Overcoming cravings

[Nannyshazza]

Does anyone else have voices in their heads shouting it's ok to have the chocolate & crisps. As hard as I try I cannot overcome these. They always seem to shout so much louder than the voices saying no don't have them. I have just joined the NHS weight loss site as I really do want to lose weight I just don't know how to stop these voices/cravings. Please tell me there is someone else having these problems & how you have overcome them 😩

[nanashon]

Hi there, im

Not really going to be able to give you great advice cos Im exactly the same!!!! No willpower and if someone bring chocolate into work I just cant say no!! If theres choc in the house I will

Have some with my cuppa!! Not always easy not to keep anythn in house when theres others around!! However wanted to make you feel your not alone 😂!!!

[Nsky24]

Cravings are one bad thing, use fruit teas for sweetness, liquorice and peppermint is great.

Aldi do very small bars of chocolate, sold in 5s, ifs you can just eat one, don't buy if you can't portion control.

Quavers and other light crisps, 1 bag at a time, you could use these things, or ditch completely.

I do advise distracting yourself and drinking tea tho

[Portlandprincess]

Definitely not alone! I have those voices at very specific times. Watching telly, after a glass or two of wine....so I'm attempting to plan my life away from the temptation. This forum is perfect as it both supports and also, as i read such inspirational posts, helps me to at least postpone the voices for a while.

[Jenever]

I don't think there's any easy solution to this problem. I'm into week 23 of NHS healthy eating plan but to begin with I just didn't allow myself to eat biscuits, cake, chocolate, sweets or any of those lovely goodies, it wasn't easy as I really did love all those things but I couldn't eat just a couple of biscuits I had to have the whole packet and 1 slice of cake was never sufficient so it was very difficult to go without however, I wanted to be slim more than I wanted a biscuit and that basically is your choice.

Over the past 23 weeks I have learned how to eat just a couple of biscuits and I can easily say no to sweets and chocolate. You will get there but you have to be strict with yourself, it's like teaching a child not to touch the fire or stopping them putting their finger into the electricity socket! Just don't do it.

[Jo4950]

Don't worry you are not the only one, my voices come during the evening when I'm on my own. They go bbq hoola hoops you love us!!!!!!!!!

Just focus on the future and think how you will feel when everyone is saying how fab you look. You can do it. Banish the voices they are bad, bad, bad. Is there an activity you can do to take your mind off the voices ?

Hope you have a good week.

[Nannyshazza]

Thank you everyone for your replies. Feel so much better knowing I'm not the only one. Was beginning to think maybe I needed a psychiatrist rather than a weight loss class 🙈 I will take a your comments on board during my weight loss journey 👍

[sueper]

Hi Nannyshazza, I know exactly what you mean and I feel that I have almost cracked the cravings - not 100% but enough to make a big difference.

I have a massive sweet tooth. I am ok during the day but the evenings were a nightmare - just wanted to eat all evening.

I have taken a variety of steps to get over this and I would say it took me about 3 months to get past it. So this is what I did as an evening snacker - first changed the snacks, swapped sweet biscuits for savoury, found 100 cal chocolate - check out the calories in 1 stick of a Twirl or a strip of chocolate and <100 cal cakes such as weightwatchers mini rolls. Then there are sugar free jellies only about 10 cals and low cal yoghurts about 60 cals. And of course fruit, fresh and tinned. I then restricted myself to 150 cals in evening in snacks. Once a week I allow myself an evening off and will usually have some cake or a full bar of chocolate - I still do this.

Once I was used to the new snacks I tried to cut back from 3 to 2. Now I usually have some fruit about an hour or longer if I can manage it after my dinner. The reason I leave it a while is to break the habit of eating something sweet straight after something savoury - that was also a real problem for me.

Once you look into the calories in fruit etc you should be able to find nice tasty desserts like Eton Mess with fresh strawberries and mini meringues without too many calories.

If you are like me it will take you time to get master the sweet things and take back control but it can be done, just take your time and don't try to change everything at once.

I do also sneak in the odd fun size Mars too.

Hope that helps a bit and good luck