Dessert policy (best for LCHF / warrior diet)

Brownilocks

What's your dessert policy? When do you allow yourself dessert, what do you choose, and how much do you eat?

I'm on a LCHF + warrior diet, mainly for convenience purposes. (I'm a very slow eater, and a feaster to boost, so snacking during the day really doesn't pay off for me.)

I have a fairly strong sweet tooth, which can make it challenging to be on a low carb diet, since sugar is a very dense - and addicting - carb package.

Futhermore, I love to bake!

Any tips?

malibu927

I have dessert every night and work it into my calories. Usually ice cream/gelato or a bit of candy. If I didn't, I'd probably end up binging on it.

Dreysander

I have 'dessert' but it's always a Light and Fit Greek yogurt with blueberries in it. I don't eat "real" dessert food unless it's Saturday, then I allow myself a small dessert. I always bake for Saturday, we have "game night" so I can make a huge batch of something and our guests eat most of it. I also have kids who are like a swarm of locusts. This weekend we're doing Christmas sugar cookies.

Sued0nim

I'm not LCHF but I have 170g Greek yogurt and 150g fresh berries after lunch and an ice cream after dinner almost daily - like a Solero or Fab or Mars Ice cream bar etc

I think the lunch dessert might work?

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

SF jelly with berries and whipped double cream.

lemurcat12

I don't snack, but I work a dessert into my calories quite frequently and have it immediately after dinner (or on occasion, lunch instead). Most often this is ice cream or gelato, sometimes it's a piece of good chocolate or (recently) a Christmas cookie, sometimes I go with cheese instead.

Can you actually have a dessert that involves sugar (and other carb sources) on a LCHF diet? I wouldn't think it would be much of an issue, as it would blow the carb count. I know there are various LC desserts, but haven't tried any. I know there are yogurts that might as well be desserts, some with artificial sweetener (although yogurt will have natural sugars too).

afatpersonwholikesfood

I don't really have a label on my way of eating. I would say I try to do moderate carbs, higher than average fat, and I attempt to get in adequate-to-high protein.

I don't have dessert. I eat dinner, and that's it. That's not a rule; we just don't really have dessert on a regular basis - though we do sometimes have fruit as part of the meal and call it dessert, actually. I don't think, despite that not being a rule, that it would be a good idea for me, personally, to have the habit of having dessert every night. A better question for me to answer would be, "What is your sweets policy?"

I don't keep them in the house, but I eat them if they fit into my calorie and macro goals (more so the calories than the macros). My additional criteria is that I cannot be full. I will get single servings outside my home (restaurant, bakery, someone else's home, candy bar).

This week has been Christmas cookie week. I've had 4 cookies, all within my daily goals. That's more non-fruit/dairy/wheat/natural sugar (differentiating since people on here get nitpicky about all sugar being the same - which it is) than I would typically have in a week, but it's an exception since I have been baking.

I just don't want to make things any harder for myself than they need to be. I like having an environment set up in a way that makes willpower unnecessary. I don't have kids, and my husband doesn't care about sweets, so it works.

rosebarnalice

I use the "Bread, Booze, or Brownie" rule: I aim to limit myself to one serving empty carby calories per day--e.g., bread, alcohol, OR dessert ("brownie" is a stand-in for all dessert items just to keep the alliteration going).

nordlead2005

If we are talking dessert with dinner, I don't typically do that, maybe once a month tops (typically holidays like pie at Thanksgiving or Christmas, maybe something on the 4th of July, anniversary dinner at a restaurant etc...). So, when the occasion arises I fit it in my calories or say whatever.

If we are talking a snack later in the evening, almost every night. It used to be low fat fudge pops, now it is dark chocolate covered coffee beans. I've also done cookies, etc... I like to have a snack in the evening and don't care for breakfast, so I skip breakfast and eat bigger lunches and dinners along with a snack.

If I'm having a dessert/snack, macro content is of little concern to me. Overall I try to have a balanced diet that falls somewhere near 40% carb, 30% each protein and fat while losing weight.

stealthq

lemurcat12 wrote: »

I don't snack, but I work a dessert into my calories quite frequently and have it immediately after dinner (or on occasion, lunch instead). Most often this is ice cream or gelato, sometimes it's a piece of good chocolate or (recently) a Christmas cookie, sometimes I go with cheese instead.

Can you actually have a dessert that involves sugar (and other carb sources) on a LCHF diet? I wouldn't think it would be much of an issue, as it would blow the carb count. I know there are various LC desserts, but haven't tried any. I know there are yogurts that might as well be desserts, some with artificial sweetener (although yogurt will have natural sugars too).

I would have thought this, too.

I find that if I want something sweet, best to either have it when there's no chance to get more (grab a cookie on the go, snag some at a restaurant right before leaving), or have it right before I go to sleep. Otherwise there's a decent chance I'll want more than I planned on having. Worst time for me to have sweets is if I'm sitting around not doing much.

ETA: I've not been very successful following those guidelines lately, but when I do they work great.

Lucille4444

SF jello almost every day, with a little kool whip.

kshama2001

I love to bake too, so what I do is bake the day before I am going to see my family. I send some home with my fiance, give some to my family, and end up with a few servings for myself.

Or I'll make a batch of these http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/totally-chocolate-chocolate-chip-cookies-29 just bake what we are going to eat that night, put the rest of the batter in the freezer, formed into cookies, and bake as needed.

tlflag1620

My usual desserts (I eat LCHF too) include good quality dark chocolate (70% or better) or heavy cream with berries (fresh when in season, frozen and thawed this time of year). Those fit nicely into my macros. On special occassions I will have traditional high carb desserts, but that's no more than a few times a month, if that; I have one serving of something I really enjoy and end it. That said, my after dinner snack ("dessert") doesn't necessarily need to be sweet; sometimes a handful of almonds or a chunk of cheese will satisfy without worrying about carbs at all. There a LOTS of recipes for low carb versions of traditionally high carb desserts, so you could certainly try to find some substitutes you like. Personally I hate the taste of artificial sweeteners (and those recipes rely heavily on them), so my strategy has always been to strictly limit how often I eat sugary desserts, rather than trying to make them compatible with a low carb plan.

gettinfabnfit

Haven't found a lot of dessert options on low carb but I used to do Koolaid with Splenda frozen pops and Xarb smart cola floats with diet soda

blankiefinder

Anything with chocolate. Or a bowl of berries with milk and a bit of sugar, yum. Or a flavoured greek yogurt...

Christine_72

There are loads of websites that have low carb dessert recipes. Google "keto dessert recipes"

LivingtheLeanDream

I love to bake too. ...but I rarely sample it, I much prefer to see the joy on others faces when they sample what I make

I fit a treat or two of some kind into my cals every day, I do love a little chocolate hit ....dessert only happens once a week or if we eat out (rare occasions) and it has to be super delicious for me to eat it all ... what once I scoffed down I no longer care if I sample or not.

Taste buds change....