Sugar Cravings

1991court

Ok I need tips on lowing or ridding myself 9f sugar cravings. I have the worst sweet tooth, I went MIA due to pregnancy and now I have a 12 weeks old. I lost more inches and weight then my prepreg weight but gained all back and a lot of inches from sugar. Please don't suggest pickles lol.

mel63622015

Highlights hot chocolate! 40 calories

mel63622015

Frozen grapes!

LacednLace

To get some sugar without going overboard: Fruit, chocolate rice cakes, greek yogurt in flavors, etc

lemurcat12

Fruit, also just experiment with what you can eat that doesn't make you want more. Flavored greek yogurt gets a bad rap from some, but if you enjoy it more than yogurt plus fruit I think it can be a great option, because it has protein and as much fat as you want (none, if you prefer, but also more if that helps you) and tends to be more filling.

A LOT of the time sugar desire for me is really about lack of sleep--the body wants quick energy--so with an infant I'd suspect that might be related. Maybe try snacking on berries?

cherylann141

The more I exercise and sleep the less I crave sugar. Probably something hard to do with a newborn. Also, the more sugar I eat the more I crave it so I try to limit concentrated sugar desserts to only a few a week, never more than one a day and not in the first half of the day because then I crave all day long. No pastry for breakfast but maybe for dessert after dinner.

1991court

I will have to try snacking on the berries idea! I never connected my sugar to sleep that really is eye opening, thank you.

Cali585

I make iced tea with juice of 1 lemon and lemon Stevia drops. Works wonders. Or sparkling water with lemon juice, lemon stevia, and frozen blueberries.

whmscll

Figs. They are super sweet but full of fiber so they fill you up. They're also full of good nutrients. Also fresh pineapple (in season). Or 1oz of dark chocolate (50% cacao or more). You can't fight a sweet tooth. I have mouth full. You have to learn to eat sweets in moderation. Not easy! Good luck.

mwyvr

Blueberries. Great, not carb laden, full of goodness. Mix with some unsweetened natural organic greek yoghurt - good protein hit. Combo tastes great, very good for you, will leave you feeling satiated for a while.

Don't buy sweets. Not in the house, no problem - right? It's easier than resisting.

Second the motion on exercise and sleep. Both REALLY help.

89Madeline

Very dark chocolate (85%). Low in calories and sugar, will satisfy the craving. Because it's so strong in flavour, it really calms down any sugar craving for me, whereas milk chocolate just screams "eat allllll of me" lol. Also helped for me: fresh (or frozen, warmed up in the microwave, yum) raspberries. So sweet! Banana, apple (make it attractive, slice it), maybe with a bit of peanut butter.

Grapes!

chocolate rice cakes is also such a good one, but I find that something I want to keep binging on lol.

Actually, what helped me lose weight with a sweet tooth: every evening I treated myself on one chocolate biscuit with my coffee. They were really low in cals for a cookie and satisfied the craving. I still do the same thing, now with the very dark chocolate.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

Sula sweets- Only 8 calories and they lovely. I like the liquorice ones the best or the butter scotch flavour

Extra86

I have the same problem...I can't just have one piece of candy or chocolate. It happens to me late in the evening after dinner.

89Madeline

I promise you, you actually can I used to eat one bar of chocolate a day, or a bag of m&m's. It helps if you don't put all of it in front of you, just a little bit on a plate for example. Or why not make a nicely filled snack bowl: some banana, some grapes, a bit of chocolate and one cookie. Makes you feel full and satisfied, but a great reduction of calories. That's one way

Bobbie63

The more sugar I eat, the more I want. The less sugar I eat, the less I want. I have not given it up for coffee...heck I am just starting again and I baked a banana bread- so, I think..I will not have sugar except coffee (and when I finish the banana bread) for 30 days and see how I do. That would be a good start on a sugar flush. I mean refined sugar, read labels, and none of that sugar ketchup (good-bye hoisen sauce). Only sugar in coffee. Ok- I am committed,sigh.

Hollywood_Porky

Stevia rocks in my world. I use it in coffee. Doesn't induce insulin response either - since coffee and sugar have the tendency to induce a much larger insulin response for some people. Chocolate - eat dark chocolate, at least 70% and preferably 85% cacao - take that from a former chocolatier here.

suruda

I let myself have a piece of dark chocolate (or two) every evening...if I crave it mid day, I can usually wait until evening...

