Sweet and salty cravings killed my weightloss goal :(

This always happens to me.  I do really good with my weight loss and then the dreaded cravings hit (it can be every 2 weeks or once a month and always on a weekend) and I cave in thinking I can control how much frozen yogurt or pretzels I can eat (just enough to get rid of the cravings) and BAM, the bucket of frozen  yogurt and pretzels are gone and it's only Sunday afternoon and I want more.  Part of the reason is boredom but part of the reason is.. I want it.... really bad!!

So over a weekend I ruined a week of weight loss success.  It's so depressing and I'm so disappointed in myself.  Not only that, I gain all my weight in my stomach so my belly is now 2 sizes larger than the rest of my body which makes clothes fit funny.

There MUST be a way to replace junk food cravings with healthy foods, I have yet to find it though. I guess my weight session tonight is going to be more than 30 minutes and my cardio sessions in the AM will have to become longer, which means getting up before 5 am.

And since I'm not a morning person one would assume I would do better with my diet to AVOID getting up early.

Don't be too hard on yourself and know this happens to all of us. The key to this (I found anyways) is to incorporate foods you love to your diet. For example I love chocolate peanut M&M's. I allow myself a handful every other day. Not only do I get my chocolate fix but my cravings are eliminated. Continue working hard and never give! You can totally get through this :) Good luck on your journey

wilson is right :)

 

you can check one of my previous replies, this will help you I think - as the theme is similar:

http://caloriecount.about.com/forums/weight-l oss/eat-foods-like

good luck!

I'm the same! Sugar is my downfall. For a week I'll stay away from it, then someone kindly offers me something sugary, and I ruin it.

It's the guilt. We all have done this. The trick is to not feel guilty. If i feel guilty, ill give into everything for no other reason than my mind thinks its a treat and I've already broken the "rules". So what if you don't lose weight one week because you gave into a few treats. The hard part is switching your mentality to think I'm allowed these things. The more you give yourself the ability to have things when you really want them, the less you'll want them. Try just eating more vegetables this week, then also drink more water next week. Then one more thing the next.

I have found that I just have to avoid those foods for the most part.  One is never enough and it just leaves me wanting more :(  I ask myself if it's good for me, will it get me closer to my goal and will one be enough.  If the answers are no, then I can usually talk myself out of it.  Of course it's taken me over two years on my weight loss journey to get to this point.  Once you give up the sugar and get past the cravings point, it's much easier to say no.  Good luck!

http://www.stumptuous.com/how-to-dump-sugar

@xmhwilson: I tried just having strawberries with sugar thinking that would have helped my cravings but it's not what I wanted.  So I told myself if I buy a tub of frozen yogurt that I'll eat enough to curb the craving and be done, but once I got started I just couldn't stop!!

@mariacoralia: Thanks, that helps with my sweets addiction.

@ladysummers: I'm so happy you know what I'm going through!! I went 2 weeks with no junky sugars and then I had this craving for ice cream and it was all I could think about so I kept over eating on all my healthy stuff so I caved and bought some.

@akelley23: If it was just a case of not losing weight this week I'd be fine but with me not drinking my normal bajillion gallons of water and the bag of pretzels and tub of frozen yogurt I actually went up a lb and a half! Being a picky eater means that "more vegetables" is just increasing the amount of carrots, broccoli and cauliflower I eat a day.  Which makes me crave the deliciousness of junk food that much more.

@tina0367: While eating the junk food I know it's not good for me but my body tells me "but it's so good, just a little more and then we'll stop eating it for a while to make up for it."

I think I'm going to buy a larger variety of sweet fruits and hopefully that'll keep me from going to frozen yogurt and ice cream but I don't know what to do about the salty pretzel/chip craving (I drink plenty of water so it's not a dehydration issue)

Also a friend of a friend was trying to help me with my diet and when he found out I failed he said "well I guess you don't want to be skinny. I can't help you. I gave you $150 of advice for free you know". That doesn't help.

People can be so insensitive and losing weight not only is about losing THE WEIGHT but it's about getting it right. Meaning finding out what will work for you in the long run! Don't listen to your pal there and keep taking steps forward to do what's best for you. In regards to the yogurt tub thing don't stress about it anymore. It's done and all you can do is figure out how to control it. If you love yogurt can I suggest measurements. Meaning do a cup of yogurt add cut up fruit on top or even better put almonds or even flax seeds on top. There's lots you can do but take your time. It's a transition, and it's not only physically but mentally.

@xmhwilson your yogurt idea interests me. I may try that!! Best of both worlds. Now, fix my salt cravings haha

Would it help to have something like wasabi peas? They a teensy high in calories, but you have to eat them slowly or your nose will be on fire! Green peas are low in calories. 

