Cravings!

[Alisonlcarver]

I am wondering how long it is taking people to get over their cravings and have total food freedom. I am on Day #21 and my cravings for sweets are getting better but I want them gone!

[jmcbn]

This will vary from person to person depending on their current food intake & their previous diet. Eating proteins & fats will decrease the cravings, eating carbs  like fruit will feed them, so if you're still having cravings 21 days in I'd look at your fruit intake.

[Alisonlcarver]

That is so strange and against so much of what I used to believe that limiting fruit is a good thing! I have been eating about 2 pieces a day as part of my meals, but I can cut that down. I will try a few fruit-free days. I want to get rid of my cravings and appreciate your advice. Thank you so much!

[Alisonlcarver]

Omitting fruit, nuts, and nut butters did end up helping me decrease my sweet cravings.

My sugar dragon is back and is extremely difficult to ignore, but, with the help of the Whole30 principles and with some really good advice from my husband, I have not indulged my cravings. I have once again decided to omit nuts, nut butters, fruits, larabars, and sweets, and this time I mean to make the change permanent. This is a huge deal though and a big change to my diet so it's going to be difficult for me.

In the past I usually binged on the 'forbidden' foods just prior to the start of a new diet, and I am tempted to do the same this time. I want to eat homemade cookies, mixed nuts, and almond butter on bananas, as a 'goodbye' to these foods, but I am thinking that's a bad idea. I need some rational advice on this topic. I know it's a stupid idea and will not help me to binge, but my cravings are talking, so I need someone knowledgable to talk me out of the pre-change binge.

I am really trying to formulate my WholeAli sustainable plan, and really want my cravings for sweets gone so that I can achieve food freedom once and for all. That's the goal of all of this for me--food freedom, eating what and when I want to eat, and feeling good about myself and the foods I choose to eat.

[jmcbn]

Indulging in the foods you plan on cutting out will only make your withdrawal from them harder. Draw the line in the sand - you're done with these foods. They no longer have a hold on you. YOU are in charge.

Once again stamp them out with protein & fat.

If a toddler was throwing a tantrum for a triple scoop bubblegum ice cream with strawberry sauce & coloured sprinkles would you oblige? I think not.

Show your sugar dragon who's Boss.

[Alisonlcarver]

Thank you. For some reason the cravings are more severe at night. Mornings are easy! It's like starting fresh.

I thought a lot about this last night. I believe I need to change the way I am thinking about this transition and food elimination. Instead of thinking these are foods that I can no longer eat, the 'forbidden' foods, I need to think that they are foods I am purposely choosing not to eat. I CAN eat them if I want, but I am making the choice not to eat them. This is my Whole30, I can eat whatever I want, and I am CHOOSING to eliminate the foods that make me feel bad and have a hold on me.

Sometimes a change in perspective makes things make so much more sense.

[jmcbn]

... I need to think that they are foods I am purposely choosing not to eat. I CAN eat them if I want, but I am making the choice not to eat them....

 

This.

 

Like I said, YOU'RE in charge here.

As for why the cravings are more severe at night could it be that you are bored & need a distraction? Many people find that crafting of some sort can occupy their minds fully so they are not thinking about food....

[fmr_sailor]

Really love your change in perspective!

[Alisonlcarver]

Thank you so much for the advice and encouragement!

[ladyshanny]

Thank you. For some reason the cravings are more severe at night. Mornings are easy! It's like starting fresh.

I thought a lot about this last night. I believe I need to change the way I am thinking about this transition and food elimination. Instead of thinking these are foods that I can no longer eat, the 'forbidden' foods, I need to think that they are foods I am purposely choosing not to eat. I CAN eat them if I want, but I am making the choice not to eat them. This is my Whole30, I can eat whatever I want, and I am CHOOSING to eliminate the foods that make me feel bad and have a hold on me.

Sometimes a change in perspective makes things make so much more sense.

Very nice mind shift! About the night cravings being difficult; couple things to consider.

Are you staying up later than you should be? Do your cravings hit right around the time you should be thinking about getting into bed? If so, create a bedtime routine that is soothing/calming and stick to it, thereby retraining your brain about what should be happening at this time.

Do you eat a starchy veggie at dinner time? Having enough carb at dinner can help with sleep for a lot of people but having that hit of carb can also "fill" whatever snacky carb hole your brain thinks it has so that there is much less room for cravings.

Are you eating breakfast within an hour of waking and then eating every 4-5 hours after? Breakfast and hormone regulation are tied to one another and if you are delaying breakfast and staying up too late, your cortisol (which should naturally be higher in the AM and lower at night) could be out of balance causing the urge to eat at night.

Then again, you could be doing all of this right and as jmcbn says, you need to distract yourself and just get out of that "habit" of wanting a snack.

[Alisonlcarver]

Ladyshanny--I believe I am doing all the right things. I eat within an hour of waking, according to the template. Breakfast is easy for me--usually 3 eggs, ghee, 1-2 cups of veggies (usually broccoli roasted in macadamia nut oil or sweet potatoes sautéed in coconut oil plus organic or homemade ketchup for the potatoes), and some kind of fat (a few slices of bacon, some sausage, or half an avocado with balsamic vinegar). I sometimes add a glass of unsweetened almond milk.

I usually go to bed when I am tired and don't stay up too late. I get up for work around 6 and go to bed by 9:30-10.

As for the type of veggies I eat with dinner, it varies according to what I have on hand. I usually eat my starchy veggie for the day for breakfast. I tend to not have a second one. I usually either eat a side salad or roasted veggies or some times canned veggies if I'm feeling lazy. I guess that is one thing I could switch up.

I am eating every 3-7 hours, just depending on my meal portions, satiety cues, and when I can get a break from work. I work in the operating room and sometimes you have to take a break when you can get it...or else not get a break. Typically though, I eat around 6am, 11am-12pm, and 6-7pm. I am hungry when I eat and really try to eat to satiety. I do sometimes have a small snack in between M2 and M3, especially if I exercise after work.

Maybe I will take up a hobby. I have been unwinding at night with a cup of hot tea in front of the TV. I suppose I could do something to keep my mind busier, like learn to sew or cross stitch or something. Or just read a good book. That's always a good option.

[ladyshanny]

Sounds like you're on track, Alison, so those cravings are purely psychological.  That sucks slightly more because it's something you just have to power through but you can totally do it!