Sugar cravings

lisadlewington1

Who can help!!??

Cant_think_of_a_username

Hi Lisa - strangely I find that fat free natural greek yoghurt takes my sugar craving away.
Dried fruit can also be useful, although not too much because it does contain 40-50% sugar... however it's not refined and does come with other micronutrients from the fruit.
There's no substitute for willpower though and it does get easier over time.

Lietchi

Some people find that eating more fruit decreases cravings for sugary foods.

springlering62

I was a sugar freak. I would devour a couple pounds of candy a day, plus cookies, cake, ice cream. If I wasn’t eating it, I was thinking of where to find the next dose.

I initially started on the IFM.org Elimination Diet, recommended by my doctor. I don’t know if it was the combination of foods, or the determination to stick to the available choices, or just having a very simple two page “plan of attack” in writing on the fridge, but it worked for me. After a week or two, sugar cravings were drastically reduced.

As whacko as it sounds, I accidentally created a healthy smoothie that tasted just like a Wendy’s Frostie, which satisfied my craving for sweets. I raced out of bed to have one, and enjoyed a second one as a snack in the afternoon.

I also supplemented with fruit, especially naval oranges and strawberries.

I can’t even remember what it was now, even though I had it every day for a year and a half.

I beleive it was :
1c almond (or cashew/almond) milk
8 or so gr cacao powder OR Ghirardelli sweet ground cocoa
Frozen banana
About 6gr molasses
10-15gr uncooked rolled oats
Few drops vanilla
As much ice as desired (I used a LOT so it felt like I had a huge smoothie)

Blend until the texture of a Frostie.

The other thing that is still carrying me to this day is sweet balsamic vinegars: strawberry, chocolate, fig, blueberry. I use balsamic on fruit and cottage cheese, over (homemade sugar free low cal) ice cream, as salad dressing. Vinegar was a champ for me, and no, we’re not talking gagging down ounces of apple cider vinegar, lol.

Instead of craving sugars, around 2 pm I get itchy for fruit cottage cheese and balsamic. It’s a much happier place to be.

BTW, easy homemade sugar free ice cream is the bomb. Last night it was lemon meringue ice cream. Well under 200 for half a pint + whipped cream+ lemon honey sprinkles + a crumbled graham cracker.

A couple grams of lemon or ginger honey granules go a long way and are another way to keep sugar cravings at bay.

Xellercin

I am prone to intense sugar cravings, but I have spent most of the past 20 years not being bothered by them at all.

If they act up, I strictly avoid sugar for 6 weeks, which tends to crush the craving. Then I never have sugar two days in a row and never more than twice a week.

As long as I do that, I live basically free of sugar cravings. It only takes a few days in a row of sugar for the insane, obsessive, overwhelming cravings to come back every day, and if/when that happens, it's another 6 week break.

As I said, I've spent the majority of the last 20 years totally unbothered by sugar cravings, and I can consistently quash them when they do happen again due to me being lax with the rules.

sehrler

These are a lifesaver for me for snacks…Quest hero chocolate caramel pecan. 1g sugar, 15g protein, 11g fiber

I know a lot of people frown upon protein bars, and it’s a bit pricey but this is way better than a candy bar and is just as good! Also, I ordered a dozen of another brand thinking the were comparable and when I got them I saw they had 20g sugar so now I can’t eat them!!! Teaches me to read more carefully.

https://www.questnutrition.com/products/us-12-hero-bar-chocolate-caramel-pecan-box

skuhnell

I find my sugar cravings are worse when I don’t drink enough water, eat enough protein, or get enough sleep. If I’ve don’t all of that, I allow myself either A: a small richly satisfying dessert like lily’s sugar free dark chocolate or B: I breather through the urge and left the feeling pass. It’s just a feeling. I’m stronger than the feeling and giving in won’t allow me to reach my goals.

springlering62

Word of advice on things like bars and other sugar free products: don’t go whole hog. Buy enough to sample the product for maybe a week.

I loved One bars, and bought a box of every flavor after my first, only to discover they caused awful tummy trouble after eating them for a few days.

I had to end up leaving the opened boxes in the counter at the gym with a “help yourself” note stuck to them.

Sugar free products have been very helpful to me. Didn’t like the taste at first, and mulishly stubborn that I’d die from them, til I reasoned which would kill me first? Obesity or chemicals?

I have a million and one uses for Skinny Syrup flavors. You can find them at TJ Maxx/Marshall’s/Ross for half what they sell for online.

I’ve also found that drinking something hot and sweet kills snack impulses. A chai latte at 37 calories does the trick once or twice a day.

springlering62

PS also look up hagel slag. Six grams of hagel on a low cal homemade ice cream, Greek yogurt, or cottage cheese with fruit is a very satisfying sweet treat. A carton may be pricey here but will easily last a year or more.

Also check out Walden Farms chocolate and caramel syrups. They are fantastic and zero calories, as are their salad dressings. The honey mustard and balsamic honey ginger are particularly good, and the ranch is great for crudités.

katrina8039

Increasing my protein and fiber has helped me a lot. I have a package of cookies within easy reach (very bad I know), but I have not had any for a couple days. I’ll probably give it to my kids in a couple more days if I don’t have any, so they don’t go to waste.