Help! I'm a meat-a-holic!

I have to admit, I am a meat junkie. It is easy for me to cut almost anything out of my diet or cut way back on portions of any food, except MEAT. I don't know what it is, but I crave steak, pork and chicken, and don't feel like a palm-sized portion is enough! I just blew my whole daily calorie intake on a can of corned beef. YUK!!! I think it's the saltiness...or something. I cannot achieve success with this unnatural meat-binge thing going on.

I tried turning myself off of meat by watching the horrific videos of slaughterhouse practices, but that only lasts a day or so,

I don't think it is healthy to completely do away with meat - I just wish I didn't crave it so. I always have, my whole life.

What can anyone say to me to change this - especially when I know the artery-clogging, fat packing consequences already? Help!

What's so great about calorie counting is that nothing is taboo. You can have meat!! It's good for you. If you are craving it, you are probably needing it. What you need to do is plan for it. Keep it within your calorie limits, keep it lean (most of the time), and space it out throughout the day. Protein curbs appetite, so eating some as a snack can keep you satiated.

I think the bingeing is that by making it taboo in your mind, it's reward value is heightened for you. Eating it in moderation in a planned way throughout the day will hopefully help you keep it in check.

BTW, I love meat too and crave it way more than sweets, salts, or anything else!

fill up more on veggies/other light foods before you plan on digging into some meat so you don't overeat it or if you do you'll feel so stuffed you'll never want to do it again.

Eating lean meats will help a lot.  Try buffalo burgers, they are really lean, about 5% fat in them compared to 20% in normal burgers.  You can also buy lower %fat burger, although they are more expensive you can get them down to 2-3% fat.

There's no need to cut out meat. Just try to get lean meats, and don't over-do it.

Wow - thank you all for the encouraging words...I know I shouldn't beat myself up for it...just get control over it.

My plan: Get fruit to reach for instead. Some fresh fruits will go bad too fast, but I can get applesauce or canned pears or fruit cocktail for the sake of convenience...things I can keep in my desk drawer to snack on so I don't feel like running to the fried chicken stand at lunch!

But I will not be able to avoid a good ribeye once in a while. I will just trim it well and enjoy every juicy bite (until I see that slaughter video again. lol)

You could try tenderloin (filet mignon) instead of ribeye.  There is a bit less calories in it and it's super tender.  Also, you can usually get a 6-ounce one in a steakhouse while ribeyes tend to bu hyooge. 

I have also found that some fish is very tasty.  For example, a nice tuna steak cooked medium rare can be almost as satisfying as a beef steak but is healthier (in general). 

I do love Tuna and Salmon steaks. That is another wise alternative.

First off, meat doesn't have to be "artery clogging".  It is all about the stuff that is added to it (butter on top at steakhouses, for example), and how lean the cut is.  As another poster said, protein will keep you satiated, so you shouldn't do away with it, just allow for it within your calorie intake.

Second, there is little redeemable about the canned of corned beef - overly processed, full of sodium...etc.  I would suggest buying meat when it goes on sale, then freezing it into portion sizes for convenience and pulling them out as you need them.  Also, you mention you will add fruits - and while I have nothing against apple sauce or canned fruits, they are once again processed (and some have added syrup), so why not give fresh fruits a try?  I heard somewhere that a 2 lb bag of fresh apples costs the same as a bag of chips.  And if you keep them in your fridge rather than on the counter, they will last for VERY long. 

Just some ideas!  :) Good luck to you!

I use to have this same problem. I was such a proud meat eater and I actually snickered when one of my relatives became a vegan. But a few years back I accidentally stumbled upon some horrifying footage, and it has stuck with me. Now, at the cookout I'd rather fill up on salad with a side of meat.

I know that sounds a little extreme, but hey, it worked for me. :P

Original Post by gerbology:

Eating lean meats will help a lot.  Try buffalo burgers, they are really lean, about 5% fat in them compared to 20% in normal burgers.  You can also buy lower %fat burger, although they are more expensive you can get them down to 2-3% fat.

