Best way to kick sugar habit?

KM0692

Cold turkey? I am finding that if I have just a little bit of sugar, I want more. I love cookies, ice cream, etc. and have tried to eat those things in moderation. It is VERY difficult for me. I have tried hard candy, but it just makes me crave more sugar, and I end up eating cookies. I know that I can't avoid sugar completely as it is in so many things (i.e., bread), but I want to stop the cravings for the cookies, cake, etc.

L1zardQueen

I wouldn't keep them in the house then. Or learn how to moderate them. I know it is hard but what else can you do?

Christine_72

Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »

I wouldn't keep them in the house then. Or learn how to moderate them. I know it is hard but what else can you do?

This.

There are certain foods i just don't bring into the house anymore as i have zero willpower around them, and i know full well i won't stop at just one..

Going by your post, it sounds like you have more of a sweet tooth than a sugar habit. You can swap out calorific dessert type foods for other options. For example, i make my own chocolate pudding which is simply 200g 4% plain Greek yogurt with 30g of chocolate/peanut butter protein powder mixed in. It satisfies my sweet craving, but only contains 7g of sugar for a decent size bowls worth. I sometimes sprinkle on lightly salted toasted coconut flakes on top, which gives me sweet, salty and crunchy all in one.

I make quite a few desserts with protein powder, they have better macros and are more satisfying than the regular sweet type foods i'd usually go for.

You could also sub your regular ice cream for Halo top, it tastes just like regular ice cream to me, but with less calories and more protein/fibre.

lemurcat12

I think it's good to start by focusing on when you overeat it. Is it that you eat something and then obsess until it is gone? Think about it being in the house? Crave it? Is it when you are tired? stress? At the end the day because you are used to snacking in the evenings? Good to pinpoint it. Do you not want it if you don't have it? Thinking about these things can give you the answer.

For me the main answer is structure. I eat well at meals, if I snack I often don't eat well or want to keep snacking. It also causes me to think about food throughout the day so if I see something tasty available I want it. Thus, I am most successful when I stick to a schedule and eat only at mealtime. If I want a little something sweet after dinner and it fits in my calories, I am usually okay with having it (wasn't always), but I don't do it every day, since I don't want to feel like it's missing if I don't. I also mix it up and have fruit or savory desserts (cheese, maybe nuts or nut butter) sometimes.

If it's an issue of you will eat it until it's gone, focusing on not having it in the house and buying single servings is a good idea or changing the surrounding like doing it more rarely and in connection with going out for ice cream or some such. Mostly I think it's about finding some sort of structure that you will apply.

If you are thinking of cutting them out to see if that's easier, I think that can be workable too, especially if you have in mind a goal. When I started I had an issue with emotional/stress eating and since sweets were what I usually used for this (they were more available than the savory foods I tended to turn to), I thought cutting them out would help make it easier to stop using food for emotional stuff. It went fine, and after about a month I reintroduced them under the structure mentioned above and found I had much more control, at least over some things.

I don't even like hard candies much, but we have them at work and I've tried having one as a pick me up or little low call treat and it's never a good idea, I always want to keep eating then -- I just cannot snack (in an unplanned way, don't mean a planned snack that is essentially a meal) or graze without wanting to eat and eat.

GottaBurnEmAll

I have found, through trial and error, a couple of things to be very important in dealing with this issue. The first was a recent revelation, so I'm going to start there:

• Try playing around with your macro balance. Sometimes, a less than optimal macro balance can lead to cravings. This was the case for me. When I took starches out of my diet for almost a year, it led to me being out of control with cravings and unable to moderate treats when I'd previously been able to AND to be unable to resist temptation. When I reintroduced starchy foods to my diet, cravings disappeared, my impulse control returned, and my binge behavior stopped.
• Add structure to your meals/snacks so that you are eating to plan and planning what you eat. Creating habit around meal times with knowing what you'll eat helps to remove temptation.
• If you find you can't moderate portions, only buy single servings of things
• Some people find it helpful to completely do without sugar for a couple of weeks first and then slowly reintroduce it, others are just fine going straight to the structure/moderate phase. Do what you think is best for you.
• If it's not absolutely magnificent tasting, it's not worth the calories.