How do you get passed cravings?

[VeganMom]

It's 6 days for me and I could chew somebody's leg off.

I so want CHOCOLATE and/or something cakey or bready.

I am following the MWP and eat potatoes, corn (no flour/flour products, along without all the other no-nos) and limit fruit to two servings, but I keep eating the things on the plan because I crave things off the plan.

Does this pass?

Can I eat this amount forever? (Insert humongous smilie here.)

Will I eventually be satisfied and then eat a more reasonable amount?

Can't figure out if I am breaking a bad habit and/or if this is the mood disorder rearing it's ugly head because I am not self-medicating with food...but then, neither should matter since this is a starch-based diet, high in carbs which is what cake and bread are and I am just subbing in good carbs now - right?

This is just another phase in switching over and I will get passed this, yes?

[Gweithgar]

Cravngs really do seem to get less intense the longer I'm on-plan; but even a nibble can set off a "feeding frenzy" if you aren't prepared. Resist and don't give in to even a little taste; that will only keep the craving alive. Always keep plenty of yummy on-plan foods available and go ahead and eat them when a craving strikes. Don't worry about over-eating; make sure that everything you eat is on-plan and then you can eat as much as you like. If you are like me, a veteran of the diet wars, you will have trouble wrapping your mind around that one....eat as much as I want????? Yup, it's true. Last week, I really chowed down on steamed red potatoes and baked baby sweet potatoes, salsa bean salad, and brown rice, along with plenty of veggies and fruit. I didn't stuff myself, but I was never hungry, and it felt like I was eating a TON of stuff. Know what? I lost a couple of stubborn pounds that have been hanging around since the holidays!

Also, you've seen "The Pleasure Trap" talked about here, and it has a lot to say about cravings and beating them.

[talkingmountain]

It's 6 days for me and I could chew somebody's leg off.

I so want CHOCOLATE and/or something cakey or bready.

I am following the MWP and eat potatoes, corn (no flour/flour products, along without all the other no-nos) and limit fruit to two servings, but I keep eating the things on the plan because I crave things off the plan.

Does this pass?

Can I eat this amount forever? (Insert humongous smilie here.)

Will I eventually be satisfied and then eat a more reasonable amount?

Can't figure out if I am breaking a bad habit and/or if this is the mood disorder rearing it's ugly head because I am not self-medicating with food...but then, neither should matter since this is a starch-based diet, high in carbs which is what cake and bread are and I am just subbing in good carbs now - right?

This is just another phase in switching over and I will get passed this, yes?

Ditto what gweithgar said. I managed several weeks without my big trigger food (chocolate & fatty sweets) and the cravings really did subside. But a tiny taste and I'm back to the beginning.

When I am managing the cravings well (admittedly right now I am not), what has worked for me is:
- Eating McD-legal whole foods until I'm literally stuffed. Especially potatoes & polenta. The amount needed for this does decrease after a couple of weeks.
- Eating at the very first sign of hunger.
And of course doing those requires some pre-planning by having those foods ready-made. If I have to wait to make them, well... the endless array of cookies & candy at the counter at work is so much easier

Yes, you will lose weight even eating these massive amounts. And yes, you will find that you need to eat less as time goes on.

And personally, I think you're right on about "self-medicating." Carbs increase the feel-good chemicals in our brain, and when we take away the bad carbs (sugar, refined flours), I'm betting that many of us need to replace them with LOTS of good carbs until our brain chemistry settles down. Couldn't prove this but it sure does seem to be the experience of many on this board.

[VeganMom]

Oh, thank you both! I can do this. I can do this.

Thank you.

[Gweithgar]

Yes you can!!

And if you are just craving, but not really hungry, do something that is incompatible with eating: take a walk, do a work out, knit something, wash dishes, whatever.
Oh, and brushing your teeth right after a meal is a big help, too. Gets rid of that "want some more!" taste in your mouth.

[Faith in DC]

I agree with both. The pleasure trap is so worth the purchase, really both of Dr. Lisle's DVD's are great.

I use to get cravings at certain times of the day like right after lunch, and I did find if I'm really full that I can't even think about another thing to eat. I usually eat a salad.

I know I also use to use that kind of food as an emotional crutch.

[VeganMom]

Thank you - I will have to get that book.

I wanted to post yesterday evening - I think that the cravings are subsiding as the days progress. Plus, I keep eating the good stuff so my body must be figuring it all out.

No weight loss, but no weight gain either - and I eat, eat, eat.

Must be a matter of my brain demanding an old source of carbs and my hand providing my mouth with a new and better source each time.

Woo-hoo!

[desertwind56]

The cravings will go away. For me, cutting out coffee and chocolate was really, really hard. But, I haven't had either in almost 5 months. Now fruit satisfies my sweet tooth. Six months ago, I would have not thought it possible.

It just takes time.

Connie

[brandi]

I have been fine with no craving until I hit day 9 and 10 right before my period. It wasn't really craving, but the old self talk. Saying things to me like you can't do this forever and stuff like that... I think alot of it was not eating enough because I have been so busy and then I am starving. It is weird how your mind starts trying to work against you. I haven't let it win yet. Today is day 11 and I am still being good. My strategy is...Do you really want to make yourself sick over eat junk and be mad at yourself in the morning.

Hang in there, we can do it!!!!!

[TominTN]

I recently read the idea (I'm paraphrasing a bit), "When you choose the food, you choose the consequences." The original statement was attributed to Dr. Phil McGraw.

When I'm considering whether or not to eat something, it seems like it would be useful to think about the question, "Do I want the consequences that will come with eating this?"

[LyndaK]

You can do this! The cravings will stop. I used to eat ice cream every day-some days for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I was so bad that sometimes I would eat the whole gallon in a day and would have to go out and buy another one so my husband didn't know I had eaten the whole thing. I've been on McDougall for six weeks and the cravings stopped a few weeks in (around 2 weeks). Now I have no cravings for dairy at all and very few cravings for sweet things. When I do crave something sweet, I make oatmeal of brown rice, add cinnamon and a banana and it take care of the craving plus fills me up. As someone else mentioned, sweet potatoes are good too. I put cinnamon on them and they taste even better.

It's fascinating how quickly the body adapts to a new lifestyle/diet. I try to always have some roasted vegetables and rice in the fridge so that if I need something quick I can just grab a potato or a bowl of rice. I also made Mary's hummus, mixed in a red pepper and have that in the fridge to spread over brown rice cakes as a quick snack. This has really helped. I find that I am actually craving the items on the McDougall diet much more than anything on my previous diet these days. I really didn't think I would adapt so quickly and I'm sure there will be challenges, but that's why we support each other here, right?

You can do it! All the best to you!

[VeganMom]

Oh, thank you, everybody!

I do believe the cravings are passing.

I just eat more foods on plan and keep going and these last two days I seem to be craving-free and quite happy about that. For awhile I have been eating quite a lot, but that seems to be tapering a bit. I have also eaten more fruit than recommended, but even that seems to be settling down to the two per day recommendation.

It's kind of like my body was freaking out, thinking it had to overcompensate for lack of junk, so it threw the cravings in overdrive. But I just keep feeding it well and I think it's getting the idea that there is plenty of what I need on hand without the junk.

Yes, my body and brain are like two separate people these days. Lol! But thankfully, they seem to be joining together again.

[Faith in DC]

Glad to hear they are fading and that you are settling down in the eating. I think we miss so much when change our diet, that we do tend to eat too much and over compensate. Luckily, we are usually still taking in less calories since we ditched the junk and fat.

I'm hoping you are feeling the positive changes happening in your body also.