Depressed when cutting out sweets.

GrumpyCat80

My diet is fairly ok, although I should probably include more vegetables. But... My downfall is my sweet tooth; biscuits, chocolate, ice cream, cakes and the list goes on. The problem is that when I try to cut down or cut sweets out completely, I just become depressed. Life just turns grey... It is ridiculous, I'm a grown woman and I should be able to cut out this stuff, but it just seems impossible. How do you do it?

RachelElser

Can you try healthier sweets? Instead of Ice cream have a protein fluff?

MostlyWater

Maybe going sugar free isn't for you. Can you get fun sized candy bars, for example, and just eat one?

Opalescent_Topaz

What has worked for me (and I have quite the sweet tooth) is to allow myself one sweet treat per week (usually a pint of Halo Top or something). It gives me something to look forward to and I can easily make room in my calories for it. If I have sweet cravings on other days, I usually eat fruit.

amiller92873

How many days have you lasted with zero sugar? There is a definite "hump" to get over. Then even carrots will taste sweet. Gotta tough it out to get there though. And if you are eating pre-made processed food it has sugar added.

allmannerofthings

me too - though I think the cause and effect may be in the other order for me - eating sweets sooths the depression, without them it comes front and centre.

talkinghead86

RachelElser wrote: »

Can you try healthier sweets? Instead of Ice cream have a protein fluff?

Haha...that actually looks interestingly good

Have you tried Halo Top ice cream

PrincessMel72

I work in sweets every day to my calorie count and trust me, when you only have 1200 calories a day, you have to make it work. I buy Dove dark chocolates and Yasso fudge frozen yogurt bars and have one serving a day. I can't cut sweets. I just can't.

avlucia

I had this problem and I used a mix of the previous commenters' suggestions. Eating fruit everyday curbs my sweet tooth by an impressive amount, but it takes about two weeks before I notice(I've fallen off my wagon a few times). Then when it's a legit craving I have just a small amount of ice cream, or I make myself a heathier treat - I can't stand a lot of the heathy treats on the market so I make my own. I suggest monk fruit, or if you have the processor to handle it you can make date paste to replace straight sugar in recipes.

I had an entire crisis of "is life even worth living if I don't get to enjoy sweets?" It is doable though, and it's not even difficult once you get control of the mental hiccup.

kimny72

GrumpyCat80 wrote: »

My diet is fairly ok, although I should probably include more vegetables. But... My downfall is my sweet tooth; biscuits, chocolate, ice cream, cakes and the list goes on. The problem is that when I try to cut down or cut sweets out completely, I just become depressed. Life just turns grey... It is ridiculous, I'm a grown woman and I should be able to cut out this stuff, but it just seems impossible. How do you do it?

I would add to the excellent responses you've already gotten - it's possible this is more psychological than specific to the food. Comfort eating can be a powerful habit, and if you remove the comforting food without dealing with the stress or boredom or whatever it was another way, it's understandable your mood might suffer.

Try to think of a couple of simple quick things that cheer you up, like puppy videos on YT or your fave song or a friend whose texts always make you smile or a quick walk. Plan for a portioned sweet treat every day, and then any other time you feel like reaching for more, try doing one of those other things instead.

If you're a reader, check out The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. :drinker:

Foodiemom67

i dont cut out anything...but i do everything i can in moderation...i like the fun size candies when i want something sweet but there are also a lot of healthier options if you want more than sweets...maybe you can make yourself some low carb goodies??? It's my mom's bday tomorrow and i m making her an italian cream cake..and it's going to be the sugar free healthy kind so i can have some too...shhhh dont tell her..:)

AmyC2288

I have a sweet treat every night as I also have a strong sweet tooth. Unless you have a medical reason, there is no reason to "cut out sweets completely" as you say. You can eat whatever you'd like and still lose weight as long as you are eating within your calorie allowance! It's all about balance!

In my case, my late evening sweet treats work best in the form of something that is already made into single servings like ice cream bars. These are my favorite: (I can't have dairy)

RachelElser

talkinghead86 wrote: »

RachelElser wrote: »

Can you try healthier sweets? Instead of Ice cream have a protein fluff?

