Just ate a full healthy meal. Still Craving junk
 

Hey everyone. I have been doing good past week or so, but I am still craving junk food. This sucks. I really want to win this time. Why am I still craving after eating a full healthy meal? I want to go to McDonalds right now.

Brush your teeth, drink a huge glass of water. Go to bed! This too shall pass....

I went now I feel like crap. Lesson learned. I will get back at it tomorrow. I refuse to quit like I usually do.

I am exactly the same way.
I just drink water and try to ignore it. Last resort I'll eat fruit

Does this mean I am a food addict?

Why not allow yourself to have a cheat day every so often? Not like going overboard type cheat day but allow yourself a cheat day once a month? I know that helped me reach my weight loss goals the first time and it broke stalls when I had them. I just recommend not weighing the next few days afterwards because of water weight retention. But I was always told, you can't gain weight in one day. Having a planned cheat day can help you feel not deprived and not guilty afterwards.

You don't have to wait until tomorrow to get back on it. It was just a blip in an otherwise healthy week/month/year, right?

Here is my latest tactic. I do deep breathing exercises for two minutes. I am only on day 2 of it, but it has helped. I am also telling myself that "I don't do drugs," because food is really my drug of choice, and eating the way I sometimes choose to eat is every bit as painful and harmful as some of the more serious drugs.

It's a battle. Hope you find your go-to tactic for this particular struggle.

Slap yourself on the hand, and say "no bratty child, you are not hungry. Go do something constructive, before I find something for you to do (underlying threat of Laundry or somesuch)"

:D

Sometimes you need a little humor to get you through the hungry stages.

Thanks so much everyone for the responses. Now I am worried I have food addiction I have been reading about it and it seems to fit me a little. I am sick of being addicted to things. I haven't been able to lose weight for 15 years so maybe I do have it. I don't know. I am just down about it knowing I can never moderate my fav foods and go to oa meetings.

Is it possible that you ate a meal that you didn't really want? You can make a burger with lean ground meat, 100 calorie bun (or wrapped in lettuce), 2% cheese, etc and fit it into your meal plan instead of trying to fake out your body and continue the craving.

The fact that you recognize where you went wrong is what matters. This journey is never perfect and we learn so much about ourselves throughout it. It's about learning. Learning about your body, how it responds to food, your relationship with food on top of learning new habits. Losing weight, exercising, and eating at a deficit did not come natural to me. You just make better choices everyday and they add up to bigger and better choices which lead to results. Just keep trying and if you feel you may have a food addiction, seek help. Good luck!!

Eating right doesn't come naturally to any of us, or we wouldn't be here. :hug:

I wouldn't worry about addiction right now. Just focus on each choice you make. Each good choice you make will make the next one easier. I found it helps with things that I crave to set a limit on them. Right now I just want frappes all the time, but if I had them I'd never lose weight. So I stop myself from getting them (every single day as I drive past McD) by promising myself one on my birthday. Then, on the day that you planned ahead of time, go and have your treat, fully enjoying it without guilt because you planned it. Then back on track, setting a new date for your treat.

I hope this is an encouragement, but once you actually start to see weight dropping off, it will give you a boost in motivation, because you will want it to continue. I don't like super restrictive diets, but sometimes they are helpful as a jumping off point. Low carb/ high fat can be really helpful if you just can't seem to regulate.

Thanks everyone. Still struggling, but hanging in there.

Something that has worked a little bit for me is stopping myself before I eat and asking, "Why do I want to eat right now?" If it's because I'm having feelings that make me uncomfortable, I try at least one coping strategy other than food first. Things like holding an ice cube, breathing deeply, doing the 5 4 3 2 1 strategy, exercising, or listening to calming music.

Another thing is that what "healthy" thing you are eating matters. I know I personally am always hungry if I eat a ton of raw veggies. They somehow seem to make me hungrier. I know that about myself, so I don't have meals that have a ton of raw veggies in them, certainly not without some sort of fat or protein with them. Upping my fat and protein by a bunch reduced my cravings like a million percent, so you might try that too. Exercise also makes me less hungry.

I eat a bowl of canned green beans when I get like that. It makes me not want junk.