Substitutes for chocolate and sweets

amy104
amy104 Posts: 12 Member
edited September 20 in Motivation and Support
Hi all, im new to this. Found the app on my iphone and now hooked!

Since Xmas 2009, i havent been able to stop snacking on chocolate and sweets.

I am strict in saying, no chocolate, sweet stuff or crisps in the house (im not a crisps person anyway). But ever since Xmas i find myself buying things, and thinking "once its gone, no more", but then the week after i will go and buy more things, as a "treat". Within a month over xmas, i ate a whole TIN of Quility Streets. Easter was bad too as i got a few Easter eggs, and i would easily eat a whole medium egg in one go!

I used to be about a size 14, increasing by day, but for the last 3 years or so, i have been able to control what i eat and i feel i am starting to slip again!

If i wasnt doing my walking to and from work on a daily basis i am most certain i will gain the weight quite quick. I work in an office, and on a daily basis i can avoid temtation of office cakes and biscuts. But if i go out at lunch and see marshmallows, i give in and buy them. The other day i found myself baging up a pick N mix, and then thought "what am i doing", put it down and walked out the shop.

I am greedy in the sense of large portions for dinner, if i have ice cream, biscuits or anything of the sort, i could eat the lot in one evening, i can be that bad!

I get a feeling of craving sweet things everyday, and if i dont eat the naughty things, i get that feeling that i really need it??

I used to eat some jelly for the evening cravings, but is this just as bad? I thought it was ok but starting to think that's just as bad.

So does anyone know substitutes for chocolate and sweets?? I need to break this habit!!

Amy x

Replies

  • dulcy
    dulcy Posts: 69 Member
    I crave sweet things too!:love: Try frozen ice pops instead of ice cream, I drink low cal hot chocolate (about 37 cal a cup) & I eat dried fruits as snacks for a sweet treat. You can get fat free marshmallows!! :bigsmile: Just limit yourself to 1 or 2, not the whole bag!!:laugh:
    I'm like you! I buy stuff & think once it's gone I won't buy more, or I think I'll have a tiny bit at a time but it never works!:ohwell:
    So hard with 4 kids in the house & a partner with a sweet tooth & superfast metabolism!!!!!:grumble:
  • heatherine
    heatherine Posts: 9 Member
    I have a horrible sweet tooth also. Instead of not eating sweets, I've been TRYING to limit myself to only one sweet per day. It doesn't always work, but since I found this website, I think twice about if I want to waste that many calories on a treat.
  • SimonLondon
    SimonLondon Posts: 350
    Whenever I get the craving I either munch a Special K bar or an apple with small helping of peanut butter. That does the job for me :smile:
  • Pinksapphire74
    Pinksapphire74 Posts: 35
    When I have a craving for chocolate I get the sugar free jello mousse chocolate indulegence, it is only 60 cal's:) for sweets I look for the skinny cow ice cream bars or weight watchers stuff. Another thing I do for sweets, is buy the low fat or fat free ricotta, pure vanilla extract, stevia and sliced almonds. What you do is take 1/4 cup of ricotta in a small bowl, pour in when packet of stevia, 1 tsp of almond extract, toast some almonds and sprinkle on top, mix it all together and you have a low cal sugar free cheese cake! YUMMY!! Hope this will help you with your cravings:)
  • lilmissy2
    lilmissy2 Posts: 595 Member
    Every dietitian I've ever worked with has been an absolute chocoholic! We always allowed ourselves to have a small amount of chocolate each day (like a freddo or something - 20g-ish). It wasn't a huge calorie contribution and it gave us something to enjoy and curbed our cravings. Oh and we definitely find that the trick is to go to the cafeteria at work and get a single one, rather than buying a packet of 12 or something and being tempted to eat more than one in a day.
  • DeeDeeLHF
    DeeDeeLHF Posts: 2,301 Member
    There is only one chocolate/sugary treat that I allow myself. Lindt 90% cocoa chocolate. I usually have about 2- 4 squares divided up during the week. So the large bar can last me anywhere between two to four weeks.

    It is pure chocolate with little sugar. What it lacks in sugar it makes up for in fat but still, it satisfies that deep chocolate craving.

    If the calories allow I sometimes eat it with raisins or peanutbutter.

