How do you survive sugar cravings?

crystalfisher89

How do you all survive sugar cravings? You know, the ones that suddenly come on and all you can do is think about chocolate (mainly chocolate for me) or other sugary items? When does it typically like to strike? Also, how did you break your sugar addiction?

I don't typically have massive sugar cravings, but it certainly helps to know how other handle it when it comes on so I can avoid plunging into baking something I'll regret later. For the most part, my diet it pretty good and I working to continue to improve it. Most of all, I am trying to break my addiction to sugar which I believe is the culprit for my body hanging on to the fat around my butt and thighs so stubbornly as I've lost fat in all the other areas.... I don't drink soda and haven't since I was 15 and after I quit the pop altogether, I lost 25 lbs... but I figured out a good way to wean myself off of it and never look back. I used flavored carbonated water and slowly moved over to drinking just water. Now I drink about a gallon of water a day, milk, and some tea (unsweetened).

I am not so smart with the giving up of chocolate though... I just want to be able to control the hunger and be able to say no. What are something I could use that would be a MUCH healthier substitute? Btw I do like dark chocolate- the darker the better I like it, but I don't keep it in the house and my bf keeps bringing regular chocolate in... Anyways, that's it for now!

Thanks

oiseau17

If I refused myself sweets I'd go insane :noway: My nightly sweet is the first thing I log in the morning, that way I know I can have it when I want it and never feel deprived. My current favorite "healthier" indulgence: 1/2 cup fat-free Fage Greek yogurt whipped together with a tbsp of Cocoa Almond Butter from Trader Joe's. If I want to make it extra indulgent, I mix in 2 tbsp of fat-free Cool Whip. It makes this awesome chocolate almond mousse. Just find things you enjoy and work them in!

tinylightsbelow

Eat fruit!

13suzie

(1) sugarless gum when I am trying to go cold turkey to eliminate sugar. (Takes three days for me to get past the cravings.) Gum that works best for me is Trident Bubblegum.

(2) sometimes i give in - but I realized that if I don't give in to eat exactly what I am craving, I end up binging on random other sugars as a compromise and I'm left unfulfilled.

(3) Eat a green apple. Weird how it really takes over the system and leaves you without a lingering craving.

(4) Tea. All sorts of flavored teas - special one (available online or in stores around holidays) is Celestial Seasonings - Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride Holiday Herb Tea. I add stevia (herb) as a sweetener.

(5) my new find is Dole banana dippers - 100 cals - 4 chunks of banana covered in dark chocolate. I was losing when I was eating one pack at night as a good day of eating reward! YUM! The grocery store had it near the frozen fruit and near the ice cream novelties.

(6) I eat sour salads - loaded with vinegar - Greek salads mostly. I finish those and I'm set. However, I noticed if I eat a lean meal that is seasoned with garlic salt, I go bonkers for sugar. Cooked garlic is very very very sweet and triggers sugar binges for me. So, I try to eat mindfully so that I steer away from running into a dark alley with sugar. (This includes limiting or eliminating processed flour and white rice. Those trigger sugar fits - not a good thing.)

(7) I almost forgot - I make my own version of a starbucks skinny (non-fat and sugar free) cappuccino. I use a double shot of espresso, a pack of stevia, and 1 teaspoon of hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder plus 1/2 cup frothed skim milk. It kills sugar craving AND chocolate craving at once!

BTW - it's worth sharing that after 3 days of NO SUGAR I really don't crave sugar anymore. If I eat just the slightest bit, I am back into sugar craving mode. I am not de-sugared right now and it's hard to not eat it.

Good luck. If you come up with your own suggestions that you find work for you, please message me!!!! I am always looking for new strategies.

Emilie04444

I have a sugar addiction for sure. I don't keep it in the house. AT ALL. Seriously. If I am craving sweets, I will stop by the store on the way home and get some chocolate. But there are only so many times that I will go to the store and buy something "bad" because I am a bit self conscious of buying crap food. I also only buy single servings. Like one packet of MMs not the huge family size bag. It usually hits me when I am stressed or tired or PMSing. I wouldn't say that I have it beat because it is still an ongoing battle. Like when some idiot buys a bag of chocolate at work, it is very hard for me to have one, especially if it is a problematic time. So I just avoid them, or I give them away to other coworkers.

The major issue for me was having it around 24/7 in the house. i wish I was the type of person that can keep a box of cookies in the house. My roommate has had a box in the cabinet since CHRISTMAS. It wouldn't have lasted under my watch. I have done enough "experiments" to know that I am not that type of person. Maybe in 5 yrs I will be. Maybe next year. Who knows. I just say that you must be honest with yourself and know your triggers. I also say have rules. Like I will not eat sweets at work. Or I will only buy cookies from a bakery, no Oreos. I think it's about quality to really appreciate the goodness of the sweets. I hope that helps!

darkestdayz

I keep awesome dill pickle spears in the fridge just for this reason. 9/10 times, this kills the craving.

Donald_Dozier_50

That is the exact solution, "eat fruit"

MsEndomorph

I try control it by not keeping it around. I never buy cookies, cakes, sodas, or candy. Never have.

But that didn't solve the problem because I desperate women will still find a way

So I don't deprive myself. If I need chocolate (and there are a couple days a month when I NEED chocolate) I drive my happy little butt to the store and buy a pack of Newman's Own Peanut Butter cups. And I eat all of it :-)

Other times I'll bake. I make relativity healthy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and put them 2 to a ziplock bag and in the freezer. One bag is about 100 calories and I dole them out as need be. If I bake and leave them out, I will eat them ALL.

