Help i cant stop the cravings

I want everything i see...i can usually say no, but the thoughts are going to drive me insane...i try to think about other stuff but at this time of the month my cravings go through the roof. I want pizza with cheese in the crust and cheeseburgers with bacon, and taco bell....omg I love taco bell....and boston cream pie...if i dont stop these cravings im gunna go out and get all this crap and enjoy it....till just after i eat it. Help what do i do?

goodness!  It is soooo hard when its that time!  my cravings are usually for chocolate or salty stuff...my only suggestion would be to either try and channel a craving for something else that is more healthy but still a favorite...or try and make a low fat/low cal version of what you are craving.  Like when I crave pizza....I take a 90 calorie flatout wrap toast it and top it with bruschetta (25-30 cals for 2 tbls) and fat free mozzarella cheese--on good days that hits my pizza craving.  I dont eat beef or bacon so that one I canot help with!  Just tell yourself how good it will feel to conquer that cheeseburger craving, eat a salad or something else, and then give your self a small reward!  like 1/2 cup of chocolate ice cream or something....you have to have something to look forward to right?

Yeah this whole new lifestyle change will take some work and clg7357 has some good ideas. You just need to learn to substitute what you are craving with healthy low cal alternatives. Make your own pizza, or Amy's has nice single serve frozen pizzas for around 400 cals. May not be double cheese stuffed crust but its pizza. Make your own tacos too. It is just the name Taco Bell that makes you want their food. Not like they do anything special to it. It will still be meat, cheese, lettuce and tomato in a flour tortilla. Only difference is that you made it and will make it healthier.

Think it out.  Make a plan. 

If you know that you are going to consume everything in site you need a plan.

Map out everything that you need to consume for a healthy day.  Then add regular snacks of things that you are going to crave, but in small amounts.  Weigh out whatever you crave in small portions so that you get a taste of it, but not to much.  That way you satisfying your craving and staying in your range.

I totally agree with everyone!  They all have great ideas!

I know when I am havingcravings, if I try ans substitute it with something healthy, I end up eating twice as many calories as I would have if i'd just eaten what i wanted. So I have a small amount of what i really want, wait a little while, and see if i still want it. If not, then you are good to go; if you do still want more, that is when you can try to fill up with something more healthy. Chances are after eating a small bit of it you will either fill your craving or realize it's just not worth it.

Hope you conquer it!

I feel the same sometimes too!  I find taking a walk or doing something with my hands help.  GUM.... I put in a stick of gum and get busy with something else 

I find gum works wonders as well. But if that doesn't work I try brushing my teeth too, that helps a lot. I only allot once every couple of months for taco bell cravings. Its hard at first but it gets easier. I used to avoid driving by it. Also, I dunno if you sing or not but singing and dancing around my room gets me busy and keeps my mind occupied. i know its silly but it works, haha.

What do you do when you have just cravings of "eating", whatever comes to your mouth: oat cakes, peanuts, toast, ... All those things are healthy, but if I put them down my throat without sense, well, they're as unhealthy as anythign else

Problem is that 90 times out of 100 I eat for a different reason than hunger. Between march 07 to august I lost 10 Kg, I have out back 4, so I'm starting again. The most difficult part of loosing weight is the psychology of eating!

Anyone for suggestions?

 

First thing, drink water, make sure you're hungry and not just bored.  I'm usually just bored.

Second thing, think hard about what you really want, cravings usually mean your body needs something it isn't getting.  Do you crave salt, meat, sweet?  Think if there is some part of your diet that had been missing in the last few days.  If you can narrow it down to just one thing, try to fulfill that craving in a healthy way.  

 Third, if you're just craving everything around you, all those horrible things you used to eat that gave so much satisfaction at the time and then left you feeling guilty, sluggish and heavy afterwards... well we've all been there.  Find something to treat yourself, either a small portion or healthy version of one of your favorites, or a non-food treat like a new pair of shoes, a good book, or a phone call to a supportive friend.  

Finally, come here and get support.  We're all going through the same crap together.  Keep going, write out your goals, your motivations for what you are doing, envision yourself healthy and strong, think back to how good it felt to accomplish small goals.

I think the answer is to turn 'cravings' for a snack food, into the basis of a main meal.

If you ban yourself from enjoying that which you enjoy, you will resent the constraints of your diet, and probably fail to achieve your goals.

My nemesis is/was cheese.

I no longer eat cheese as a snack food (cheese on toast, etc.)

However, I do have cheese as the main constituent of a main meal, probably once or twice a week.

A particular favourite is a 'grilled goat's cheese salad', and also vegetable cheese bake (cauliflower/broccoli/potato).

On days where I eat this, I'm not eating meat in my main meal, but use cheese as a meat substitute, thus offsetting the calories.

This gives me control over my craving for cheese, without banning myself from eating it.

Although I've used 'cheese' as an example, the 'secret' is to re-appropriate the food stuffs that you enjoy into a diet which you can both enjoy, and adhere to.

Whatever it is that you crave, find a better way to enjoy it.

If it where 'burgers' then don't buy any from a fast food source, but make yourself a homemade burger for your main meal once a week.

It's better to have a freshly made one (without the trans fats and sugar laden buns), once a week, than to eat several fast food versions over the same period. You are less likely to break your diet when passing McDonald's or Burger King during the week, if you know your going to have a homemade burger at the weekend.

Also forward planning of your 'treats' (such as desserts, sweets) helps.

Example: you're dining out and want a dessert, skip a starter and have a lower calorie main course (seafood, poultry). Or eat lower calorie foods on the days preceding a meal out.

The trick is to find your own methodology, of enjoying your favourite foods within a regime which works for you. After all you deserve your treats, and if you feel your earned them you'll enjoy them without the guilt.