Well, I don't always give in. I try to build in some calories for treats most days. I can usually budget 100 calories of dark chocolate.
But there are certainly lots of times when I crave things -- or have them put in front of me -- where I don't want to "give in" or feel that it wouldn't be a good idea. If there's a tray of cookies in front of me, I know that if I eat one, I might eat 5. In that case I like to try to remove myself from the cookies!
But I try to tell myself that I'm worth more than those cookies. I'm not saying "no" to the cookies, I'm saying "yes" to me. Remembering why I'm doing it is important for me.
So, I guess my strategy depends on the situation... don't know if any of that helps...
That did help. Wow, I am looking at your stats and wow...congrats! I weight close to what you started at. How long did it take you to lose your weight?
Thanks! I lost the first 100 pounds in 55 weeks. I was really focused. I ate well - quite a lot actually! I started calorie counting at about 285 pounds, and lost initially on 2000 calories/day. I dropped later to 1800, but not below that on average.
Anyway, there was space in there for treats. But I counted everything and didn't have days "off" in that first year.
Then it took me another 6 months or so to lose the next 20 pounds. I stayed at my low weight for a couple of years, and have since gained back quite a bit and working on getting back on track again.
hmm..thus far it seems like when i crave sweets, i aim for a sugar free chocolate, cause it keeps my blood sugar low enough that i dont crave more after..and diet pop..having a diet rootbeer tastes just as sweet as the real deal so it helps give me that sweet taste without the real calories and such.
For me, giving up soda was easy. My trick was to just find something that I liked better. I love Lipton's diet mixed berry green tea (comes in different flavors). I thought tea was disgusting, but I pushed myself to try something new. Thus, ending my soda addiction. It really doesn't actually taste much like tea but more of a lightly flavored berry water, but it's still sweet. Has 0 calories, 0 carbs, 0 sugars. They have a carbonated version too if that helps make it more soda-ish for you. I gave up soda about a year ago and don't miss it at all.
As for other sweets, I definitely have major cravings, but I've found that after exercising my will power muscle it has become easier to pass. I'm staying with my parents, and my mom bought these massive chocolate chip and strawberry cream cheese bakery muffins. These monsters are bad stuff. I mean they're even topped with granulated sugar. I asked her to hide them just in case, but she never did. Still, I've managed to not eat one. After some training, I've come to the point where I can look at something I crave and walk away because I know that it's not worth it. If I'm going to give in, it better be for some amazing and/or life-altering treat. It's definitely a learned behavior to be able to do that. Otherwise, I have just found other things that aren't so unhealthy that I actually really love too. Just try to find things that you do love that are more healthy. It's out there. And I've found that will power really is like a muscle; the more you use it and give it a good work out, the easier it gets.
I'd suggest at the beginning (where you're at) you just suck it up and don't give in. You CAN do it. Don't allow it in your house. After a while your cravings will diminish. Some people would advocate not going cold turkey but like smoking junk food is an addiction and the best way is to just quit. Sure it is more painful in the beginning but you want to lose weight and keep it off. You're not on a diet you're embarking on a new healthy lifestyle.
Also nothing wrong with diet soda. If you're not low carbing it fruit is a tasty treat.
JohnP- thanks for your tips, I appreciate it. I went grocery shopping today and did not buy anything bad at all. If I want something sweet, I am going to resort to fruit
I went from inhaling bags of milk chocolates to eating 5-7 medjool dates in the evenings if I was craving candy. Those suckers are good!! Full of fiber, and super sweet. I have the sweet tooth FROM H*LL! It is hard. I also can eat a little dried apricots or have a bosc pear and drizzle it with a little agave nectar. Yes, all the natural foods I mentioned have calories and sugar but in comparison to what I was eating, this is a no-brainer.
I used to drink diet pepsi whenever i craved anything. Recently I have started eating 100 cals of dark chocolate, only recently have i trusted myself with chocolate and things in the house.
What works best for me is just abstaining. The less I eat the less I want.
Failing this, if i really want something i try to make room for it in my daily calories.
When I crave sweets, I tend to go with 1 small piece of Dove Dark Chocolate. We keep the individual pieces on hand and one does it.
For salty...Sometimes I can eat a pickle or a banana pepper and be fine. Other times, I find a way to work in a half serving of baked lays or something.
Craving Junk Food
