Cravings busters

[Ron]

Hey there! I need help with ways to bust cravings. I’ve cut out “bad” foods for the most part and have reserved them for rare treats instead of daily feasts. I’m trying to keep my calories under control, but nothing too insanely low.

So my problem isn’t that I’m hungry, necessarily, but that I want foods that I shouldn’t have. I want baked sweets (cookies, doughnuts, etc) and salty deep fried snacks (chips, hickory sticks, onion rings, etc) the most.

Are there foods I can eat that will be healthy and inside my calorie budget that will bust up the cravings? I don’t mind snacking but I have to do it within reason (PS, please don’t say eat fruit when you feel like a cookie. I guess it works for some people but it really doesn’t work for me).

[Gina]

I find that if you try to go for alternatives for what you want, then you will be able to kill the craving.

If I want ice cream, I put frozen fruit and a tiny bit of juice in the blender. That makes the most amazing sorbet with WAY less sugar and fat.

If I want chips, I grill a tortilla until it's crunchy, cut it (or shatter it) into chips and dip it in home made salsa (way lower in salt).

If I want baked things, I eat flavored yogurt - I know that doesn't align, but that works for some reason LOL

[tracy1976]

If you eat foods that are very low in sugar but high in fiber then after a few days, your cravings will start to naturally die off.

Sugar is addicting! The more you eat it the more you want it. So try to keep your sugar to a minimum. For a few days, it'll be tough and then suddenly you'll just discover that you dno't need it anymore.

The problem is that if you slip up and have a super sugary treat, then you'll crave sugar again. Try to avoid it consistently (I'm talking about the processed, refined stuff, not the kind that you find in fruits and veggies). That said, don't go for juice, either, it's super high in sugar and will do just as much damage to your efforts.

[lia]

If you eat foods that are very low in sugar but high in fiber then after a few days, your cravings will start to naturally die off.

This is great to know, Tracy! Thank you for sharing this. I've always felt that sugar is addictive, so I'll just keep trying to keep that low while I eat more high fiber foods instead. I guess that'll keep bloating from happening, too!

[tammybear]

I don't know if this will help you but it works for me, so here's my trick. If I eat a really big salad before dinner (I mean really big, with lots of veggies in it) then I will be able to eat a slightly smaller dinner but the real difference that it makes is that I feel full for the whole night. I don't need dessert. Usually I crave sweets after dinner but not if I eat a huge salad!

[char]

Don't be afraid to eat carbs. Carbs are huge cravings busters. You just need to choose the right ones so that you won't hurt your diet. Anything very high in fiber and that is WHOLE grain is good (don't mistake multigrain for whole grain. Multigrain may not be using the whole thing).

[kellykatt]

It's true, but product labeling is so deceptive that it's veyr hard to tell when you're getting the right kind of product for health and weight loss when it comes to carbs. even the multigrain vs whole grain shows that it's challenging to know what's right.

[1000kw]

veggies are the best for this because they're high in fiber so they'll fill you up. When you feel filled up then you don't get as many cravings!

[chefmel]

veggies are the best for this because they're high in fiber so they'll fill you up. When you feel filled up then you don't get as many cravings!

That's really true, but I find that it doesn't last very long. I find that if you use a little bit of a dip (make it yourself out of plain yogurt and herbs) then the satisfaction from it lasts a lot longer.

[Tiff]

A major trick - stop eating as much added sugar as you can. It doesn't count if it's in fruit or something natural. It's hard for a bit and the cravings are nuts, and then suddenly you don't want htem anymore at all! It's amazing.!

[bruceH]

eat protein. You digest it more slowly so you won't have sugar spikes and valleys that cause cravings

[ffviifan]

Just make sure to stay very hydrated all the time. Half of the time that you think that you're hungry, you're actually just thirsty. The same goes for workouts. If you lose too much fluid and you don't replace it, you might feel hungry when it turns out you're thirsty and should just drink water or coconut water.

[brightstar]

I find anything minty is helpful. In that, I'd say that peppermint tea, peppermint gum, or even brushing teeth cna be very helpful for shoving cravings down.

[LoseItInstantly]

Proteins and fats are great for satiety. Where fats are concerned, make sure you are keeping your blood ratios low. So if you are eating saturated fats (which you need for things like vision and cognitive function - but they tend to also be high in LDLs, which are bad), be sure you are also eating MONOunsaturated fats (olive and coconut oil are high in these. They provide HDLs, which are good.) to offset them. Fats get a bad rap because people tend to consume too much of the "bad" without enough of the good. The sad part is that even the "bad" (i.e. saturated, not transfats or polyunsaturateds; those are destructive) are necessary for certain body functions. But too much saturated fat and not enough monounsaturated leads to high LDL levels and poor LDL/HDL ratios, which are bad for the heart.

Almonds are high in monounsaturateds. Olives, coconut, macadamias (kind of expensive), and avocados are all high in these, as well.

Grains are generally good to just dispense with, but if you're going to eat them, be sure they are a small part of your diet and that they are very high in fiber to reduce carb levels (which just break down to sugar, as most grain carbs are simple and high-glycemic) and that they are the whole grain, as they are harder to digest and release calories more slowly. Vegetables are better than grains, as they provide plenty of fiber but fewer simple carbs (more complex, especially dark green leafy stuff), and if you add something like olive oil are fantastic for your heart. Some kind of dressing that can add a little protein is good, too, but most of the stuff you get at the store is loaded with sugar.

Personally, I eat meats, eggs, Greek yogurt, nuts (mostly almonds), and produce. Shop the perimeter of the store. Most of the stuff in the aisles is terrible!