cravings question

[Silvafox]

I've been a vegan for a long time and even when I did eat meat it was minimal...have used brown rice, other grains, potatoes, squashes...basically I have eaten well and wisely so when I say I get cravings for "fat" it's not for a fried clam dinner at the local diner, it's for an avocado or some walnuts or almonds. I don't even want peanut butter when I want "fat"...I want something whole and healthy.

Does anyone else have that feeling? What do you do about it? I am working on a Mary's Minis challenge and am anticipating by the 6th or 7th day I'll be "craving" some avocado on my potatoes...or something like that.

My body fat is 24%, I am 20 pounds over goal, but at the goal that Weight Watchers would set for my age/height.

Any comments?

[toadfood]

Why is your goal 20 lbs lower than the weight watchers goal? Are you sure your goal is realistic?

[Silvafox]

I'm 62, 5'6" and weigh 155...Weight Watchers seems to make "goal" weight higher as you get older. If I were younger their goal for me would be in the 130's I just use them as a guideline on what a "good" goal might be for me. I

Also, in at least one of Dr. McDougall's books he states that it is not unreasonable for a woman of my height to be able to reach the 120...so I e-mailed him and he still thinks it's reasonable that I could reach 125. (which seems like too thin for me, but I'd feel comfortable in the 130 range...I think)

I work out regularly (walking 4-6 times a week from 45-90 minutes plus three days of serious weight training with challenging weights plus circuit training if the Maine weather is too challenging and I decide to not walk)


Debra

[Letha..]

Hi Silvafox,
Yes, I understand craving fat. You know how some people have a sweet tooth? I have a fat tooth. I gravitate toward fried foods and oily foods. If I really liked a food I just knew it was because it had more fat in it then might be obvious. Restaurant Pad Thai is one example. Loved that stuff but it has tons of oil in it. When I cut myself off from meat/dairy/oil then I would get my fat hit from nuts, seeds, tofu, & avocado. And when I cut those out I found my meals unsatisfying for about a month. Then I transitioned. After a year of abstaining, I no longer think about adding higher fat foods to my menu.

I think it’s an addictive response and I think there is a withdrawal period when you stop eating them. I believe we have an evolutionary preference for rich food and in a natural environment that preference would help us. But we live in an environment with an overabundance of rich food and so we have to find some method or standard to use to limit our consumption or face the consequences.

Avocados, nuts, & seeds are wholesome and nutritious foods that are allowed on the regular McDougall program. They are just not recommended for those attempting weight loss because of the calorie density.

100 grams almonds = 575 calories
100 grams avocado = 167 calories
100 grams sweet potato = 76 calories
100 gram of steamed kale=28 calories

It’s easy to see why filling up on kale and sweet potatoes is more conducive to weight loss.
Letha

[janluvs2heel]

I notice all weights are higher now than they used to be. I dont see any reason for someone to weigh more even if they are "older".

I am 5'5 & my goal is 135. Since I have not been under 150 lbs. in a long, long time, I have no idea what I will look like. When I was in my early 20's, I always thought I should weigh 118 lbs. I dont know where I came up with that #, but maybe if I get to 135 & still feel/look too fat, I may head on down to below 130. . I just dont want to have to struggle to maintain my weight once I am down there & if I go down too low, it will be a struggle. That is a long ways off, I am just looking forward to getting down to below 200. That is a huge goal for me.

As far as nuts, seeds, I could not control how many I put in my mouth. Unless I had a really small bag, if I bought a jar of them, no, they would be all gone in 1 sitting. I occassionally eat an avocado, but I can't say it something that I crave. It is interesting to see how different we all are in what we crave. My big thing is chocolate. I like it rich, creamy & a lot of it. But I have to say, I also like to eat, I like most anything.

[bigdorkpeter]

Don't worry, in a couple of months your craving will be gone. The key is to eliminate the fats/sugars/craving objects completely (at least for me). For example, even drinking diet coke has been able to maintain my craving for sweet pastries. They're just associated as sweet together in my brain.

I no longer crave any kind of fat or oil, unless I eat some. But it is easier to return now that I am added-fat free. As Letha said, chronically undernourished caveman bigdorkpeter would benefit from eating all the avocados on the tree. Modern bigdorkpeter does not.

Also, if you follow MWL as your principle it may not be all that hard for you to maintain a lower weight than you think, esp. given all the exercise. I expect to lose weight until I am seriously CRON-ified, albeit more slowly as time goes on.