Sugar Cravings!!!!

[Lolita7749]

Hello Everyone,
I've just registered to use this discussion board... well uh this is my first one ever. I was reading past postings and a message left by someone inspired me to sign up and ask questions and find a mentor.

My whole life I have been fat and did nothing about it, I finally realized what I was doing to myself and have decided to do something about the way I live. I have been an active member of my gym for 7 months now and have dropped down 8 clothes sizes (don't ask how many lbs. I don't weigh myself b/c of the weight training and it's too depressing) I am not into to diets rather a new way of eating... but here is my problem....

I can't not get rid of my sweet tooth! I do so well eating healthy but then I start craving sweets (that's all I would eat before) and once I eat something sweet the rest of the day is filled with eating fats and other stuff I know is bad for me... I try to ignore the craving, I drink water and even get up and move around in the office just to get it out of my mind... but nothing works! I know I can't be the only one to have this problem so what do others do?

I am open to suggestions
Lolita

[bryanc]

Denying yourself the stuff you like is a sure fire way to start a binging/deprivation cycle. Some people do it really well and never relapse, but others don't.

What is important here is to recognize that you have a sweet tooth and to allow yourself to indulge it within reason. It sounds like you go through a period of deprivation followed by one trigger event that leads to a binge. This is precisely why I'm not a big fan of the "free day", despite the theories about periodic overfeeding.

It's entirely possible to control your "sweets" intake by controlling how much you choose to indulge. Sometimes, it's just the taste or texture your body is asking for (not the actual substance of the food). What you need to identify is why you're craving those foods. Are you hungry? Stressed? Sad? Happy? Thirsty? Bored? Watching television?

Using distraction can be very useful, provided you're actually distracting yourself from the trigger, and not the craving itself. If you tend to crave comfort food (i.e. sweets) when you're stressed, walking around the office while you're stressed about having the craving for sweets isn't going to alleviate the craving for sweets.

If you're not sure what the triggers are, then you might consider keeping a log. When you have a craving, write down what's going on around you (where you are, what time it is, people around you, what you're doing, what other people are doing), how you're feeling (both emotionally and physicaly)/thinking/reacting. You'll see patterns emerge after a while to help you pinpoint what makes you crave.

[Bill Hartman]

Sacrifice...give up something now to achieve a greater good later.

Rarely do I get psychobably (if that's not a real word...I want credit for it!) BUT

Welcome to the land of discipline and sacrifice!

The Reality: The craving will not ever go away [a shudder and then stunned silence overtakes the audience]

It's true, but what gets stronger is your resolve. Your commitment.

What gives you greater pleasure (has greater value)...a quick treat of something sweet that lasts for 5 minutes and will totally derail your hard-earned progress or the results, pride, and self-confidence that goes with your new lifestyle and lasts forever?

If it's the quick, sweet treat...screw the gym and the new smaller clothes? Eating what you know you shouldn't eat is the easy way out. But don't worry, taking the easy way is short lived anyway (I won't go into morbid details).

Part of the problem with cravings is that they are associated with a pleasureable reward. The "pleasureable reward" is not about pleasure but rather avoiding what you perceive as pain (in other words the sacrifice to achieve your goal).

You can alter your perspective and make the change instantly the second you decide that the feeling of your new lifestyle is far more pleasureable than any 5 minutes of "pleasure".

Your craving is a sign that you are doing things right by avoiding what you know you should not eat.

The craving indicates success!

The craving indicates your true pleasure!

The sweets are simply a reminder of your true pain, so avoid the pain.

Flip the switch. It takes less than a second to change your perspective.

Bill Hartman, Psych 120 and 404 (I also read part of a Tony Robbins book once)

[Lolita7749]

Wow thanks! Just reading what was posted has really made me stop and think about what's going around me whent the craving starts.

[Pitbull]

Lolita... be encouraged by what you've undertaken. Dropping 8 clothes sizes is quite an accomplishment. Think of the sweets and the food as an enemy that wants to take your success and achievement away from you. You get to decide whether you win or lose the battle against it. I think you'll win. If you've got the ability to stick to going to the gym for 7 months then I know you can hurdle the food obstacle. Go after your goals. Go after Success!