Problem with sweets... :(

kally_wph

I have always had random cravings for sweets/chocolate and Ive always had trouble to control it.. thats also the only reason i gain weight, i dont eat any other unhealthy food only sweets... for about a month i was able to control it and not eat at all for days but lately I am so stressed.. Im thinking about my exams in uni, if i'll be able to graduate on time etc... and chocolate relaxes me.
Does anyone has any tips on how to stop/ control these random cravings? Or any advice in general? Id really appreciate it!
Thank you!

JoshD8705

Protein shakes are what I have for my sweet tooth. I have Banana, Vanilla, Strawberry, and Chocolate atm. You could also sparingly use gum to curb a sweet tooth, and there are some pretty decent Greek yogurts out there that might hit the spot too.

Lasmartchika

I actually include a portion of sweets into my day. I usually get the fun size ones. That way you can still enjoy it and not kill all of your calories.

LUHAN27

^ I always include sweets! Mainly dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is sweet and curbs your sweet tooth. My favorites are dove dark chocolate with almonds. I get the pack with individual chocolates.

SusanMFindlay

Slowly increase the darkness of your chocolate until you find your "sweet spot". For me, that's 70% (though 80% will do in a pinch). Sweet enough to satisfy the craving but not so sweet that I just want more and more. Also, darker is chocolatey-er.

kally_wph

Thank you guys! It's a bad "addiction" I have and I really want to control it so i can become healthier! I appreciate all of your advice:)

MrsLannister

Good apples help me. Sweet and lots of fiber to fill me up.

TheArtist070

I have been eating a lot of chocolate cake, but I buy it in single servings - way too many calories and I hope by the time I muster up the determination to stick with a proper meal plan I can look back and remind myself I can have all the cake I want but I can choose not to. I struggle with both craving and control. I find if I eat fruit the sugary foods like cake and candy start to taste too sweet and I don't think so much about them. Sometimes I look at all the pretty desserts in the store - I say oh, how pretty! as if they are mini sculptures made of plastic and move on. Maybe I'll start taking photos of them!
















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shadowfax_c11

Allowing a planned portion of sweets every day keeps off the urge to binge. I found that when I cut out foods I really enjoy I tended to crave them more and would end up overindulging more. I really love the 85% dark chocolate Mosser Roth bars from Aldi. Each package comes with 5 bars and 1 bar is only 142 calories and I fond slowly enjoying one piece is enough to satisfy.

Also like Theartist070 I often buy things in single servings so I can only eat the one piece. One slice of really yummy cake or other baked sweet from a local bakery is a nice treat. Don't keep things you can't moderate in the house in larger amounts. For instance I can keep a bag of Twizzlers and be content with the 4 piece serving but cannot keep a bag of Lindor Truffles around because I can't stop at three.

Charis50

SusanMFindlay wrote: »

Slowly increase the darkness of your chocolate until you find your "sweet spot". For me, that's 70% (though 80% will do in a pinch). Sweet enough to satisfy the craving but not so sweet that I just want more and more. Also, darker is chocolatey-er.

I agree! A gradual move from the sweeter milk chocolates to dark chocolates was the way to go for me as well. Turned out it wasn't the chocolate that I craved, but the sugar.

I used to wolf down an entire 12 ounce bag of "fun-size" Snickers bars at one sitting if I was feeling stressed, but there's no way that I can eat an entire 1.5 oz bar of my new favorite, Trader Joe's 85% cacao. Two or three small pieces do the trick.

cindyangotti

What works for me is when I meet my protein macros. That seems to decrease the cravings. Other than that find sweets that fit into your goals and don't keep any trigger sweets around that may cause you problems.

kally_wph

Guys you have been all so helpful! Thank u so much, really im gonna start using your advice from tomorrow! Also i think a big factor is that i am so stressed lately, and chocolate helps me with my stress levels! So im just gonna try also to be more organised and hopefully that will help me control these cravings as well!

MoonKat7

Eat Cinnamon everyday, add it to your food, protein shake, etc, don't over do it though, 5g should be enough or just a dash everyday.
Read more here:
http://cinnamonvogue.com/blog/6-reasons-why-cinnamon-can-kill-your-sugar-cravings/

Also high protein diet, leafy green salads can help with the cravings.

arditarose

Do you log your food? If it doesn't fit in your day, don't eat it. Pre-log. Or you could eat all sweets and stay in a deficit but that wouldn't be very healthy.

xvolution

As long as you work it into your daily calorie counts, sweets are fine. I usually have something sweet after work [usually a sugary juice or soda] since my blood sugars are usually in the hypoglycemic range around that time [new job + shot adjustments are a lot of fun].

Leesespieces412

This is my problem too!! I yoyo back and forth through the years because of it. Ice cream is my weakness and I found two brands that are actually delicious and only around 300-400 calories per pint. They are Halo Top and Enlightened. Even my husband who isn't a sweets guy thinks they're good!

glacierlilly

Someone else was talking about the Halo ice cream. I've never seen it before. Is it in the states? I really appreciate this post, thanks for the topic kally_wph. Next I'm going to read the cinnamon article. Sounds interesting. I have a horrible sweet tooth and when I remove sweets completely I binge,

salembambi

i love sweets so much so i always prelog in some sweets everyday

usually chocolate brownie larabars or some other kind of chocolate

oh also dried mango is like candy so i always have a serving or two of that

ybakhtiar95

what do to about the cravings..?????