 The buffalo burgers we've found locally (Alberta, Canada) have just as much fat in them as the regular beef burgers, which was kind of disappointing.  My wife found out after she cooked the first batch.  But we did find some low fat burgers and Angus beef burgers that were much closer to the 10% fat, rather than 20% on the others.  Plus there's always chicken burgers... :)

Clint

I love meat too.  BUT, the only meat I allow in my house and in my mouth is lean chicken, and sometimes turkey but I cant cook.  Anyway I just buy the frozen chicken tenders and throw 3 of them (100 cal) in my pizza oven, which has never been used for anything but chicken, and in 20 minutes its good to go.  Throw it on some lettuce with cucumbers and tomato's!

wow. I don't eat meat & I'm extremely healthy.

I saw a video of inside a slaughterhouse and never ate meat again, that was 6 yrs ago. I also don't drink milk because of inhumane dairy farm practices, and I do not eat eggs unless they are genuine free range. I think there is something wrong if you can see those horrible videos and then eat meat the next day, to be honest. But maybe you have an addiction to it...

"I think there is something wrong if you can see those horrible videos and then eat meat the next day, to be honest. But maybe you have an addiction to it..."

Yes, it is an addiction - that is the whole purpose of my post ("Meat-a holic."). I understand the principals of moderation & everything, but for me, I sometimes think I need to give it up completely, as one often has to do with addictions, because it seems to be the one thing I have not been able to keep under control. And there are plenty of other sources of protein. It's something I need to come to terms with. This forum is helping.

"and while I have nothing against apple sauce or canned fruits, they are once again processed (and some have added syrup), so why not give fresh fruits a try?  I heard somewhere that a 2 lb bag of fresh apples costs the same as a bag of chips.  And if you keep them in your fridge rather than on the counter, they will last for VERY long."

Yes, this is how I stock fruits and veggies at home, but it is not practical at work, or at school, which is where I am 16 hours a day. I pretty much have to eat something immediately or buy fat-free or low sodium, low cal pre-packaged/canned goods for daytime meals/snacks. I can keep a couple of pieces of fresh fruit at work on my desk, but have so limited time without interrruptions, most of the time only a few bites have been taken before an apple turns brown and unappealing.

And that canned corned beef - omg - I SUFFERED for trying that. I mean REALLY suffered. I will not do that again.

There's a fun campaign going on at the moment called 'Meatless Monday'... where people opt out of meat on Mondays and try something else for a change.  Their website has lots of ideas for tasty recipes etc. 

Whether you choose to go with a meatless Monday, Thursday or Saturday... I think you'd benefit from it on a lot of levels.   A day where you have to consciously find other tasty and satisfying things to eat that aren't meat-based could broaden your palate and make your diet a little more interesting.  You could even find that some meatless meals become favourites and you end up eating vegetarian more often!  That's the beauty of being an omnivore... best of all worlds.

Good luck

I eat some meat every day - usually grilled chicken.  You can't beat it for protein.  Red meat - not so much.  Bacon - occasionally.  Ham or turkey deli meat, perhaps once or twice a week.

But, I did have a small portion of a nice juicy grilled LEAN top sirloin last night, and it was deelish!   I have not had a steak in probably, oh, 6 months, at least.  I eat a burger maybe once a month...maybe.  Red meat just isn't a regular part of my diet anymore.  But if I crave a burger, I have one - just either a small one, or a portion of one.  Like the steak I had last night - it was probably 4 ounces of meat, but very lean.  That was plenty for me.  So portion control is the most important thing you need to learn.  Lean meat is fine...in the right portions. 

I'd be a very unhappy person if I had to live without meat, eggs, cheese, and my skim milk!!!

"and while I have nothing against apple sauce or canned fruits, they are once again processed (and some have added syrup), so why not give fresh fruits a try?  I heard somewhere that a 2 lb bag of fresh apples costs the same as a bag of chips.  And if you keep them in your fridge rather than on the counter, they will last for VERY long."

