what do you do when you get a craving?

I am absolutely fine eating healthily, i am veggie and love different salds, beans pulses, fruit, vegetables etc and also i eat a bit of fish too...but the one thing i struggle with, is craving for something chocolatey or sugary sometimes...any tips/tricks to get rid of that craving. Normally I'll give in but limit myself to one thing, so it doesnt drastically add up the calories.

As gross as this may be...I spit it back out.  I had a serious craving for Pringles last night, so I just chewed a few of them and spit 'em back out.  It really calmed my craving and I didn't get any excess calories.  I only do it with unhealthy foods, though.

Original Post by docgerbil:

As gross as this may be...I spit it back out.  I had a serious craving for Pringles last night, so I just chewed a few of them and spit 'em back out.  It really calmed my craving and I didn't get any excess calories.  I only do it with unhealthy foods, though.

 My husband does this.

I prefer to keep what I put in my mouth.  I just try to limit the amount.

Well generally if I crave something sweet, i drink something like fresh orange juice or grapefruit juice.  Or I may eat a fruit like a kiwi or a banana.  That usually calms my craving.  Either that or I will once in a great while reward myself with a couple hershey's kisses or something.  As long as you don't eat it all the time, you can still have it once in a while.  :]

I never deny myself anything. But one of my rules is that if I want to binge (like having a bar of chocolate) then I have to eat an apple or carrots with it and sometimes the idea of the two together doesn't appeal to me anymore.

My newest obsession though is power bars. After everyworkout I have a double dark chocolate zone perfect protein bar. They are delicious and satisfy my craving for the day. They also push me to workout everyday, knowing that I'll have one after I'm done.

I often give in to it but lately, I have tried to do something like come on here. I love cherries so I bought several pounds and eat on those and try to distract my thoughts to something else.

Original Post by docgerbil:

As gross as this may be...I spit it back out.  I had a serious craving for Pringles last night, so I just chewed a few of them and spit 'em back out.  It really calmed my craving and I didn't get any excess calories.  I only do it with unhealthy foods, though.

 Just so you know...this is one of the latest ED fads, and apparently it's not a very good one either, because apparently your body starts taking in calories in your mouth, even before you swallow.

Just be careful. :-( It's a slippery slope.

i've been pretty good lately. i do, however, allow myself a pure protein bar (chocolate peanut butter) after i leave my boxing or muay thai lesson. that's my treat for the day :D

I'll eat a bite or two of it.

I usually let my cravings fester around for awhile and then I treat myself. When I do treat myself I work it into my calories for the day and enjoy every single bite.

I find cravings much easier to control- binges on the other hand I need help with. I was introduced to deep fried jalapeño slices this weekend. Dynamite! I just couldn't NOT eat them, over and over.

I just save calories so that the treat is part of my routine. Does it slow my weight losst? Yes . . . except that if I lose it and give up because I'm denying myself something I love, I'll definitely gain or stop losing, so in the LONG run, it is not slowing me--it's making it all possible for me.

It's nice to have something specific to look forward to at the end of the day. I try not to use the calories on unplanned suprises (like the batch of cookies someone leaves in the faculty room). But even if I do, the cals were part of the plan and I don't  feel guilty or deprived.

Minerva_Moon: (sorry, don't know how to quote post).  Really?  I didn't know that.  Thanks.  I honestly don't do it very often (I had just a few chips yesterday and that was my only time in at least a week).  Thanks for informing me.

what i do to beat a cravings just like the ones you get - i take a calorie free flavor concentrate (like coffee, mocha, etc) put it in a blender with some white powdered stevia, ice cubes & some water then blend until the mixture is the consistency of yogurt! truly delightful & refreshing!!

I'm going to have to agree with minerva_moon on this one, "Chewing and spitting" is highly linked to eating disorders.  I had to learn about it during a Psychology course last semester. Plus you tend to gain weight instead of losing any using this method. 

You're probably better off just giving into your cravings, but limiting yourself at the same time.

What do I know though...I just wouldn't continue with the whole "chewing and spitting" routine.

I give in.

Or ignore it. depends on the if its practically. IE, no chips in the house, its 9:30, so normal grocery stores are closing, so then I just ignore it because i dont want to to drive too far to find a place that's open, and i dont' have a habit of buying food from gas stations. If i feel it again the next day, then ill go for it.

If it's practically, i give in because I find that if i go for other alternatives, then i usually end up eating more food and am not satisified.

I don't crave sweets much, but I like to get Smucker's Magic Shell and dip strawberries in it.  No, it doesn't harden, however the coating of chocolate is fairly thin and a little covers a lot of berries.  2 tbsp has 210 cals and the strawberries are negligible so it's easy to work into your daily numbers.

I bring a 20gram portion of very dark chocolate in my feed sack (too much stuff in there to be a lunch box) every day to work. I usually pair it with an organge about 3:30 or 4.

Actually it makes me really happy that I have chocolate as part of my daily foods, especially work days, even if it's just that 20gram piece.

One thing that I have found that has really worked when I have a chocolate craving is to mix 1 packet of sugar-free hot chocolate with about a cup of coffee, and then I add 4 Tbs. of fat-free creamer.  It's like a light mocha latte and it really helps me get through those tough times when I'm craving something sweet and nothing else seems to work.  It ends up being about 100 calories and since it's hot I drink it slowly and therefore feel satisified. 

I don't keep anything sweet in the house (except fruit and yogurt) so that solves my sweet craving, but if I get the urge to pop out for something (there's a general store at the bottom of my street) I get in the bath, or do my nails, put a face pack on or anything to stop myself from going out.

If I get a craving for something I have in the house I'll drink a big glass of water straight down, brush my teeth and if I'm still craving then I'll either throw out whatever I'm craving (say if it's the last egg or something) or if it's on an evening go to bed and take a couple of sleeping pills  (herbal) and go off to sleep.

I never keep takeaway menus in the house, so I won't be tempted to phone for a takeaway, I keep plenty of gum in the house and no suger frozen drinks made in to lollies to nibble on. 

If I'm out and I get a craving, depending on what I'm doing, I'll go staight home. If I'm with friends I'm ok, I never let them see me eating anything crap anyway.  Or if I'm working I won't take my break at that time and wait till the craving passes. (Drinking plenty of water)

Cherries! sweet cherries! they are the perfect sweet fix. also around 3pm i get sweet cravings at work, but i make sure to keep tea tree oil tooth picks in my desk and lemons in the work fridge...half a lemon squeeze into 8oz of ice cold water is super filling and satisfying

I usually keep a bar of really high quality dark chocolate in the house. It's better for you than milk chocolate, and oddly enough, I can usually just eat one or 2 small pieces and have that be enough. I also let it melt in my mouth rather than chewing it. It tastes better and lasts longer.   My favorite is Endangered Species Dark Chocolate with Deep Forest Mint. Mmmmm..... I pretty much ALWAYS feel the need to eat something sweet after dinner, and fruit just doesn't cut it for me. Popsicles are a good choice too (even though they might be high in sugar depending on what kind you get, you usually still get a long-lasting treat for a relatively low amount of calories).