The foods I crave / Skimming blog posts
Why is it that I can go a whole year without having any soda at all and not miss it – but I can’t seem to go through a day without craving a sugary treat? Aren’t these two items in the same category, brain? The category of things loaded with sugar that I shouldn’t eat/drink?
I suppose actually eating something is more satisfying that drinking something for me, which is why it has been easy to stay away from soda.
Now, I want it to be as easy to stay away from sugary treats. Despite telling you guys about how white sugar affects your body, I have not been able limit my intake very well, even though I want to. When I get a between-meals craving, it is for something sugary. Then if I do have something sugary, I am so overloaded with sugar, that I get a craving for something salty. Ugh. It is time for all of those sugary treats to just be fruit. I don’t feel like I can handle anything else right now.
Do you get in-between meal (“snacky”) cravings? What kinds of foods to do you crave?
I tried to write some shorter posts this week. I tend to get a bit “blah blah blah” and drag things out longer than I should. And I think that we are all pressed for time, and writing posts like that just lends to skimming, which is actually why I put my little bold question at the end of the post – so you get the gist of it. At the same time though, I would love to know more about your thoughts on blog post length, and what leads you to skimming. It’s something I have been thinking about lately as I have not had much time to read!
Please answer my polls below!
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Themocracy
I read this whole post 🙂
I eat wayyyy too much sugar. Fruit should be my sugary treat too! I’m trying to keep sugar under wraps but it’s hard.
As for blog skimming… it happens. Sometimes posts are really long, and while I’m interested in what the person has to say, I just don’t have time to sit and read every word. I know this is sort of rude, but realistically I don’t expect everyone to read every word I write either.
I definitely expect people to do it to me too. I am just curious about what causes us to do it… I wonder if we are overloading ourselves!
I am starting my fruit challenge today 😉
I get very snacky. Even though I do plan in an afternoon snack and an evening snack – I get hungry in between those and a meal! Actually, it’s probably more of a craving than hunger, but it is a siren call that is hard to ignore….
I am so with you on the sugary treats! And I agree soda is not in the same category because I have no problem skipping that entirely.
I do think the sugar thing is habitual. Meaning I am programmed to expect something sweet after a meal, especially lunch. And if I have one, I’m ready for another and another until it’s become a glycemic feeding frenzy all afternoon.
My go-to food now is dark chocolate covered almonds.
I do find that if I wait 15 minutes, get out of the house, walk the dogs whatever, my ‘window of sugar binging opportunity’ begins to close.
What was that thing you said in paragraph 2 of that post a couple days ago? Um yeahhhhhh…
JK. 😉
The cookie post? Or the starting fresh one? Or the training one? Or being caught up?
I have been eating WAY too much crap the last few weeks and it has derailed my weight loss. I remember the weeks where I was eating really well, following my points, all that good stuff. Then it started snowing and I was stuck at home all the time. When you’re stuck at home and you’re lonely, you don’t eat as well. Now it’s getting nice outside and I’m still feeling like crap. I’m eating more. It’s bad. Oh, but as far as food cravings go, I have the chocolate one. Especially when I’m on my period. It’s intense.
Hehe, I’m a skimmer when I’m short on time (like now…though I did read your whole post). As for cravings, I need something sweet every day! My sweet treats tend to be cookies or bars or ice cream that I rationalize to be healthy in some way (i.e., “Well, there’s calcium in the ice cream”). I’ve heard about limiting sugar and everything, but I don’t think I can be that extreme about it. I eat pretty balanced, so I’m ok with whatever sugar I eat.
Have a great weekend!
I’m usually good about drinking soda only occasionally but there was a stretch recently where it was around all the time and I craved it & drank it more. But! I’ve fairly kicked it once again…back to just the occasional Dr Pepper with dinner when eating out.
And sweets, yes, I lurve them. I’ve worked more on cutting back when I snack rather than what I snack on and am about 5 lbs lighter for it. No close to bedtime snacks! mostly. 😉 But I’ve also become more mindful of what I’m snacking on, so I do try to take smaller amounts of my sweets.
Sometimes I get snacky in between meals so I drink a cup of coffee or tea and that usually does the trick. I crave sugar in the afternoon!
I read this entire post by the way! Yours are the best length!
Coffee and Tea help me too!
I didn’t vote because the 2nd part of the question…well, I have more than one answer for that.
Mostly, since I am only able to read now on Blackberry or when I get home, I usually do not feel like being parked in front of a screen after being parked in front of one all day long. Or, I choose to go out in the evening (which grows harder and harder every day) and am not going to sit and read much by the time I am finally home b/c it’s bedtime. And sometimes the posts are just so long I don’t have the attention span to sit and read the whole thing.
I’ve actually found myself reading more of the blogs lately that I’ve never commented on, b/c then I feel like I can skim and not feel like I have to come up with something intelligent to say at the end. I feel like that’s sort of terrible!! Ugh, blogging. When did it get so stressful??
