Let’s talk cravings.
We all get them. Whether it be for chocolate…
Chips…
Cookies…
Cinnamon…
Ice Cream…
Candy…
Carrot sticks (it happens sometimes)…
Or McDonald’s fries…
I’m pretty sure I can safely say that everyone knows that feeling of: “Omigosh I need ______ in my life right now or someone’s going to get hurt.” Admit it. I know I’m not the only one who feels that way. The other day I got hit with a mad craving for McDonald’s and probably would have mowed right over anyone who got between me and the drive-through. True story.
So we all get cravings… the difference lies in how we handle them.
Do you always honor your cravings? Giving in to them no matter what they are?
Do you selectively honor your cravings? Giving in to the “good” ones but ignoring the “bad”? Or giving in to the “bad” ones on some occasions but not others?
Do you completely ignore your cravings? (is that even possible??)
My own approach? I really have no idea – I don’t have a problem with honoring my less-than-healthy cravings, but would I honor those cravings if they were the only things I wanted to eat? Probably not. I know that eating too many unhealthy foods doesn’t leave me feeling my best, but I also know that my body naturally starts to gravitate back towards craving healthier foods after a period of indulgence, which is why I don’t have a problem honoring them when they do show up, I suppose.
That definitely wasn’t always the case, though. I remember when I was in the beginning stages of my eating disorder recovery, I clung to my safe, clean foods and refused to eat anything even remotely “dirty.” In fact, I managed to convince myself that I didn’t even like those foods anymore. Chocolate? Overrated. Candy? Not interested. Ice cream? No thank you. Heck, I wouldn’t even eat bananas because they were “too sweet.”
So I ate my nuts, apples, berries, egg whites, and oats. I still gained weight (healthy food has calories too) and my body healed, but my mind definite’y did not. I ended up close to my initial target weight with plenty of fear foods and a restrictive mentality in tow, wishing that I had challenged myself in the early stages when I had more weight to gain. Why? Because I found myself starting to get curious about those forbidden foods – I craved them – but I was afraid that if I gave myself even a small taste, I would start wanting them all the time, eat them like crazy, and end up gaining more weight than I was comfortable with. Oh the horror.
But as I’m sure many of us know, ignoring a craving is a maddening ordeal – like trying to ignore an itch that refuses to go away until you scratch it – and eventually, even the iron will of my disordered mind began to crack and I made the venture into forbidden territory.
I’m going to be honest with you here. In those initial stages, I probably did go a little bit overboard with the sweets and junk food. After not eating those things for so long, it was like the flood gates suddenly opened and all I craved was candy and chocolate. In short, my biggest fears seemed to by coming true. But you know what? Those cravings died down. The more I let myself eat those foods, the less I started wanting them – probably because a) I was satisfying my cravings, and b) my mind realized that those foods weren’t going anywhere so it didn’t feel the need to go to town when the pickings were good. It was a terrifying process, to be sure, but after swinging from one extreme (never craving junk food) to the other (craving junk food all the time), I finally found myself somewhere in the middle.
I wish I could tell you how it happened, but I’m honestly not sure. It’s been a long journey full of ups, downs, happy tears, and sad tears; but if there’s one thing I do know, it’s that not listening to my cravings usually gets me into trouble in the long run. A craving ignored is a craving intensified, and a craving intensified is a difficult thing to deal with.
. – . – . – .
Would love to hear your thoughts!
How do you handle your cravings when it comes to those not-so-healthy foods?
What kinds of foods do you usually find yourself craving?
Awesome post Amanda. I went a little overboard at first too, but now I’m glad I did. I can’t believe I used to think bananas were only to be eaten occasionally! They’re just too delicious for that 😉
I can relate to you so much! All your posts I’ve read. I am getting into a good “balance” of where I give in to some of my cravings. I do still have lack of self control sometimes so when I decide to give in to a craving I make sure I buy a single serving of candy, ice cream, ect. If not, I could possibly end up eating the whole container. Some may see this as a bad thing but I’m just happy I know my limits and what I can handle. I don’t usually crave fries or fast food, but I love me some cupcakes and cookies!
