Help! How do u say no to sweets?

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  • footiechick82
    footiechick82 Posts: 1,203 Member
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    I'm not sure what you're background is, but for me, lent is coming and I loooooooove to bake. My bf loves my cupcakes and cookies and I've been baking every weekend since Christmas...it's not good! LOL... if you see my diary on Sundays, always sweets day, so bad!

    Anyway, for lent this year, I'm giving up sweets/sugar (I say sweets because there is sugar in wine, and I'm NOT giving up wine!) I started yesterday, although, lent technically starts tomorrow. I have oatmeal chocolate chip cookies at my desk at work and I was craving them like crazy yesterday and didn't have any - they're homemade, 'healthy' (whole wheat flour and no butter sub with applesauce) BUT I told myself "NO!" So, I had an apple, orange, grapefruit and blackberries with my yogurt yesterday. My protein shakes are chocolate and vanilla (I bought both) and they're sweet, so that helps A LOT! I have one in the am when I wake up and one post workout (right before lunch).

    At home, if I don't see it, I don't crave it. So I stay the heck away from my roommates junk and make sure they 'hide' it or put it away and keep it out of sight so it's out of mind. It also helps that my bf and I have agreed to no more baking after this past Sunday so the sweets won't be coming into the house because of us.

    If you can do this for 40 days and 40 nights, you will have the willpower to say no once it's over - so I keep telling myself! haha

    Good luck :)
  • This_Is_My_Destiny
    This_Is_My_Destiny Posts: 20 Member
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    I don't! I just choose a sugar-free alternative to whatever I'm craving...chocolate? Sugar-free chocolate pudding, OR, even better, a Weight Watchers Giant cookie-covered chocolate ice cream bar - at just 130 calories, it's my favorite after-dinner dessert! Must be working - I've lost 18 lbs so far...and counting! ;-) Best of luck to ya - and don't sell yourself so short. You CAN do this, with a little ingenuity and a lot of willpower!!

    P.S. - I tested my own willpower recently, by going to Golden Corral buffet for lunch...and you know what? I did GREAT! I was so proud of myself for making healthier choices, and by-passing the foods that I normally would make a beeline for. You can do the same - just don't set yourself up for failure by thinking you can't dine out or have dessert, because if you deprive yourself, you're destined to give up. Take care, and God bless!! :-)

    -April

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    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter
  • Energizer06
    Energizer06 Posts: 311 Member
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    Closest thing to appease the sweet tooth ...eat a piece of fruit (apple) at least the fructose high last about 15 min. Then do something to take your mind off it.
  • southern_star
    southern_star Posts: 89 Member
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    I closely watch my sugar intake and am constantly looking at the labels of products that I buy. I plan out my meals in advance and if it is going to be over 5g sugar total, I won't have it unless it is a special day or something. I also eat on a regular basis now of about every 2-3 hours and have found that I don't have the cravings that I used to have. Another thing that helps is I have a small piece of dark chocolate at night or some fruit (lower sugar fruits like raspberries) I can't stand the 85% dark but can tolerate the 76% AND i treat my fruit as candy and save it as that nightly treat if I do have it. Sometimes I fail and will have it at breakfast but not often.

    And this fat girl loved donuts and cupcakes! I used to excuse of buying it for my employees but now they don't get it either lol.
  • brokenjawedmuse
    brokenjawedmuse Posts: 132
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    It's quite easy. You press your tongue to the front of the roof of your mouth and then form an O with your lips. It sounds strange but it's a lot like the word 'snow' without the 's'.
  • CherokeeBabe
    CherokeeBabe Posts: 1,704 Member
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    Dang, I'm eating a cookie while replying to this. I've cut back from multiple sweets a day (cookies, ice cream, candy bar) to just a couple things a week. If I have the calories leftover, I'll have a fudgebar, one large cookie, etc. I still have sweets, just less of them. :)
  • freckledrats
    freckledrats Posts: 251 Member
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    Trick #1: Replace the processed, refined sugar treats with lower calorie, healthier treats like apple slices, frozen grapes, pineapple, etc.

    Trick #2: If you have the calories to spare, don't give in to the urge still. You can fill those calories with a treat that's still way better for you and tastes like sin. Peanut butter and semi-sweet chocolate chips? Hell yes. Peanut butter between banana slices, that sort of thing.

