Struggle with sweets

navdeeprana

I been failing with sweets almost everyday that messes my entire day of eating clean. The trend so far is all is good until evening and then end of the day when energy is low or feel exhausted , I give up eating a small portion of sweets and that is it. Need to break out of this habit, know will power is the key but any other thoughts suggestions...anyone can relate to....

Stay Strong!

littlebear0121

Could you try to drink tea instead? It helps me just to go to bed earlier, also.

navdeeprana

I usually take green tea around 4 cups a day ...an hour before bed too. Does tea helps you to avoid cravings

janejellyroll

I find it is virtually impossible to succeed when I divide foods into "good" and "bad." What if instead of saying "I failed" or "I give up," you thought of it as choosing to eat something sweet when you wanted it? When I know that I can have some sweets every day, it's a lot easier for me to eat a portion that fits into my calorie goals. There will be more tomorrow (if I want it).

AmyC2288

I eat an ice cream bar almost every single night. It's 180 calories and fits into my macros and calories for the day nicely! Have lost 35 lbs so far

quiksylver296

I save 200-300 calories for ice cream or chocolate every evening. If I try to cut it out of my diet completely, I freak out and binge on it.

Some people are moderators (me), and some people are abstainers. It sounds like you are a moderator, too. There is no prize for eating "more clean". Enjoy your evening snack.

navdeeprana

@janejellyroll : that is where I kinda keep struggling though not going to give up, I started with a early chocolate cubes every night and then I am pathetic at controlling portions of sweets....it is like an addiction for me...just a little portion and there you go....I do not have same stuggle with junk food lol..

@AmyC2288 : Thanks for sharing , going to give it a try however chocolates just gets me

paperpudding

Ok, so particular foods are hard for you to moderate? You would like to have a small serve and it fits your calories, but then you go over board with it?

Some ideas

dont keep the big amounts in the house
Only buy each day the amount you will eat that night - eg buy a small freddo frog on way home from work to eat that night.

Portion the chocolate or whatever into individual serves - get out one in the morning for that night and have the others in harder to get to place, eg a high shelf that you have to get step ladder to get to.

find ways to eat the serve slower and savour it - eating icecream with a teaspoon works for me .

janejellyroll

navdeeprana wrote: »

@janejellyroll : that is where I kinda keep struggling though not going to give up, I started with a early chocolate cubes every night and then I am pathetic at controlling portions of sweets....it is like an addiction for me...just a little portion and there you go....I do not have same stuggle with junk food lol..

@AmyC2288 : Thanks for sharing , going to give it a try however chocolates just gets me

If it's impossible for you to have portions that fit into your calorie goals, then avoiding the food is going to be the only option.

But before I decided it was impossible, I think I would at least give it a try to see if rethinking how I approached it worked. You aren't "messing up" a day by having some chocolate. When I approached dieting as an all-or-nothing thing, where a day was either perfect or messed up, I didn't really have a motivation to keep my portion sizes of things like chocolate small. Why bother -- I already messed up the whole day, right? Might as well eat the whole bag and just start again tomorrow. But when I realized that I could have chocolate and it was okay, everything became a lot easier.

You may not be like me, but it's worth thinking about. What if having something sweet at the end of the day was just a choice you made and not a sign that you're pathetic or addicted or have no will power?

navdeeprana

@quiksylver296 @janejellyroll : ok so I am going to give it an honest shot at saving some calories near the day end for sweets that will help changing the mentality of deprieving sweets altogether and messing up

@paperpudding : great idea to keep it at a place away versus easily reachable. Thanks it really is worth trying, since easy access and having at home in bulk was another factor.

AmyC2288

Agree with the person above who mentioned portions. I really like having my dessert already portioned out for me so the ice cream bars are perfect because they are already individually wrapped. It takes away the step of having to create my own portions.

girlwithcurls2

There is a thread on the Motivation and Support board titled, "Just for Today" and it's about committing to doing something just for that ONE day. I went one day and typed a reply that I was going to not have snacks between dinner and bed (I eat late enough that it's not a hunger issue, just a bad habit that I need to break). Just by typing those words and putting it out there was a huge change in my thinking. Maybe think about what you're willing to commit to (giving it up? allowing yourself a portion that fits your calorie goals?) and stop by that discussion. I totally get it.
Good luck

leanjogreen18

Can you purchase just an individual package? Like a small package of Hershey's kisses and limit to one or two a day? Heck if you eat them all it's only 220 cal but when they are gone they are gone until you go out again?