I totally relate with you on giving in to cravings every once in a while. I’m like you, I gravitate towards healthy foods naturally too. Now sweets on the other hand, now that’s a different story! I crave sweets and try to just keep my mind busy until it either disappears or increases and then I eat something sweet. Moderation for me!
Can so relate to this!! I remember when I was recovering from ED and I convinced myself as well that I didn’t like chocolate any more..and that ice cream..ew it wasnt for me! Then I also went a bit overboard; ate virtually everything unhealthy in sight for a while and now I’d say I’m at a pretty happy medium where I’ll honour my cravings without going completely crazy as I know naturally I’ll always tend back to my healthy ways of eating as thats generally what I enjoy along with the occasional treat 🙂
It seems to be a pretty common thing for a lot of people during recovery to jump from one extreme to the other; ad as terrifying as it was, I think that seeing it through definitely helped me find that comfortable balance.
I have something pinned on my Pinterest board that identifies what your body might actually be missing based on what you’re craving..it’s really interesting! If I want chocolate though, I’ll get chocolate. Or if I want fro-yo, I usually wait a couple days or so to see if I give my body what it actually wants or if I really do just want fro-yo! I’m still learning.. definitely.
such a realistic post 🙂 i crave chocolate mainly after meals and I try to get good quality, dark chocolate with sea salt and a square would ease my cravings..and there are occasional cravings for not-so-healthy food – i usually honor them because if i dont- i will crave them even more and end up eating ALOT more of other things (usually unhealthy)
AGREED!!! Honoring your cravings in moderation has huge payoffs like you mentioned. I love reading your posts! You seem so down to earth, wise, and inspirational. Thank you 🙂
CHOCOLATE! I swear I crave chocolate & wine, two of the best things in life 🙂 You mentioend something about appetites “balancing out” awhile back & I truly believe that. I have learned that the only way to really satisfy a craving is to give into it. I used to try to cheat the craving with low-cal healthy options…I’ve gotten much wiser in letting myself have exactly what I want. It really satisfies me & chances are, makes me happy for a long time afterwards rather than eating something low-cal, low-fat, low-sugar that just leaves me wanting more like a monster! Great post as always lady!
Ugh. I can definitely relate to trying to cheat with low-cal health options… I probably only ended up eating even more than I would have if I had just let myself eat what I was craving because I just couldn’t get satisfied.
I almost always give in to my cravings. My problem is learning how to do so in moderation!
So glad you brought this up! I have ALWAYS had a sweet tooth, and even embraced it before my ED. During my worst, I never touched sweets. I’m 2 years into recovery and have maintained a weight identical to that which I had before my ED, and I can attest to craving sweets EVEN more during the early stages… I would literally eat handfuls of chocolate, handfuls of sweet cereal, multiple granola bars, all in one sitting and STILL feel myself salivating for more — such an overwhelming experience. But now, I think I’m back to my normal cravings I’ve always had because I simply LIKE that kind of food.
It can be somewhat confusing at times though because after years of an ED, I still sometimes question whether these are “normal” cravings or whether I crave more than usual after having deprived my body for so long. Either way, I’m okay with enjoying chocolate or M&Ms because I’m done with trying to control natural urges artificially — the reason most people end up right back at the weight they started out with when they recover is because THAT is what is normal and healthy for them. And the reason an ED is such hell is because it takes so much effort to do everything you can to ignore your natural instincts. It’s not sustainable nor is it even worth trying to maintain.
I had a similar experience in recovery. Even when I was gaining weight, it was from all ‘healthy’ foods – I was terrified of anything with sugar or white flour. When I finally started allowing them in my life, it was a no-holds barred sort of thing. It was all I wanted and I know I went overboard for a little while. But it died down and things evened out.
