All sorts of cravings..

[JP1]

I'm in a dark place right now, I'm craving Crisps and savoury snacks, Soy Chicken to be exact and chocolate..

I don't normally get these cravings..

Damn!

[tinkerbella]

your not pregnant are you ??

[Blitz]

The antidote to cravings is to dwell on the big picture!

Think about what you have lost so far.
Think about the hard work that you have done so far.
Think about your mini goals.
Think about getting to your final goal.
Think about how that future will feel.
Think about your weigh in tomorrow.
Think about how good a loss tomorrow will feel.

...now think about the cravings and ask yourself the question - is it worthy having or is the big picture worthy the effort?

Kim

[JP1]

your not pregnant are you ??

Nah, I'd be after the pickle onions if that was the case..

[JP1]

The antidote to cravings is to dwell on the big picture!

Think about what you have lost so far.
Think about the hard work that you have done so far.
Think about your mini goals.
Think about getting to your final goal.
Think about how that future will feel.
Think about your weigh in tomorrow.
Think about how good a loss tomorrow will feel.

...now think about the cravings and ask yourself the question - is it worthy having or is the big picture worthy the effort?

Kim

Yeah I just try not to go there, usually my will is pretty good, unless I've had about 1/2 a dozen beers


Good advice btw

[JP1]

Cookies with M&Ms in them and a large double Cold Rock ice cream, English toffee flavour with Jaffa's crushed into them..

Oh and just for good measure one (or a few ) of them nice new Cherry Ripe's..

[Blitz]

Wasn't it Douglas Adams who wrote in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" that beer was "muscle relaxant".
More like a brain relaxant if you ask me!

Stop dwelling on this stuff!...no wonder you are getting cravings!

Kim

[fgamz89]

I am craving everything right now.. my husband and I love chips and bought some shapes and they're in the cupboard driving me nuts!!!!

On the nuts topic, we have snickers in the fridge too.. with chocolate I'm ok, with stuff like chips I go crazy with them.. I love food, which is why I'm the way I am..

Is there any hints or tips that will be able to fill the void rather than mind over matter? Something I can eat and still be healthy for me, I am a woman who loves to eat!!! I need something FILLING for these snack cravings if not I will go crazy with the chips!!!

[Tams]

I'm more the sweet side myself, so my healthy cheats probably won't hit the spot for you. However, the techniques might help you come up with something? Anything you put into your mouth is going to have calories, so I don't count. Otherwise, I'd cave, and have the bad stuff...thinking I could stop (I can't)...

Instead I focus on eating real food. I should also say I don't do modified low-cal stuff as it is generally not very healthy and it doesn't satisfy. I cook and eat from scratch as much as possible.

So savoury stuff, gee, a good pickle is good (and low cal too). I like crunch, so I often have a tub of peeled prepared radishes in the fridge that I can grab to mindlessly munch when that's the urge. You can also dress them with lemon juice and salt - let them sit for a bit to really soak up the salty zingy flavour. You could make some home-made dips that would be healthy and yummy (a hummous maybe?)...just portion it so you don't eat the entire thing. Celery and carrot are good with that - preprepare a tub and you will be so happy! Maybe you could also try some sort of plain low fat cracker (corn thins?? cruskets?? ryvita?? - havent checked into the healthiness of those as I can't eat them due to food intolerances, but you could maybe find something?) and add a smear of butter and vegemite. Or creamcheese, sliced tomato and salt and pepper? A slice of cheese (low fat if you want).

Now if it is being full that you need, rather than satisfying the flavour cravings, then protein and fat (good fats, in moderation) are your friend. About 10 nuts should do it. I often carry an emergency food tub with me as I can't eat a lot of things - so I can get stuck out somewhere getting hungry. My tub has a carefully measured 1 serve ration: 6 madadamia nuts, and 5-6 gluten free cheese crackers (not that gluten free is necessarily healthy, just that I can't eat a lot of wheat). So I get the flavour and crunch of those naughty 'shapes' you mention, with the fat and protein of the nuts that make it a satisfying portion. Or maybe you need a small meal? Some soup would be healthy (even better if home-made) and is lovely and savoury.

