I find that if I am having a real craving (which doesn't happen that often thank goodness) and I ignore it then the craving gets stronger and I start to obsess about it. Last week I wanted hot chocolate, not fat free or sugar free I wanted the real thing. For a couple of days I tried to forget it and it just kept on and on, Sunday I figured it into my calories for the day and got one and it satisfied me and I haven't wanted chocolate since. Now, this week I have wanted a meatball sub all week and will be getting it tonight.

I do much better if I work into my plans than letting it fester.

How do you handle those cravings that just won't go away?

I do give into my cravings sometimes, but count whatever I eat, and add it to my daily totals. I cant have any off limit foods - it makes me want it more, and then if I keep restricting foods I like, I'll binge on something.

Sometimes, depending on my craving though, I'll try to make/buy a low cal version of it.

I don't trust my cravings. There's something suspicious about their timing & intensity. I've noticed they tend to happen when there's something bothering me & I think that, for me, they are some kind of mind game. Instead of focusing on a task, or making a phone call that I'm dreading, or facing up to the fact that I've overplanned the next day & can't possibly accomplish all I want to, I start fixating on a particular food. Sometimes it's a food that I already walked past in the grocery store or on someone's desk & seemed to have no trouble saying "no" to.

I think when life's being unpleasant to me, I turn escapist & start thinking of pleasantness. But that pleasantness is rarely something like a soak in a tub with a Lush bath bomb, or going to bed early with a good book in my hands. Instead, I keep fixating on the pleasantness of buttercream frosting or a pecan praline or something of that ilk.

So, no, I do not trust my cravings & I try not to give into them. Particularly if they become intense & start "screaming" at me. There is NO food in the world that I need that much. Won't hurt me if I don't have it. Distract me with another thought or a new toy, like a baby, and I won't crave it anymore.

I do trust milder, rational inclinations, like: "Haven't eaten red meat in three weeks. Might want to get some soon" or "Mussels are on sale for Lent & they might make a nice dinner this weekend." I don't call these "cravings." To me, cravings are intense.

I do, with the following conditions:

1. The craving has lasted at least a day. Sometimes, you want a burger, and that craving is NOT going away until you have a BURGER.
2. There is no healthy, 100% OP way to satisfy that craving (Burgers I can make healthy without so much as an off plan ingredient. Red velvet cupcake? Not so much).
3. I can get the thing I'm craving in a single-serving portion. I would NEVER EVER EVER bake red velvet cupcakes when I'm craving them (though I bake them at other times). I go to a REALLY GOOD BAKERY and buy ONE. That way I'm satisfying the craving, without giving myself all kinds of opportunities to go overboard.

i have been really doing good on not cheating. When i am craving something, and i mean REALLY craving something, to the point where i just cant take it, ill either A) try to figure out what about it im craving, ex if its the saltiness or the sweetness factor and try to eat something healthy in place of it. if i do that, and... i still want that thing.. for example the other day my dad was eating doritos... and i tried to eat sunflower seeds instead...and it didnt work. so i had ONE SMALL doritio, just enough to taste it, and that was it.

Generally, I don't satisfy my cravings, because I know that - more often than not - they will turn into something uncontrollable.

However, this week something happened that's made me rethink this (slightly). Early in the week I was craving something, but couldn't put my finger on what it was. So I nibbled on this and that (going slightly over my calorie allotment for two days in a row) and wasn't satisfied with anything.

Wednesday night I was heading off for work when it hit me - I wanted deep, dark, rich chocolate. So I bought a bar of 72% cocoa, had one square at 70 calories, and felt so satisfied it was crazy.

I really like Mandalinn's rules though - they make a lot of sense and are very liveable.

I try not to limit myself, or deny myself anything. I know that weight loss is a complete lifestyle change, and I don't intend to live the rest of my life never having ice cream or chocolate. So, when I crave something, I allow myself to have it, and I just make sure that I eat a small amount of it. Everything is okay- in moderation. Of course, I do have to be careful, and watch my emotional state to make sure I'm not going to go off the deep end and binge on whatever it is I am craving.

I agree that everything is fine in moderation. Unfortunately, I am not good at being moderate. I've been craving Nong Shim Shin Ramyun spicy noodle soup for days now. If I cave and have one I will inevitably have to have another ad infinitum. I've conducted an experiment on myself. I bought a carton of Shin Ramyun, about 25 packets are in a carton. I can have that carton gone in 3 or 4 days and still not feel as though I've quenched the craving. I'm sure they put crack in that soup. I crave other things, too, with similar intensity. I've been craving pesto pasta, too. My daughter wants badly to make some. I may let her this evening, and I have a lot of apprehension. I want a bowl - can I have just one - or should I pour pesto onto a plate of veggies? I've been so on track today - lots of produce, mainly. I'm stalled at 166 lbs. this past two weeks because I start the day strong and then give into a craving.

Usually when I'm craving something, it's an indication that I'm undereating, and especially not getting enough protein. Sounds odd, but sometimes I crave carbs when I don't get enough protein.

So, instead of giving in to the craving, sometimes I eat other things instead.

Other times, nothing else will do. I had the hot chocolate craving not long ago myself, but I found a way to make it that was not highly caloric.

Jay

Same with me. I'm not willing to live the rest of my life without chocolate or wine or sweets, so I have them occasionally and in moderation. I no longer mix up a box of brownie mix and eat it all straight from the bowl but I will bake a pan and have one, then have another one the next day. (Of course, having a hubby and 3 kids here to help with the pan keeps that under control!)

If I have a craving I feel, which isnt too often these days, I look up a low-cal/low-fat recipe for that particular food and ask my husband to make it on his dinner night (he's a MUCH better cook than I am!)

Surprisingly, after having a burger & fries craving, and eating his turkey burger and baked potato wedge fries, Id sooner crave HIS version than disgusting grease.

Ive noticed a big craving decrease as time goes on too!

I've been considering this for the past 3 days... staving off my ice cream craving. However, every day I've gone a little bit over in calories trying to find something to satisfy me that was healthier than ice cream. Right now I'm thinking this needs to stop... maybe a trip to dairy queen will be just what I need (however it would be a BAD idea to buy a whole half gallon of ice cream from the grocery store!)

Me too. I've also noticed a change in how my cravings are satisfied. Instead of wanting several wine coolers or beers (hey, flashbacks to college, OK? ) I can enjoy a small glass of wine and be satisfied. Or instead of a big chocolate bar, two small squares of (dairy-free) rich dark chocolate. It's taken time for these changes to happen, but I'm happy with them.

When I get cravings, they'll last a long time if I ignore them. There's some I can completely ignore. Like pizza. I crave it whenever I think about it, but it's not something I have to act on to keep sane. It usually goes away with time. But when I crave a taste, it's a lot worse. Like I crave salt a lot. And if I don't have that salty popcorn, I'll think about it until I do. Luckily that's usually all I crave. I'm not a huge chocolate person. Popcorn's about the only thing I always want lol. So I'm happy that's a relatively healthy snack... or can be made healthy anyway. I just wish I didn't crave salt so much cause I blow up bad haha. My stomach can grow inches with all the water I hold after a salty day.

If you don't satisfy your cravings they leave for good. Every time you give in, you strengthen them.