I’ve learned that it’s just so much easier to honour the cravings when I have them. And I have a massive sweet tooth, so I crave chocolate and sweets often. But I know that if I eat chocolate when I have a craving, I’m usually good with a piece or two. Whereas if I force myself to resist for too long, when I do cave it won’t be a pretty sight – I’ll go completely overboard again. So, I figure it’s just so much easier to go with the flow…if I have a couple of days where I start to crave sweets all the time, my body does eventually cancel it out and start to crave veggies and protein. My body knows how to achieve balance, it’s just a matter of trusting it!
Great post! More often than not, I don’t have too many cravings because I eat a looot of healthy food throughout the day. I LOVE eating clean and healthy, but heck, I’m still human and I do have cravings from time to time. Who doesn’t? When I do crave something, I absolutely have it. I don’t believe in not allowing myself to have no-so-healthy foods, unless I know that it will murder my gut. IBS is a huge PAIN sometimes haha. Giving into cravings is a part of life, and while eating clean and healthy is great for your body, eating not-so-healthy is great for the mind and soul and I think that is JUST as important. 🙂
so are you saying ill stop wanting cupcakes non-stop sometime soon?
Well I don’t know if anyone ever stops wanting cupcakes, but my desire to EAT ALL CUPCAKES definitely simmered down a bit over time.
I have been extremely restrictive on my diet for awhile so I decided this month was my month to cave to my cravings and eat what I want. It has been an interesting experience and I’ve probably gained 5 lbs while doing it (I don’t weigh myself so I don’t really know) but I don’t care because I think the long term effect will be worth it. I’ve found that I really do still LOVE some of these things and I really DONT love others. It also helps that my husband is extremely supportive 🙂
Great post! I think I still am in the “early stages” of my eating disorder recovery, even though I have been recovering for years. This is because I still cling to my safe healthy foods. I usually crave healthy stuff like oatmeal, nut butters, fruit… I never crave unhealthy foods because I haven’t had them for so long! But now I want to move forward, so I am going to try to challenge myself more. I want to start craving unhealthy foods too because it’s normal! Normal people crave unhealthy foods from time to time, and that’s what makes their relationship with food normal.
Great post!
I don’t share your ED history, but I can relate. As soon as I delved into the HLB community, I teetered on the edge the of orthorexic thinking. I felt inferior for craving sweets over carrots, but I’ve learned that honoring both types of cravings makes me FEEL better in the long run. Plus, I’m less likely to binge on “junk” (not my favorite term, but I’ll use it here) when I can no longer hold out for the cookies. Sometimes I feel guilty, but usually I feel great. Like you, my body (fatigue, particularly) lets me know if I’ve had too many fries and I’ll crave a salad. Some things like soda & most fastfood I never crave, but candy, chips, cookies, etc. are my downfall. Luckily I can make healthier but still-indulgent versions of those as well as the less-healthy ones. It’s all about balance!
This was a huge adjustment for me and I think just a big issue for anyone! I think coming from disordered eating it’s really important to honor some of those cravings and slowly become OK with eating those “bad” foods once in awhile. I used to be super strict and if I had one piece of candy it would ruin my day- now I repeat MODERATION- no dieting- just good choices- you don’t have to eat the entire cake, just have a piece 🙂
Great post! I feel like I have similar issues with craving non-healthy foods and not sure how to handle it sometimes. For the most part, I usually give into those cravings. I feel like resisting them too much could end up badly. Sometimes it’s okay to eat a little chocolate or have some fries! All in moderation, right?
Definitely. It’s better to have a reasonable sized portion when the craving strikes than try to deny it and go overboard later when the craving intensifies.
I definitely go through the “I want to gain weight but healthy weight” mentality a lot. I barely eat chocoloate anymore because I used to GORGE myself on it to the point I would have to lay down from feeling ill. It was terrible. This was back when I was still running. My body was pretty much craving CALORIES because of how little I was feeding it… But since the days of gorging on ice cream, chocolate, and all things delicious… I am scared to bring them back into my life. I can’t tell you how much chocolate i have because I’m literally afraid to eat it… Especially now since I’m laying on the couch for four weeks and moving to and from the bathroom (going bat shit crazy). I eat a lot more than I used to and will allow myself a “sliver” or something but it’s hard for me to just… eat chocolate a snack. GAH. For example, I haven’t eat a Dairy Queen blizzard since I gave fast food up in seventh grade but I crave them SO bad sometimes. kasdflkjasdf It’s frustrating.
