...To being a necessity?

I was craving a chocolate frosted brownie for three days. I don't mean I thought about it passingly a few times. I mean I was lying in bed at night, thinking about this fictional brownie. I was imagining licking the frosting off bit by bit. Vividly. I could practically taste it. I kept trying to shrug it off, but I was laying in bed the third night, dreaming of frosting, and I thought, "This is no longer a craving. I have to have it. I NEED it."

The next day I stopped by a bakery on the way to class and they have no brownies. Gasp!!! Instead I ate a vanilla cupcake and a iced sugar cookie. And five mini Dove chocolates. Now I'm really really close to being over points for the week! I think I have seven points to last me the rest of the day ( lunch and dinner)! (My points restart on Thursdays)

So my question is, have you ever felt like this before? That you simply couldn't fight it? Is it a bad or good thing to give into this continous craving?

p.s- any idea how many points are in an glazed sugar cookie? It was a medium size, with a sugar glaze on it. Any thoughts? I estimated 6. Does that sound reasonable?

Bookla--

I have these I NEED it cravings all the time. Like you, I sometimes fill it with things that weren't the actual craving--and a little bit too much of it.

Don't go over your points today. YOU CAN DO IT! You will feel in control of your diet again if you just get right back on it. If I mess up and eat too many sweets/bad food, I always feel better if I just get control of it right away.

I have these cravings often. I know in the past I would find a way to justify giving in but it always makes me feel guilty afterwords. Try splitting your craving with someone. Plus you don't want to run out of points. Maybe be good all week and save the points for the very end.

Not on WW, but have a calorie allowance, so it's similar.

Sometimes there are things I want because they are there, or because I see them on TV, etc...fleeting cravings. Then there are the cravings for something that persist for a day or more, don't go away, and stick in my head.

The second set I satisfy, with a small portion of the very best version of that thing I can find. I split it with someone or buy a single item, and I enjoy every bite. It's the only thing that works for me to make that kind of craving go away. And if I don't, and try to satisfy it with other things, I end up just binging on a bunch of little things that don't satisfy, when a small portion of the real thing would fix me up. SO I've learned to just control it, buy a small amount, and move on.

For me, if I crave something for that long (3 days) then there's probably a reason I want it. And I eat it, and I feel better. And I have not suffered from it. Though, it hasn't been cake, it is ALWAYS foods that are high in fat (not just sugar). There was a time I was eating entire jars of peanut butter over 3-4 days, without cutting any other food, and without gaining, and even losing weight. I decided I needed more FAT in my diet, as I was consuming very little, and still need to consume more. I never intentionally cut it all out, it just. . . happened when I changed my diet. Since I started eating avocados with breakfast, my nutbutter cravings have diminished to nothing, and I don't even THINK about them anymore.


I know people don't like the "I'm craving it because I need this nutrient" theory, but I don't think it is entirely untrue, just that the first foods people think of aren't necessarily the healthiest choices to fulfill that need. I;d choose reces peanutbutter cups over avocados in a vacuum any day. I can tell the difference between "I want cake" and "I need peanut butter". The feelings are different. "I want cake" means i would like to have some cake, but I can think of other foods at the same time I might like. "I NEED sunflower seed butter and don't want ANY OTHER FOOD IN MY HOUSE" tells me I need to go to Trader Joe's RIGHT NOW and get some sunflowerseed butter. This has happened to me. Seriously. It is and extremely rare occurence though.