How long will the pain of dieting go away?

easilyobsessed · Aug 27th, 2008, 04:16 AM

When you first start a diet, it's so mentally painful and I tend to cave in easily and go "Oh, I'll start over tomorrow." Well, tomorrow turns out to be 3 months later. How long does it take to hold it in until you effortlessly eat the way you want to eat? Basically, when does the pain go away and you don't easily crave unhealthy, yummy, fattening food anymore?

And please don't say to not diet. I really need to limit some food or I'll eat it all.

bagaholic85 · Aug 27th, 2008, 10:55 AM

i dont think you will ever stop craving things, but the key is proportion. eat wat you like in moderation...if your dying for a donut, have a munchkin. and ALWAYS be conscious of what you are eating.

the truth is the longer you eat right the more you crave the healthy foods and not the crap. you couldnt pay me to eat the way my parents do and that is exactly how i ate growing up. when i made the decision to change, my body just sort of adapted

Cristina · Aug 27th, 2008, 11:50 AM

When you're dieting to lose weight, the cravings can be awful

I remember! The best thing to do is to allow yourself a moderated "cheat day", in which you have a meal or two, or a meal and dessert, of whatever the heck you want.

I remember my first cheat treat, I went to Outback and went to town on a Bloomin' Onion

and then went to TCBY for a frozen yogurt and caramel parfait with sprinkles! I was satisfied and right back on track the next day with counting calories and eating right.

Once you begin seeing results with healthy eating and exercise, I think the cravings or "need" to have unhealthy foods wears off a bit, because you're making progress, looking good and feeling better about yourself. Once you reach your goal and begin the maintenance phase, you can slowly begin to introduce more "off" days and such. I now don't really count calories on the weekends, but know how to make informed choices and stick to my eating plan during the week, unless I have something planned such as a happy hour or dinner with friends.

BagsOnly · Aug 27th, 2008, 01:49 PM

I don't think the cravings never go away... It's a lifestyle choice and there wil always be temptations, but its about a balanced lifestyle and will-power.

If I've had a bad day eating everything in sight, I'll pay for it the next week trying to eat less and walk more (ie I do my cardio at the shopping malls- I need eye candy to get my legs moving).

rubylola · Aug 27th, 2008, 02:40 PM

I have read that physiologically it takes on average 6 weeks for someone to acclimatize themselves to changes in diet, so if you manage to stick to a diet for 6 weeks it might get easier after that point.

socalgem · Aug 27th, 2008, 02:48 PM

I don't know what type of diet you are on, but typically after 6 weeks you should be OK. The stricter the diet the harder it is to lose the cravings.

Angelica16 · Aug 28th, 2008, 07:18 AM

I have heard somewhere that it takes 21 days to break a habit for ex. eating junk, nail biting, etc..

AvrilH · Aug 28th, 2008, 02:52 PM

I find that if I'm on a chocolate ban, I get serious cravings for a week or two but I just stock up on fruit, etc., make my favourite dinner in the evenings etc so then I start really looking forward to my dinner rather than saying "ooh I'd like some chocolate now!"

I'm trying to not eat chocolate bars now so my theory is I can have a cheat day every now and again when I'm out for dinner and have dessert - that keeps me going

HauteMama · Aug 28th, 2008, 10:50 PM

After about 3 weeks things become easier. After about 6 weeks the new habits become much easier to maintain. And cutting out refined sugar actually reduces the craving for sugary foods. It takes a while but the cravings DO go away. And you will find that after you haven't had the junk for a while your body goes haywire when you do eat it and you will feel awful. It often isn't worth the indulgence when you know your blood sugar will spike and then you will crash and feel dreadful.

New habits are hard to maintain, but they really do become habits just as much as your older, unhealthy habits were.

goldeyeomega · Aug 29th, 2008, 09:06 AM

If your diet is painful that it isn't good diet for you. Keep searching. You have to find your own diet compiling other's solutions. The key is to listening to your body.

audball67 · Aug 29th, 2008, 01:14 PM

Great advice here! I did a commercial diet and it took me 3 weeks to get used to the lack of food and change in diet.