Thank you for yet another much needed and amazing post, Amanda!
As you know I have a hard time figuring out my true cravings therefore sticking with mostly the same foods. It’s not like I ate healthy foods only and tried to replace chocolate with whichever healthy cocoa + stevia mix or chips with cut up veggies and low-fat dip. I do have those “forbidden” foods but am still not allowing all kinds of random cookies, cakes or other snacks I enjoyed earlier. French fries? Still haven’t had any because I convinced myself I didn’t really like them. Actually, though, it’s the way you told me: I “need” to give lots of random foods a try to figure out my true preferences.
Maybe it sounds weird but it feels good to know I’m not the only one who gained while clinging to safe foods and then wished I’d eaten “unhealthier” foods earlier, too. I’m not trusting myself around certain foods and therefore never buy them even though I get cravings. Did it take long for your cravings to balance out? Assuming that I might go overboard for a long time and then spiral back to restriction is one of my biggest fears.
It didn’t take TOO long; but, of course, it can feel like an eternity if you’re terrified. One of the biggest things that helped me was letting go of the GUILT and not beating myself up if I felt I made a mistake. Once I stopped labelling foods as forbidden, it was easier not to feel guilty about eating them since they were just a normal part of every day life. That’s what really helped me stop craving them like crazy too.
I always eat what I crave. I like to say I have a major sweet tooth but the truth is, I don’t “CRAVE” dessert like I used to. I still eat it every day in some form and still get my favorite cakes and goodies when I am out on the weekend but I don’t crave it as much. I sometimes wonder how it can be that I crave peanut butter when I eat it without fail every single day. But some days, all I want is peanut butter…so…I make sure I eat it at every meal, even if it means apples and peanut butter breakfast lunch and dinner – I must satisfy whatever the craving is in order to stay sane and make it go away! And it always subsides…
I find that my cravings gravitate more towards sweets. I sometimes ignore them, but when they get too out of control I just have to give in. I would be lying if I said I didn’t sometimes feel guilt about eating one too make cupcakes or cookies, but eventually like you said I get back on the healthy train! Rarely do I crave salt, but when I do..chips better watch out!! BALANCE all about BALANCE! 🙂
i haven’t had any sweets/junk/soda etc since jan 1, 2012. well, that’s not true. i had ONE dessert on my birthday and that was at my birthday dinner. but other than that, i haven’t had anything else. i don’t crave it either.
In the past, I tended to ignore my cravings and give my body what I thought it needed. Over the past year or so, I’ve been able to begin giving into what my body is really craving which has been a fun (and terrifying) experience. This morning, I was actually craving a bagel so I treated myself to one – it was so satisfying! Obviously, I shouldn’t give into my hourly cravings for cupcakes but I think allowing ourselves to indulge every once in a while is necessary and a part of life! 😉
It is so hard to balance cravings after you are back on the non diet train. For me its a slippery slope that can end bad Fast. I’m still trying to figure it out.
Admitting this is pretty hard…but once, years ago, I fancied something sweet and had nothing sweet at all in the house so I made half a bowl of icing and ate that. Straight. Just regular cake icing. This then turned into my turn-to craving bowl for the next few months. *Hanging head in shame right now…*
Now I try to handle my cravings by stocking up on lots of much more delicious and attractive fruit, which to be perfectly honest, I much prefer eating anyway. I don’t tend to get cravings very often, but it tends to be when my workload is less and I have extra time to think about things! Right now I’m craving a baked courgette! 🙂
We’ve all had those not-so-proud moments, girl. It’s all part of the journey!
