dealing with the bing/cravings

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2007-01-03 9:57 PM

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Subject: dealing with the bing/cravings

What are your strategies for dealing with the little voice in your head that wants wants wants?  Tonight I caved and bought some chocolate covered raisins.  I ate way too many, and felt horrible (mentally/emotionally) as soon as I was done.  I know I should not have bought them, I even put them back once.  I checked the lable, and it wasn't as terrible as I thought so I bought them.  I convinced myself I would only have a few, and then put them in the cabinet and forget about them for a while.  I'd keep them in the house for special occasions.  All lies.

I am currently working with an RD so she should be able to help me pin point what causes my cravings, but what I struggle with, is the mental battle. 

Any words of wisdom? 

btw the forbidden chocolate goodness is headed to the office tomorrow to be eaten by my coworkers.  If I know anything about myself, its that if its in the house, I'll eat it.  I just need to stop buying it! 

2007-01-04 9:13 AM
in reply to: #641554

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Subject: RE: dealing with the bing/cravings

I usually talk back, actually argue with myself about it. 

I ask why I want it.  I ask how much will be enough.   Usually I realize that I'm having the craving for either a sense of reward or freedom from boredom,  and then realize I don't want the food anymore. If I get to the 'how much is enough' question I remember the absurdity of portion sizes and recall that a small fries is just as satisfying as a large fries when that craving strikes, so I go to buy the small....

but before I do...

I ask how long it'll take to burn off if my body stores it all (which we know it doesn't) and then get comfy with the notion of taking 20mins on the treadmill at 6mph to blast away the 200 cals (or whatever those numbers end up being).  This reconnects the act of eating to my fuel needs for exercising.  A very important binge stopper!  Do I exercise it off?  No, not deliberately, but often it all comes out OK in the end because of my consistent workouts.  I have to keep in touch with what goes in and what gets spent in order to keep the tendency to want to "pleasure eat" in check. 

For me, that series of questions has really helped stop the overeating.

2007-01-04 12:52 PM
in reply to: #641554

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Subject: RE: dealing with the bing/cravings
I experience the same exact thing.  I have foods that I know are bad and really don't keep in the house, like ice cream and chocolate, because if I do I eat WAY too much of them.  I think this might partially be because they are never there, so if for some reason I do buy ice cream, I eat it like it's going out of style.  I often wonder if I totally "legalize" all foods if that might help.  I don't really have the courage to try to find out, because I feel like I will definitely gain weight while trying to figure it out, but I really do wonder if in the end I will have a more normal relationship with food and end up weighing less in the long run if I allow myself to eat whatever it is I am craving.  As it is right now, I usually go through phases (that generally coincide with holidays) where I stop counting calories and eat whatever I want for a week or so, but then it's right back on the wagon.  Then again, I've been trying to lose the same 10-15 pounds for the last 4 years with no luck, so maybe it's time to reevaluate!!  Guess this isn't really much advice for you, but just to let you know you are not alone!!
2007-01-05 6:31 AM
in reply to: #641933

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Subject: RE: dealing with the bing/cravings
SunnyS - 2007-01-04 10:13 AM

I ask how long it'll take to burn off if my body stores it all (which we know it doesn't) and then get comfy with the notion of taking 20mins on the treadmill at 6mph to blast away the 200 cals (or whatever those numbers end up being).  This reconnects the act of eating to my fuel needs for exercising.  A very important binge stopper!  .



I do the same! Was travelling late last night, starving, hadn't eaten yet that day, stopped for gas and had a serious craving for something salty..and the SlimFast bar was not as appealing as the candy bars next to it! I picked up the the mini-bag of Fritos, saw if I ate it all it had 640 calories = 4 miles run, then compared it to the bag of pretzels next to it, which only had 310 = 2 miles. Pretzels won!

I need to carry more food for the day -- carrots, banana, apples, etc -- because when I do, I don't seem to get the cravings, don't eat like a pig at night (see today's log...ugh...) and have the desire to work out the next morning. When I eat poorly, it really does seem to effect my next day's desire and ability to exercise.

The problem in my life is time. I go go go for hours, then suddenly its 4pm and I realize I haven't eaten yet, and the breakfast bar (which I was going to eat driving in) is still in my briefcase. And there's no excuse for it.

But back to the original question -- don't chocolate covered raisins count as a fruit? And with that chocolate antioxidant coating, therefore, healthy for you?
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