    Trick #3: Once a month or something, go ahead and have a small pack of skittles or M&Ms or whatever crap you want to stay away from. Not only will this help curb cravings (because knowing you can't EVER have something is just the recipe for wanting it all the time), you might (maybe) find that after replacing it with healthier stuff most of the time that you just don't appreciate the taste as much as you used to, who knows.

    Trick #4: Think of yourself. You want that candy, but the satisfaction will last, what.... 5 minutes? How will you feel when the package is gone and the flavor has passed from your mouth? Sad? Regretful? Stuck in one place? Back at Square One? That candy isn't doing anything for you. Healthy food can be delicious and totally works to your body's benefit.

    Trick #5: In your weakest moments, the stuff above probably doesn't work. So, a temporary measure is to shove it out of your mind. You're in the store, looking for something good for you and you pass the candy aisle. Pull up a blind spot. You didn't see that candy aisle. It's not even there. This store doesn't have candy, you were mistaken, go get some bananas.

    Trick #6: Don't give up too much at once. If you've got a sweet tooth problem and that's your priority, don't quit diet soda or smoking at exactly the same time. So much stress, and most people don't have the kind of iron mind to deal with that. One thing at a time.
  • shellma00
    shellma00 Posts: 1,684 Member
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    Out of Sight, Out of Mind...I also have sugar free Dairy Queen Fudge Bars that are only 50 calories for when I get a sweet tooth. Skinny Cow and WW also have some really good, low cal, low sugar sweet treats.
  • mcrubino
    mcrubino Posts: 18
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    It is a constant struggle to say no to sweets, and while I had a medical necessity to give them up it is still very difficult to see my favorite foods pass by. Breads, donuts, cheesecakes and the like, it's so difficult to give them up. BUT, to that I will say that being a year off white breads, added sugar, sweeteners, and starchy vegetables has made my body feel so much better and I've learned to get energy from other sources besides sugar. It is especially difficult when other household members continue to eat these delicious treats. Encouraging them to make healthier habits is a great idea.

    I have found that if you cut them out, eventually you will find you don't taste foods the same, and foods will taste sweeter without so much sugar. I have also found that all natural stevia has provided a sweet fix when baking and you don't have to use as much of it as you have to use sugar.

    Keep an eye on the ingredients list and the sugar contents, because those high numbers will blow you away. Also when you're looking at those, keep in mind that many agree that women should have no more than 35g of added sugar a day...many of our favorite foods have double that! That alone is enough to make me put it down. And sweeteners sit around that lovely tire women tend to get on the hips...imagine that gone. I hope this helps!
  • fstender
    fstender Posts: 165 Member
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    Have you tried the sugar free jello pudding...it is so yummy and will take away your need for chocolate...I sometimes top it with some semi chocolate chips. Also sugar free jello is great substitute as well....

    oh and a banana with peanut butter hits the spots for me too!
  • AvsFreak
    AvsFreak Posts: 152 Member
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    I was informed by a nutritionnist that carving sweets often means you are lacking some protein... if you have protein, you surprisingly won't crave as much sugar. From personal experience, having a higher protein diet won't make me crave the sweets... I also have a chocolate flavored protein shake that's flavored & sweetened with stevia.

    There is a lot of the amino acid glutamine in meats. Glutamine helps lower sugar/carb cravings while dieting and the protein will also help keep you full longer. Can't go wrong with eating more protein.
  • Melsy7
    Melsy7 Posts: 30
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    I don't buy the stuff. If I don't have it around, I don't crave it. I'm not going to lie and say I'm good 100% of the time because I do cave once in a while, but it's not near as often, and I figure deprivation isn't doing me any favors, either.

    I will say that once I was able to severely limit the sweets, when I eat anything now, like a cupcake or a piece of candy, I find that one is enough, or a half a cupcake is good, otherwise, I get to feeling icky.
  • armychickmlg
    armychickmlg Posts: 8 Member
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    I love sweets too and I am allergic to almost all of the artificial sweeteners (except Stevia), so I have had to learn that moderation is key. Also, I try to stay away from refined white and brown sugar. I sweeten my coffee with 1 teaspoon of honey, I make my oatmeal from scratch using dried fruit and honey to sweeten it, and when I have a craving I allow myself a square of high quality dark chocolate.
  • Liatush
    Liatush Posts: 627 Member
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    I looked at your diary... looks like you had 1 piece of cake last week, but aside from that, nothing sweet....

