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I've read articles that talk about how gut bacteria influences our cravings. If we eat what is healthy for us, our gut bacteria will become used to the healthier foods and will no longer crave the carbs, sugars, etc. I am a sugarholic, and actually tried this a few months ago. I was amazed at how it worked. It was really hard, but the less I ate sugars and bad foods, the less I wanted them. This was also confirmed by a certified nutritionist friend of mine. Unfortunately, I didn't stick with it, but I'm trying to get back on the wagon. It really and truly works.
There may be truth to this. Always thought my lack of sugar craving was because 98% of the calories I consume are from fresh, whole food with a lot of nutrients, I don't crave a LOT of sugar, but I do want a little 'sweet' after dinner. Sometimes if it's just a teaspoon of jam. Few times a year I may break down and buy some high-end pastry, but that's rare. Last time I did this, it didn't taste good for some reason.
I've eliminated some bad habits (bread, potatoes) but my one vice and unfortunately, my (more fit) husband is bad at this one also - ice cream. Trying to shake this - not a yogurt fun unfortunately.
Do you find when you exercise it ever eliminates your want for "something bad?"
What are some secrets to get around cravings?
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Something I picked up at Florida Hospital on living to 100 said something about the value of substitution NOT subtraction.
So you substitute the bad habit with a good one. e.g. eat more fruit which leaves less room for something not so good. so you have a smaller piece of bread but you still have a piece of bread.
Subtraction leads to a feeling of deprivation or a sense of the temporary nature of whatever you are trying to do. So you lose 6 pounds by not eating bread but then something breaks your willpower and next thing you know you are rolling in loaves of it.
makes sense to me anyway. substitute don't subtract. either way, good luck
All my life I was one of those people who craved carbs, especially sweets and pastries and always overindulged. Around menopause I was going through a difficult time physically and mentally/emotionally, and really ate and did not exercise (I just didn't care due to depression.) Anyway 10 years ago I was 50 lbs overweight and I looked and felt awful.
A few years ago I found out I was diabetic. THAT, my friends, is a great motivator. I really started exercising (I was already cycling by now) but stepped it up - going to the gym for strength training, yoga, and belly dancing and also working out at home. I do eat carbs but limit them, and try to keep them to healthy carbs. I watch all my portions of food and am strict about the times I eat. I cannot buy cookies/cakes anymore, and only RARELY eat a little bit if it comes with my dinner. Over the past several years I have lost 50 lbs, and now have great muscle tone and almost as curvy as I was when I was in my 30s (I am 65)
At this point, my good habits are entrenched, and I have pretty much lost my taste for overly sweet foods and bloating baked goods now. Even a little bit can make me feel ill. And I feel so much better fitting into some of my pretty vintage clothing I used to wear. If you avoid those bad foods for a good while, you really do lose your taste for them. And there are plenty of healthy foods you can eat that are actually good for you!
Gypsychic's post is hiding a great point: diet and exercise are about life, and love of life. She perceived a disease as a threat to her life, and rather than rely on the tradition combo of medical management and diet/exercise mismanagement, she took steps to live a longer and healthier life.
I think all the hints and tips and tricks to losing weight with diet and/or exercise are worth very little without the big-picture understanding that the underlying issue is life and death. Are you enjoying life? Then why not get the 150 minutes of exercise every week that will help you live longer? Why not avoid the foods that have been proven to shorten life, in studies involving many tens of thousands of people? Why not eat the things that promote a well-functioning immune system?
One does not have to foreswear every pleasure forever, or "stay on the wagon" every day until the end of time. But remembering what it about helps you win more battles than you lose.
So you substitute the bad habit with a good one. e.g. eat more fruit which leaves less room for something not so good. so you have a smaller piece of bread but you still have a piece of bread.
Good idea, but Bette doesn't like fruit, which is too bad. Fruit can be very healthful, as well as detoxifying, especially citrus, with strawberries and apples right behind. I have a grapefruit every morning year-round, and the juice of half a lemon in a glass of water twice daily. Had liver issues when I was in my 30's, citrus really helps liver function. Living in FL, grapefruit and lemons are an easy get.
Ezekial bread has the same number of calories as white bread. Drop the bread or another item having a similar number of calories and you WILL lose weight. It will take a while to see the weight loss but you will lose a few pounds. Patience is the key.
