would most appreciate your advice on my current issue:
my stats: 165lbs
185cm
I weightlift 3 times a week + cardio on every other day
Iv been following a strict diet for the past couple of weeks now, my main goals are to shed body fat and put on some mass.
My diet is as follows:
6am - oats and whey/egg whites
7am - training - a scoop of hydro why with a bananna after workout
9am - 3/4 egg whites, 1 cup oats in low fat milk with a t spoon of honey + 1 cap of Flameout
12pm - snack on some fruit and some almonds
3pm - brown rice with grilled fish and veggies
6pm - a slice of brown toast with peanut butter.
9pm - grilled chicken/fish with veggies + 1 cap of Flameout
My work hours are somehwat akward, 9am-2pm and again from 4pm-9pm. So my lunch (3pm meal) is cooked when im home, after htis meal i usually take a 30-45mmin nap. upon waking, I HAVE THE MEANEST SUGAR CRAVINGS!!! This particular time of the day ruins it all for me! i tend to binge on cereal or anything sweet i can get my hands on. Why do I get such insane cravings? what can i do to fix this issue??
try including more fat in the diet… whole eggs and whole milk. See if that helps. sugar cravings can be from numerous issues, but I’d start there perhaps, easy change.
I’ll second what Jehovasfitness said. You also have a lot of carbs all throughout your day. Some people can handle that but I know that I couldn’t eat honey and bread and fruit all day without having insane cravings. You mentioned that right after the fish, rice and veggies that you go for a nap and wake up ravenous for sweets. That meal would do it for me too.
The way I combat that is to eat meat that is higher in fats like steak and pork. Maybe forgo the rice unless right around workouts and I’d have a reasonable amount of veggies, usually in the form of leafy greens but will have some others in moderation.
Long story short, more fat & less carbs, unless around your workout time.
How can you not like a good t-bone or ribeye? Blasphemy! lol
Just kidding…you can try ground beef, ground pork, bacon, sausages, ribs, beef jerky, whole eggs etc. Another thing you can do is add some higher fat condiments to your meal such as mayo, olive oil, coconut oil, whipping cream etc. If you do have a shake, make add the whipping cream in there, especially if you’re consuming a whey shake. Once in a while, some nuts are good but I personally find that they are a little high in carbs for me yet and I will end up eating the whole canister so I reserve that for a treat.
The best way to not cave to those cravings is by not having them in the house at all. I know that I just posted this link yesterday but I’m in love with Chris and Dani Shugart’s recipes: Biotest Supplement Advice - Forums - T Nation Whenever I get a “craving” for a carb type food, I will make the cheesy meaty muffins or I make a pizza from the flatbread frenzy recipe. They are so good and made with almond flour. Lower in carbs and higher in fiber and tastes WAY better than the regular stuff. The added fiber seems to prevent my blood sugar from going bonkers and I’m completely full after two pieces as opposed to eating the whole darn thing.
Just experiment a little bit and see what works for you. I’ve given you some of my favorite suggestions but it really is kind of individual. I’m with you though on the cravings and the only two things I’ve found that work are, more fat and moderate protein with less carbs and just don’t have that type of food that you crave laying around and stay away from anything with simple sugars.
I agree with what has already been said- less carbs overall. I like sweet potatoes and waxy maize starch around my workouts and vegetables at all other times. I eat a ton of steamed veggies.
As for the sweet tooth- I don’t get the cravings myself but I have heard a large dose of glutamine does the trick. Try 10 grams instead of the candy bar. Also, some people get false cravings when they get dehydrated so drink up!
Now this maybe controversial but it has worked for me. Below is from personal experience and nothing more technical than that.
I used to have a serious sweet tooth, I’m talking 4-5 spoons of sugar in my tea…I know how bad that was. what I noticed was sugar craving or binging on sugar had a snowballing effect. What I mean by that is eating some sugar increases your desire for more sugar…a vicious cycle. Also, every time you binge on sugar your tolerance increases…hence how I made my way to 4-5 spoons of sugar in my tea. How many times have you said to “oh i’ll have one little square and that’s it…10 min and a whole block of choclate later…FU**!!”.
Anyway you get the point. What I did, I cut that SH** out, dropped my sugar in tea to 0, laid no hands on chocolate, doughnuts etc… Every time I wanted some I just thought of my goal and thought of how far back it will set me. Now this ‘cold turkey’ style worked for me. 6 weeks later, I had a slice of cake on my birthday and after about 2 spoon fulls of an impossibly thin slice I was done, finito, no more. My sugar tolerance had taken a serious nose dive. I am now more than satisfied with that one block of choc, at times even that is too much. I tried one spoon full of sugar in my tea to test my tolerance. Surprise surprise, I couldn’t finish it.
All I’m saying is for me a tough 6 weeks “no go” attitude worked. Set yourself a target, short enough that it’s possible but long enough to change how your body and sugar relationship. It is tricky but possible. ‘HowGreatIAm’ has raised a good point…most cravings you get are because your body just want’s more fluid. Even hunger cravings can actually be a sign your body want water. Just make sure you are sipping water all through out the day. Don’t chug a glass or two in one go and think your good for the next 2-3 hours or so.
@ jackie_jacked - will deffo give that pizza a go!
Lastly, do you guys reckon my carb intake is too high? Instead of having the toast with peanut better @ 6pm for a snack…I could mayeb eat fruit instead? :
My diet is as follows:
6am - oats and whey/egg whites
7am - training - a scoop of hydro why with a bananna after workout
9am - 3/4 egg whites, 1 cup oats in low fat milk with a t spoon of honey + 1 cap of Flameout
12pm - snack on some fruit and some almonds
3pm - brown rice with grilled fish and veggies
6pm - a slice of brown toast with peanut butter.
9pm - grilled chicken/fish with veggies + 1 cap of Flameout
In addition, be sure you’re fully hydrated each day. Even a slight dehydration can cause a feeling of fatigue, which in turn can lead to craving sweets (carbs hold water).
[quote]LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:
This used to happen to me all the time when I ate the way you do.
You are not eating enough fat.
Why throw out the yolks? That’s the most nutritious part of the egg.
I actually do the opposite and throw out the egg whites.[/quote]
Wait… what?? I can understand people throwing out the yolks for various reasons (cutting fat out of their diet, if the eggs aren’t organic, etc) but what possible logic do you have for throwing out the egg whites???
[quote]LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:
This used to happen to me all the time when I ate the way you do.
You are not eating enough fat.
Why throw out the yolks? That’s the most nutritious part of the egg.
I actually do the opposite and throw out the egg whites.[/quote]
Wait… what?? I can understand people throwing out the yolks for various reasons (cutting fat out of their diet, if the eggs aren’t organic, etc) but what possible logic do you have for throwing out the egg whites???[/quote]