    I usually go for something sweet, but make it a light version (i.e. skinny cow ice cream instead of reg ice cream)... I dont think you need to cut it out completely, but even if you have a regular version of something, eat, enjoy and move on... dont need to feel guilty about it..
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
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    I don't say no, I moderate.
  • Ramberta
    Ramberta Posts: 1,312 Member
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    Hi, I`m writting `cause I started MFP a month ago and after checking everything I eat I noticed I eat a lot of sugar! How do I do to stop doing that?

    It`s horrible because I feel like an urge to eat and, if I do so, then I feel guilty and ashamed :(

    Every comment is welcome!

    Thanks!

    Sweets are my downfall too, it really really REALLY sucks because there's lots of sugar in so many things you don't think about-- things you think of as "normal" foods. Since I've started logging my food every day, I've gone way over on sugar even on days where I avoided cookies, candy, ice cream, etc. It can be frustrating! And while sugar-free alternatives do exist, most of the time they're unappetizing and unsatisfying. You just end up eating way more, which overloads on cals anyway.

    If I have it in the house, I'm doomed. I can't just eat 1 chocolate out of the box and leave the rest to sit in the cupboard-- it will haunt me until I've eaten them all. So for now, I avoid buying it. If I want sweets on a particular day, I plan it into my daily calories and plan healthy stuff around it, and try to make sure I work out on that day. Then I make a separate trip to the store JUST to get my sweet thing. (And I try to get small things, which is why I love those tiny little ice cream cups or individually wrapped sweets.) That gives it importance and makes it feel special. Then I take it home, and try to wait as long as possible before actually eating it. Take time to smell and look at the food, and during that time ask yourself, "is this really worth all this sugar? Do I really, *really* want this?" If the answer is yes, eat it slowly and savor it. If the answer is no-- if you feel like you'll just get guilty afterwards-- then try working out first and THEN indulging.

    Every now and again I'll trash it and eat like, half my day's cals in sweets, but I usually get a headache because it throws off my nutrition intake. Sugar isn't something that makes you feel pleasant if you overindulge, and over time you'll begin to realize that you FEEL better when you choose the less sugary things. :)

    Best of luck! Feel free to add me so that we can motivate each other to cut out the bad sugary stuff together. :)
  • smh1067
    smh1067 Posts: 45 Member
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    It's just about changing how you view sweets. You don't have to say no to all of them, just plan them in when you want them. If you're going somewhere you know will serve sweets you'll want, plan for that too. I'm not from the camp of eating healthy 100% of the time. It's just not realistic for me right now. I do know that I limit how many sweets I plan in because I always feel hungry if that's where I'm getting my calories from. And I know if I "have" to give something up completely, I'll just want it that much more. Try not to be so hard on yourself and just try and stay within your calorie goal and eat as healthy as you can that day. I go over sugar every day because I'm a fruit eater (I want to love veggies, but I just don't. At. All.) and I'm not giving up my one cup of coffee with flavored creamer in it. I know sugar is sugar, but I still argue that fruit is not on the same level as a cookie nutrition wise. Macros are important, but they're not the end all, be all. What's important is that you're working toward a healthier you, even if it involves a little sugar. That's just my two cents though, I'm sure there are others with a different opinion :smile:
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
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    easiest thing is to not have it in the house, do not buy it, and don't have sugar or flour on hand to bake anything...thats what I find is easiest
  • bella1604
    bella1604 Posts: 1
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    I eat low-carb snacks from Diet Direct (and no, I don't work for them). They have GREAT biscotti's and milk chocolate bites. Awesome puddings too. I'm an all-around snacker and hae found that their snacks (sweet, chips, etc) help me out a LOT.
  • KimmieJorg
    KimmieJorg Posts: 1
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    For me, the more I eat sugar the more I want it. Hang in there and it gets better. Low sugar hard candy helps too.

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