After Dinner Cravings????

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Jerzeebabie04
Jerzeebabie04 Posts: 272
in Food and Nutrition
Why do I always crave something sweet after dinner??? I want to completely cut snacks after dinner out of my diet, but shortly after dinner I'm always craving something sweet. I don't know what to do to stop this problem HELP!!!!

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  • sharibrat
    sharibrat Posts: 39 Member
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    I wish I knew too. I crave something sweet every night after dinner, and it is usually IMMEDIATE. I keep Hershey kisses on hand, at least they are small.....
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
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    What do your dinners consist of?

    Some food for thought.............

    If your dinners are low in fat, have starchy items such as bread, pasta, rice, potatos, other grains such as corn...............all of these items turn to sugar in your blood stream as they are digested and can cause those sweet cravings.
  • fooja
    fooja Posts: 451 Member
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    lol....i have the same damn problem!!!!! i like some of the 100 cal pack snacks. i always crave something chocolate after dinner. i make sure to keep an extra 100-200 cals so i can have my snack! im loving the hostess 100 cal pack choc cakes with the cream filling......lol!!! they are soooooo good!! i dont know how to stop the craving...but i think its ok to have a snack as long as u dont go over ur cals. for me, if i cut that stuff out completely then i will crave it and end up binging on junk food!!
  • Jerzeebabie04
    Jerzeebabie04 Posts: 272
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    my dinners are usually 4 oz of fish, and 2-3 cups of veggies, with 1/2cup of rice or sometimes a baked potato. Some nights for dinner I'll have pasta or I make a wheat burrito filled with shrimp and veggies. Or when I work nights I'll bring some cheerios, milk, and a banana for dinner haha

    I love those 100 cal pack snacks too. I was told to stay away from those because they are "processed" but when I was on a really low-carb diet and was having a lot of protein, I was allowed to have 1 of those snacks a day.
  • spinachsaladforme
    spinachsaladforme Posts: 1 Member
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    Believe it or not, try eating a dill pickle... Don't know how it works to cut the craving, but it does.
  • kbarr23
    kbarr23 Posts: 5 Member
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    i know they're not great for you (artificial flavorings and sugar) but i find the yoplait 100 calorie yogurts are a lifesaver! they come in regular fruit flavors, but also flavors like boston cream pie and white chocolate raspberry... delish

    sorry to sound like a commercial!
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
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    my dinners are usually 4 oz of fish, and 2-3 cups of veggies, with 1/2cup of rice or sometimes a baked potato. Some nights for dinner I'll have pasta or I make a wheat burrito filled with shrimp and veggies. Or when I work nights I'll bring some cheerios, milk, and a banana for dinner haha

    I love those 100 cal pack snacks too. I was told to stay away from those because they are "processed" but when I was on a really low-carb diet and was having a lot of protein, I was allowed to have 1 of those snacks a day.

    I know people will bash me for this, but perhaps it is the carbs from the starchy rice, potato, etc......... that are causing the cravings......... You mentioned that you have done a low carb diet in the past....................

    Are you insulin resistant?
  • xonophone
    xonophone Posts: 474 Member
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    For some strange reason I find a glass of flavored carbonated water (like Clear Choice) makes me feel very full. I use them to crave my cocktail cravings too ;)
  • Jerzeebabie04
    Jerzeebabie04 Posts: 272
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    I have done low carb diets a couple times and would usually get headaches a lot from them. But I did try a soy/whey protein diet, which I was able to do really well on for about a month or 2. It was about having 20g of soy protein and 20g of whey protein each day. I would usually do 10g soy & 10g of whey in my protein shake for breakfast & for lunch. With some fresh fruit. Then 2 snacks during the day, 1 snack would usually be string cheese or nuts and a piece of fruit and my other snack was usually a 100 calorie pack snack. Some days both my snacks would be the 100 cal pack snacks, a carb type snack like 100 cal cheez-its or something like that and I would have a sweet 100 cal snack after dinner. For dinner I would have fish and 2 cups of veggies.

    I'm not sure if it was having those snacks or having protein shakes that were chocolate or different flavors that helped keep the cravings away for awhile.
  • khoolette
    khoolette Posts: 73
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    I agree with some of these other responses.... I have read that if you crave sweets after eating a meal, that means you had too many carbs in the meal and should try to make your plate consist of more protein/less carbs.
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
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    I have done low carb diets a couple times and would usually get headaches a lot from them. But I did try a soy/whey protein diet, which I was able to do really well on for about a month or 2. It was about having 20g of soy protein and 20g of whey protein each day. I would usually do 10g soy & 10g of whey in my protein shake for breakfast & for lunch. With some fresh fruit. Then 2 snacks during the day, 1 snack would usually be string cheese or nuts and a piece of fruit and my other snack was usually a 100 calorie pack snack. Some days both my snacks would be the 100 cal pack snacks, a carb type snack like 100 cal cheez-its or something like that and I would have a sweet 100 cal snack after dinner. For dinner I would have fish and 2 cups of veggies.

    I'm not sure if it was having those snacks or having protein shakes that were chocolate or different flavors that helped keep the cravings away for awhile.

    If you were getting headaches from doing low carb, then perhaps you were not eating enough? Consuming too much artificial sweeteners? Not drinking enough water?

    Just offering suggestions and possibilities.
  • Jerzeebabie04
    Jerzeebabie04 Posts: 272
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    I'm not sure, it seems no matter what I have for dinner I crave something sweet after. When I have just fish and veggies, I feel full and it seems to last the rest of the night, but the craving for something sweet can be tough to say no to some nights!

    Is there anything I can have with dinner that will get rid of that sweet craving? Maybe some no sugar added applesauce?
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
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    I've read that when you eat carbs, the fast spike and fall of insulin makes you crave more carbs, ie. sweets. The other part of it, I think, is habit, but there's definitely a physical component to it.
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
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    I'm not sure, it seems no matter what I have for dinner I crave something sweet after. When I have just fish and veggies, I feel full and it seems to last the rest of the night, but the craving for something sweet can be tough to say no to some nights!

    Is there anything I can have with dinner that will get rid of that sweet craving? Maybe some no sugar added applesauce?

    Are you consuming enough fat in your diet?

    I know through my own experiences that when I eat enough fat and protein in my diet that the sweet cravings go away.

    Fish and veggies is a very, very good dinner to have........If you feel full and satisfied except for that gnawing sweet craving, maybe try having a cup of peppermint tea with a bit of stevia and a drip or 2 of cream.
  • ThaPoeticRose
    ThaPoeticRose Posts: 24
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    I suggest half of a banana it will curve your appetite for sweets and very low in calories...
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
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    I suggest half of a banana it will curve your appetite for sweets and very low in calories...

    I am so addicted to bananas, but they definitely do help with the sweet cravings. I have to hold myself back from grabbing one every time I go into the kitchen though.

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