Exercise really helps a great deal. Much as I love to sit in front of my pc, a sedentary lifestyle is deadly.
I don’t usually crave sweets any more, occasionally I fall of the wagon, usually that happens in Publix’s bakery or driving in front of the local bakery...mmm frosting...
My real weakness is far carbohydrates though. I love bread and pasta.
I hear you...whole grain pasta just doesn't cut it. My boys and grandson absolutely love the pasta I make. My last batch was made with ground venison, and it tasted great. I couldn't believe how lean the meat was.
Maybe I'll just eat the sauce with perhaps a few pieces of pasta. I'm still learning about what I can eat, and what I can't. The pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving apparently wasn't bad, yet nuts made my reading spike about 5%.
The city of Irving has done a great job in building walking/bike trails. I walked the entire Campion Trail last Sunday...from the start to my house, it was a bit over 7 miles. It's a fun walk along the Trinity River, and there's a couple of places where wagon trains crossed the river in the mid-1800s.
I would like to recommend the book about the body type diet by Dr Eliot Abravanal. The cravings you describe are typical for what he calls “the thyroid type.”