Chinese food cravings

[fldhkybnva]

In general, I am pretty content with homecooked meals of pure, nutritious ingredients without excess crap that I have no idea how to identify let alone pronounce. Recently, whenever I have gone out to dinner with friends or something my conclusion is that I prefer to have a nice 1 lb beef taco salad or spinach with grilled chicken. However, there is one craving that I can't beat. I seem to always have this craving for unhealthy Chinese food. The odd thing is that whenever I eat it, it's never as satisfying as I expect and my stomach tends to revolt. It's definitely one of those foods where I think I need a few bites and the craving is gone but then I'm hungry and don't want to finish the rest. What is up with this? Do I just need to keep telling myself that it's never as good as I expect (like a drug addict in rehab)? It's just such a waste of good calories but wish the deep-seated craving would go away. Thanks.

[Elios]

I know. This feeling too well, am a sucker for general tsos chicken

When I want it real bad, I go and get the lunch special, and count it as a meal, then work rest of the days food intake accordingly
Havbt had the craving for a while but prolly cuz moved and don't live close to a Chinese place

[ThomasBlake]

I had this exact problem too. It always ended up grossing me out and hurting my stomach though so I eventually just completely stopped eating it. Once a few weeks passed I totally stopped getting the cravings and all I have to do now is remember how gross it made me feel to not want to eat it anymore. Good luck!

[n0useforaname]

Same here.. craved it, ate it, got blah sick and tired, then remind myself to stay away.. I did this on Easter too... everyone eating junk, I had my protein fluff I felt good afterwards, everyone else was tired, irritable, etc.. We live healthy lifestyles for a reason!

[anonymous]

why not just eat chinese food for dinner once a week? figure a typical dish with rice is around 12-1500 cals and act accordingly. either make it sort of fit your diet or just don't count cals that day.

[Trigger543]

that's why we invented cheat meals.

get a craving, wait til your cheat day

enjoy craving, feel like **** afterwards

no more cravings for at least 2-3 days (lulz).

[fldhkybnva]

that's why we invented cheat meals.

get a craving, wait til your cheat day

enjoy craving, feel like **** afterwards

no more cravings for at least 2-3 days (lulz).

yea i could definitely fit in my macros, but I think my hesitation is why if it's never really that enjoyable despite the intense cravings. i like to refer to it as a 3 bite food - after 3 bites, the craving is satisfied but then you have tons of food and are still hungry. does anyone save chinese or meals like pizza for only when they are out with others so you know eventually you'll fulfill the craving? eating clean does feel so good, no stomach pain, no feeling like a log

[max1122]

that's why we invented cheat meals.

get a craving, wait til your cheat day

enjoy craving, feel like **** afterwards

no more cravings for at least 2-3 days (lulz).

wizard, are you one?

[lsiberian]

You just made me hungry for spicy popcorn chicken bro.

[fldhkybnva]

so it seems like most of you just give in to the craving every so often...every month or so?

[fldhkybnva]

I finally accepted that Chinese food is really the only food I "miss/crave" and so it'd be a good addition as a weekly cheat meal every Sunday night. I know it's best to have it as the last meal of the day so it doesn't turn into an all out eating fest of a day. But, I was just wondering if anyone suffers from the "I am currently stuffed but starving in 30 minutes" when they eat Chinese food. Are leftovers an hour or so later fair game or should I limit it to a single meal?

[SurfChris]

Not sure how so many of you are getting sick when eating chinese food, lol?? Unless your going to some god awful places or eating something odd. I usually get General Tso and pork/chicken fried rice and stomach is fine.

[Trigger543]

I finally accepted that Chinese food is really the only food I "miss/crave" and so it'd be a good addition as a weekly cheat meal every Sunday night. I know it's best to have it as the last meal of the day so it doesn't turn into an all out eating fest of a day. But, I was just wondering if anyone suffers from the "I am currently stuffed but starving in 30 minutes" when they eat Chinese food. Are leftovers an hour or so later fair game or should I limit it to a single meal?

I think the weekly cheat meal is a good idea and I would say left overs are fair game but I'll make two suggestions: be careful how much you order in the first place, and after your second helping throw away any left overs. If you think you're starting to lag behind because of the cheat meal & second helping, cut out the second helping and see how it goes. You should be fine either way.

[fldhkybnva]

I think the weekly cheat meal is a good idea and I would say left overs are fair game but I'll make two suggestions: be careful how much you order in the first place, and after your second helping throw away any left overs. If you think you're starting to lag behind because of the cheat meal & second helping, cut out the second helping and see how it goes. You should be fine either way.

awesome, sounds good to me. thanks for the the tips, particularly about the leftovers. the place i order from seems to be really into sending extra free food or maybe it's that i order late at night and so they need to get rid of it but it's bordering on ridiculous to get an additional order of general tso's if you spend $10 and then additional items on top of that. they always show up with a bag heavy enough to feed an army even though i only ordered a few things

[ErikTheElectric]

Easy cure OP. Just pour soy sauce on everything.. lol.

