How do you control sugar cravings?

ThierMummy3

Im a huge fan of sugar. i am an emotional eater and sugar is my weakness, since i can remember when i was little i.d sneak a biscuit or a chocolate get my fix. Even when i feel good i still want something sugary. I feel like it rules my life. How do you control your sugar cravings? Can anyone give me any advice help me beat my sugar demons?

Thank you

ohamberx0

I don't crave sugar... sweet things maybe. Coke zero for me. lol or gummy candy (lifesavers, swedish fish..etc..)

I don't like candy chocolate thank god...

SusanRenee35

fat free cool whip with graham crackers made into an ice cream sandwich!

frozen yogurt (chapman's is my fav right now), they have some seriously naughty but guilt free flavors!

thinsations chunks ahoy drizzled with choc in thr snack packs

thole whole thinsations line is perfect for sugar cravings

nlfrancis

I have the same problem - the one thing I have found to help is to take the time to make sure that I am not eating because I am depressed, bored, or thirsty. If I still am craving something after that, I will eat fruit - watermelon, raspberries, grapes - something that is sweet and crunchy but not be something that is bad. I also have started using the chocolate Shakeology from beach body and that really helps!!

gingerb85

A crisp Granny Smith apple with 2 tbsp of a raw nut butter. Cashew is my favorite!

russelljclarke

VERY difficult. I have no time for sweeties personally, but my wife is much like you. I think the best you can do is just be strong when you're at the supermarket, which'll help you cut down longer term. Good luck!

ladyjade68

Won't lie - it's not easy. I have really grown to love fruit - especially in season fruit. If you can stop sugar for a few days, fruit will taste way sweeter. Yoplait Light yogurt has a lot of sweet flavors - the White Chocolate Strawberry is wonderful! I also chew the Extra Desserts gum from time to time.
good luck & you can do it!!!

jinkies54

I am the same way! Unfortunately, the only way I've been controlling my cravings was to cut it out totally. Now, granted it's only been cut out for four days, but once I hit the third day, I haven't had a craving like I used to. Of course, my brain will play tricks on me like telling itself "wouldn't it be nice to get a burger?" or "mmm, think of all the tasty flavours of pizza" but they're not strong enough for me to lose to them. Then, the other day I committed 'carbocide' and had so many carbs in the form of bday cake, chips, buns, and the like and guess what? I got so bloated and uncomfortable I had to take advil! Now I'm back to my low carb regimen and feel great. More energy, no 'ups and downs', and no cravings. I think I can't rule them out entirely (like in special occassions), but not eating them so much definitely helps the mind and body.

sandy2006

I am the same way! I am a true sugar addict and I treat myself like one..I have to be completely off refined sugar for the cravings to stop. Once Im off I only eat fruit that has natural sugar. I will also have cool whip every once in a while too. good luck

ErinBeth7

I usually try find out if I'm craving sweets because I'm bored or thirsty. Most of the time I take a big drink of water to see if that helps. If not, I find fruits or low-cal snacks to compensate. If that doesn't work then I'll try to do busy work to keep my mind off of sugar!

You could treat yourself once a week to some sugar. That will help with your cravings. It's better to set limits than to make something off limits especially if it you used to be a regular in your diet.

4vhughes

I have a HUGE sweet tooth. I just had a Fiber One 90 cal Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie. It was actually really good and just the right size. Knowing that it's 20% of my daily fiber also keeps me from eating more than one....

noexcuses1218

bump. the sugar madness has gotten so bad lately that i've asked my husband to go to the grocery store for me.

nurseaim

Im a huge fan of sugar. i am an emotional eater and sugar is my weakness, since i can remember when i was little i.d sneak a biscuit or a chocolate get my fix. Even when i feel good i still want something sugary. I feel like it rules my life. How do you control your sugar cravings? Can anyone give me any advice help me beat my sugar demons?

Thank you

Thank-you for posting this question...I have the same issue. I get up in the morning craving sugar. So, I keep a small bag of Starburst gummi bursts in my pantry or gummi worms. I can't wait to read the answers. My Dad, a doctor, says that this is our body's way of saying we need to drink more water. So far it hasn't helped.

