I can't stay away from candy... help!

I have the same issue! So far chewing sugarless gum when I have a craving and keeping candy outta reach is helping.

I was terrible with sugar too! Everyday I had to have something and I just had to give it up cold turkey. Once the weight starts coming off you will want to stop eating it! It was terribly hard not to eat any sugar during Christmas, but I just had to keep telling myself that I didn't get fat by not eating candy. I will have the 60 calorie sugar free jello snacks for a dessert, it seems to do the job.

Best of luck to you!

Once you cut refined sugars out of your diet for a while you will notice that natural sugars say...a banana, is super sweet! Then your sweet-toothed cravings can be fixed with more natural choices One nice sweet treat is to get some delicious specialty teas from somewhere like Davids Tea and drop a little honey drop in it. ( Honibe.ca )

20 calories and super yummie ) Best of luck to you!

I love candy, too, and I've never found a food that "replaces" the desire for it. It's true that stopping yourself is all about willpower and motivation. You have to make a conscious effort to not eat it, knowing what all that sugar does to your body. Also, look into products such as stevia and evaporated cane juice for use in your baked goods. Stevia is a natural sweetener and evaporated cane juice is less refined than white sugar so it retains more nutrients. Beware of consuming too many "sugar-free" products; those artificial sweeteners are not good for your body either!

I agree, it comes down to will power and that can only come from you.

Very few here would argue with me when I say christmas chocolates taste soooo good but are also very high in calories. From 3 tins of the things I have eaten a total of 6 purely because everytime I reached for 1 my brain would scream 50 CALORIES!!!! Arm yourself with the calorie content of all that you would usually reach for then think what you could have for the same calories and how long you'd have to run for to burn off what you want to pop in your mouth for a mere moments pleasure. It works for me, 6 times I've said "sod it" and given in but I reckon thats an achievement as at christmas' past I tended to just grab a handful instead of just 1

sugar free gum
sugar free popsicles
cinnamon capsules

I used to have the same problem until a few months ago. I grew up on junk food and sweets were my biggest weakness. I no not agree that Will Power is all it takes. Will is only the beginning. It works for very few people, but not for most. I used to have a very "strong will" for months at a time, but when I relapsed, I fell hard.

Here's the trick I learned... it's actually brain science:

This may sound odd but the trick is to "lie" to yourself.
The reason most of us are ineffective at losing weight or dropping habits is because we say one thing but think another. "I'm going to be good today, I'm staying away from sweets..." <- that's will. In the meantime you're actually visualizing or imagining the treats, how they taste, how hard it's going to be, etc... <-that's where "will power" comes in to try to save you.
Will Power: "I won't let you eat that, I promise!"

Here's the problem... your brain doesn't know the difference between the truth and a lie. You can tell yourself one thing, but it's going to believe what you've already trained it to believe. It's going to believe your imagination because you've already told it that the sweets are good.

Here's how you lie to yourself:
Don't make it about the sweets. Make it about the results.
-For the next 30 days tell yourself, "I am fit, I am healthy, I am thin". Do this every morning (at least 5 mins), and every night (5+ mins) before you go to bed. These times are crucial to retraining your brain.
This part is IMPORTANT:
-When you're telling yourself these new "truths" make sure you IMAGINE the benefits or results you have in the future. See yourself eating healthy foods, in a new body, doing the things you may not be able to do now, fitting into smaller clothes. Really experience what it's like to have all the things you want out of being healthy.

Again, your brain will eventually believe this even if it seems like a lie to you at the moment. Your brain only sends your body the messages YOU are literally telling it. It takes 30 days to develop a new habit. If you're consistent with this new habit, you'll notice a difference within the first few days. Not only will your cravings go away with ease, but you will notice a shift in your body. I almost cried on my 4th day when I walked into the kitchen and went directly to the healthiest foods.

I'm still surrounded by all the same junk foods. We still have drawer full of candies in my house, and all the same people that were my reasons I thought it was hard to lose weight are still around. But none of what's around me affects the results I got out of retraining my brain. I no longer have cravings for stuff that doesn't work. I have lots of energy and have lost 10lbs effortlessly.

This trick can work with any results you want in life. Just tell yourself you already have it, then experience having it, and your actions will automatically change to get it.

edorice - I'm curious about the cinnamon capsules? I try to have a tspn of cinnamon a day to help with insulin resistance and weight loss.

Thanks

Karen

edorice - I'm curious about the cinnamon capsules? I try to have a tspn of cinnamon a day to help with insulin resistance and weight loss.

Thanks

Karen

The capsules work the same way. It helps to regulate the blood sugar, curbs the cravings for sweets, and as a result aids fat loss. It's just easier to take down the capsules if you don't have a food to sprinkle the cinnamon on. I have 500 mg cinnamon capsule at my desk at work.

I feel your pain.

First thing I did was throw away all candy in the house--or put it in the freezer so I can't get at it.

At the grocery store, I have to grip the shopping cart tightly with both hands when I go down the candy aisle (and chips aisle) to keep the stuff from jumping into the cart. Or I don't go down the aisle at all. Plus, I resolve to only purchase items on the shopping list.

At work today, I had to resist the urge to toss all the candy in the break room, just so I wouldn't have to look at it. My coworkers might have complained.

I had some cravings yesterday, so I ate a honeycrisp apple--they are really sweet.

I also believe that if you still have the craving after several hours, you need to do something about it. I keep some portion-controlled single serving chocolate (read: small ghiradelli chocolates) on hand for such an occasion and limit myself to one. Right now, all the chocolate is in the freezer, though :happy:

I have a major sweet tooth to, and last night I had some extra calories and sugar so I had a Sugar-Free Jello Pudding with 10 jelly beans in it. The jelly beans were left over from the hoildays and not something I'd usually have in the house, but they satisfied the need to be "bad" and the whole treat was just over 100 calories and about 4-5 grams of Sugar.