One of my fellow bloggies has been recommending the book Potatoes Not Prozac to me. She says it really helped her curb her sugar cravings.
I’ll have to see if the library has that! I know you’ve told me it’s a good book! But am I just supposed to eat potatoes? Meh…
I try not to skim anyone’s posts but when I’m pressed for time and the G.Reader is getting up there.. and the post is really long and not keeping my interest, then sometimes I tend to skim. Generally though, I will read the entire post because I really like to take in what I read.
As for cravings.. chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. I feel as if I crave it every day although I try NOT to eat it every day. Figs too, I’ve become majorly addicted to them. <3 Fiiiiiiigs. Possibly more than chocolate.. haha. At least they're pretty healthy? Although, I guess not so much when you eat the whole package.
I skim pots and expect people to skim mine. Blogging and reading blogs is something I’m doing for fun. I’m grateful if one in 10 of my posts seems to resonate with people.
love the voting system! i think it’s funny when people obviously have skimmed my post bc they ask something that was clearly stated or something. but i totally get why skimming is sometimes necessary, time is a tickin!
I feel like I do that sometimes by accident! Like I read over the answer to the question I am going to ask. Sometimes I am just skimming though 😉
Usually if I am feeling snacky I want things to crunch on. But… I’m not really a chip fan. Weird, I know. I haven’t really quite discovered something that satisfies the craving except for chips and salsa (and once I start eating that… well, it’s hard to stop :)).
I always get sugary cravings after lunch. I hate it. My new trick was to eat an orange. Though it doesnt’ completely satisfy the craving, by the time I am done with the orange I am full and the sugary craving is gone.
As for skimming posts.. I noticed I skim more of the food blogging posts because I am curious about their eats. Pictures totally reel me in. But I do have my set blogs that I read, and those are the ones that I try to read in their entirety as well as make thoughtful comments.
lol I can tell people skim my blog all the time, but Im still happy they even bothered to stop by. Thats always a compliment right?
I snack ALL THE TIME. I pretty much eat all day long, and Im pretty certain that I eat more than my 6’3″ 220 pound boss. How he isnt hungry all the time I will never understand.
Great questions! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I really like yours-very honest!
Similar to what I said a few posts back about blog friends…I admit that sometimes I skim, but there are ones I never skim too. Like yours 🙂
I go through my Reader once a month and delete blogs that either no longer interest me or that I no longer hear from. I will not waste my time reading a blogger that does not respond, when there are so many who do!
I think that if a person is “always skimming” they lack genuinity. I make an effort to leave thoughts responses to blog posts, and I think it is extremely obvious when people aren’t actually reading because they leave generic comments.
I keep my Reader at a number that (most of the time) I am capable of keeping up with. The only time I “mark all read” is when I come back from a vaca or something. And I can actually only think of one time, the entire time I have blogged, that I marked my “Read every day” folder all read.
I would take 35 readers who REALLY READ and carefully and thoughtfully comment over 345 readers who don’t really care about me or my blog.
Whew, that was way long!
I totally agree with everything you are saying (like I usually do!). I see so many blogs that just have superficial comments… you know what I am talking about. I would rather have someone read and leave a comment or not read and not leave a comment.
I love the poll idea. Very fun.
I confess to the fact that I do skim some posts. I would love to read every word, but realistically…I can’t. It depends on the blog, too, though. Some blogs have mile-long posts and I just can’t always follow all that. Others are wordy but I feel like they have something important to say so I try to read it all. It just depends. I definitely appreciate short, though, as long as it is still relevant and intriguing. I think it takes a better writer to write succinct posts. I tend to be very wordy, and sometimes my posts are very long. I feel okay about doing this, though, because it is a way for me to get my thoughts out–kind of like a journal. I am not aiming to write a perfectly written article. Of course I don’t expect anyone to read all of those really long posts.
This is a great topic and it’s interesting to think about. I like these little “prompts” you give. 🙂
Thanks for your compliments 🙂
I feel the same way… I hate it when I write really long stuff, but it does make me feel better to “get it out. However, some of the really long ones others write… I just cannot follow. I get lost in it. I think it is because they cover more than one topic.
I’m the opposite of most people in that I tend to skim on the weekends but read them in full during the week. When I skim it’s because I’m not in the mood to sit at my computer for very long or I just don’t have the time.
As for cravings, when I’m feeling snacky it’s almost always for carbs. Not cookies or candy, really, but pretzels or chips. In fact, I went into Walgreens after my run today and was STARVING so I bought some Honey Nut Chex Mix. I could probably sit and eat that whole bag right now. Oops.
Hi Kim,
First, I’m more likely to crave salty than sweet. But, I try and stick to fruits and granola bars or nuts…chips are my temptation.
Second, I don’t tend to skim, but once in a while I’m in too much of a hurry for long posts. It has happened that I have just not found the post interesting…but, it’s not something that happens often.
Hope you’re enjoying your weekend!