It can be hard to deal with cravings but I try not to stock too much junk in my home so that I can’t have easy access to them. I usually allow myself one or two sweet snacks a day because I would go nuts if I tried to limit myself. I don’t think it’s healthy to tell yourself you can’t have something. I just try to crave sweets that are minimally processed and as whole as possible.
Love this. I am every time amazed how far you have come and how nice you describe your journey – it just all makes sense.
I know that all the food I restrict myself from, are the ones I want the most. So chocolate is one of my fave foods (I am Swiss) and if I forbid myself to eat it here and there, i know it will end in a chocolate binge sooner or later. Still – I crave chocolate after every meal, which means 5 times a day – that would be too much. Yet, I am pretty sure that if I would really give in to EVERY chocolate craving, I would get fed up with it.
I try to have a balance – sometimes that works out, sometimes not – but i know it won’t kill me if I have a Sweet day once in a while.
It definitely won’t! Otherwise I’d be long gone by now.
I have a similar approach to you- while I am all for indulging my cravings (both healthy and unhealthy), eating too many “unhealthy” (quotes because I hate labelling foods) foods leave me feeling lethargic and less than par. Sometimes I try to satisfy them with healthier alternatives (e.g. the pizza tartine I blogged about earlier) but most of the time, I just have the real deal..even just a little bit! Speaking from past experience, the more I deny a craving, the longer I fixate on that particular food and no amount of “healthy alternatives” will hit the spot. Typically I crave sweet stuff…especially after dinner which explains why there is always a bar of Lindt lurking in my freezer!
Happy Friday, Amanda!
I crave carby stuff usually. Im not a huge sweets person, but do crave some every once in a while and will eat just a little like a few choco chips or some froyo or something and be fine honestly. but since i started cracking down and getting serious about trying to lose some weight and tone up, I cut my “bad” carbs and cheese back so now, naturally, that is what i definitely crave – gooey pizza or lasagna haha
I typically do the 80/20 rule. During the week I don’t allow myself any treats for the most part. I like to allow myself to indulge on the weekend then as a reward. When I find myself eating too many unhealthy foods I notice I don’t feel good at all. It’s like a bad food hangover haha. Life is just not fun without a sweet treat every once in awhile.
Great post Amanda! I still have a hard time identifying cravings at this moment. It’s like my body just doesn’t crave unhealthy things because I’ve avoided them for so long, but I’m sure as time goes on I’ll be able to indulge in unhealthy things and have no problem with it. I know I have a huge love for dark chocolate I didn’t know I had in the first place:)
I wish you could tell me how it happened for you too 😉
I’m sure it’s just a progression and time thing and you have done amazing on your journey!
A big part of it was trying things even though I wasn’t exactly craving them and seeing if I liked them. I’d look at what I ate before I got sick and eat those foods. There were cases where I didn’t like them as much as I used to, and times where I definitely still did 🙂
That’s SO very true!!
Another great post! I just love the way you write. So much.
I honestly honour my cravings more often than not. I used to be a lot more strict with my eating but there came a point where I was like WHY?! I love food and life is so freaking short. Eat clean, eat dirty, just be happy. It’s hard to find that balance but I eventually got there.
I’m more of a salt fanatic so popcorn and chips are usually what call my name. That’s not to say that I can’t polish off a bag of peanut M&Ms when that chocolate craving hits though… 😉
WHY?!!? <--- Exactly. I understand that it might be worth it for some people, but definitely not me. As nice as it might be to have those chiseled abs, I like my sweets and treats way too much to give them up.
Once again, you hit the nail on the head. I have been there. Even just a few months ago, I still had that restrictive mentality. Sure, I was at a healthy weight, but whenever I did give into my cravings, I’d go batshit crazy and eat as much of the junk food as I could, probably because my body was afraid I wouldn’t be able to eat them again. Just a few slight changes have made all the difference. Allowing myself to do it (not just physically, but mentally) has made it possible to just eat a few bites of something, or all of it if that’s what I want. I think it’s a huge part of recovery from an eating disorder and eventually our bodies develop a better idea of what they actually want.
