Sweet 'after big dinner' cravings... Healthy ideas??

SantanaKathleen
SantanaKathleen Posts: 10
edited December 26 in Food and Nutrition
I Have the WORST craving for sweets after I have dinner. Usually, I'll give in to an ice cream of some sort (staying within my calorie limit still), but I cant help but feel like its still the wrong thing to do for my weight loss goal.
It wasnt until my last pregnancy that I started really craving sweets, before, it was usually salty things. My cravings for sweets, especially ice cream, is so intense!! I feel like if i deprive myself of having the something sweet, my craving only intensifies the next morning/day.
Im looking for healthy alternatives for after dinner sweets cravings. PLEASE help me with some ideas? Specifically cold and sweet..... like ice cream, LOL!

I truly appreciate any suggestions:)

Thanks so much MFP friends!!

Replies

  • Dad_of_3
    Dad_of_3 Posts: 517 Member
    This has been me to a tee so many times. I could use tips as well!
  • DfantaBeneFIT
    DfantaBeneFIT Posts: 68
    check out my thread "craving curb'er" you'll love this
  • Bakkasan
    Bakkasan Posts: 1,027 Member
    We've been having the occasional Breyers carb select ice cream bars. Not terrible on calories and eating one fits into HFLC.
  • SantanaKathleen
    SantanaKathleen Posts: 10
    A friend of mine just told me that she blends vanilla non fat yogurt with frozen strawberries in a blender. The frozen berries makes the yogurt texture like ice cream! Brilliant! Lets try it out! :)
  • SamanthaAnnM
    SamanthaAnnM Posts: 143 Member
    Lifeway Frozen Kefir...I found this at the grocery store and it's yummy! It tastes like the froyo you get at those self-serve froyo shops. And only 90 calories a serving (lots of sugar though, so be careful). If you can find it, you should try it out! Another sweet treat I enjoy when I don't have many calories to spare is fruits like strawberries with a little bit of whipped cream on top!
  • SantanaKathleen
    SantanaKathleen Posts: 10
    Lifeway Frozen Kefir...I found this at the grocery store and it's yummy! It tastes like the froyo you get at those self-serve froyo shops. And only 90 calories a serving (lots of sugar though, so be careful). If you can find it, you should try it out! Another sweet treat I enjoy when I don't have many calories to spare is fruits like strawberries with a little bit of whipped cream on top!



    ooooh sugar is EVIL!!! Thanks for the tip :) Ill try the strawbs with a smidge of whip ;)
  • toffee322
    toffee322 Posts: 186 Member
    frozen banana tastes pretty good!!! like popsicle
  • grossbg
    grossbg Posts: 2
    I have the same issue! I find it is even worse if I skip carbs through out the day or I do an intense workout. I know it might sound weird but I really like black bean brownies. I use foodnetworks recipe but I make it a bit healthier by replacing eggs with flax seed and oil with applesauce. Or a rice cake with tblsp of peanut butter with dark chocolate chips. (can you tell I love chocolate?) I'm in the same boat so hopefully you get some more suggestions. Good luck!
  • healthychanges1
    healthychanges1 Posts: 110
    Jello sugar free pudding cups! Only 60 calories and really satisfying.
    If I'm feeling really crazy I'll do strawberries and a sponge cake thingy with light whipped cream.
    Popcorn is great for late night snack cravings when you just want to eat. It takes a while even for the pre-portioned 100 calorie bags.
  • wookiemouse
    wookiemouse Posts: 290 Member
    Sugar free Jello cups (10 cals) plus 2 TBS fat free Cool Whip (25 cals).
  • Tigermad
    Tigermad Posts: 305 Member
    I eat one Hershey dark chocolate kiss for 22 calories after dinner nearly every day. Satisfies my sweet craving without all the calories. :-)
  • SantanaKathleen
    SantanaKathleen Posts: 10
    frozen banana tastes pretty good!!! like popsicle