And then there are the general principles - don't ban something. You'll cave and crash bad. But if you can avoid the processed stuff, and eat real food (yes, even full fat cheese - just a slice or two), then I think that is even better.

And the big principle - don't let it in the house!! The number of times I have almost climbed the walls wanting something - if it had been in the house, I'd have scoffed it all!!

Oh, and I read a few general 'crave busters' too - go have a hot shower. Go for a walk. Go immerse yourself in a super engrossing activity where no brain space is left for anything else (for me it's sewing!).

[admin]

A great idea as well is to go and brush your teeth!......after brushing you tend to lose the urge and anything you put in your mouth doesn't taste that flash.

Sharrelle

[Blitz]

Is there any hints or tips that will be able to fill the void rather than mind over matter? Something I can eat and still be healthy for me, I am a woman who loves to eat!!! I need something FILLING for these snack cravings if not I will go crazy with the chips!!!

I'm afraid the bottom line answer - is to deal with the problem at the source which is about the mind.
It isn't about mind will power however but rather re-educating the mind.
Think in terms of a badly behaved child who has had no boundaries set...the behaviour just gets worse and worse.
You got the way you are (as I did too) by lax practice and short term thinking.
Gratification for today and damn the consequences for tomorrow.
Time to grow up and step up (it took me decades before I woke up to myself and did the right thing).

It is best to deal with the root cause rather than the symptom.
Anything less is like putting on a band-aid on an arterial wound - it will stop the bleeding for a moment but in the end it will kill you!

Regards
Kim

[Divalicious]

Is there any hints or tips that will be able to fill the void rather than mind over matter? Something I can eat and still be healthy for me, I am a woman who loves to eat!!! I need something FILLING for these snack cravings if not I will go crazy with the chips!!!

Low glycemic index (GI) foods are digested and absorbed more slowly providing you with longer lasting energy to keep you satisfied until the next meal. High GI foods found in rubbish foods filled with sugar and (bad) fats tend to release the GI fast giving your body a "rush" or "high" by raising your body's blood sugar levels which will definitely fill you BUT....it is only temporary!! Once your blood sugar levels drop/return to normal, you'll be ravenous again, or in other words "back to square one"!! Try sticking to food which is high in fibre as these will physically fill the stomach with bulk.

[fgamz89]

Thanking you so much for the replies.. Yes I do realise that it will be mind over matter. I have been actually been really really good.. I have been naughty and few times though and have snacked on the chips however I only had like 4 or 5 as opposed to having the whole packet which is what I would usually do.. Keeping busy as well has helped me ie cleaning, doing laundry, browsing online.. I moved my cross trainer from outside to inside and go on it when I'm watching TV on my days off as I do tend to get quite lazy on my days off (I'm on my feet all the time at work, I cherish seats lol)

I haven't done my weekly weight in yet, I will do it tomorrow.. I'm really nervous at the results however I have been doing a body strength stuff this week so I can understand if my scale will go up due to muscle mass.

[Blitz]

Four or five of them is just fine - so long as you use them to drive you forward not backwards.
My approach to food is not to put them on an eat or not eat list.
All food is permissible but not all foods are very helpful to get me to my goals.

If something is calorie dense then it is worthwhile to ask the question "is it worth eating or is my goals more important?"
Sometimes I will decide that it is worth eating - if I do then I take responsibility for that decision.
That means I will eat it in moderation (ie 4 or 5 - like in your example) AND I will commit to extra exercise to remove the extra calorie intake.
Usually I end up not eating the food as the hassle isn't worth bothering with.
Besides after a while all those foods that use to light your fire (with a few exceptions) before; once you start eating healthier won't taste as good.
Your taste buds start to develop a bit of class and decide that fat, salt and sugar isn't the be all and end all of the taste world!

Getting your cross trainer inside is a very good move.
My exercise bike is set up so that I can watch TV or a DVD while I work up a good sweat.
It keeps the mind busy so it doesn't realise that you are trying to kill off that fat body!

Looking forward to your weigh in.
Every weekly weigh in will be approached with fear and trepidation...it's the nature of the beast.
So long as you can look yourself in the mirror and honestly say that you tried your best (yeah...we all could have done it better with hindsight)
- then you have done what is required and the number falls where it falls in good conscience.

Kim