there are ways to build it in to my calorie plan.

After a while your body learns what is good for it, and wants you to eat healthy, especially if you exercise, it's so much easier if you are using the right fuel, and I think our taste buds eventually get educated to realise this.

Just in the few weeks I have been changing things in my life I have noticed that the thought of the fast food I used to love makes me ill. I mean really have you actually thought about the food in detail? Makes me want to yak to think I used to shovel that into me.. I would definitley say my cravings have changed just in this short amount of time. Like the other girls the only thing I crave now is CHOCOLATE hehe! Oh and a note on your hunger issue.. I found that if I snacked on a piece of fruit or even a low cal cereal bar that takes care of it and if you are truly hungry (belly rumbling hungry) then eat! Your body knows what it needs and you should not ignore it but give it something healthy until your next meal. My opinion Good luck, you can do it!

Yeah, it's crazy to say it, but both yes and no are correct. For instance, YES: I never crave fast food any longer. I still crave hamburgers, but McD's or BK is the last place I'd go for one. If I'm going to invest that much in fat and calories, it'd better be the best bleeping burger I've ever had. Also, when we went on our quickie road trip last weekend, I forgot to bring any snacks with me... I was dying for an apple the whole time. I didn't crave chips, donuts, chocolate.... I wanted fruit. There was a time when fruit never appeared in my grocery basket.

For instance, NO: yesterday I would have killed for Doritos. I couldn't get them out of my head so I went to the grocery, got a turkey sub for lunch and grabbed a small bag of chips. Cravings still hit me, but I've had to learn to be the one in control. I wanted to buy the regular big ol' bag of chips, but I knew I'd sit and eat the entire thing, so I only let myself get the small bag.

Sorry I don't have better news! Good luck and keep posting!

-Lala

My cravings have absolutely changed! Before I changed my way of eating, I fed myself a steady stream of fried foods, cream sauces, fatty cuts of meat and globs of oily cheese. What's more, I'd have dessert after every meal (sometimes in place of a meal).

Breakfast, lunch and dinner came almost exclusively from restaurants while my pantry and cupboards at home were filled with all the ingredients to whip up an arsenal of baked goods. Want cheesecake? I had the ingredients. Brownies? No problem - had the ice cream and hot fudge to top them with, too. Cinnamon rolls, snickerdoodles, fruit cocktail cake, chocolate chip pie - I could make them all without a trip to the grocery store. Heck, I could've opened a bakery in my own kitchen!

In contrast, my pantry today is filled with healthy staples and my refrigerator is loaded with produce, lean meats and cheeses. My baking pans are collecting dust. I rarely get take-out or dine at a restaurant - not because I won't allow myself to, but because I don't want to. I've developed a taste for healthy home-cooking and restaurant menus are no longer so appealing. When I do go out, I spend a ridiculous amount of time poring over the menu trying to find something that sounds good. Way back when everything sounded good!

It won't happen overnight, but it will happen.

try to or drink water instead of the , is an
that way you wont out. lots healthy foods. good luck glen

Thanks everyone!!

I'm trying to keep fresh fruit around (something Iused to never do!) and grab that as a snack as opposed to chips and chocolate!

Well, I can still overdo it on occasion (meaning, I could crave a cheeseburger here and there) but now I never stuff myself silly. It used to be that I was never satisified until I was full... meaning my stomach had to HURT to tell me I wasn't hungry anymore. Now I never do that.

And now, I must always always always have a side of vegetable for dinner. I will NOT be happy if I didn't get a veggie for dinner... In fact, I'll throw a tantrum!

My cravings have definitely changed. I keep plenty of fresh veggies and fruits on hand and this is what I crave. for a long time, I just didn't think about what I was eating, but now I am aware of the foods I eat and the difference it makes in my general state of health.

My tastes have definitely changed, but my eating habits (e.g. comfort eating) haven't. That's the easiest way to put it. It's very frustrating, really. Even after all this time and the number of lessons I've learned, I still sometimes feel like I don't have enough control over food, or not as much as I'd like. So I binge on nuts or muesli instead of on chocolate, but I can still binge, believe me. Other than chocolate (and even that is nowhere near as bad as it used to be), I don't actually feel like eating anything from my "former life", but I'm disappointed at how hard it is to change the WAY I eat. Still a work in progress, I guess

If we assume that a habit is a learned behaviour, then yes, you can indeed learn new or different behaviours.

One of the reasons that I love calorie counting is because it has taught me new behaviours. Now hang on a minute while I try to explain that.
If you are counting calories, there are no food restrictions. You can indeed eat anything you want. But, you have to record it and take responsibilty for when it adds up too high.
I like ice cream. So sometimes I eat it. I enter it in fitday.com and accept that I have sent my totals up and that my fats are going to be higher than normal. Sometimes, I have frozen yogurt in a cup, which is better. Sometimes I have yogurt, fruit and cottage cheese which is waaaay better. So my new habit is to have yogurt, fruit and cottage cheese in the house at all times.
I used to let myself be at the mercy of the hospital cafeteria. I then had to go home, enter it in fitday and take my lumps. But I'm getting better at packing my healthy lunch. That's a new habit.
I do not go down the grocery aisle with the cake and dessert mixes.
I used to watch a lot of TV. My new habit is to hang around here at 3fc for a lot of my leisure time. It fills my head with tips, ideas, encouragement and it's hard to eat when you're typing.

I think that most of us go through a beginning period of "I can't have this" and "I must stop this" ... Your thinking will turn to "I can have some of this and a little of that" and "I get to do this now".

Susan, Thank you for that!

I'm already finding myself hanging out here for tips and ideas and inspiration rather than watching tv where I'm tempted to snack!

This is a great place isn't it!