Haha...that actually looks interestingly good

Have you tried Halo Top ice cream

I get it sometimes but it's sooooooo expensive!

sarabushby

The new ranges of ‘thin’ biscuits are handy if you need something with your cuppa but don’t want to blow your budget.

Also sugar free boiled sweets and marshmallows.

Alpen Light bars are quite good for that sweet snack/treat and only 65cal.

Aldi & Morrison (if you’re in the UK) both do own-brand ‘Halo Top’ style high protein ice creams. 1/4 of a tub for say 75-90 calories, a nice tasty treat. Far cheaper than the branded versions.

anl90

It sounds like cutting down on the sweets needs to happen, but I don't think you need to cut it out entirely. Just be smart about it. I'm sorry it has such a negative impact on your mood, but it will get better. Stay strong, you can do this.

MichelleSilverleaf

I'm not personally a fan of cutting out sweets unless you a.)have difficulty controlling, b.)have a medical reason or c.)plan on never touching them again. Cutting them out for the sake of weight loss seems to backfire on people. If you can, find a way to make them work (bank calories, eat lighter that day, have a maintenance day) or find low-cal alternatives. Weight loss doesn't have to be miserable and there's no mandate that you have to cut out sweets and things you enjoy.

GrumpyCat80

Thanks all for your replies and good advice. I will have to try and somehow get over this sugar craving. I know if I can keep my carbs around 100 and avoid the sweet stuff, the cravings are much less after just a few days, but life just looses all color... Anyone have a clue how long the sugar withdrawal depression lasts? When I was younger, I could eat sweets in moderation, if I had to, but now it seems like it's all or nothing.
And for some reason I can't stand the taste of artificial sweeteners 🙄

melaniekboe

I had a TERRIBLE sweet tooth until a friend suggested Magnesium as a supplement. I figured - what do I have to lose?!? If my body didn't need it, I'd just 'expel' it. lol It's been a God-send! I no longer have any cravings for sweets and it's been a month. Maybe this will work for someone else! HTH!

pinuplove

AmyC2288 wrote: »

I have a sweet treat every night as I also have a strong sweet tooth. Unless you have a medical reason, there is no reason to "cut out sweets completely" as you say. You can eat whatever you'd like and still lose weight as long as you are eating within your calorie allowance! It's all about balance!

In my case, my late evening sweet treats work best in the form of something that is already made into single servings like ice cream bars. These are my favorite: (I can't have dairy)

Those are indeed really good! I'd choose them over lots of other treats, and I don't need non-dairy

Another moderator not abstainer here, OP. But you have to do what works for you. 100 carbs per day is fairly low. That's the point at which I start noticing a dip in energy. Maybe up that to 150 and see if you feel better.

Orphia

https://youtu.be/D9YdBfR299s

Similar to Brandon Wadas, I lost 80 lb and have kept it off 3 years and I've always eaten over 100 grams of sugar and 50% carbs a day, and my blood work and health are "perfect" according to multiple doctors. Disclaimer: I also walk and run a lot.

In the 80s people thought fat made you fat and went on low fat diets, but people still got fat.

Now the same thing is happening with carbs/sugar, but people still get fat.

Yes, you can lose weight both ways, but ONLY if you're happy eating that way AND if you don't eat too many or too few calories so you can stick to your diet long enough to lose the weight and not crash and burn.

jlp1994

I find that to make this way of eating work for me (CICO), I have to be able to have some kind of chocolate and/or ice cream just about every night. It's kind of my way to wind down the evening and once I've eaten whatever treat i'm going to have, I will close out my diary. When I first started, it was half a pint (~120-130g) of Halo ice cream, about 10g of Hershey syrup and about 40-45g of banana. Now, it's an M&M chocolate ice cream sandwich at about 240 calories. I am eating about 1500-1550 calories a day and it's working for me. I'm down 98 lbs in about 13 months. Don't give up something that gives you joy and makes this process hard instead of simply a way of life - just figure out how to fit it in. Good luck!