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Cravings: Should You or Shouldn't You? By Cheryl Koch, M.S., R.D. - Posted Thu, Apr 26, 2007, 1:22 pm PDT

Provided by: Johns Hopkins University

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  • 1. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Apr 26, 2007, 2:17 pm PDT

    Once I stopped eating sugar my cravings also stopped. I used to eat box after box of Russell Stover chocolates - the more I ate the more I craved. I mean I had 4 or 5 boxes piled in a corner on my desk. All I wanted my family to buy me for holidays was more boxes of chocolates. Then I found a book "Potatoes, Not Prozac" that saved my life. I began a tough program of cutting down on sugar, then cutting it out totally. That was 7 years ago and now I can eat a little sugar each day without craving more. I also notice my cravings for any other food I love have stopped. Life is good....

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  • 2. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Apr 26, 2007, 6:32 pm PDT

    Everyone I know has cravings from time to time. and if you're trying to lose weight it makes it just that much more difficult. But whether you're doing Weight Watchers, South Beach, LoneStartNow, Jenny Craig or any other of the many programs, there are ways to manage cravings. I personally have been doing LoneStart for more than a year, and if it's any help, here's what they suggest: they say first cravings are mostly short term desires and that the average craving lasts about 5-minutes--so the first thing is to wait it out, distract your attention and have a glass of water or go for a walk. on a more practical level, they suggest you not skip meals, not to starve yourself, drink plenty of water since dehydration can sometimes be mistaken for hunger, not to go shopping when you're hungry, and to keep healthy snacks handy to substitute until the craving passes. personally, i used to crave just a bite of chocolate, like a hershey's kiss. I know it's just a little thing, but when I decided to get serious about weight loss, I decided to get serious about choices too. So everytime I wanted a hershey's kiss, I had a bite of apple or little carrot nub, piece of pear, or a few grapes. Something a little sweet, but not much more in terms of food than a kiss would have been. It took about 21 days, like LoneStart said it would, but it's true, now i don't want the chocolate--I crave the sweetness of the fruit. For me, at least, tastes can change. Good luck out there.

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  • 3. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Apr 26, 2007, 6:41 pm PDT

    I agree, I just returned from Hawaii. I am mostly craving regular meals. I am cooking and staying with one plate of food. I do protien shakes at night to speed my metbolism and try to eat fresh fruit and lite yogurt to curve appetite. I lost 9lbs by eating right there and exercise either at Curves or on our outings to the beach or hikes. I was there for three weeks and am proud of the control I had over my cravings. We ate to much a couple of times. biegler47

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  • 4. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Fri, Apr 27, 2007, 9:57 am PDT

    I crave fried chicken. I haven't had any because I'm struggling to lose weight. Any suggestions?

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  • 5. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Fri, Apr 27, 2007, 11:12 am PDT

    I need help with my cravings. I love snacking on chips. Would like to know of protein shakes that are easy to make but good and filling. I'm going on a bus trip very soon and would like to know what snacks I can take that will not add alot of calories but will satisfy me.

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  • 6. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Fri, Apr 27, 2007, 6:29 pm PDT

    when I crave a food I seem to crave it till I have it I dont need a lot of it just a little. I dont eat when Im depressed or sad or worried.when I stopped smoking I craved food I think that had to do with not smoking giving my hands somthing to do. Ilove these articles

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  • 7. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Fri, Apr 27, 2007, 6:49 pm PDT

    the person craving fried chicken and stuggling to lose weight. for the craving drink water, it helps I lost 50 pounds on a simple 1200 calorie diet. you need to know what is bread fats protien ect ect .... and a good exercise program being ready to lose it and i mean realy ready you will struggle for me I was tired of seeing the same old things I needed a change. but I think most of all you need to learn to love your self I thoutht I did only to come find out if I felt I needed a change i really didnt love my self all that much or at least the way i looked. and then I seemed to not struggle losing the weightso much.well good luck let me know how it goes

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  • 8. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Fri, Apr 27, 2007, 7:01 pm PDT

    To Carol White, I am also going on a trip shortly and I am taking little baggies of walnuts, apples, Kashi bars, lots of water, Dove dark chocolate and Post deluxe cereal to snack on. Most of the things above can be found in the Wal Mart that sells food. Just a few walnuts won't add calories and are good for you. Almonds are also good but a bit pricey.

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  • 9. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sat, Apr 28, 2007, 11:06 am PDT

    There are many ways to fight those cravings. When i crave choclate i brake a small piece off and leave the rest alone. I have access to that piece of choclate because it's at home, it is not mine but my daughter's or my husbands. When im at work i crave sweets wich choclate satisfies me. What i have done is i bought a box of the advant edge carb control nutrition bar. It has only 2 grams of sugar which is exellent for me because sugar is not good for us who want to loose or maintain our bodies in shape.

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  • 10. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sat, Apr 28, 2007, 10:10 pm PDT

    im try to lose weight can you give me tips on how to do that

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  • 11. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sun, Apr 29, 2007, 8:28 pm PDT

    It's not the healthiest route to go, but when I was trying to keep off the pounds,and stop smoking, and not eat everything in sight, I kept a stash of gum, hard candy, or cough drops lying around at all times to keep me from raiding the fridge and the cabinets like a raving lunatic. To offset the sugar I was consuming, I was drinking a lot of water, tea, and coffee with it. Something to consider if you're one of those people who thinks you eat out of boredom, or you eat out of some nervous habit instead of hunger. Get a glass of water to fill up on and chew some gum instead. Your craving will pass you by before you know it. If you start giving into every little craving you have, you'll be putting on the weight before you know it and then you'll have more than your passing cravings to worry about it.

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  • 12. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sun, Apr 29, 2007, 8:44 pm PDT

    4: Bake your chicken in the oven instead and peel off the skin afterwards, then season it on your plate with salt and pepper. Even making a homemade chicken soup on top of the stove can be satisfying. You could also make a coating with bread crumbs, oatmeal and seasoning that you like to top off your chicken with before you bake it in the oven. Bake it at 425 for about an hour. Good luck to you.

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  • 13. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Apr 30, 2007, 8:32 pm PDT

    Occupy your mind with a book. Your cravings will pass.

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  • 14. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, May 01, 2007, 6:00 pm PDT

    What is this craving with food? The only craving I have is to sleep. Goodnight...

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  • 15. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, May 02, 2007, 2:20 pm PDT

    As a fellow dietitian, I'm a fan of your work. I hope you'll have a chance to visit my blog www.voiceofreason.net and let me know your thoughts on all things food and nutrition!

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