For some reason diet rootbeer is a sweet treat for me that also works for sugar cravings.
I also treat myself to my favorite fruits (currently watermelon) for a sweet treat

I did have to go cold turkey off of sugar when I started in January. That seemed to be a good reset for me and now I can do moderation

luketryder23

Wheatabix with truvia sprinkled on them or low fat Greek yoghurt with raspberries / strawberries. Eat bananas before any workouts. If you want sugar/sweet eat fruit not processed sources. Be careful of fruit juices though and most low fat yoghurt, it's full of sugar (almost chocolate bar like!)

moltobella

I rid myself of sugar cravings by taking 500 mg of chromium picolinate in the morning. I eat fruit usually blueberries, but i no longer crave candy and pastries.

amoynoodle

tedboosalis7 wrote: »

Stevia rocks in my world. I use it in coffee. Doesn't induce insulin response either - since coffee and sugar have the tendency to induce a much larger insulin response for some people. Chocolate - eat dark chocolate, at least 70% and preferably 85% cacao - take that from a former chocolatier here.

It might work for some to eat "sugar free" sweets etc, with artificial sweetners, but for me it has a terrible effect. It makes me crave sugar even more. like CRAZY. and the science behind it makes sense too... as tedboosalis7 mentions above. most artificial sweetners (splenda, aspartame, candarel etc) induce an insulin response which makes your body think its recieving actual sugar, so when no real sugar enters your system, a craving response is triggered. Stevia is magical stuff which doesnt have this problem. I use it all the time and love it. There are thnigs called "Stevia sweet leaf drops" too, which come in loads of different flavours (can get from Amazon). you can put a few drops into coffee if you usually like syrup, or some drops into fizzy water (watermelon and raspberry/chocolate flavour are AMAAAAZING in sparkling water) as a sub for usual soda drinks.

For other sweet satisfying things, I have quest bars (which are also amazing for protein), protein shakes, frozen banana pieces, frozen green grapes, 70% dark chocolate, greek yogurt with PB2 (peanut butter powder). Generally also, if you try to increase your fat and protein intake, you will find your sweet cravings massively decrease. I used to be HELPLESSLY addicted, and still relapse every now and then. But only really due to stress now, not due to improper diet.

aprilcanrun

I found this "banana icecream" recipe on a blog, where you freeze a banana overnight, then blend it up and it gets creamy. Then freeze it again for like an hour and you have icecream. Kind of, it tastes like banana flavoured frozen yogurt but it really helps a sugar craving!

bc119

@original poster: are you breastfeeding? If yes, your sugar cravings could be hormonal. I have a 5 month old & I've been pumping & I now have the biggest sweet tooth (which I did not have before pregnancy).

I also read if you're craving sugar you could be lacking something else that your body needs (i.e. dehydrated and need more water or need to eat more protein, etc.)

Sorry I don't have food suggestions - I'm trying to figure out these cravings as well! :-)

I am hoping cleaning up my diet will help or that the cravings will go down when I wean my baby.

CrazyMermaid1

Nonfat plain Greek yogurt with stevia and cinnamon. Add oat bran for regulation. Tastes like dessert. Cinnamon also stabilizes blood sugar.

lemurcat12

bc119 wrote: »

Sorry I don't have food suggestions - I'm trying to figure out these cravings as well! :-)

As stated above, sleep deprivation is very likely part of it. I know that doesn't seem to help if you can't sleep more, but sometimes recognizing that your body wants sugar because of the energizing effect can help you be more conscious about it, and when you get in a cycle of eating sugar to get that energy and crashing it can be helpful to break it. Sometimes just by drinking water and eating some carrots or some such (or maybe greek yogurt plus fruit if more calories make sense--it's good to include protein then) when you are wanting something sugary.

I found this to help a lot.

patrikc333

apples of 1 m&m work for me

Apud85

Popsicles! I always have to have something sweet after dinner, so I've started buying Yasso greek yogurt popsicles and fruit popsicles and they totally satisfy my craving.

justinb2010

Quest bars lol brownie in particular. Warm for 12 secs in microwave yummmm

Unknown

This content has been removed.