DonnaLFitz

I had to eliminate all starches from my regular diet, retaining only one ice cream treat in the evening (for good behavior). This has almost completely eliminated my carb and sugar cravings. If I have even one slice of bread or rice or cereal during the day, I crave carbs and sweets all day long.

Sugar cravings feed on themselves... the more you indulge, the more you crave. Gotta go cold turkey. Have light yogurt in the morning with a scoop of whey protein powder to get your sweet fix. Eat berries first thing in the morning, but never after 2pm.

paulettebe

I like the sugar free jello pudding snacks. 60 cals.

herillusion

I'm one who craves sugar all the time - whether it is pop, chocolate, cakes, chewy candy. I found that it was too much for me to go off of all at once. However, once I gave up pop (as a daily drink - I drink maybe 1- 8oz glass a week now) I found that I didn't crave the sugar goodies as often. It took me about 2 months to give up pop. I used to drink about 2-32oz fountain of Mountain Dew a day. I also increased my water intake (I drank none before and now I drink a minimum of 8 glasses). I'd say you should determine what you eat and then give yourself a goal.

My goal for reducing my pop intake was this (Each was for a week):
I knew I drank at least 2 of the 32 oz fountain pops.

1. Add so much ice that its at the very top (less room for pop)
2. Drinking 1.5 of the 2
3. Drinking 1 - 32 oz
4. Drinking 1/2
5. Drinking 1/2 every other day
6. Drinking 1/2 every 3 days
7. Drinking 1/2 every 5 days
8. Drinking 1-2 swallows if I absolutely needed it.

trac3

I'm so bad that if I do eat something sweet when I'm having those kind of cravings (with "portion control" in mind), I just go nuts ~ I simply can't control it!!!:sad: If I get my mitts on some chocolate or candy ~ it's all over.....:grumble: I am finding that bumping up my protein is helping ~ I've been eating Oikos Greek yogurt (the fat free vanilla) with some kind of fruit in the afternoon lately, and it's REALLY deterring the sugar demons. There are 22 grams of protein in one cup of it, and it has a nice enough vanilla flavor (not super sweet) to it that it is quite satisfying (especially with fresh blueberries or strawberries and a packet of Splenda). Hang in there!!!:flowerforyou:

My1985Freckles

I am a HUGE fan of all things sweet..... Cinnamon rolls, danishes, donuts, chocolate bars, If it is sweet and you can name it, I LOVE it.... Well, I cut the pastries from my diet completely. I rarely ever have one now and don't typically crave them. We went to chili's for dinner the other night and I decided that I was going to split a molten lava cake with my hubby. I rode 10 miles to burn those calories so I wouldn't feel guilty treating myself LOL.

Basically for me, I save sweet stuff for the evening after all my meal calories have been logged. If I don't have the calories to cover it, I exercise until I do, then I treat myself. :-)

millionsofpeaches

BUMP

Maggie_Pie1

After about a month of cutting out sugar and starchy carbs altogether, I completely lost my sweet tooth. So, I guess I control the sugar cravings by staying away from it completely.

RNewton4269

I chew sugar free gum.

diane423

So glad im not alone.. I am such a sugar junkie. . I do eat sugar as a way to help deal with stress. But i find that if i drink a glass of water and maybe have some fruit the craving is not as bad. I do stack up on low calorie snacks like jello, ff pudding, and yogurt .

LATeagno

The best thing to do is to stop. Eating. Sugar. And refined carbs. Sugar/refined carbs = more refined carb cravings. Go cold turkey for a week and watch what happens-- no more cravings!

Sugar/refined (high GI) carbs produce insulin spikes, which then lead to blood sugar lows, which provoke more cravings. The best thing you can do is keep your blood sugar even by foregoing high GI sweets and starches. Works like a charm.

ThierMummy3

Thank you for your replies, i will try everything you have suggested. i would love to be one of those people who could pass on dessert.

Michelle_M2002

Cut out all processed foods. Switch to organic cane sugar and use it SPARINGLY. Try to get your sugars from natural places like fruit.

