cravings.. how to control them?
 

Hello everyone.
I was doing great for my diet and all of a sudden today a collague brought in cake and I couldn't stop myself and had a great big piece.. and now I feel really bad.

Am i going to be able to get back on program again.. even though I slipped off today :(.. and second how do you control these cravings?

Please help!

Yes, get right back on the program. Don't beat yourself up too much. What's done is done and just enjoy those bites and move on. Just try to take a smaller piece next time. Or prepare yourself for the next time cake comes to the office and play out how you'd like your reaction to be--and then try to make that happen! Because we all know, there will be cake again soon!!!

Hi firstly dont feel bad for giving in to temptation-its pretty hard for anyone to resist cake if its put right in front of our eyes! In my experience feeling bad over allowing myself a naughty treat only makes me miserable. Ive tried so hard not to feel the guilt after a treat but i understand how hard this is to do. Tomorrow is a new day so forget about it,put it behind you and wake up in the morning thinking positive. TRY TO NEVER THINK NEGATIVE!!!!!
Secondly yes you will get back on track once you put the cake behind you and start afresh. Say to yourself "Right,yes i had cake,i enjoyed eating it and im going to carry on and try my best to forget about it." All anybody can do is try their best. I put way too much pressure on myself to be the 'perfect dieter' but ive learnt that its virtually impossible never to let something other than salad and veg to pass my lips.
On the cravings i do a little test for myself. I think
1. Do i really want it? and if i really cant hold off i let myself taste a tiny bit then ask myself
2. Has that satisfied me enough not to eat the whole thing?
If i want all of it then i will eat it and i wont feel bad because i thought about it before i gave in not after. It works for me because i used to beat myself up over eating the smallest sweet treat.
You could also try chewing sugar-free gum or a cup of tea to take your mind off the craving but just dont feel bad if you give in to one every so often. Im sure everyone does including me! Good luck

Another thing you might do is calculate the calories of the cake, and then make a plan to reverse it, a few less calories here an extra workout there, and spread it out over 3-5 days. Don't beat yourself up over it, cake happens, it's a yummy treat, not the end of the world or a downward spiral off the diet wagon. The next time somebody brings in cake, try and drink a huge glass of water before you cut yourself a slice. That way you will feel full and hopefully take a smaller piece. Or maybe you can get in the habit of only taking 1/2 a slice. That's been my strategy lately, 1/2 slice, no icing.

you guys are absolutely right. I should have prepared myself for this. Next time i am going to try to cut the piece in half and hold off my self from eating a big piece. I am going to go home with positve mind (thanks to you guys and exercise).. Overall I did pretty good most of the day except for the cake.. so I am just going to try to refrain from sugar the next couple of days :).. thanks for the support girls!

The above suggestions are great. I'll add that you can exercise away some of that guilt too. Go for a brisk walk or add 10 minutes to your regular routine. It would be hard to burn off a large piece of cake, but every little bit helps.

Oh, and as for controlling cravings, I don't so much. But I have rules. Keep the portions small. If I want a baked good, I've got to make it myself. And go for quality instead of quantity. I treat myself to small amounts of VERY good chocolate as opposed to gorging on mediocre stuff.
If you deny, deny, deny, you set yourself up for binges. If you indulge with moderation, you can keep going for the long haul.
Just my experience.

I have similar rules. Another thing I do is to take a single bite, just one to see if that's all I'm really hungry for, along with a great big glass of water to fill me up. Often I find that I'm craving the taste on my tongue, but I'm not necessarily hungry for the whole thing. But finding a way to stop from eating the whole thing takes a little bit of mental prep.

I work in an office environment, so we do 'treat days's for each other's birthdays, or other special events (any reason to snack all day right?...). Anyway, the snacks are on a big meeting table maybe ten feet from my desk, things I can see and smell all day long. I know some of the other girls don't allow themselves to start grazing until a certain time in the day, so at least they're not doing it ALLLL day. I'm personally the kind of person who is all or nothing. Once I start, I have such a hard time from saying no to a second or third or fourth piece. It's now to the point where no one even expects me to indulge at the treat table, and they almost make fun of me for it. Sometimes it keeps me from giving in, sometimes I tell them that I work out twice a day and if I want a cracker, I can have one.

I guess I have no advice, just figure out what your limits are and keep to them!