Basilin

If I can manage, I make sure not to have sweets around. That forces me to get past the craving, and eventually the cravings go away. If I must have sweets, I make sure to include healthy fats and fiber with them, such as fruit and nuts. At least, on days that I don't have massive failures in judgement...

To satisfy the chocolate tooth, I drink "brewing cocoa" which is made of ground and roasted cacao beans that are brewed like coffee. No sweeteners, thickeners, calories, etc. that you'd find in chocolate drinks. I brew an 8 oz cup and add 2 oz of dairy milk (although almond, soy, or coconut milk would work, too). It is delicious and satisfying and the only calories/sugar come from the little bit of milk added.

Here is whom I buy it from (I am gonna plug her business because she is a small-batch brewer, a lovely person, and I want to support her): https://choklatude.com/collections/vendors?q=choklatude

leslee2013

I didn't read through the posts very well so I apologize if this is a repeat. I have made energy bites in the past and found them to be very sweet and satisfying. This site has a variety http://www.eatthis.com/these-energy-bites-make-a-perfect-healthy-snack
I made a kind with honey, peanut butter, oats, chai seeds, hemp hearts, and I used cocoa nibs instead of mini choc chips (because I had them and could) and this is by memory so I may be missing ingredients but you the idea... it is a simple way to satisfy sweet and add in healthy

lemurcat12

I was just reading about brewed cacao beans as the Aztecs used to do it -- supposedly very bitter and you can add spice, which sounds appealing. This is not the source I'm referring to, but basically the same thing, I haven't researched it myself:

The Aztec version of the chocolate drink differed from the Mayan because it was served cold. A small minority of upper-class citizens enjoyed the frothy drink. It was expensive to make, requiring many valuable cacao beans. As such, it was enjoyed by rulers, priests, and noblemen from a tall pitcher. The Aztecs believed that the drink was medicinal, provided energy, and boosted sex drive. Lower class members of society would get a taste of the divine drink on special occasions such as a wedding....

Nobody enjoyed the bitter chocolate drink quite like the ninth ruler of Tenochtitlan, Montezuma II. "Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin" ( his name translated to Nahuatl) drank the spicy chocolate cocktail 50 times a day. Additionally, he had thousands of pitchers prepared for the members of his household daily. He kept a storage room full of beans acquired through trade, tax, and military conquests. He also set forth the edict that cacao was reserved for men who went to battle.

http://www.chocolate.org/articles/chocolate-and-the-aztecs.html

Basilin

lemurcat12 wrote: »

I was just reading about brewed cacao beans as the Aztecs used to do it -- supposedly very bitter and you can add spice, which sounds appealing. This is not the source I'm referring to, but basically the same thing, I haven't researched it myself:

http://www.chocolate.org/articles/chocolate-and-the-aztecs.html

It is different. It is not like drinking hot chocolate, but more like a chocolate tea when brewed as if it were coffee (not sure what the Mayan or Aztec techniques were). I am going to try making it as a stove-top espresso and see how that changes the flavor compared to a French press.

lemurcat12

Basilin wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

I was just reading about brewed cacao beans as the Aztecs used to do it -- supposedly very bitter and you can add spice, which sounds appealing. This is not the source I'm referring to, but basically the same thing, I haven't researched it myself:

http://www.chocolate.org/articles/chocolate-and-the-aztecs.html

It is different. It is not like drinking hot chocolate, but more like a chocolate tea when brewed as if it were coffee (not sure what the Mayan or Aztec techniques were).

Not like hot chocolate. Here's the description from the link:

"Like their Mesoamerican predecessors, the Mayan people cultivated and harvested cacao beans. They developed a process that we still use today to produce cacao liquor or cacao paste: They removed the beans from the pod (another name for the fruit), fermented them in containers, laid them out to dry, and then ground them. The liquid was mixed with water and chile peppers. Other ingredients such as flowers, vanilla, and honey were added. The result was a thick, bitter, foamy drink. They worked to make the drink as froth-filled as possible by pouring from one container to the next. Stirring with a special spoon like utensil called a Molinillo was another approach."

Basilin

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Not like hot chocolate. Here's the description from the link:

"Like their Mesoamerican predecessors, the Mayan people cultivated and harvested cacao beans. They developed a process that we still use today to produce cacao liquor or cacao paste: They removed the beans from the pod (another name for the fruit), fermented them in containers, laid them out to dry, and then ground them. The liquid was mixed with water and chile peppers. Other ingredients such as flowers, vanilla, and honey were added. The result was a thick, bitter, foamy drink. They worked to make the drink as froth-filled as possible by pouring from one container to the next. Stirring with a special spoon like utensil called a Molinillo was another approach."

The frothy description was what threw me in your first quote as to what process they might use! The espresso maker works pretty well. It makes it a bit more bitter than steeping in hot water, but concentrates the flavor (as expected, I suppose). It also brings out more of the oils in the beans, as the expresso version is much more oily in consistency than the brewed.

Thanks for the info! I know this is the Google age and I could look it up myself, but having a conversation is fun.

cerise_noir

ybakhtiar95 wrote: »

what do to about the cravings..?????

Either satisfy your craving by eating a little bit of the food that you crave (if it fits in your calories) or ignore it.

Cutting out sweets isn't a requirement for weight loss.

kally_wph

Wow so much new information! Thanks alot guys! I appreciate it!
Since I wrote the post I've tried to control these cravings or at least not overpass my calorie goal!

Parsons88

I'm totally with you. I eat so many sweets. My advice would be to workout more (so you can enjoy SOME sweets) and drink more water.