[Trigger543]

awesome, sounds good to me. thanks for the the tips, particularly about the leftovers. the place i order from seems to be really into sending extra free food or maybe it's that i order late at night and so they need to get rid of it but it's bordering on ridiculous to get an additional order of general tso's if you spend $10 and then additional items on top of that. they always show up with a bag heavy enough to feed an army even though i only ordered a few things

np, and then I would definitely make sure I throw away the left overs when I'm done LOL. Good luck

[fldhkybnva]

Easy cure OP. Just pour soy sauce on everything.. lol.

oh right, the good ol pour the salt shaker on the fries trick

[ErikTheElectric]

oh right, the good ol pour the salt shaker on the fries trick

You do realize that This ^^^, combined with the MSG are what most people that are "addicted to chinese food" keep consuming when they
eat it on a consistent basis. Therefore, increasing their want/desire for it.

[fldhkybnva]

You do realize that This ^^^, combined with the MSG are what most people that are "addicted to chinese food" keep consuming when they
eat it on a consistent basis. Therefore, increasing their want/desire for it.

Yup, message clearly conveyed. Of course, it's the salt, sugar, and fat which are the common denominators among many foods that people tend to enjoy but if it's a once a week thing I don't see any harm in it. Also, I argue that in no way does a simple craving for a food equate to addiction. I don't sit around dreaming about Chinese food or intend to go to town on lbs of it, but just like people finish dinner and get a hankering for ice cream, there are some nights I get a craving for Chinese food...yes, most likely because it's packed full of substances that release serotonin in my brain but so what?

In our current food culture, I do hate the fact many other people are more susceptible to falling down the slippery slope of these addicting substances and find it very difficult to express self control, but I don't think that means none of us should eat it.

[beefyron]

i was craving chinese for weeks, had it, was tired and sloppy after. also, fatter. probably just bloat from all the sodium. i can eat mexican pretty clean, pizza isn't obscenely bad, but chinese, especially if you get a sweet sauce, is a triple threat of salt/sugar/fat. you can eat chinese cleanish but it's not anybody's favorite dishes (no tso's, no sesame anything, no lo mein, etc). i doubt if your cravings are just for spring rolls, dumplings, etc.

[kyle450rider]

My local chinese place does a great "healthy option" chicken and vegetable dish. They cook up steamed fresh veggies and steamed white cuts of chicken. It's pretty delicious with just a little soy sauce and sweet and sour over cooked brown rice. It's my favorite take out meal when I don't have time to cook.

[poloralphloren]

Great for bulking. Enjoy it.

[StephSkywalker]

Ha, I thought I was the only person who craved Chinese food, have it and then feel sick afterwards.. It's not that its nasty or anything, its just so much that you kinda go overboard on it.. I haven't had Chinese food in like 5 months.. Think I am due for my Orange Chicken and Chicken Fried Rice indulgence.. How about Thai food? Anyone like that?

[beefyron]

i run trains on thai food. so good.

[fldhkybnva]

wow...nice post-chinese food bloat. 12 lbs up overnight, losing 2-3 lbs each day...lovely glycogen holds a ton of water

[Big_Spaz]

My local chinese place does a great "healthy option" chicken and vegetable dish. They cook up steamed fresh veggies and steamed white cuts of chicken. It's pretty delicious with just a little soy sauce and sweet and sour over cooked brown rice. It's my favorite take out meal when I don't have time to cook.

My local chinese place has this as well. Very healthy take out option.




-Spaz

[fldhkybnva]

My local chinese place has this as well. Very healthy take out option.




-Spaz

Yea, I have started to make similar dishes at home but when I want takeout it's definitely for the "bad" breaded, greasier stuff. *However, the steamed fish and veggies with some soy and garlic also hits the spot sometimes.

[BookMonkey]

Why not learn to make chinese food at home? That way you can control what goes in it...

[fldhkybnva]

Why not learn to make chinese food at home? That way you can control what goes in it...

Well, for me, at least, I don't eat Chinese food with the intention to be as healthy as possible which is why I only eat at most once a week. For me, it's a weekly or bi-weekly indulgence and taste of foods that I don't normally eat. I don't find it useful to plan to order Chinese food and then strategically try to find something healthy, then but rather allow myself to enjoy the occasional General Tso's or sweet and sour chicken and make the "healthier" stuff at home when I want stir fry or something. However that mostly works if I plan the meal. If friends go out for Chinese, and it's not my planned cheat meal I usually stick to steamed veggies and protein with sauce on the side which is also good but not necessarily why I usually order Chinese food.

[cldillmann1]

wizard, are you one?

2 belly buttons .....whoaaa