As long as you are consuming too many calories you will not lose weight. In terms of weight gain/loss, it doesn't matter if they are good calories or bad calories. All carbs have 4 calories per gram, as does protein. All fat has 9 calories per gram. Note that I'm not saying calories from good foods are not more nutritional than calories from bad foods. I'm just saying you're kidding yourself if you believe you will lose weight by restricting your diet to good carbs without limiting your caloric intake. It's not going to happen.
Have you tried keeping a food journal?
You speak the truth I know, yet I am always in denial. I eat really good quality foods, but evidently too many calories. I'm tall and larger frame, but not fat...not terribly overweight, just not in great physical shape which is a big concern as I age. A good part of this is now I'm coming out of years of not exercising due to the effects of leg phlebitis over 30 yrs, but my new doc is pushing the exercise regardless—though not anything involving impact (other than walking). Gym machines do not involve heavy impact, that's why I'm feeling like I should get to one. But the motivation is something I really have to dig up. Truth is, I'd rather starve than go to a gym, but that would make me thinner, not fit.
where do you get your "real" sourdough bread? I don't want to have to bake my own but do you know what stores carry the real stuff? Thx.
loveautumn, the only two commercial stores that carry true sourdough bread that I have found are SuperTarget (Archer Farm's brand) and Trader Joe's (San Francisco boule) Unless you find a bakery that does it. The key is the ingredients list the sourdough culture. If it is just a yeast bread with a lot of ingredients it is not "true" sourdough. I used to make my own, but it was unreliable and a kind of a pain. The ones from Target and Trader Joe's are delicious.
Uh oh. Did I miss that NEG is diabetic? NEG can still drop one item from her daily diet and lose weight. It just takes time.
No I am not diabetic. I follow Dr Barnard's type of eating and warded off diabetes a few years back. My carbs in a single day: 1 slice sprouted wheat bread OR oatmeal and 1 cup of brown rice or quinoa, and a piece of homemade cornbread made with honey as sweetener and brown rice flour. It's the third item I need to drop, but is life worth living without it?
Gypsychic's post is hiding a great point: diet and exercise are about life, and love of life. She perceived a disease as a threat to her life, and rather than rely on the tradition combo of medical management and diet/exercise mismanagement, she took steps to live a longer and healthier life.
I think all the hints and tips and tricks to losing weight with diet and/or exercise are worth very little without the big-picture understanding that the underlying issue is life and death. Are you enjoying life? Then why not get the 150 minutes of exercise every week that will help you live longer? Why not avoid the foods that have been proven to shorten life, in studies involving many tens of thousands of people? Why not eat the things that promote a well-functioning immune system?
One does not have to foreswear every pleasure forever, or "stay on the wagon" every day until the end of time. But remembering what it about helps you win more battles than you lose.
Great points, Marco, and so true. Quality of life is so much better when one feels good about themselves, physically and mentally. I feel so much better being a normal weight again, having good muscle tone and strength and energy to do things. It boggles my mind when I think of the quantities of junk food I used to consume and having no willpower - or so I thought. As I said, once I stopped eating that stuff, I stopped wanting that stuff. It pays off in so many ways - one looks and feels younger. As a matter of fact, my husband found some pix of me from a few years ago and said "if there was ever anyone who reversed the aging process, it is YOU!" And it was true, I looked (and felt) like a fat old woman. He compliments me every day now (the compliments were nil back then)
To me, quality of life is important - far more important than the number of years I get. I am almost glad I was diagnosed diabetic - who knows where I would be if I hadn't made some important changes. I don't deny myself anything I really want - but I don't often want the junk that is bad for me, and even when I do, I only need a bite. It feels good to be in control!
Good idea, but Bette doesn't like fruit, which is too bad. Fruit can be very healthful, as well as detoxifying, especially citrus, with strawberries and apples right behind. I have a grapefruit every morning year-round, and the juice of half a lemon in a glass of water twice daily. Had liver issues when I was in my 30's, citrus really helps liver function. Living in FL, grapefruit and lemons are an easy get.
Ariadne, you have posted some really interesting health information over the years. Would you mind sharing your entire daily routine regarding food and exercise?
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