If I want something salty, I go to the bulk bins at a supermarket, buy a cup of what I want and nothing else. It usually costs me about 45 cents and I have no guilt. 

 

Eating vegetables is one approach. Try just for a week to not to deprive yourself of anything but just set small goals of eating a little healthier than you would if you weren't on a "diet".

I agree with xmhwilson, the rest of your life is a long time. It's not all or nothing, eventually all the little things you do will make you one of those people who's just healthy and not one that forces themself to be. Does that make sense to anyone but me? :)

The salty is an easy fix if you like pop corn. A giant bag of the Orville Redenbacher 94% fat free microwave pop corn is 240 calories. Or you can pop it on the stove top without any oil at all (despite what the directions say) for even less calories and sodium (although getting any salt to stick to the kernals without using oil is a bit maddening!) Plus it's loaded with fiber.

The added bonus of microwave bags - they're pre-measured, so you can't just keep grabbing additional handfuls like you could with a bag of chips or pretzels!

Sugar is my downfall too...it's like my body is addicted to it. What to do...

@Sascha1888: I tried the popcorn idea and the pre-measured bags seem to be a bonus (I eat the mini smart pop bags for 100 calories) until "Hmm, that was good, I'm still a little hungry... I'll just have another bag" and on a Saturday that could lead into an empty box by Sunday morning haha

I love sugar! The only way for me a avoid eating cakes and ice cream, is not to have them in the house. So, I try not to buy them, because it's impossible to stop eating them, but when I go out I eat all desert in the world!

Here's what I've read works, and when I've tried it, it does work:  When you have a bad craving, tell yourself to wait 15 minutes and then you can eat it. Actually set a timer if you can (I use my cell phone).  I find that if I can just wait a while, the impulse for that craving usually subsides.  Sometimes it only takes a couple of minutes (not 15).  For example, if I'm standing in line for coffee at Starbucks and want a pastry, if I can just place my coffee order and leave, the impulsive desire for that pastry disappears. In fact, after 5 minutes, I don't even remember that I wanted it. The same thing goes for the grocery store. I'll be shopping and see some goodie that I really, really want to buy for later.  First, I insist on being brutally honest with myself by being sure that I realize that if that goodie is in the house, there's no way that I will be able to eat just one serving a day; history has shown me that I'll eat the entire thing in one sitting (or two at most).  Once I've established that, I tell myself to just wait until before I check out to see if I still want it. Once I've walked away from the section that contains that goodie, I'll usually forego buying it.

A long time ago I realized that impulses are largely responsible for my overeating, and I've had some success defeating that with this delay tactic.

@lin43: I found that method works for me in public (I worry about what people think about fatty getting all that dessert) until I find that after 2 days since the beginning of my craving the craving for ice cream or frozen yogurt just gets worse and it's all I think about.  I will go through 2 servings of strawberries and sugar and still want the goodness that is the badness of ice cream.

 

I have been working late the past couple days so that has really cut down on my snacking time at home (by the time I work out and have supper it's almost bedtime) and I have lost the weight I gained over the weekend

I struggle with cravings myself, and feel so disgusted with myself when I cave into them, wondering how I could erase all the hard work I had recently done with diet & exercise in just a little bit of 'complete loss of control' time.  When I feel a craving coming, I know I have to avoid the kitchen completely.  I know myself well enough to know that 'just a taste' is not going to happen. 

I also gained weight back over the winter after a weight loss last year & it came back in different places, like my stomach, whereas before, my waist was always narrow in proportion to the rest of my body!  I'm on my 2nd week here at CC, and feel back on track (mostly - I've had a couple of slips.)

The treat I've landed on for that sweet & salty craving is hot-air popped popcorn (1/4 cup unpopped = 6 cups popped @ 180 calories), and then I spritz it with a light cooking spray to make the toppings 'stick', and add salt (my favourite is onion salt) and Equal Sucralose sweetener. 

Good luck!

Kerri

 

 

 

I have salty cravings from time to time.  I never get a "big bag" because I will just eat the whole thing.  My downfall is Doritos.  I can't open the bag and just stop eating after a few chips.  Therefore, I snack on other things like carrots and hummus and once a week or so I'll buy a little bag at lunch as a treat.  I'll bring just enough money to buy the small bag, not 2 or 3 or 4.  It satisfies my cravings enough and since it's a small amount, it's not that bad.  Another thing I do at home is instead of buying sliced cheese at the deli, I buy blocks.  If it is pre-sliced, I pick slice after slice.  Now when I have a salty craving, I slice one or two pieces by hand, put everything away before I eat it, and then eat it.

I don't have sugar cravings but my boyfriend does and he completely cut it out of his diet.  His mom is addicted too.  One thing I was thinking is if you like sweets that much, look up how much sugar is in it (or make the ice cream yourself) so you fully understand what you're putting in your body.