    D
  • lesley1981
    lesley1981 Posts: 329 Member
    I love my chocolate, so when i'm trying to be good i'll have a special k bar, a milky way or a slim fast bar! the caramel nougat slim fast bars are LUSH!

    If I'm trying to be really good, I'll have an ice lolly or a chuppa chup, just to satisfy my sugary cravings (and most times I don't even finish the chuppa chup)!
  • dmdinfla
    dmdinfla Posts: 19 Member
    Admitted chocoholic here.... I bought some tea from Tevana called cocoa mint that tastes like a peppermint pattie for late nigh cravings. They have other chocolate flavored teas too. I am checking out 'Protein Freeze' for some other options like ice cream/brownies/popsices...I saw it on Facebook and just read a little about it on their website. SOUNDS good....?..........maybe...........
  • caminogirl
    caminogirl Posts: 56 Member
    There is only one chocolate/sugary treat that I allow myself. Lindt 90% cocoa chocolate. I usually have about 2- 4 squares divided up during the week. So the large bar can last me anywhere between two to four weeks.

    It is pure chocolate with little sugar. What it lacks in sugar it makes up for in fat but still, it satisfies that deep chocolate craving.

    If the calories allow I sometimes eat it with raisins or peanutbutter.

    D

    I've found that the Lindt Excellence bars - Intense Mint Dark Chocolate works for me, one square does the trick - the mint gives it a satisfying kick and it's not bitter, also a single squares is large enough for a good nibble. :smile:
    (sorry, editing b/c I'm posting with out my glasses!)
  • amy104
    amy104 Posts: 12 Member
    Thank you for all your help, it really helps.

    The problem I have is I have never been able to have “just one or two”. Yesterday I had a whole bag of marshmallow just because they was sitting there staring at me. It could have been anything, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, I like all those as a sweet nibble, but as I didn’t have them, and had those, I ate the lot! And then I discovered this website on my iphone app, and I felt guilty for eating so much. Its such an eye-opener to what you eat and what’s really in foods.

    If I have a tub of ice-cream at home, I can easily eat half the tub! I have tried a substitute for ice-cream, it’s a frozen smoothie type thing, taste lovely and very low fat. But still, I don’t even want to buy that as im trying to break this habit.


    This website is amazing, its just the thing I need to keep me on track to the goal im aiming for. :wink:
  • DeeDeeLHF
    DeeDeeLHF Posts: 2,301 Member
    Admitted chocoholic here.... I bought some tea from Tevana called cocoa mint that tastes like a peppermint pattie for late nigh cravings. They have other chocolate flavored teas too. I am checking out 'Protein Freeze' for some other options like ice cream/brownies/popsices...I saw it on Facebook and just read a little about it on their website. SOUNDS good....?..........maybe...........

    I love Tevana and I love my brown betty to brew my tea in!! Chocolate and my brown betty! It can't get any better! I will buy some this weekend!

    D
  • amy104
    amy104 Posts: 12 Member
    Ive seen that those biscuit sticks with chocolate on them (Mikado) are on 11cal each!
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
    a portion of raisins and raw almonds mixed. mmmm

    Biggest loser in one of their books also has a trail mix where you add 2 T. of dark chocolate chip to the mix above and that's really good as well. Since you're eating fat/protein with it you don't crave the chocolate later nor does it go straight to the blood stream and give you a sugar drop later. Great pre-work out or after-workout snack.

    I'm not a dark chocolate fan so this works well for me, if you're a dark chocolate fan, this could be a trigger food, dunno.:wink:


    Also dark chocolate bars the 80% or higher ones, (the good brands NOT hersheys..lol) cacao, had a few squares of one yesterday with whole cherries in it. Very good with the sweet/tart taste, good mix. 2.5 servings per bar, each serving, the bar is 12 squares so one serving is quite a bit. I normally only eat about 1-2 squares since it being dark chocolate it's all I need for a PMS fix.
  • WussKat
    WussKat Posts: 63
    Hi Amy!

    I am exactly like you! I try and have one biscuit or sweet and then hide the packet away...but it seems to call to me!

    The Lindt chocolate is good - try freezing it (break it up first!) - then a square takes so much longer to eat...let it melt in your mouth - yummy!

    Snack-A-Jacks are good too - the chocolate chip ones are great if you have a chocolate craving...they are really big and I think around 90 calories each.

    And now I am craving chocolate........<beetles off to find some>....best of luck! :-)
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