After losing the weight, lower-fat, higher-fiber substitutions were really key for me and now it's a part of my daily food intake:
1. Rice milk instead of 2% or 1% milk
2. high fiber cereal and fruit for breakfast
3. smaller portions of stuff you love (I put *anything* I want to snack on in a kid's sized bowl and enjoy it slowly - as opposed to wolfing it down out of the bag, like I used to do!)
4. cut pasta dishes to half the amount but put it on a bed of colorful veggies or salad
5. reach for water instead of fruit juice, coffee, soft drinks
6. take the fat and sugar out of "regular" things. If I drink coffee, I drink it black now. If I go out with the kids for ice cream, I get a child's size sorbet with them

cheburashka · Aug 31st, 2008, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by easilyobsessed

When you first start a diet, it's so mentally painful and I tend to cave in easily and go "Oh, I'll start over tomorrow." Well, tomorrow turns out to be 3 months later. How long does it take to hold it in until you effortlessly eat the way you want to eat? Basically, when does the pain go away and you don't easily crave unhealthy, yummy, fattening food anymore?

And please don't say to not diet. I really need to limit some food or I'll eat it all.

You will never really stop craving tasty foods. I've lost a lot of weight 3 years ago and have been eating healthy ever since and I am still craving tasty things on a regular if not daily basis. The key to having an amazing body is not to diet for a period of time, lose weight and then eat back whatever you want. It's changing how you view and eat food all together. Cravings never stop, but if you learn how to eat properly, you'll be able to control them. Dieting won't help you in any way, because it is a very temporary fix.

may3545 · Aug 31st, 2008, 11:59 AM

Cravings do not go away, but self discipline becomes stronger with time. And you learn to forgive yourself after too many treats and just move on. Always look forward. So you had the cake during a nice dinner out, just go to the gym the next day. The best thing is finding balance, not beating urself up, and realizing that what you are doing and the choices you make are for ur future health and beauty.

candypants1100 · Aug 31st, 2008, 09:48 PM

for me, the actual pain went away after two weeks- i wanted sugary foods sooo badly, like almost to the point where i could have almost CRIED i wanted those foods so badly... but then two weeks later, my craving really ceased to be AS INTENSE.

xi_captain · Aug 31st, 2008, 11:55 PM

I don't think cravings would really go away. I agree with the girls here that you need to give yourself some cheat days. I've been counting calories for about 2 weeks now and it hasn't been too hard since I always look forward to Saturdays (which is cheat day) when hubby and I eat ANYTHING we want. When I say anything, I mean ANYTHING. That motivates me to stay on track all week so that I don't feel bad about eating 10,000 calories (ok, I'm exaggerating) in one day.

Good luck! You can do it!!!

Aug 27th, 2008, 04:16 AM	#1
easilyobsessed Member	How long will the pain of dieting go away? When you first start a diet, it's so mentally painful and I tend to cave in easily and go "Oh, I'll start over tomorrow." Well, tomorrow turns out to be 3 months later. How long does it take to hold it in until you effortlessly eat the way you want to eat? Basically, when does the pain go away and you don't easily crave unhealthy, yummy, fattening food anymore? And please don't say to not diet. I really need to limit some food or I'll eat it all.

Aug 27th, 2008, 11:50 AM	#3
Cristina Location: South Florida	When you're dieting to lose weight, the cravings can be awful I remember! The best thing to do is to allow yourself a moderated "cheat day", in which you have a meal or two, or a meal and dessert, of whatever the heck you want. I remember my first cheat treat, I went to Outback and went to town on a Bloomin' Onion and then went to TCBY for a frozen yogurt and caramel parfait with sprinkles! I was satisfied and right back on track the next day with counting calories and eating right. Once you begin seeing results with healthy eating and exercise, I think the cravings or "need" to have unhealthy foods wears off a bit, because you're making progress, looking good and feeling better about yourself. Once you reach your goal and begin the maintenance phase, you can slowly begin to introduce more "off" days and such. I now don't really count calories on the weekends, but know how to make informed choices and stick to my eating plan during the week, unless I have something planned such as a happy hour or dinner with friends. __________________ that's right, i've got a floor so what? so what? so what? - nofx

Aug 27th, 2008, 02:48 PM	#6
socalgem Because I can... Location: California	I don't know what type of diet you are on, but typically after 6 weeks you should be OK. The stricter the diet the harder it is to lose the cravings. __________________ Life is too short to drink cheap champagne.

Aug 28th, 2008, 02:52 PM	#8
AvrilH Irish gal Location: Ireland	I find that if I'm on a chocolate ban, I get serious cravings for a week or two but I just stock up on fruit, etc., make my favourite dinner in the evenings etc so then I start really looking forward to my dinner rather than saying "ooh I'd like some chocolate now!" I'm trying to not eat chocolate bars now so my theory is I can have a cheat day every now and again when I'm out for dinner and have dessert - that keeps me going __________________ I my purple Gerard Darel Saint Germain midday midnight crazy bag - still wearing it every day and never tiring of it! I also my Hermes De Passage A Moscou scarf in Sepia/Or, it is divine! Wish List: Gypsy 05 organic long dress in plum Chanel classic lambskin jumbo flap with silver h/w Hermes 35cm etoupe Birkin with PHW (maybe in 2009/10!)

