still eat sweet treats when I'm trying to lose weight?

I still eat sweets when I'm trying to lose weight but I try not to go overboard with it. Weight watchers and skinny cow brands make some really tasty treats. They have candy and ice cream stuff. I think if you try to permanently cut out something you love it is going to end up making you crave it even more and eventually give in probably more than you should.

I do the 5:2 and eat chocolate on non-fast days. I've lost more weight than I set out to, and am now maintaining and don't feel guilty about my choccy habit any more - no longer look upon it as a vice!

You can technically eat what you like as long as you maintain your calorie deficit.

However, if you "waste" calories on sweet treats you will most likely be hungry the whole time and end up caving in and over eating.

I would recommend spending your calorie allowance on food that keeps you full up and gives you the nutrients you need.

You can't deny yourself a little something that makes you happy or that you crave. Keep within your calorie and exercise goals and you'll lose weight. By being completely miserable you only set yourself up for eventual failure. Make gradual changes, it takes time to put on weight, it has to take some time to take it off if you want it to stay off for good.

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I have fat free fromage frais and add diet hot chocolate sachets to it. High in protein low in calories and carbs, I have only just started to try to lose weight is I can't say how effective this is yet! Tastes like very creamy yogurt

I lost 50 pounds eating Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches, frozen Greek yogurt, or chocolate-covered frozen bananas almost every day. Dieting is about balance. If you're eating 80% healthy foods and getting plenty of protein in then I don't see the problem with a little sweet treat here and there.

One word: Moderation

You can't go overboard. Limit yourself. I eat sweets. Heck, for the past week and a half I have eaten ice cream with chocolate sauce almost each night after dinner. It's HOW MUCH. You can't sit down and inhale a full tub of ice cream, plus the snickers you had before lunch, the twickies after lunch, and the chips late you got as a pick me up before dinner.

If craving is the issue then I recommend forgoing it completely for 2 - 3 weeks. This being all sweets, Soda, and even sugar free treats. When you decide to allow it later, the sweet will likely be too sweet and you will automatically limit the portion. This was my experience. Then you will be more likely to control the portions. Also, if you take this approach you will likely see what eating sweets does as far as energy over the next 24 hours and digestion/indigestion side effects from the indulgeance.

Just an idea. I only know this from my experience of giving up all sweets and artificial sweeteners to kick off my change to low carb lifestyle in order to gain control over pre-diabetes. When I got to a point where I felt I could "allow" the treat (be it sweets or starchy foods) I paid close attention to portion and how I felt during the next day. I learned a lot about my body and how it reacts to certain foods. Every body is different. Learn about your body. I also realized some of the things I used to eat everyday (cheese fries) I really don't like now. They are really pretty gross tasting to me and I don't want them at all now.

And remember, it takes 18 days to change a habit and 30 to break a habit. Always remember to give your body time to adjust to your changes. Don't expect to see immediate results with any given change.

You can eat those "bad" foods and still lose. The key is portion control. Allow yourself a treat now and again provided you are under or at your calorie goal each day. You will lose weight eating "bad" foods as long as you are at or under your daily net calorie goal. I don't believe in diets that cut out foods and I don't believe in cutting out foods or snacks to lose weight. It's all about moderation and portion control.

Here's how I look at it. I'm making a lifestyle change, I'm not on a diet. Am I going to go the rest of my life having no sweets? I don't think so. So, I do indulge on occasion. The key is to fit it into your day, to pay attention to serving size - weigh and measure to be sure. And enjoy it when you have it. I find some of the things I used to love, I don't love so much any more. Reese's peanut butter cups for one. They taste too sweet to me now. So I'm not going to pick those things to indulge in. If I'm going to consume those extra calories, I better like it!

At the moment, there are bakery made butter tarts behind my desk area at work (I curse office birthdays, LOL). I haven't allowed myself to have one yet - I may by the end of the day, but if I do, I know I will have to fit some exercise into my unusually busy night. So, it's still up for debate in my head. Plus, I know if I eat one too soon, it could lead to another one an hour from now. So again, if I indulge, i will take one home.