When will the cravings stop?

Congrats on what you've managed so far.  Instead of limiting your "cheating" to the weekends, spread it out during the week.  That'll help tamp down the cravings between the weekends.  I'm still working on it myself, but I find if I try to eat perfect for too long, I just end up going crazy after 5 or 6 days.  So instead, I'll just let myself have a little something extra here or there during the week, and then I'm not tempted to completely overdo it.

I had a good moment today.  I had to run home over lunch to pick up something from the house (20 min each way).  It was very tempting to just pull in and grab a ton of fast food instead of waiting until I got back to the office to eat the sandwich I had packed.  I fought off the urge to eat an extra 1500 calories I didn't need and made it just fine back to the office.  Rewarded myself with a great bike ride in this warm weather (which may not have gone so well had I eaten like crap at lunch time).

Kate Moss said that and you definitely don't want to be like her! Yikes!

Honestly, you totally remind me of a friend who was just like that and it took so much joy out of her life. Food and eating are essential but also gives us so much - opportunities to socialize, celebrate.  She just felt like it was all or nothing - and was terrified.  But this is a whole life change. Aim to eat well 80% of the time and forgive yourself the for other 20%. 

As the poster above said, eventually, you'll start automatically choosing the healthier option because you know it makes you feel better and the junk makes you feel worse.  Sometime the cheeseburger or nachos still win but again, you'll go back to the more healthful food. You can't find me a fitness nut on this board who doesn't indulge every so often (or regularly) so you can't tell me that the cravings ever go away.

Okay...six years into maintenance after losing 75 lbs (240 to 165) in my late 40s here.  Second go-'round on major weight loss after losing 60 lbs in my late 20s...and putting it all back on and more.  So I've seen success and seen the big rebound.  One major life lesson I took away from all of it as far as my sugar cravings and staying fit long term...

Alcoholics committed to recovery don't talk about "cheat days."  Just saying.

The amount of denial and self-sabotage I see and have seen in the alcoholics in my life frankly often pales in comparison with the denial mechanisms in place for chronically obese people...including me before I finally took a good hard look at what food is and isn't.  The cravings never go away in my case, but I'm 100% committed to "one day at a time"...renewing a commitment to conscious and healthier eating every single day...and that helps me stay focused on the things that are really important in life.  (And, no, triathlon isn't one of them...but then again neither is mindless indulgence in habitual "comfort foods.")

Good luck...just because it might not get easier doesn't mean it isn't worth the commitment.

Scoli, I hear ya man. I don't believe the cravings will ever stop, unfortunately. They're just something we have to live with.

There are reportedly some mechanisms in the body that an help us trick it, somewhat. They say eating greens (salads, asparagus, etc.) can help deal with a craving for chocolate. It sounded absolutely nuts to me but as a sugarholic I was willing to give it a shot and have to say it appears to work, and rather well.

Not sure what would balance out a chili-dog craving, but you might just be able to find one somewhere (and market it and grow rich).

Perhaps every time you have to make the choice, do ya want a death dog or "feeling great, both general health-wise, and even better so, the way I feel about myself. I've been sleeping better, AND had a ton more energy."

It sounds like you've been doin that, and well, and you have my absolute congratulations on your accomplishments.

I put on 15 lbs due to changes in my mid-40's. I also get more tired than I used to and found myself cheating more often.  I started taking some digetive enzymes and was suprised to find that my cravings really dissipated. It may be a coincidence, but I am loving it. I had to cut my calories back quite a bit as my metabolic rate just seems to have slowed down. I kept joking about chewing my arm off in my sleep!   I also agree, though, that you have to let go a little at least once a week.  Just don't go totally nuts when you do it.  We hit our favorite burrito place once a week.

X3.  Food addiction is quite common and just as dangerous as alcohol.  I've dealt with the food cravings by not letting it be an option to cave.  Yes, I still did cave a few times.  But I got back on by reminding myself that those foods are simply not available to me, just as a recovering alcoholic knows that alcohol is no longer an option.

Now that I am in maintenance I do allow more leeway.  And guess what, I get more cravings!

It also helped that I was doing a lot of strength and cardio training that kicked my butt, and I got a new appreciation for what calories - i.e. energy - actually cost.  Now the s/b/r training continues to drive that lesson home.  I can blow a week's workouts in one "live it up" day.