Yes, this is how I stock fruits and veggies at home, but it is not practical at work, or at school, which is where I am 16 hours a day. I pretty much have to eat something immediately or buy fat-free or low sodium, low cal pre-packaged/canned goods for daytime meals/snacks. I can keep a couple of pieces of fresh fruit at work on my desk, but have so limited time without interrruptions, most of the time only a few bites have been taken before an apple turns brown and unappealing.

Well, there are things you can do to help this.  Pack your fruit/lunches daily (you can prepare individual servings in advance and keep in them in the fridge at home), get an insulated lunch box and put in an ice pack (or a frozen water bottle) to keep things fresh during the course of the day.  That way, your fruit won't look sad and you can also take your lean chicken breast salad for lunch, and it will stay crisp for you.  I am assuming that you don't have a refrigerator at work.... 

For apples, you could cut them in advance and toss them in lemon juice, that way they don't brown and you can have them in a convenient package.  Also keep them in your cooled insulated lunch bag...

Again, just some ideas.

But back to the point of your post, I don't think there is anything wrong nutritionally speaking about eating lean meat.   Then again, I am not a vegetarian - and everyone is entitled to their opinion.  I agree with fitmom4life on the point of moderation and portion control...

Meat is fine, it's a good source of protein. Most people could use more protein to help with weight loss and spare muscle.

Just keep the fatty cuts down and go for the lean ones, animal fat is not really healthy at all. Corn beef hash is not just meat, and that's the problem.

Fish, (grilled/roasted/baked) chicken, turkey, lean steak etc. work well.

I was a vegetarian for almost ten years, until it became virtually impossible for me to stay one on a daily practical basis after I married a wonderful man who just couldn't be vegetarian even though he wished he could be, morally, because he craved meat. So I understand your predicament. My compromise is to control portions, substitute some vegetarian meals for his carnivorous ones, and to buy only genuine free range eggs, ground beef, and chicken.

Some of the vegetarian meals he actually likes, in case you want to try to cut down on your meat consumption and learn to enjoy more healthy alternatives, are breakfast "sausage" egg and cheese biscuits with reduced fat  Bisquick biscuits (made with soy milk), free range eggs, fat free cheese, and Morningstar breakfast patties. He will also eat spinach lasagna made with tofu; fake beef chili, tacos, and enchiladas made with Morningstar crumbles; and homemade-veatloaf made with nuts with mashed potatoes and "Good Gravy." 

One thing I do to quell my protein cravings is to eat one protein bar a day, like the power bars with an A nutrition grade that have 10-20 g protein in them. Maybe you could try keeping that at work and see if you still go crazy when you get home. How much protein do you actually get in a day?

Your canned corned beef addiction sounds awful!!!! I wouldn't keep that in the house! I'd substitute it with protein bars, dried fruit, nuts, and other snacks you can measure nutritional information on easily and easily take to work.

Hope this helps!

HAHAHA - I'm not addicted to Canned Corned Beef - (so funny) I promise! It was just something I grabbed to crumble up and add to some cabbage. But the plans went awry when I felt the urge to eat meat and it was there in front of me. I know how nasty it is (Sorry, Armour!) - trust me - and as I said before, I paid for it all night long.

I told that just to emphasize how crazy the urges are. Really, I find it very easy to control most parts of my intake...but I end up ruining it trying to get that meat in on the run! As I said before, I kind of think it is the sodium I crave more than the actual meat...or maybe is it the fat???

I have seriously wondered if I have an eating disorder. But isn't that really the truthful cause (to some extent and on some level) of being overweight in general? Maybe I'm over analyzing this...I don't know, but everyone has had really helpful suggestions. That's why I love this site! I'll keep you informed!

meat is good for you!

just try to go for turkey/chicken/fish more often than steak

and yah always eat it with a pile of veggies.. they are hardly any calories and are an excellent filler that is full of health benefits! and they go great with meat.

i used to bbe a vegetarian, and i know what you mean, there is something about meat that cannot be duplicated. i think it's the saltiness and fat !