the dreaded sweet tooth!

lemurcat12

stephyj528 wrote: »

i cant seem to control myself with sweets and im starting to stress bc its the holidays and people bring them constantly in to the office. i can say no for the first 3-4 days but i break and often end up eating a lot of sweets....what do you do with sweets?

This seems to me to be one of the problems with the "just cut them out" plan. Lots of people still want them and will be tempted when they see them all the time and just cutting them out often means that having one is more likely to lead to overdoing it, since you've already broken your rule and might as well go nuts, since who knows when you will get to have them again.

For me--although everyone is different--it's much easier to teach myself that I can have them in moderation if they fit into my calories and I make sure to eat sufficient nutritious foods also. If I know I can have them whenever I want but have to make choices so they are within my calories--and if I have a personal rule that I eat at particular times and not all day--I tend to eat in moderation. Basically, I'll have a small amount of the treats that are really worth it, and not eat ones that I'd be tempted to eat just because they are here. I'm sure the holidays will be more of a test, but this worked at Eastertime, and it works with the usual candy and sweets that are all over my office constantly. It also allows me to keep ice cream at home and not overeat it. (There are other foods, like pie, which I would almost certainly end up overeating or eating at the expense of foods I'd be better off eating if I kept them at home, so I haven't been baking much. Saving it for the holidays when I can have a piece and not worry about leftovers.)

tomg33

The reality is that a 'sweet tooth' is nothing more than a habit. You can be psychologically addicted to the pleasurable feelings that sweet foods provide the same as any other pleasurable feeling however sweet foods are not inherently harmful to your health in the context of an overall balanced diet and effective exercise program (and not being obese). If you keep eating cakes and sweets, then stop buying them and having them in your house. You'll have to use willpower to overcome the habit, like any other habit, until you form a new habit

nosajjao wrote: »

Sugar is a chronic dose-dependent hepato-toxin (liver

Please describe the mechanism by which sugar is toxic to the liver.

Yeah, its all occuring in your brain as a result of a chronic addiction. Scientists conducted a study where they took cocaine addicted rats and had them choose between cocaine and sugar. 40 out of 43 rats chose sugar. Its addictive and messes with your brain worse than cocaine does.

Have you used Cocaine? I have never seen someone take sugar, or any food, over Cocaine. It wipes out your appetite while you're on.

stephyj528

tomg33 wrote: »

The reality is that a 'sweet tooth' is nothing more than a habit. You can be psychologically addicted to the pleasurable feelings that sweet foods provide the same as any other pleasurable feeling however sweet foods are not inherently harmful to your health in the context of an overall balanced diet and effective exercise program (and not being obese). If you keep eating cakes and sweets, then stop buying them and having them in your house. You'll have to use willpower to overcome the habit, like any other habit, until you form a new habit

nosajjao wrote: »

Sugar is a chronic dose-dependent hepato-toxin (liver

Please describe the mechanism by which sugar is toxic to the liver.

Yeah, its all occuring in your brain as a result of a chronic addiction. Scientists conducted a study where they took cocaine addicted rats and had them choose between cocaine and sugar. 40 out of 43 rats chose sugar. Its addictive and messes with your brain worse than cocaine does.

Have you used Cocaine? I have never seen someone take sugar, or any food, over Cocaine. It wipes out your appetite while you're on.

hahah nice truth. thanks!

stephyj528

lemurcat12 wrote: »

stephyj528 wrote: »

i cant seem to control myself with sweets and im starting to stress bc its the holidays and people bring them constantly in to the office. i can say no for the first 3-4 days but i break and often end up eating a lot of sweets....what do you do with sweets?

This seems to me to be one of the problems with the "just cut them out" plan. Lots of people still want them and will be tempted when they see them all the time and just cutting them out often means that having one is more likely to lead to overdoing it, since you've already broken your rule and might as well go nuts, since who knows when you will get to have them again.

For me--although everyone is different--it's much easier to teach myself that I can have them in moderation if they fit into my calories and I make sure to eat sufficient nutritious foods also. If I know I can have them whenever I want but have to make choices so they are within my calories--and if I have a personal rule that I eat at particular times and not all day--I tend to eat in moderation. Basically, I'll have a small amount of the treats that are really worth it, and not eat ones that I'd be tempted to eat just because they are here. I'm sure the holidays will be more of a test, but this worked at Eastertime, and it works with the usual candy and sweets that are all over my office constantly. It also allows me to keep ice cream at home and not overeat it. (There are other foods, like pie, which I would almost certainly end up overeating or eating at the expense of foods I'd be better off eating if I kept them at home, so I haven't been baking much. Saving it for the holidays when I can have a piece and not worry about leftovers.)

lol yes it is a struggle but i know what u mean sometimes i do succeed. thanks

KendraMartin85

I have found substitutes for my sweet tooth, like quest or other protein bars.

DiabolicalColossus

I eat sweets in moderation because I want to and can.

If people offer me sweets at work that I don't want, I politely decline and thank them for the pleasant offer. It's seriously that simple.

If you "can't" (read: won't) eat sweets in moderation, then cut them entirely. It's your prerogative, and what works for other people is entirely irrelevant to you. The food in your hand is going into YOUR mouth and no one else's.

Like a poster above said, this is a habit.

Chew gum, drink water, go take a walk, knit a sweater.

It's up to you to choose your replacement behavior.