I am a crazy sugar/carb monster if I veer off of my nutrition plan. When I'm on it, I've got it under control. If I over indulge, it causes the blood sugar roller coaster and the insulin roller coaster. You're blood sugar drops, so you make insulin. You make too much insulin so then you need more sugar, and it's a vicious cycle. But if you get to a point where you have it stabilized, the sugar cravings go away.

I do keep a bag of Dove Promises, in an out of sight place. If I really need some chocolate, I can eat just one or two pieces and be satisfied.

It also helps to eat every 3 hours or so, and eat a certain ratio of protein to carbs. Also important is to eat a proper amount of healthy fats. They are metabolized slowly so it helps stabilize blood sugar...example.. if you put sugar or honey in your coffee, you should use cream, half and half, or whole milk in your coffee. Sugar always needs to be consumed with fat. The fat will slow down the absorption of the sugar, thus keeping your blood sugar stabilized while your body processes the sugar.

God bless!

thistleandfi

The best thing to do is to stop. Eating. Sugar. And refined carbs. Sugar/refined carbs = more refined carb cravings. Go cold turkey for a week and watch what happens-- no more cravings!

Sugar/refined (high GI) carbs produce insulin spikes, which then lead to blood sugar lows, which provoke more cravings. The best thing you can do is keep your blood sugar even by foregoing high GI sweets and starches. Works like a charm.

This is exactly what I had to do. I was (am?) a sugar addict but I finally got to my breaking point re: how i was feeling day in and out and being honest that the sugar/refined carbs were largely responsible for my crappy moods. sadly it can keep you in a vicious cycle of eat sugar->feel good for a bit->start to come down->must eat more to come up again->repeat. I knew from my history that even indulging once in a while could lead me right back to that cycle so ultimately it took cutting it ALL out. I did that for a couple weeks before I allowed myself to have a treat like a sugar free Jello pudding snack or a fiber one brownie and even then those are infrequent because I don't crave the sweet anymore. I find that a couple servings of fruit during the day suit me just fine.

The other issue can be replacing sugars with substitutes. While this can work for some people, for myself (and others) the sweet TASTE of sucralose and the like makes me want more sweet which can be a slippery slope hence being careful with intake sugar free or low-sugar sweets. I don't want to fall back down that hole again now that I'm finally out.

I found that making sure I am getting plenty of good fats, carbs, and water water WATER (i follow the advice of 1oz for every lb of half your current weight but no less than 64ozs a day) and eating every 2-3hrs kept the cravings at bay until they were gone and now it is my normal mode of eating/drinking.

Ultimately I had to commit to the decision to let all the sugar go once and for all. I reached my lowest of lows and decided I didn't want to be there anymore. My biggest hurdles now are when my stress levels spike and in those times I have to hunker down and work through it. Find distractions, call a friend, post here, do what you need to do to stop the sugar from making it into your body.

I wish I had more advice or something magic but I don't. All I can tell you is that it IS possible and you CAN DO IT!!

cdstadt

freeze bananas!!

Puree them on their own for "ice cream" or stick a chopstick in and eat like a popsicle. Also good covered in chocolate and peanuts, but that might be a little overboard.

raychill007

freeze bananas!!

This is what I came in to comment about!! They are just like icecream (use ripe bananas), and frozen grapes too are delicious. I'm into sweets, chocolate, icecream, everything bad, but frozen bananas were a huge lifesaver for me when I started dieting! I now also freeze vanilla muller light yogurts and mix it up with the banana. Frozen treats are the best!

Also sugar free gum helps.

And chocolate drinks like the Belgian Chocolate Options one.

I don't like things like Thinsations and Go Ahead bars and all the rest because they are quite little and unsatisfying and I'm always left thinking that I wish I'd just had a real chocolate bar.

Finally, if things get really bad, I'd recommend giving up all sweet things for about 3 days, all treats and all fruit. After 3 days allow yourself fruit again and you'll be so grateful and it'll be so sweet and delicious that you won't be thinking about candy at all!