Cravings!!!!

This is day 3 of my way of life change or DIET.  I am on a mission to eliminate all the refined sugars I eat as well as all the other unhealthy things I am use to.  I am aiming for vegan eating or at the very least more whole grains, veggies, fruit and fish.  This morning I am have the worst craving for BACON.  Never mind the fact that I haven't eatn bacon in IDK how long.  It is not something that I eat on a regular basis so why now am I craving it! UUUGGGGHHHHH!!!!! VENTING.  Thnks for listening....LOL

You're craving it because it's salty, high in protein & fat and it tastes nice.....   If your fish/veg/wholegrain/fruit diet is bland or boring, if you're not getting enough iron or protein & if you've removed everything fatty, sugary and salty in the quest for good health then your tastebuds and body will be looking for a much-needed nutritional and spiritual boost!

Make sure your diet includes things with a bit of  flavoursome 'zing' and that you're covering all the bases nutritionally.   Use spices and herbs liberally and get creative with your recipes.    Perhaps aim for 'fish-eating vegetarian' so that you can enjoy things like eggs and low-fat dairy products .... they're very healthy foods when enjoyed in moderation and the extra variety they provide makes it easier to get the right nourishment.

when i went vegan, the first month or so was the most difficult. after that everything was habit, and now i can't even remember what bacon tasted like!

something that made things easier for me were veg substitutes for things like sausage, cheese, etc. it's true that they don't taste the SAME, but they're good enough to satisfy that craving (most of the time!).

the danger with making anything "off-limits," of course, is going overboard and bingeing on it. it might be helpful for you to go "mostly veg" for a while, eating meat once or twice a week and then going from there.

check out the vegetarian forum for some awesome veg recipes, that'll keep you from getting bored! plant-based diets get a bad rap, but they can be JUST as varied, flavorful, and satisfying (i would argue MORE so!) than the typical american diet.

good luck!

Eliminating everything at once is hard. If you can do it, you are a stronger person than me. :)

I can tell you what worked better for me was giving up one thing at a time until I was used to it. First I gave up sugar and the first week I had several fast food hamburgers (definitely not in my regular diet) until my body settled down and stopped looking for something to replace the sugar with. I still lost weight that first week, even with the substitution.

Anyway, good luck on your goals. If you're anything like me, I'm sure you'll be fine because despite the initial shock to the system, I find it so so much easier to tell myself no sugar, or no refined flours, than it is to limit my intake. A little justification here and there too easily turns into a feeding frenzy for me. But once it becomes habit, I'm sure you'll be happy with your new lifestyle.

Why not try the Quorn bacon which is made from tofu and not actually pork and fat.   Its lower calories, smells the same and tastes pretty convincing!

Reducing the quantity of refined sugar in your diet is a very good thing to do.  However eliminating everything all at once is sometimes not the easiest way to to things in the long term.  Why not try eliminating things one at a time every week / 2 weeks.  Craving one thing is difficult enough to deal with, but it takes superhuman strength to resisit multiple cravings all at once.

Also - you don't ever have to eliminate everything from your diet.  There are no good or bad foods, just good and bad quantities of foods.  Allowing room in your daily calorie allowence for an occasional bit of what you fancy is absolutely healthy.

If your diet is bland, you need to get creative with your spice rack, you will be so surprised at how good things can taste with a little creativity.  Use cookbooks and the web for inspiration, and don't be afraid to experiment.

Ax