Sometimes a chocolate protein shake will do the trick, too.

13suzie

(1) sugarless gum when I am trying to go cold turkey to eliminate sugar. (Takes three days for me to get past the cravings.) Gum that works best for me is Trident Bubblegum.

(2) sometimes i give in - but I realized that if I don't give in to eat exactly what I am craving, I end up binging on random other sugars as a compromise and I'm left unfulfilled.

(3) Eat a green apple. Weird how it really takes over the system and leaves you without a lingering craving.

(4) Tea. All sorts of flavored teas - special one (available online or in stores around holidays) is Celestial Seasonings - Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride Holiday Herb Tea. I add stevia (herb) as a sweetener.

(5) my new find is Dole banana dippers - 100 cals - 4 chunks of banana covered in dark chocolate. I was losing when I was eating one pack at night as a good day of eating reward! YUM! The grocery store had it near the frozen fruit and near the ice cream novelties.

(6) I eat sour salads - loaded with vinegar - Greek salads mostly. I finish those and I'm set. However, I noticed if I eat a lean meal that is seasoned with garlic salt, I go bonkers for sugar. Cooked garlic is very very very sweet and triggers sugar binges for me. So, I try to eat mindfully so that I steer away from running into a dark alley with sugar. (This includes limiting or eliminating processed flour and white rice. Those trigger sugar fits - not a good thing.)

(7) I almost forgot - I make my own version of a starbucks skinny (non-fat and sugar free) cappuccino. I use a double shot of espresso, a pack of stevia, and 1 teaspoon of hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder plus 1/2 cup frothed skim milk. It kills sugar craving AND chocolate craving at once!

BTW - it's worth sharing that after 3 days of NO SUGAR I really don't crave sugar anymore. If I eat just the slightest bit, I am back into sugar craving mode. I am not de-sugared right now and it's hard to not eat it.

Good luck. If you come up with your own suggestions that you find work for you, please message me!!!! I am always looking for new strategies.

Totally forgot #8 and #9:

(8) Dried figs! I keep them in the fridge so that they get tough and chewy. When I really need a "hit" of sweet, these do the trick. I buy mine from whole foods (sold near the berries in a circular package)...Trucco Figs. 1 fig= 35 calories. Totally worth every calorie since it nips the craving before the craving gets specific like, MUST HAVE COOKIE!

(9) A MFP suggested that I was too low on carbs. She was right. I was working out hard and binging on sugar at night. I added a routine of eating high quality oatmeal for breakfast to get some real fuel and man, it works! I have very stable days when I eat oatmeal for breakfast. Here's my concoction:
1/4 cup Bobs Red Mill Extra Thick Oats + 1/4 cup water + 1/4 cup skim milk --> nuke for 3 minutes. Add dash of salt, 1 cut up prune, and 1 teaspoon of wheat germ and plenty of cinnamon = 152 calories. It's very addictive - no sucrose - high fiber - tasty - and satisfying. Keeps the crazies in the corner.

NonnyMary

You said in your first couple of sentences that you start to think about it. That is the part where you have to stop it. In other words, think of that sweet as a piece of paper or something neutral. If you stop reacting to it like its the most yummy thing, then thats half the battle.

then try to let that feeling pass in about 10 minutes. Distract yourself, or just go with that feeling, but don't react emotionally to it.

This has helped me SO MUCH - me a recovering sugar addict.

i also have to stop watching tv cooking shows because those seem to trigger it. Try to stop as much as possible places or things that might trigger your craving.

That has helped me too. In a few weeks of choosing healthy food, the cravings went away and their power over me only happens sometimes, but i use what i just told you and it really does go away.

I do tend to eat about 3 fruits a day and maybe that has satisfied my sweet tooth.. i actually crave blackberries, they are my one thing that i feel like im eating sweets.

It begins and ends in your mind.

jess6742

I will normally drink a cup of coffee or tea and eat a piece of fruit. If that doesn't to it then I will "give in." I work hard and eat right most of the time so I think I deserve a treat now and then:)

FitGeekery

The simplest things for me was to have something sweet, just not horribly loaded with sugar. A piece of fruit (oranges are my favorite for this), make a healthy smooth, greek yogurt with a bit of honey or jam, frozen grapes are -awesome- if you're craving something cold. Home made frozen yogurt is also good if you'd like something cold and sweet. A piece of dark chocolate can work as well. There are definitely a ton of alternatives to help you meet those sugar cravings without going overboard or sabotaging yourself

crystalfisher89

Thanks everyone! I will keep this all in mind. I just remember someone on here telling me I eat too much fruit (like 3 fruits a day) because that was what I was doing to kill the sugar cravings, but then I started to cut that out. I do like greek yogurt so I am definitely going to try the cocoa almond butter from trader joes I love that store- I have to stay away though because my pocket book doesn't lol. I know depriving myself of sweet does me NO GOOD, but I wasn't sure how to curtail the cravings to actually benefit me healthwise. I went one week without chocolate and I fell off the wagon HARD and inhaled everything chocolate related once I broke. Keep the ideas coming MFPs!! I am writing them down

melindasuefritz

eat whatever im craving and exercise it off and stay under calories