I want...

[Crankin]

I want a bagel, right now. Smothered with cream cheese and lox. Or maybe waffles with blueberry jam and powdered sugar. Or a sandwich. Haven't had any of those in 3 weeks.
I don't crave sweets at all. I like ice cream, but I can control myself with that.
I don't binge on stuff, but after dinner, I always want more. Even if I've had a good dinner, but particularly since I've cut my portion sizes.
Basically, I crave carbs, not even bad carbs, but carbs, which seem to be my downfall, as far as maintaining the weight I want to maintain. My life is full of things I can't eat anymore, that I used to eat on a regular basis: any type of Asian food, pasta, even delicious whole wheat artisan bread. All those things are now special treats.

[emily_in_nc]

My life is full of things I can't eat anymore, that I used to eat on a regular basis.

I just don't believe in "dieting" that way. I believe in "everything in moderation". I know it's hard to have a small portion of something you really love, but better a small portion than none at all.

I put no food off-limits. I just limit how much of it I eat.

I am really a terrible dieter, but that's because I no longer believe in diets. I believe in eating nutritious food, in reasonable portions, and minimizing junk. No eating after dinner, either. And the occasional splurge is allowed; otherwise, it's too easy to become miserable, feel deprived, and binge.

I also don't believe in going to bed hungry. I read an article once saying that people who do have poor-quality sleep. I have a hard enough time staying asleep when I have a perfectly happy belly, so I don't need anything to make it worse.

[Susan Otcenas]

I want a bagel, right now. Smothered with cream cheese and lox.

With a nice thin slice of sweet onion. Pure heaven.

I never buy that at home. Ever. BUT when I visit my dad, or if he comes to visit me, THEN I get all the bagels lox & cream cheese I can handle. Good thing that's only once or twice a year! It's a wonderful treat. I visited my Dad over Christmas and he'd already done the shopping. We polished off a POUND of lox between us over 3 or 4 days. Yup, good thing that's just once or twice a year!

[Susan Otcenas]

"Discipline is remembering what you want"

And a line from Susan about don't confuse what you want right now with what you really want.

I've been relying a lot on both of these the past few weeks!

[Veronica]

I hope everyone made it through day without eating your "demons".

I enjoyed my chicken breast, veggies and brown rice at lunch along with my dessert of 1/2 a chocolate yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup Greek yogurt - and no fruit things!

BTW my students are struggling with desert vs dessert. Although one of my boys came up with a great sentence - Don't desert your dessert in the desert.

Especially if it's ice cream!

Veronica

[OakLeaf]

No eating after dinner, either. ...

I also don't believe in going to bed hungry.

How do your reconcile those two?

I can't sleep at all when I'm hungry. And unless I really overate at dinner (which doesn't feel good either) that always means a late snack.

[Crankin]

Emily, I didn't mean to say I never have these foods, but for the Asian food, well, it used to be at least 1X, sometimes 2X a week and the sodium just gets to me. So I really have cut that almost entirely out. I eat pasta once in awhile, only in restaurants, though. If I could, I would eat a ton of bread. But right now, I can't.
I pretty much ascribe to your theory, but it doesn't work so much for me anymore. I only eat healthy stuff, never any junk, have dessert only once in awhile. My portion control is not so good and I think I've relied a bit too much on exercise to keep my weight where I want it. My problem is, my life revolves around 2 things: food and exercise!

[Veronica]

My problem is, my life revolves around 2 things: food and exercise!

Nothing wrong with that. Mine does too, except I'd add in sleep.

Veronica

[Owlie]

I get beef cravings around my period. I don't eat a lot of red meat because I'm broke, so I give in to that. (I have tried high-iron veggies. Doesn't cut it.) I don't have a ton of other food cravings, but there are plenty of things I don't buy (often) because they're expensive and they'll be gone in three days. I'm surprisingly good at making ice cream and chocolate last for a while, but toasted almonds? No way. The last time I made a batch of chili-coated almonds, I ate about a third of it in one sitting.

I'm an everything in moderation (including moderation)-type person. I don't eat dessert often (we never had it growing up, except for holidays and ice cream in summer), but when I do, it'll be a smaller amount of the full-fat stuff.

ETA: I sound like a Dos Equis commercial...

[Crankin]

I made it through last night with no bagels, sandwiches, or waffles.
However, we both woke up this morning and said, "We're having waffles!" Just had a little disaster with the whole wheat batter, so it got thrown out and we're having regular buttermilk waffles.
I feel like a crack head waiting for my fix as they cook.

[SAMbike]

One of the worst things for me is going to a meeting, or multi-day conference, and being surrounded with sugary snacks - at every single meal, from chocolate covered scones for breakfast to rich desserts at lunch, to afternoon sweet tooth breaks, and even more desserts at diner! How to stop it from controlling me (my lame way of saying I have no control over it) when it's literally all over the place?! How do you amazing women say no?

[Veronica]

When I'm thinking about having something I hadn't planned to eat I ask myself why? Am I bored? Am I stressed? Has someone brought in an unexpected real treat?

I get bored easily at teacher meetings - so much discussion that really doesn't need to happen. So I plan to have a snack that will keep me entertained and so I don't eat the crap that's placed at our tables - unless it's peanut butter cups!

If it's stress, I'm craving sugar and I work to not give in to it.

If it's a what I think of as a real treat - we have a teacher who makes amazing cakes - I'll eat some. Most of the time I look at the stuff that is around for us to eat and decide it's just not worth the calories.

Calories are kind of like money, I have an allowance of so much per day and I want to spend them wisely. But I don't actually count my calories. I just sort of evaluate my choices.

Veronica

[Biciclista]

All this food and eating talk is getting to me. I've never had big issues with food, but right now I live with someone who is 15 pounds underweight and has a shrunken stomach and suffers with nausea and queasiness. (They tell us, this too shall pass) but I get so freaked out about what he isn't eating that I suddenly have food issues. I don't want to gain a bunch of weight but I've been using a lot more butter in my cooking for example. If I have a choice (like buttering bread) I can slather his but not mine, but it's hard to just make hot chocolate for him.. I get so bothered about his lack of appetite that I eat more... gahhhh

[Crankin]

Maybe think like you're giving him medicine?
I might be influenced by that, too.

[Biciclista]

It's even worse than just seeing the food. Since I want him to eat, I eat. Have you ever put food in a baby's mouth and notice your own mouth opens? It's like that. It's so important that he feel hungry that I feel hungry. crazy stuff. Since I lost about 6 or 8 pounds during his hospitalization, I can afford to gain a few back.. (I already have gained back 2)
and how did I lose that weight? It's very hard to snack when sitting in the hospital with someone who can only chew on ice cubes and then spit them out...