    I kid you not, I have been surviving off of frozen Bananas for the last week! I have been blending them with other fruits and berries too to satisfy my freaky cravings for ice cream. My ultimate favorite though, (sounds weird I know...) Frozen bananas with a spoonful of peanut butter.... Peanut Butter and Banana Ice cream??? frigging amazing!! Thanks for the tip!!
  • Sailorwind
    Sailorwind Posts: 158 Member
    Grapes or strawberries has been doing a lot to curb my sweet cravings. But when I was at the grocery store this week, I went looking for some frozen yogurt for after dinner treats and came across a product called Arctic Zero. I'd never heard of it before, but it's only got 150 calories in the whole pint, it's gluten free, low on carbs, and low on dairy (by which they advertise that they are ok for people who are dairy intolerant). I got the mint cookie flavor. It's actually pretty darn good!
  • cannotfailunlessyoustoptrying
    cannotfailunlessyoustoptrying Posts: 90
    BUMP! I can go all day eating perfectly but after dinner I have those same cravingw.
  • jentarver
    jentarver Posts: 192
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/jentarver/view/chocolate-pb-j-yogurt-recipe-408445

    I discovered this today and had to blog it for everyone to see. So good!!!
  • deniselynn13
    deniselynn13 Posts: 120 Member
    Greek Yogurt or Greek Frozen Yogurt - much healthier than ice cream and with extra protein!!!

    I also almost always eat a cup of cherries as my after dinner dessert. Satisfies my sweet craving and does wonders for my sore muscles!!!!
  • Nightelyn
    Nightelyn Posts: 31
    Fat free jello, fruit, greek yogurt with some berries, or some dark chocolate are good for curbing the need for sweets.
  • gettingto98
    gettingto98 Posts: 22
    honestly, for me, i used to do the low-cal sweet thing after dinner a lot, but it led to unhealthy cravings/binging or calorie hoarding so i could justify having more. i now try to just focus on healthy foods. go cold turkey for a week off of sweets and see if it helps with the cravings. i feel SO much better.

    some healthy after dinner things i like though -- greek yogurt with unsweetened cocoa powder, apples (yum!), toast with sugar free jam, sugar snap peas (weird, but try them! sometimes sweet cravings are just carb/sugar cravings and these do satisfy). compliment with a lot of water and the cravings will abate. :)
  • DietCuki
    DietCuki Posts: 44 Member
    Silk's Fruit & Protein the Strawberry Banana in the blender with some ice and some a few pieces of fruits...yum and low in cals.
  • ALH1981
    ALH1981 Posts: 538 Member
    Lifeway Frozen Kefir...I found this at the grocery store and it's yummy! It tastes like the froyo you get at those self-serve froyo shops. And only 90 calories a serving (lots of sugar though, so be careful). If you can find it, you should try it out! Another sweet treat I enjoy when I don't have many calories to spare is fruits like strawberries with a little bit of whipped cream on top!

    i am obssessedwith this - the best bbit is that its got so many probitoics my digestion has NEVER beenbetter and i feel amazing form all the protein- this is not jsut a dessert is some sort of superfood to me!!! i LOVE it!!

    where i live you can get them in cafes as soft serve - its AMAZING!
  • 2BhappyBhealthy
    2BhappyBhealthy Posts: 181 Member
    I know this sounds kind of hard to believe but I am a DIE HARD chocolate (but will accept sweets of any kind) craver and this really works for me. Plus it totally has the "ice cream texture".

    SO - slice up an over ripe banana and put it in a baggie or tupperware and freeze it. It'll stay forever but is best over the next hour to couple days... Once ready to eat, pull out however many slices you want and let them sit for a few miutes to soften (but not too much!). Unpeel them and enjoy! Little ice slates form in the banana and it tastes just like ice cream! And I don't even like banana ice cream! Would also be really good with some kind of topping (I always liked the chocolate whipped cream frozen as a tasty low cal treat). Oh maybe add some chopped or slivered nuts or something...? WELL, I think I know what my new sweet invention is ;)
  • mrsains
    mrsains Posts: 104 Member
    Ice-cream lover here as well... I'm finding frozen yogurt does the trick. If you're in Canada, I love the PC brand. Yum.
  • TONYAGOOCH
    TONYAGOOCH Posts: 470 Member
    Blue Bunny has Root Beer Float Popsicles that are like 80 calories. Very good. Also there are some Freezer Pops that are like 35 calories and have all kinds of flavors that include soda pop and fruit flavors. Depending on how many calories you have left after dinner, the Perfect Zone Double Double Chocolate protein bar tastes like a dang candy bar. lol There are so many different shakes you can make with yogurt, frozen fruit, ice cubes and either water or milk.
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