I definitely skim posts… I think everyone probably does, at least sometimes! If I’m blogging for the catharsis of it, it isn’t offensive at all if someone else doesn’t have the time / patience / desire to read it. But like Stef mentioned, it does bug me a little when people ask questions to things that were already answered. Only a little, though. 😉
<3 <3
i voted always, and the next one i voted every single item in the list 🙂
i always skim b/c honestly, i read 100-150 blogs per day give or take and leave comments on maybe 50 and i need to get this # wayyyyy down b/c that alone is stressing me out but i have this whole dilema with readers who come to mine then i go to their and then i read those who i want to read ordinarily and it’s a big mess so yeah skimming is in order…and from me, it’s ironic, the queen of monster posts.
I also prefer pics to words most of the time. And short to med posts, not long ones like I am guilty of 🙂 I would hate my blog if I was a reader…well not really but ya know 🙂
Averie, I love the work you put into your long posts! I just have a hard time getting through them and leaving thoughtful comments because you cover SO MUCH 😀 You are dedicated! 😉
I should work harder on having more pics.
I wish I could give you some advice on how to not be stressed by having so many to read/comment on! I only can do it because I have 2.5 hours a day that I commute on the train. I can say this – don’t feel obliged to comment on someone’s just because they comment on yours! 🙂
I am with you on the sugar issue. I need to cut back on the sugar, but it is a real struggle, especially now where pregnancy has me craving every sweet treat! It is something I am working on though because I know its a bad habit that needs breaking!
I like posts with lots of pictures. Its hard to read every work when the post is long and you want to read many, many, MANY more blogs.
Soda is super easy for me to avoid. My parents never really bought the stuff growing up and when we would go out to eat, they would order us water and it just stuck for the most part. Sugary food is a completely different thing for me!
For me, I skim posts when it’s a lot of writing not interrupted by pictures. If it’s something interesting, I’ll read the whole thing. I don’t skim very much though. We’ve talked before about the stress from google reader and that definitely contributes to me skimming!
It’s strange – I am the opposite – I tend to skim if it’s a lot of pictures… I feel like the pictures break up the text too much for me, and I can’t seem to focus on what they are saying. Of course, that is when the blog post covers a lot of topics. When it is a post about a race, for example, I can follow it.
What about dried fruit? Maybe that will help the sweet craving? I’m thinking like some apricots and then a square of dark chocolate. All of which is good for you. 😀
Skimming blog posts really depends on the blog and the post. I didn’t vote on the second poll only because there wasn’t an option for me. Most times if I skim a post it’s because the topic doesn’t interest me. I could love the blog but maybe that specific post isn’t something I want to learn more about. Also I tend so skim more of the daily food log blogs just because they seem to be full of pictures and seriously lacking in content. That’s might just be me though. 🙂
I have found if my posts are super long, people seem to shy away from them. However at the same time, if it’s a topic I’m really passionate about or I just have a lot to say, I’m still going to make it long even if I’m the only one who reads it! LOL
Good idea! We do have dried fruit! The only thing is… it gets my digestive system going!
I should have put “the topic doesn’t interest me” as an option. I am the same way with the food logs. I have actually unsubscribed from a lot of them.
I do the same thing… write my little heart out because it makes me feel good 🙂
Oh, I also wanted to mention…when I was doing a freelance gig for a PR company a few years ago, they told me the average attention span for print is 250 words. It comes out to just a couple paragraphs. Not very much! But interesting info!
I bet it is even less than 250 on the web. I know when I am reading articles it is hard for me to pay attention!
Eating refined sugar just makes me want to eat more food even though I am not hungry. It’s a slippery slope for me so I avoid it.
i’m sure i have cravings, but i honestly don’t know what they are. it seems that if i’m hungry, i’ll eat whatever. i don’t get the urge to snack often, but since i started with my nutritonist, she has made me add a snack to the day. it’s tough for me to 1. remember to eat it. and 2. to eat it especially if i have a late lunch, which i tend to do. she has me eat a protein and fruit.
For me my snacky depends on my mood, lately I have been wanting cake, especially yellow cake. A few weeks ago, it was snicker bars and before that hot wings.
I go through these weird cravings especially at night. Thankfully, green tea seems to help
I hate to admit it, but if a blog post is short, I almost always read it in its entirety. If a blog post is long, I rarely read the entire thing. It doesn’t matter what the content of the post is about. The reality is, people who write really long posts can often state what they’re saying in half as many words. I can’t handle the excess.
No worries. I am the same way… but I still write too much sometimes. Like Sunday. And today!
The Catholic in me used to feel guilty for skimming posts, but now I just have to sometimes! When my Reader gets full and I have lots to catch up on, I think it’s completely fine.
I only crave sugary crap things when I feel snacky. 🙂 But I don’t keep those things around (okay, except for Laffy Taffy) and usually have almonds or yogurt or an apple. Okay, and sometimes straight PB out of the jar!
Oh gosh. Those damn laffy taffys! I love the banana ones the best 🙂