I have a severe problem with food cravings.

[Celeborn Skywalker]

Okay, here's my story. I'm 21 years old and am 5'10, 200 lbs and
I have a severe problem with overeating. Before I started dieting, I
consumed about 4000 calories a day of mostly junk food. I went to the doctor and my blood pressure was just a tad too high. He
recommended that I try to lose thirty pounds or so. This was three
weeks ago. Since then I've been eating 6 small meals a day, each
containing roughly 300 calories (give or take). I'm not depriving
myself but I'm also not indulging myself. The problem is that I
really miss the taste of greasy cheeseburgers, sugary sodas, chocolate
cake, etc. My cravings get so bad that when I lie in bed at night I
literally can't sleep because I can't get images of greasy, sugary
food out of my head. My doctor told me the craving would be mostly
gone after three days, but it's been three weeks and I'm afraid if
they don't go away soon I'll be back to overeating.

Any advice on how to keep back cravings or in some way get rid of
them?


Thanks for any advice you may have.

[AlCzervik]

1. the only thing that helped me with the bad carbs craving was going on

the South Beach diet, after 4 days and i won't lie here, the 1st 3 days i had a headache but on day 4 my cravings went away and so did the headache. I've been on it for almost 14 weeks and i've lost almost 50 lbs., i also exercise everyday so it's not the diet alone. I'm between phase 2 and 3 now so i do have bread and pasta now and then but my cravings for the junk i used to eat all the time are gone.

When i really want something with some sugar i ahve a box of Mike and Ikes and i'll have a handful and then i'm cool. I also stopped eating fast food in Dec. after seeing "Supersize Me", the corporate farming info made me feel sick.

[qanda]

2. I don't know if this will help

But I try to drink a lot of water and it seems to keep the cravings at bay. Like I said, I'm not sure if this is helpful, but it's worth a try.

It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job so far and I wish you good luck in your journey.

[Cassandra]

3. I had a craving for pizza a couple of weeks ago.

I talked to my little girl (inner child) and told her that we can have pizza at some point but that the good pizza in my neighborhood is not available by the slice and I don't want to buy a whole pie right now. I'm doing Weight Watchers and they keep reminding us that you can eat whatever you want, it's just a matter of how much and how often. So, while I was thinking about the pizza, I made sure I had something else to eat that was tasty. My mouth still would have liked the taste of pizza but there wasn't much of a craving there anymore. I also make sure that I give myself very small amounts of treats every day so I don't feel rebellious.
Seriously, you know what all those junk foods taste like. Is eating more of them going to give you a new experience? They will taste the same each time and although they seem tempting, eventually the craving will fade to an occasional impulse. Sometimes I think of the foods of my childhood that are no longer available; even if I would love to taste them again, they are just not there anymore and I just have to get over it. I know it's more difficult when the desired food is all around you. You might do what a friend of mine did while getting off cigarettes; she would look at them and ask them whether they were more powerful than she was.
When you do go overboard with junk food, notice how you feel physically. Is being that full as comforting as it used to be? Do you feel better when you eat a little less? You need to retrain yourself in responding to, not just the cravings, but in how you feel when you are eating well. And maybe having a cheeseburger once a month would be OK. Adapt the rest of your eating that day around it, exercise more and really make it a cheeseburger worth enjoying.
I hope I've been helpful without being lecturing.

[JI7]

4. i don't cut out any foods entirely

why not do something like have the cheeseburger during one of the meals and make up for it with healthier foods for the rest of the day.

have the burger, have the cake and whatever else. just don't have all of them in the same day or same meal.

instead of fries with the burger have a salad or soup or something.

[MissMillie]

5. I agree w/ this approach

but my suggestion would be that you have the cheeseburger once a week. And use it as a reward, say, for getting to the gym 3 days in any given week.

I don't think it's necessary to eliminate any food completely. I do, however, believe that there are foods we should have every day, and foods that we should only have once in a while.

Good luck!

[calico1]

6. Do a google search for

sugar cravings+chromium picolinate or sugar cravings + magnesium. People who crave sugar and carbs a lot can be low on one or both of these minerals. I started taking some of both a few weeks ago and it has helped tremendously.

[IronLionZion]

7. I was just like you

my weakness was and still is sweets.

There are chemicals in junk food that you get addicted to. Like a junkie, you need to flush that out of your system. It sounds like your diet isn't doing that because you should be "cured" in a three days or so. There are all kinds of cleansing diets out there: salt water, lemonade, apple, herbal tea, vegetables...

What worked well for me was salt water. It cleans out your intestines and takes minimal effort.