KaylaMack013

I usually have some fruit and a small nip of dark chocolate and that always seems to help the sweet cravings!

navdeeprana

@AmyC2288 : Indeed.
@girlwithcurls2 : Thank you will stop by that thread
@leanjogreen18 : I would need at least five of the individual kisses. But great point.
@KaylaMack013 : I am going to try it. Thank you

littletahoma

I have the same issues, what I realized is as long as I stay in my calorie goals, I’m still hitting my targets. If that means 200 calories a day reserved for something sweet, I enjoy it.

I was binging on candy at night so this alone is a good improvement for me.

I also try tea as someone else mentioned with a little stevia.

Be kind to yourself, and best of luck! Changing a bad habit is tough.

kshama2001

navdeeprana wrote: »

@janejellyroll : that is where I kinda keep struggling though not going to give up, I started with a early chocolate cubes every night and then I am pathetic at controlling portions of sweets....it is like an addiction for me...just a little portion and there you go....I do not have same stuggle with junk food lol..

@AmyC2288 : Thanks for sharing , going to give it a try however chocolates just gets me

There are some foods I simply cannot moderate, and so I do not bring them into the house.

Others, though, I weigh out a portion, put the rest away and out of site, and I'm fine.

I eat chocolate super slowly, letting small bites dissolve in my mouth rather than chewing them. When I eat this way, I am satisfied with 70 calories or less.

Chocolate chips work better for this for me than kisses would.

I also like Ghirardelli squares - I nibble around the edge first.

navdeeprana

man I finally reserved sweets calories near end of the day .....can't tell you folks how much it helped me versus deprieving all together. Thanks again folks.

kami3006

navdeeprana wrote: »

man I finally reserved sweets calories near end of the day .....can't tell you folks how much it helped me versus deprieving all together. Thanks again folks.

Pre logging them for my evening snack made all the difference for me. I'm glad you've found it works for you as well.

Best wishes!

missysippy930

It’s hard, but learning to moderate sweets (really all foods) for me, is the only way I can get this to work. As others stated, I too, save calories for the end of the day. A Dove dark chocolate Promise @ around 40 calories for me. I am hoping that portion control and moderation skills will lead to an easy transition to maintaining life long weight management.

WinoGelato

Good for you for giving moderation a go! I think if you follow the good advice above, you’ll be learning to reframe your attitude about sweets and other foods at well which can help build long term sustainable outlook.

The other thing you mentioned was “eating clean” and I wanted to touch on that a bit. Many of us don’t find that to be a particularly helpful goal to work toward, because the term is so vague and means something different to nearly everyone that uses it. Nutrition is important of course but there are lots of foods that wouldn’t be classified as “clean” by some definitions but that still contribute positively to an overall healthy and balanced diet. Labeling things as “clean” or “dirty” or good/bad can often create unnecessary anxiety and rules that can be difficult to adhere to.

Focus on eating a primarily nutritious diet, within a calorie appropriate goal, being active, and leaving room for foods you enjoy in moderation.


Reframing it can help you achieve long term success - good luck!

midlomel1971

I also find that green tea helps me during my evening sweet cravings. A cup of decaf hot tea and a small orange usually hits the spot. Or sometimes a 60 calorie sugar-free Jello pudding.

navdeeprana

Thanks to each and everyone of you for taking time out to respond. :). Appreciate each of your comments and truly helped me.

Stay Strong!

roughwaterexpress

I am seeing a nutritionist. She suggested a sugar detox, attempting to eliminate as much sugar as possible for the first 2 weeks. The exception: a peeled orange, and 2 squares of Lindt dark chocolate. I look forward to those orange sections and chocolate all day, the sugar is negligible, and the dark chocolate is good for me. It helps me stay on track and I haven't binged on sweets once since I started this.

WinoGelato

roughwaterexpress wrote: »

I am seeing a nutritionist. She suggested a sugar detox, attempting to eliminate as much sugar as possible for the first 2 weeks. The exception: a peeled orange, and 2 squares of Lindt dark chocolate. I look forward to those orange sections and chocolate all day, the sugar is negligible, and the dark chocolate is good for me. It helps me stay on track and I haven't binged on sweets once since I started this.

I would ditch the nutritionist or anyone who put me on a “sugar detox” unless they could explain what is toxic about sugar (hint - nothing, therefore no need to detox).

Love_2_Hike

I don't buy them, I don't put them in the shopping trolley, I stay away from those supermarket isles.