Sweet, Sweet Problems...
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Mac_X
Posts: 110 Member
I'm 6'0" and 268 lbs...my wife is 5'3" and struggles to stay above 100 lbs. She was raised in a family that always, always had dessert after a meal. Her mother had cakes and cookies and whatever ready for their family at all times. In 6 years of marriage, she has passed this craving on to me. I am struggling with always needing something sweet after a meal, and though my meals are getting healthier, I am at a loss for trying to account for the calories and general badness of the things I am craving AFTER the meal. I am trying to be strong and just suck it up and have nothing, but that leaves me kind of irritable/depressed. What are some low-cal, tasty options people have found to get around this? Or is "suck it up and go without" the best advice?
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Replies
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What is this "general badness" you speak of?
Try having an apple.0 -
I've been having sugar free jello with lite cool whip when I have a craving. I like to keep my cool whip frozen so it is more the consistency of ice cream. I also enjoy Emerald's cocoa roasted almonds when I'm having a chocolate craving. Best of luck!0
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I was raised the same way your wife was. Being from a Southern family there never were any healthy options. I swear my mom is just like Paula Dean! What I do for my sweet tooth is eat fruit! If I feel the urge for something sweet I turn to fruit or just pop in a piece of gum. Sugar-free popsicles are another option, even though they are filled with bad stuff. If you look in the ice cream isle, there are some 100% fruit bars for like 80 calories you could try too. Or ask your wife to try and make some of the things healthier for you. I LOVE baking so I play around with my favorite recipes to make them a bit healthier.0
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I can sort of relate. My family always get sugar cravings after dinner and then they go out to buy something like cake or ice cream(of course i would also get these cravings).
What I would do is sometimes set aside a reasonable amount of calories to have one serving of dessert.
Other times I would make myself some hot tea with cinnamon.(Cinnamon helps lots with sugar cravings!)
Sooner or later my cravings went away and I was able to look at dessert like it was nothing.0 -
A guy I know always says if he isn't hungry for an apple, then he isn't really hungry.
That being said, I have quite the sweet tooth too.
I have Chocolite bars. They're about 95-100'ish calories, have about 10 grams of fiber and about 10 grams of protein. My husband likes the cashew caramel and cookies and cream. I like the cookies and cream, but I particularly like the Triple Chocolate Fudge. Those more than help with the sweet tooth, they come with the added benefit of protein and fiber, they taste awesome, and they aren't "expensive" on the food journal.
I order them from the website healthsmartfoods.com0 -
OP - it sounds like you're addicted to sugar. You can still have it, just have less and wean yourself off of it. You don't need sweets after every meal.
Just FYI - I was born & raised in Texas - just because you're from the South doesn't mean you've eaten unhealthy, fatty dinners and ultra desserts all your life, promise. :bigsmile:0 -
Weight Watcher's Giant Fudge bars. 100 calories each. I always scoffed at "weight loss" food until I found these. They are the bomb...0
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Hey thanks everyone...I figured I wasn't the only one. One of the only bad things about growing up down here in the South...everyone loves to feed you.0
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You have a couple options:
1) Replace your desserts with healthier options- Try microwaving a cut up apple with cinnamon, some stevia as desired, a little bit of butter or coconut oil if you can afford the calories, and a sprinkling of oatmeal and/or ground flax seed to thicken the mix up. Comes out like warm apple pie filling and only takes a few minutes. Frozen dark cherries work really well with the same recipe (or fresh- but I'm lazy).
2) Make room for the calories for the desserts you want. Don't sacrifice actual nutritional elements of your diet for dessert, but you can always adopt a "WILL RUN 4 DONUTS" attitude.
3) Try something small but satiating- a single square of good dark chocolate will cost you around 50 calories, but it's totally worth it!0 -
dried apricot really hits the sweet tooth spot for me. great thing about them is they are small, have a good shelf life, and they really pack a flavor punch.0
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Someone on here, sorry I don't remember who turned me onto to del monte no sugar added very cherry fruit cup and I am in love with it. I eat the whole can for 100 calories. To me it is a lot and I feel like I got a lot more for 100 calories.
I also love blue bunny ice cream. The is one that is vanilla dipped in chocolate or chocolate dipped in chocolate for 100 calories each. When I want ice cream it really is enough for me.
Hope tis helps.0 -
Sugar-free jello with cool whip, sugar-free pudding, sliced up apple with sugar-free caramel ice cream topping (used as caramel dip). These are the main things I use to fight my sweet tooth. I, too, was raised always having dessert after dinner, so these have helped me.0
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Hey thanks everyone...I figured I wasn't the only one. One of the only bad things about growing up down here in the South...everyone loves to feed you.
So true! My grandma's feeling get hurt if I don't eat what she puts in front of me. The same thing goes with Filipino culture. My husband is Filipino and he and his family love me with food, LOL. Most of our friends are Filipino and it's always "Mary Ann, eat! Eat!" So hard to say no sometimes.0 -
You have a couple options:
1) Replace your desserts with healthier options- Try microwaving a cut up apple with cinnamon, some stevia as desired, a little bit of butter or coconut oil if you can afford the calories, and a sprinkling of oatmeal and/or ground flax seed to thicken the mix up. Comes out like warm apple pie filling and only takes a few minutes. Frozen dark cherries work really well with the same recipe (or fresh- but I'm lazy).
I'm going to try this one!!!!0 -
I do the cut up apple with stevia and cinnamon. A little splash of lemon juice and pop in the microwave for 30 seconds. I then add a 1/4 cup of walnuts. so good!!0
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If you like bananas: take a banana cut it up and put it in the freezer, once frozen throw it in a blender with just a touch of liquid ( I use coconut milk but anything works), then blend. It's just like ice cream, I add peanut butter or Nutella on days I have the cals to do it.0
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I do the cut up apple with stevia and cinnamon. A little splash of lemon juice and pop in the microwave for 30 seconds. I then add a 1/4 cup of walnuts. so good!!
I've done this. I must try it with walnuts!
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I'm not a big advocate for any particular "diet" BUT phase one of Dr. Ian Smith's Fat Smash Diet is designed to help break bad eating habits and cravings. It's very strict but healthy and only last NINE days. Plenty of fruits and veggies. I lost 6 pounds when I did it.
If that doesn't help, then you'll need to factor in the sweets into your daily count. Try exercising a little more to allow for it, or eating a lighter lunch or dinner. It would be best to come up with healthier options. Perhaps fat free yogurt with nuts and berries. Make it pretty in layers in a glass dish. Presentation goes a long way.
I also heard that brushing your teeth is supposed to help minimize cravings. :noway: *shrugs*0 -
During the day i chew sf bubble gum, i have a skinnycow ice cream sandwich almost every night!0
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