I have increased my calorie intake recently by ~250-500 calories per day simply because I realized my overall intake was lower than it should have been -- mainly because I was eating 2 to 3 times a day. I found breaking meals up into smaller 4-6 daily snacks made more sense and worked well with my digestive system to prevent painful bloating, gas, and discomfort from larger meals.

But I have noticed after 5-6 days of eating smaller but more frequent meals, I have the same recuring craving for Frosted Mini Wheats. I usually try to avoid them because they're higher in carbs and thus higher in total calories than my typical cereal of Fiber One. Plus the mini wheats do not have as much fiber for the buck as Fiber One does, hence my choice.

But the problem I have is that once I pop the top, I can't stop with the mini wheats. It isn't uncommon for me in a 2-3 hour span haven eatten an entire box of mini wheats, usually plain with no milk, just the cereal alone. Why? I have had to avoid purchasing them to avoid over indulging in my craving. I have even had to purchase the smaller box than the larger box to avoid higher calorie intake when my craving has hit in the past and resulted in an entirely empty box.

What scares me the most is what medical impact does this have on my body when my calorie intake one day is 1300-1800 more calories than usual? And why do I crave this cereal typically 2-4 hours prior to bed and never during the day or at breakfast ?

Unfortunately my spouse thought it would be a nice gesture and purchase a box last evening ... I found myself at 8:00pm, box in hand, eating away ... was in bed by 11 but quickly found that 6.5-7 out of 9 servings of the box were gone by the time I was asleep and followed with the other 2-2.5 servings this morning for breakfast. I've been in discomfort all day with gas and lower abdominal pain that I believe is due to my over-eating last night (mind you this was after having a salad and a few fat-free cheese & low-fat ritz crackers - 2 servings and a non-fat, low-calorie desert.).

I totalled up by calorie intake from yesterday alone and it averaged around 3600-4000 calories. Why so hungry? Why or what would cause my body to want to indulge so heavily?

Again, I'm concerned about the medical consequences that my come from eating like this and how will this affect my weight loss or management ?

~neo~

I am not sure of the medical consequences of restricted eating and then the ocassional splurge. I do it myself, sometimes eating 2500 calories more on a day than the day prior. I would expect there are some negatives to it, but I don't know what they are. Still, I think historically people have gone from eating little to a lot, depending on what's available, so it may not be all that evil, and a lot of animals do it as a matter of course. Predators especially may go stretches without food, and then pig down tons of food in a short period of time.

In regards to your urges, you need to stop buying crap. I am a fool when it comes to junk food. It's almost impossible to not eat it if I open the cubboard and it's there. As a result I keep none in the house at all.I totalled up by calorie intake from yesterday alone and it averaged around 3600-4000 calories. Why so hungry? Why or what would cause my body to want to indulge so heavily?Restrictive eating makes it ravenous. If I am not dieting or eating cleanly at all, my calories will generally fall in the 3500 range or so...maybe a bit higher. If, however, I eat cleanly for a week with low calories, when it comes time for cheat day I will have more like 4500. I don't think it's that I'm trying to race to fullness, but I just have such a deep rooted hunger that I subconsciously feel like pigging out.

I eat 5-6 times/day with about 1800 calories now. I am anywhere from mildly to severely hungry at all times. People say that if you're hungry you should eat, but realistically I'm hungry if I'm eating any less than 3000 calories, and I won't lose weight that way. I have had great success, but only by doing my best to ignore hunger. It's just something I've kind of gotten used to ;)

I am not sure of the medical consequences of restricted eating and then the ocassional splurge. I do it myself, sometimes eating 2500 calories more on a day than the day prior.
Well it's comforting to know that I'm not the only one this happens to. I have also noticed that I typically stay on my eating plan longer when I combine exercise in my daily routine as well. When I go a week without at least a mile jog every few days, my will-power tends to dwendle. :d_frown:

In regards to your urges, you need to stop buying crap. I am a fool when it comes to junk food. It's almost impossible to not eat it if I open the cubboard and it's there. As a result I keep none in the house at all.
I completely agree. I do much better on my food plan when all that is in the cubboard is what needs to be there to nothing at all.

Restrictive eating makes it ravenous. If I am not dieting or eating cleanly at all, ... but I just have such a deep rooted hunger that I subconsciously feel like pigging out.
I think that is my problem. I realized yesterday I was full but continued to shove my face full of the cereal.

I eat 5-6 times/day with about 1800 calories now. I am anywhere from mildly to severely hungry at all times. People say that if you're hungry you should eat, but realistically I'm hungry if I'm eating any less than 3000 calories, and I won't lose weight that way. I have had great success, but only by doing my best to ignore hunger. It's just something I've kind of gotten used to ;)
I used to do this but it isn't healthy (at least for me) I found. I counteracted this problem by mildly increasing calorie intake (<500/day) with healthful foods such as apples, grapes, nuts, a low-fat granola bar, etc.

~neo~

When I first started dieting I craved junk food all the time. Cookies were the one thing I wanted more than anything. In fact, just thinking about this, I recall I also had cravings for cereal at night before bed. I just had it once, then got into the habit of wanting cereal every night. I remember this was right at the beginning of my diet/weight loss, and I was frustrated by the lack of results I was getting. I craved the foods for a while, but after finding out that the foods I craved would short change my eventual results I stopped it right there.

It was hard, but after sticking to a diet for a few months I forgot about those foods. Now I'm at a point where I know cookies and sugary cereals aren't the best for my body so I don't eat them.

I guess if a person was a smoker they could compare it to that. You just need to quit the sugary cereals cold turkey.

Long story short... if you are trying to achieve a certain body you have to realize it's going to take time, and it's going to be hard work, but if you stick to it, it will all pay off someday. My best advice would be to have a scheduled cheat meal once a week. It will keep your cravings in tact if you know that, say every Monday you are going to have that big bowl of cereal you crave.