I feel like i had/may still be having a similar experience. For so long, I told myself that I was satisfied with just one or two bites of treats or less healthy foods, when clearly i wasn’t. Now that i’m really trying to give my body what it wants/says it wants, i am tending toward things i haven’t eaten regularly in ages, like big bowls of cereal (with sugar and chocolate milk! Crazy i know 😉 ), sandwiches, pizza, pasta, burgers and fries, and full cookies and pieces of cake…but I’m ok with that. I think my body is making up for lost time, and I feel better with more energy than I have in awhile. I’m noticing, too, that I do still crave the “healthier” stuff I’ve grown to rely on, like salads and veggies and whatnot, but not every day and not all the time…and that’s ok. I appreciate it more when I do have it, and, like you’ve said time and again, i think it all balances out in the end
That’s really great to hear, Caitlin! I noticed myself having a lot more energy after loosening the reigns as well. I don’t know if it was because I was eating a little bit more sugar or because I was just happier in general, but it was definitely a pleasant side effect.
I definitely find myself craving chocolate and candy, not so much those other things. Usually when I give in and let myself have some dark chocolate chips or something like candy I feel better and it goes away like you said, but if I tell myself that no, those things are bad I don’t need them, then later I end up at the gas station salivating with my hands full of all the things I think will make me feel better. If i had just had that handful of chocolate chips in the first place I probably would be fine. I think cravings sometimes tell us something about our bodies and knowing the difference between a craving and a binge eating urge is important too.
Ohhh I like this post. I had a similar experience that when I was first gaining back weight to get healthy, I was still very restrictive in what I ate (I just ate more of it so I still put on weight). But then when I started eating little bits of “forbidden” things because I missed them so much and had loosened the reigns a little, I would go overboard sometimes because my body hadn’t had them in so long. If I had a scoop of ice cream, I would just finish the whole carton because it was so good and it was like I didn’t think I could have it again. YOu are so right that ignoring cravings is NOT the way to go – now that I don’t have a single restriction in terms of what I eat, I can’t remember the last time I “binged”. If I want ice cream, I will go out for a scoop with a friend and don’t feel the need to get sick off a whole carton. Now you have me craving a McDonald’s egg mcmuffin for breakfast after seeing those fries…
I love this post. When it comes to cravings, I have to admit I give in more often than I’d like. However, the longer I wait, it’s like a storm brewing, the craving just gets more and more intense. If I can manage to wait it out, which is soo hard and I usually get really grumpy, i’m proud of myself when it’s over. But I’ve learned if i give in right away, a small portion of whatever i’m craving will be enough to satisfy it (ie. one serving of ice cream) if i wait til the craving is too intense and then give in = whole pint of ice cream. I really like your take on it and comparing how you handle cravings now vs your younger self. happy friday 🙂
I’ve found the same thing! Giving in right away leads to a lot less damage being done in the long run. Same with giving in consistently. I honestly don’t see what’s so bad about having a treat on a daily basis… it does the mind a whole lot of good!
I think there is a big movement about how to avoid those cravings, which I don’t really believe in. I think I too went through that phase of needing all the junk food – but I am kind of ok with the fact I had that period. it made me re learn and re evaluate what I really like and really crave in my life. my mind goes crazy if I don’t give into what I crave, it just doesn’t work for me. now though I feel a lot more trust in my body that I will have what I want and then move on. I think that is tough for a lot of people still struggling to realize, that there is a stopping point and it will be there tomorrow. not sure if that made sense but i really like your approach to a big topic hitting the world right now
I feel the same way – thankful that I went through that period because it really helped me figure things out. I feel like a lot of people get scared too early on and go back to restricting – only continuing the cycle. There really is a stopping point if people would just hold on and see it through…
love this post! I have a huge sweet tooth so I find myself craving chocolate chip cookies and things like that. I either overcome the craving and avoid it or I try to make a healthier version of what I want… sometimes I give in completely though. It is hard!