What do you do if you are a sugar craver?

My trouble has always been my sweet tooth. I love healthy food--whole grains, veggies, fruit, lean meat, milk, etc., and I am not as tempted by salty or fried foods or even fast food, but I do LOVE sweets--chocolate, gummy candy, hard candy, etc. I really feel this is a molecular issue for some people of foods you can be addicted to.

When i was growing up, my mom did not allow sugary cereal, desserts, or anything else, but when I was little, I found her to be a closet sugar eater, and I became one as well.

I've found a few things that help--eating well and not feeling hungry, planning ahead, eating dark chocolate dusted almonds, eating fruit or yogurt after a meal, etc. But I still crave sweets.

Any ideas?

If you have a problem with sugar, just don't keep it in your house. My best suggestion is to just eat it in moderation. It's something you have to practice to get good at (just like everything else), but eventually you CAN have just 2 cookies intead of 20. Some people will preach that cutting sweets out completely is the only way to go, but in my opinion, that's no way worth living. :-)

Yep - what Holly said...........

You have 2 choices.........no sugar, eventually the cravings go away. But, if you don't plan on being sugar free forever ....then what?

Choice 2: practice, practice, practice.

I try to hold off on sugar as long as I can. Then I plan on a sugar treat (provided I am still on track). Ghiradelli squares are great - individually wrapped. I go for dark chocolate as that has "more" chocolate flavor & less sugar.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1105036-article-on-flexible-dieting-by-armi-legge?page=1#posts-17068746

Plan ahead to have ice cream every single night of your life, like I do (with some exceptions to make room for other stuff).

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1105036-article-on-flexible-dieting-by-armi-legge?page=1#posts-17068746

Two great resources on how a lot of us do it and are/have been successful!

Work them into your plan as often as you need to to not feel deprived. Your chances of long term success will be much greater if you do.

+1 I recommend low-fat frozen yogurt.

Plan ahead to have ice cream every single night of your life, like I do (with some exceptions to make room for other stuff).

This! Look in my diary. Ice Cream EVERY SINGLE DAY.:drinker:

I know exactly what you mean, I could sit down and easily eat a whole box of chocolates... it would make me sick of course but that doesn't stop me from doing it again

If you have a keurig... hot cocoa is my go-to. The dunkin donuts hot cocoa k-cups only have 70 calories and you make it with water, just like the regular coffee. Hot liquids stretch your stomach muscles and intestines, so it tends to make you full more quickly. So instead of having a 230 calorie snickers bar and still feeling hungry, I'll make myself a cup of hot cocoa that only has 6 grams of sugar and feel pretty comfortable right afterwards. Hope this helps!

I was the same way and trying to eat sweets in moderation was like a vicious joke. Honestly, I have recently discovered that I am allergic to both dairy & wheat and so that has automatically taken many things out of my diet, especially certain sweets. HOWEVER, I have dessert almost every night. I make things that are low glycemic, using natural fruits or honey as the sweetener, as omitting wheat from my diet has made me crave sweets much less and I don't see the reason to encourage that addiction by indulging in high glycemic desserts. It is only a suggestion, but perhaps you should consider getting rid of wheat and other high glycemic foods( aka sugar) from your diet and see where t takes you.

Good luck!

Coca~Cola addict here! Haven't had any major problems giving up most other unhealthy stuff, but Coke is a whole different beast. I'm never satisfied with just one and drinking it triggers cravings for other unhealthy foods (chips and other fatty stuff). I absolutely believe we can become addicted to sugar. I live it!

I'm not sure it's genetic, but I do believe it can be "passed on" generationally through example and lifestyle. I do better when I keep it out of the house. I've tried "just having one" and working it into my calories and even when I was successful, all I thought about was the little red cans of deliciousness waiting for me.

Try different things until you find something that works for you. If you can eat just a little of something sweet, that's great! If you can't, keep it out of reach and out of the house so you aren't tempted. Perhaps, in time, it will get easier!

I haven't read all of the responses so may be repeating but! I too have a crazy sweet tooth.

I stopped drinking pop - except occasionally as a treat - but never at home. This alone caused a bunch of weight to just fall off.

I rarely have any sweets in the house because I will devour them in the evening. If I'm desperate for sweetness I'll have yogurt or fruit at home.

I can't go cold turkey so I do allow myself treats most days, but I factor them into my calories. Sometimes in the afternoon at work I will go to the cafeteria and get a cookie, or have a couple of dark chocolate squares. If someone at work has a birthday and someone brings in cake (or more recently, cheesecake, yummm) I will have a small slice. I know I won't stick with it if I feel deprived especially when everyone else is partaking. But again, I try to keep within my calories.

I used to eat gummy candies all the time, but I've pretty much cut those out except occasionally as a treat a few times a year - like if I go on a road trip or something. It is way too easy to eat the whole bag, and they really have no nutritional value and are pretty much just sugar and chemicals. They still call to me from the aisles at the store but it gets easier and easier to walk on by as time goes on.

I also found eating dinner later helped control my dessert urge.

I hope some of this helps!

Eat sugar in moderation.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

My trouble has always been my sweet tooth. I love healthy food--whole grains, veggies, fruit, lean meat, milk, etc., and I am not as tempted by salty or fried foods or even fast food, but I do LOVE sweets--chocolate, gummy candy, hard candy, etc. I really feel this is a molecular issue for some people of foods you can be addicted to.

When i was growing up, my mom did not allow sugary cereal, desserts, or anything else, but when I was little, I found her to be a closet sugar eater, and I became one as well.

I've found a few things that help--eating well and not feeling hungry, planning ahead, eating dark chocolate dusted almonds, eating fruit or yogurt after a meal, etc. But I still crave sweets.

Any ideas?

just one that comes to mind...is there a history of Diabetes in your family or do you have any other markers?
If so, I would have my blood sugar checked.

if this is not your issue, it's a matter of replacing old habits with new ones...it takes time and baby steps help to make it easier.

ETA: people who eat low carb diets also report a decrease in sugar cravings, that may help too

I would agree with msf74 - I had to go cold turkey for a few weeks in order to break my addiction to sugar.

Now, I will splurge with a piece of (really) dark chocolate every once in awhile. I also keep 15 calorie sugar-free popsicles in my freezer and I'll have one/day. The fake sugar is terrible, but I'd rather have a tiny bit of fake sugar than binge on something worse. You can also try stevia in hot tea - blueberry tea with a dash of stevia tastes like blueberry pie to me. The Tazo apple cinnamon is also delicious with a little stevia. Good luck!

I would agree with msf74 - I had to go cold turkey for a few weeks in order to break my addiction to sugar.

Now, I will splurge with a piece of (really) dark chocolate every once in awhile. I also keep 15 calorie sugar-free popsicles in my freezer and I'll have one/day. The fake sugar is terrible, but I'd rather have a tiny bit of fake sugar than binge on something worse. You can also try stevia in hot tea - blueberry tea with a dash of stevia tastes like blueberry pie to me. The Tazo apple cinnamon is also delicious with a little stevia. Good luck!

What kind of sugar free popsicles?
I've been looking for additional SF treats, the jello is getting old :laugh: