Sweet treats- how often?

NadNight

I eat way too much sugar (some from fibrous fruity sources, a lot from biscuits and cakes) and I’m trying to find out how much of the stuff is actually okay to eat.

Ive done a brief google and the answers range from every once in a while, to twice a week to one thing a day! I suppose a small cake bar with 10g of sugar is very different to a massive slab of gooey chocolate fudge cake with ice cream which is probably upwards of 5 or 6 tomes the amount of sugar which is why the answers vary

But given the massive variation in answers, I was wondering what people aim for. Do you stick to keeping your sweet treats for after tea? Only have them at weekend? Save them for birthdays and celebrations?

Panini911

I don't monitor. I eat chocolate twice a day.

the answers will vary based on personal preference as well. some prefer salty to sweet.

I think as long as you are eating the proper total calories and don't have an underlying health issue requiring careful measuring of sugar AND you eat a proper varied nutrition (lots of protein, carbs, fats, fruits and veggies and such) then it should balance out. The issue is if the extra sweets crowd out overall nutrition (ex: you are not eating much protein or fruits and veggies cuz you fill up on cake).

erickirb

As long as it fits in your calories should not be an issue for weight loss. If you are concerned about body composition too, just ensure it does not crowd out your protein and fat for the day.

sardelsa

It really depends on my intake. On a low day my treats are limited since I don't have room for them and my protein is quite high. On higher days I have more flexibility. This works for me but if you have issues with moderation and can't fit a bit in without overdoing it then you have to find what works for you.

lemurcat2

Depends on the amount of calories you are devoting to them and whether you have any habits you want to break.

I ate a little ice cream after dinner (within my cals and after a nutrient dense day) most days for a while, and think it was fine, but I later decided I preferred not to expect dessert daily and so started having that only a couple times a week. Now I'm not really wanting sweets so I don't regularly have them at all, but if something comes up I want I'll fit it in (I usually do better waiting until after dinner, which here is the final meal).

If I was regularly eating a square of chocolate (small number of cals), I wouldn't think it was a big thing to have them a couple times a day, that just isn't something I like as much as having the same total cals after dinner occasionally.

grimendale

Whenever they fit into my macros. On run days, I'm probably going to treat myself because I have a lot of margin with extra calories. On days where I eat out, the meal calories tend to take up more of the slack and leave less room for treats. As long as you're staying under your calories and getting all of your nutrition, treat yo self!

missysippy930

Every day.
I allow for it in my calorie consumption and don’t go over my daily calorie budget. Portion control and moderation.

quiksylver296

I don't have any medical reason to track sugar. I switched my sugar tracker out for fiber years ago.

I have chocolate or ice cream every night. I weigh it, log it, and make sure it stays within my calorie goals.

apullum

Unless you have a medical reason to limit sugar, you can eat whatever you want and you'll still lose weight as long as you're within your calorie goal.

alondrakar

I eat sweets daily. Helps me not over indulge on weekends or special occasions because it is not a food group I am restricting. Do whatever helps you stay on the journey long term.

aokoye

Twice a day assuming they fit into my calories (and more often than not they do). I have a canèle or some other small pastry when I eat breakfast and generally a cookie either later in the afternoon or after I eat dinner. This has yet to hamper my weight loss progress as, like I said, they fit into my allotted calories.

JohnPaulEightyOne

I leave all sugar and sweets strictly for my one cheat day. Refined carbs/sugars are definitely a trigger for me so I try to avoid them as much as possible. I'm sure I could incorporate them into my diet safely, but I'd rather not disrupt a system that seems to be working so well

WholeFoods4Lyfe

This is entirely personal. I don't eat them at all, I much prefer salty and so I have some nuts every day.

kimny72

I focus on getting enough of the stuff I want IN my diet (protein, fiber, veggies) and then don't worry about the rest. I eat a sweet treat at least once a day, in a reasonable portion.

If treats or sugar or whatever is not crowding out the nutritious food you need, as far as I understand, it's fine. It's pretty hard to eat "too much" sugar when you are controlling calories to stay in a deficit or maintenance and are hitting your other goals. Diets high in sugar are almost always also high in calories (ETA: or deficient in something else important).

Obviously, if you have a issue with sugary treats increasing your appetite or triggering over-eating in some other way, how much is okay will be specific to you personally. It's also assuming you don't have a medical condition that requires monitoring blood sugar in some way. :drinker:

slbbw

I cut them out wholesale for a few months so I could control my binges. I have trouble controlling portions when sugar and refined carbs are concerned. I am slowly adding things back in to a level where my cravings do not become overwhelming. For me this is about once a week right now and I keep the portion small. I also enjoy that my appetite for sweets has gone down dramatically. I cut out fruit for a bit as well and that I am adding back in as well at about a serving every other day.

amusedmonkey

Why not give yourself a weekly calorie budget for sweet treats? This way things are more flexible because you could either have a little bit every day or have them all in one day for something extra high in calories like brownies. As a general rule, up to 20% of your calories on less nutritious foods should be fine, but you could go for less if you want.

For me, personally, I have a general soft limit. I don't really think about it and just eat sweets when I feel like eating them (which could be daily for weeks or none for weeks), but I'm a bit mindful to keep them under 250 calories most days if I'm having them daily. When I see a week where my less nutritious snacks are creeping up over the 1500 calories a week, I reign it in before I get to the limit. Sometimes I go over my limit, but it's rare and usually during holidays.

Katmary71

I save room in my calorie limit for light ice cream at night. I agree that as long as you don't have a medical reason to avoid sugar it isn't bad in moderation.

AlabasterVerve

The least amount I need to be happy with my diet - which turns out to be not much at all. Special occasions mostly.

njitaliana

If you are eating healthy meals each day, and if it fits into your calories, you can eat a treat each day. I have an Enlightened ice cream bar most evenings.

RelCanonical

I don't monitor sugar. I just make sure I'm getting enough of what my body needs for functioning and satisfaction (fiber, protein, fat, etc.) and let the rest be whatever I want, which is normally a treat.

corinasue1143

I went to a very smart dietician years ago who said, “give yourself 100 free calories a day. That can be anything you want. Chips, candy, ice cream. Don’t worry if it’s healthy.” She suggested tootsie roll midgees, let them melt in your mouth so they last longer. All your other calories should be mostly healthy. I think you can have 9 midgees for 100 calories, and after they melt the taste lasts a while longer, so lots of chocolate flavor for not many calories. It really helped me at first to get some control.

Carlos_421

As much as you enjoy eating without going over on calories or sacrificing your intake of protein, fiber, fat, vitamins and minerals.
As long as you get enough of the other things you need in your diet and don't go over calories, it doesn't matter how much sugar you eat.

HereToLose50

Whatever fits your calories.

Nutrition is very important so that should factor in overall as far as your entire diet goes. I don't worry about naturally occurring sugars at all like in fruits. I do try to limit the more processed stuff like candies and cakes, etc. A less nutritious snack or two a day won't matter as long the rest is good.

The whole sugar is the devil thing is the latest scare/fad. I do agree way too much sweetener is getting added to a lot of highly processed foods. For me it's taste. So many things only taste like sugar now and not really any other flavor. I also don't really get full on things like that so overeating is very easy to do.

midlomel1971

I have a horrible sweet tooth so I usually indulge in something sweet every day, and I'm not talking about just fruit. I usually have either a Jello 60 calorie dark chocolate pudding or a few oz of dark chocolate each day. If you are talking about cookies and cake type desserts, maybe once every week or two. I have learned through counting calories to not waste my calories. It has to be a really special occasion or something totally amazing to get me to eat a dessert. I'm not going to spend my calories on just any old daily dessert or cookies.

seltzermint555

I embrace my sweet tooth (within calorie goals)...but I try to limit it to once a day, whether it's something very indulgent (donut, slice of pie, whole chocolate bar) or less so (a couple large marshmallows, pudding cup, 2 small cookies with tea/coffee).

In the past, pre-MFP for me, I was in the habit of always wanting "something sweet" after every lunch & dinner meal. Growing up that was how we did things (yikes I know). That was my normal for decades. Even in my 20s/early 30s, I made long lists every weekend of the lunches, dinners, and corresponding desserts for each one. Now I usually have 1 "actual" dessert on the weekly menu since I still love to bake/prepare sweets...but it's not a daily thing to have a homemade full-fledged dessert anymore.