Aug 29th, 2008, 01:14 PM	#11
audball67 Member	Great advice here! I did a commercial diet and it took me 3 weeks to get used to the lack of food and change in diet. After losing the weight, lower-fat, higher-fiber substitutions were really key for me and now it's a part of my daily food intake: 1. Rice milk instead of 2% or 1% milk 2. high fiber cereal and fruit for breakfast 3. smaller portions of stuff you love (I put anything I want to snack on in a kid's sized bowl and enjoy it slowly - as opposed to wolfing it down out of the bag, like I used to do!) 4. cut pasta dishes to half the amount but put it on a bed of colorful veggies or salad 5. reach for water instead of fruit juice, coffee, soft drinks 6. take the fat and sugar out of "regular" things. If I drink coffee, I drink it black now. If I go out with the kids for ice cream, I get a child's size sorbet with them __________________ We have to replace beauty, which is a cultural concept, with goodness, which is a humanist concept. - Philippe Starck

Aug 27th, 2008, 10:55 AM	#2
bagaholic85 Member Location: i <3 ny	i dont think you will ever stop craving things, but the key is proportion. eat wat you like in moderation...if your dying for a donut, have a munchkin. and ALWAYS be conscious of what you are eating. the truth is the longer you eat right the more you crave the healthy foods and not the crap. you couldnt pay me to eat the way my parents do and that is exactly how i ate growing up. when i made the decision to change, my body just sort of adapted

Aug 27th, 2008, 01:49 PM	#4
BagsOnly Member	I don't think the cravings never go away... It's a lifestyle choice and there wil always be temptations, but its about a balanced lifestyle and will-power. If I've had a bad day eating everything in sight, I'll pay for it the next week trying to eat less and walk more (ie I do my cardio at the shopping malls- I need eye candy to get my legs moving).

Aug 27th, 2008, 02:40 PM	#5
rubylola Member	I have read that physiologically it takes on average 6 weeks for someone to acclimatize themselves to changes in diet, so if you manage to stick to a diet for 6 weeks it might get easier after that point.

Aug 28th, 2008, 07:18 AM	#7
Angelica16 Member	I have heard somewhere that it takes 21 days to break a habit for ex. eating junk, nail biting, etc..

Aug 28th, 2008, 10:50 PM	#9
HauteMama Member	After about 3 weeks things become easier. After about 6 weeks the new habits become much easier to maintain. And cutting out refined sugar actually reduces the craving for sugary foods. It takes a while but the cravings DO go away. And you will find that after you haven't had the junk for a while your body goes haywire when you do eat it and you will feel awful. It often isn't worth the indulgence when you know your blood sugar will spike and then you will crash and feel dreadful. New habits are hard to maintain, but they really do become habits just as much as your older, unhealthy habits were.

Aug 29th, 2008, 09:06 AM	#10
goldeyeomega Member	If your diet is painful that it isn't good diet for you. Keep searching. You have to find your own diet compiling other's solutions. The key is to listening to your body.

Aug 31st, 2008, 11:59 AM	#13
may3545 Happy living Location: NorCal	Cravings do not go away, but self discipline becomes stronger with time. And you learn to forgive yourself after too many treats and just move on. Always look forward. So you had the cake during a nice dinner out, just go to the gym the next day. The best thing is finding balance, not beating urself up, and realizing that what you are doing and the choices you make are for ur future health and beauty. __________________ Visit my website at www.TheConsciousSnob.com for a fun and mindful outlook about conscious living!

Aug 31st, 2008, 09:48 PM	#14
candypants1100 Member Location: candyland	for me, the actual pain went away after two weeks- i wanted sugary foods sooo badly, like almost to the point where i could have almost CRIED i wanted those foods so badly... but then two weeks later, my craving really ceased to be AS INTENSE.

Aug 31st, 2008, 11:55 PM	#15
xi_captain Done for now! Location: Chicago/SF Bay Area	I don't think cravings would really go away. I agree with the girls here that you need to give yourself some cheat days. I've been counting calories for about 2 weeks now and it hasn't been too hard since I always look forward to Saturdays (which is cheat day) when hubby and I eat ANYTHING we want. When I say anything, I mean ANYTHING. That motivates me to stay on track all week so that I don't feel bad about eating 10,000 calories (ok, I'm exaggerating) in one day. Good luck! You can do it!!!