Dealing with PCOS can also cause you to be addicted to some types of food. For me it has been sugar and carbs. I crave potatoes and bread and then the crazy craving for sugar. This can be devastating to your health, your attempt's to lose weight and the way that you feel in general. So how do you cope? How do you get past these cravings without giving up everything that you love to eat?
Coping with a food addiction is much like dealing with an addiction to alcohol or drugs. You hit that certain time in your day and you feel like you just have to have a sweet treat or maybe bread or potatoes. You feel like you just cant get your mind off of it and you need it right now. That's how it has felt for me. After dinner all I want is something sweet before I go to bed. With Dinner I want a potato or bread to go along with it. Knowing that by doing this I was tearing my body apart I had to find a different way to take care of the cravings. I started doing my research into what was a good carb that I liked that would allow me to trick my mind into thinking I was still getting the things I craved most. I found for me that when I crave a potato with dinner if I switch a regular potato which is loaded with bad carbs for a sweet potato that is loaded with good carbs it took care of my craving. I have basically reprogrammed my mind to think of sweet potatoes when I get the cravings for them. It has helped assist in my losing weight and getting over the cravings.
Its not always that easy for everyone. Another way to get over the cravings for the "bad" stuff is to slowly wean yourself off of it. This way your body does not throw you into major withdraws. Cut down the portion size. Instead of having a great big potato and a piece of bread, cut them in half and only eat half of it. Being that I love my carbs eating smaller portions for me was a struggle. I wanted all of it and if I did not eat all of it then I was thinking about the other half in the refrigerator. Especially if I was sitting at home not doing anything. I found at times that all I could think about was the food. I had to have it, it was almost like it was calling my name. I found that when I was craving the other half that was in the refrigerator if I would get a glass of ice cold water with a dash of lemon in it and drink the whole 8 oz the craving for the carbs would pass. I could think about other things and move forward, without the constant thought of food.
I don't know when it happened for me but somewhere along the way I realized that I was not craving the carbs like I had been. I had finally switched gears in my brain and now the carbs weren't as important. Here came the sugar cravings, all I wanted was jelly filled donuts, or skittles or whatever the craving was for the day. You go into the store to pick it up and being over weight you feel like everyone is judging you and talking about you in whispers. You feel uncomfortable and ashamed but you still don't put it back. That was me, I hated the way I felt and the looks that I would get when I was buying things that I really shouldn't be buying. My body demanded it so was it really that bad for me? I was just listening to my body..... I found out the hard way that I was not listening to my body the right way. I was diagnosed with Pre diabetes. Ok whoa scary thought, I did not want to have to worry about taking shots everyday and dealing with the doctors appointments and having to stick myself everyday to check my blood.... No way that wasn't for me.
Drastic life changes where in order. But how do you change everything that you have been doing your entire life? How do you get past those cravings? Again it was a matter of tricking the brain into thinking it was getting what it wanted when it was actually getting something much better for it. Now that I knew I wasn't listening to what my body really needed I started making changes. I would crave something sweet and would grab a piece of fruit like a grape or a cherry or peach, something that tasted sweet when I bit into it. My mind would think "Sweet yummy" and my body was saying thank you for giving it something that was natural sugar and not processed. I am still working on my struggle with the addiction to sweets. I find everyday that it lessens, I only crave sugary sweet stuff at night after dinner when I am relaxing on the couch and not really doing much. I get bored and automatically my thoughts go to sugar. So I get a glass of crystal light strawberry orange banana drink and that kicks the sweet craving.
I hope that through my trials and tribulations I am able to help you through yours. If you have any questions, comments, concerns or just want to know more about my diet and the way I cope with this on a daily basis please feel free to contact me any time.
Thank you
Tabitha
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