Cravings

dschacke

I have a bad sweet tooth and I crave sweets. Cutting them out of my diet in the last two weeks is driving me nuts! Is there anything that helps get over the cravings? Please help!

fr33sia12

Have you tried dates, they're chewy like sweets and so tasty and sweet. Also they're so good for you.

cmriverside

Time and making the decision to stick with it. I went through the same thing. It is made worse by dwelling on it in my mind. Try to distract yourself away from the thoughts by doing something productive.

Dates are really high sugar - if I eat dates, I want all the sugars. The best thing for me is to just limit my carbs in general. I am on 1400 cals a day. If I stay under 150g of carbs it is much easier for me.

fr33sia12

cmriverside wrote: »

Time and making the decision to stick with it. I went through the same thing. It is made worse by dwelling on it in my mind. Try to distract yourself away from the thoughts by doing something productive.

Dates are really high sugar - if I eat dates, I want all the sugars. The best thing for me is to just limit my carbs in general. I am on 1400 cals a day. If I stay under 150g of carbs it is much easier for me.

True dates are high in "natural" sugars, but I'd rather get my sugar this way than eat processed sugar in sweets which is what the OP was craving. Also I still keep my sugar and carbs low eating dates and other fruits.

LuckyNumbers

If you can do it without binging, add a treat into your calories each day. I'm trying to hit 1200 calories a day, and I have a square of dark chocolate and a glass of wine almost daily. But like I said, only if you can do it without binging - sometimes it helps to delay your treat till the end of the day. If I start with sugar and carbs early, that's all I want to eat.

If you can't do it without binging, look into alternative, low-cal sweet snacks. Add cocoa powder to yogurt, have a cup of pudding, etc.

dschacke

Thanks for the tips! I just had an overripe banana. It was sweet enough. Craving is sated for now.

triddering

dschacke wrote: »

I have a bad sweet tooth and I crave sweets. Cutting them out of my diet in the last two weeks is driving me nuts! Is there anything that helps get over the cravings? Please help!

Get sweets in moderation out of fruit. I eat an apple a day. Strawberries and grapes are low calorie but sweet. Increase your protein intake so you aren't as hungry or crave as much and finally find less guilty alternatives with low calorie and some protein to curb them. I like some protein bars, fiber one protein bars, Halo Top ice cream or Yasso Greek ice cream Popsicles. Portion control on your sweet stuff and increase your protein, that will help. It works for me. I've lost 98 lbs in a year.

dschacke

I've gone out and bought apples, grapes and plums. I've also started eating bananas hut I lethink them get a little overripe so they are sweeter. Seems to be going the job.
Don't those protein bars have a lot of carbs?

tamaraworrall

Try blueberries and peppers too and carrots as they are sweet

sylkates

Most protein bars have too much sugar/calories for my needs. I feel like they're more appropriate for people doing heavy workouts more often than I do, or for people body-building.

When I was a few calories and protein, I go for hard-boiled eggs, roasted salted edamame, or beef jerky.

allangirl

I just ate Hersey Kisses for breakfast so I know the struggle. I crave sugar when I'm hungry, so I eat something healthy first. I treat granola bars like a candy bar because of the sugar content. Buy chocolate dipped granola bars to see if that helps. I also freeze blueberries and mangoes. The cold makes them sweeter for me. Also, I tell myself, "There will always be more food," when I'm around sweets and want to go hog wild. Having 1 versus 5 is my current goal rather than completely cutting out. Sugar is my heroine.

momnom27

Sugar was always my best buddy. It would have been okay if I was active, but I'm sedentary with the exception of nightly walks & weekend bike rides. I noticed milk was a trigger for me when it came to going hog wild on bread & sweets. Once I dropped fluid milk, I stopped stuffing my face all the time. Tomatoes avocados & bell peppers are my fruits of choice now. Probably going to add some berries & Granny Smith apples to up my energy levels for those weekend rides. Sugar free jello cups with a handful of unsalted almonds or pumpkin seeds is pretty fun too. Good luck taming that sweet tooth. It's really worth the effort & it does get better. Backing off the sugar for a time helps you realize you are in control of what you put in your body, and which treats you'd like to incorporate daily or weekly. For me, I've decided my love for super dark chocolate & the occasional ice cream cone are no big deal.

markswife1992

i will be of no help. if i want something, i go get it. it's been horrible and i wish i could quit.

mortensenj

Check out the Sugar Smart Diet. It is difficult to give sugar at first but after a few days it is easier. It gives all sorts of tips and recipes

My favourite is ordinary oatmeal topped with peanut butter. It keeps me full for hours

Moxie42

If you're doing a plan where you absolutely can't have "the bad sugar," I've heard that once you get through the first week or two, the cravings go away on their own...like a smoker quitting cigs. Idk about that though- I've never made it past a couple days!

A lot of people are happy with the sweet that fruit provides...I wish I were one of them!

For me personally, if I cut "bad" sweets out entirely I end up binging on them later, as soon as my brain finds a reason to justify a "cheat." Instead, I recently started buying popsicles (the ones I get are around 60 cals) and the mini-Drumstick ice cream cones (110 cals each). It lets me have something sweet without going overboard, and they take longer than 10 seconds to eat so I have more time to enjoy it and feel more satisfied after. Sometimes I want more but I can fairly easily tell myself "Nope, you gave your sweet tooth what it wanted. Anything more than that and it's being greedy!" It's not a method for everyone but it works for me.

doddsar127

Here's my strategy... I always have a bit of protein with my little sweets - that way my sugar levels stay relatively stsble so a craving (need for sugar level balance) is averted. My favorites? 1. Sliced apples dusted with cinnamon sugar along with blue diamond almonds dusted with coconut. 2. A banana sliced, drizzled with honey, micowaved for 10 seconds and topped with plain yogurt... Sometimes I add a few berries. 3. A cored apple filled with water and1/2 teas brown sugar, microwaved for 1 minute, topped with 1 tbs chopped walnuts. Get creative.. The more flavors, the better... Complex flavors satisfy !

CooCooPuff

I just eat sweets at the end of the day. They won't detract from the whole foods I've already eaten. Had some Oreos with some Almond Breeze almond coconut blend tonight.

as9045

I'm not a huge sweets eater--I have to worry much more about salty snacks, but sometimes I get a huge sweets craving. I got chocolate covered and yogurt covered craisins, which were really good, but I ate them all at once, so I had to stop buying them.

I don't like plain yogurt to begin with, so any yogurt I get for whatever meal/snack is going to be flavored. But besides for a snack, I also have one for dessert. I usually have one Oikos greek yogurt (key lime), and if I'm feeling extra fanciful, I add white chocolate or yogurt chips and/or crushed graham cracker to it. You can also go a different way and make a parfait with layered vanilla yogurt, fruit (I prefer strawberries), and granola, which I find really delicious.

While not necessarily the same sweet as sweets, I sometimes go for an apple with peanut butter or caramel dipping sauce.

Also one of those snack pack pudding cups (chocolate!). And again, if I'm really feeling a craving, I crush an oreo on top of it. However, sometimes good old hot chocolate can give me that sweet fix.

elisa123gal

Have you tried an herbal tea? lots of peach, honey, orange, and other flavors..no calories and cleansing.

dschacke

Thank you for the tips! And I have not tried herbal tea but I am going to give it a try!