Evening Sugar Cravings

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anachronicles
anachronicles Posts: 109 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey all,

just wondering how you guys deal with sugar craving sin the evening. This seems to be the time of day that I'm always craving something sweet, and I know it's probably one of the worst times to take in sugar! Right now I've been turning to quest bars to satisfy the craving because they're sweetened with stevia. I know some people suggest fruit, but fruit is fairly high in sugar (and even though its a natural sugar, it gets metabolized the same). So what are good options to satisfy that craving without damaging my diet?

Replies

  • ajff
    ajff Posts: 986 Member
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    Well, I was going to say fruit...

    My nightly ritual is a BIG glass of ice water. Or two... Sometimes if I am craving sweet I drink some Crystal Light Lemonade, but not too much.... I don't try to fill up with too much fake stuff!
  • jjulliee
    jjulliee Posts: 40 Member
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    When I began switching to a healthier lifestyle, I got a lot of enjoyment out of trail mix (usually raw almonds, dark chocolate, dried cranberries). If you make it yourself, you can ensure there are more nuts and less of the fruit and chocolate. It will be hard, but try to stick to a serving size (1/4 cup).

    Another treat is dark chocolate (60-75% cacao) dipped in all-natural peanut butter (only ingredient: peanuts). The combination of chocolate and peanut butter is always satisfying. Again, try to stick to the serving size for the chocolate and peanut butter, cause this will be a high-calorie snack.

    I believe choosing these better sweet options and weaning myself off of foods with high-fructose corn syrup (and other junky ingredients) completely obliterated my unexplained nighttime cravings, for everything, including sweets. I rarely have cravings now, and don't have to fight the urge to binge, cause it's gone.

    Hmmm, here are some more:

    -plain, non-fat Greek yogurt with pecans and drizzled with honey
    -banana "ice cream" (I've made this, and it's good: http://whiskflipstir.com/2010/10/07/banana-ice-cream-vegan-chunky-monkey/)
    -frozen grapes

    Also, if you eat healthy throughout the day, and start cutting out foods with hidden sugars (high-fructose corn syrup, for example, is in just about everything, even things that you don't think of as sweet) maybe you can relax on the sugar and enjoy fruit or some of the ideas above.

    Good luck!
  • BombshellPhoenix
    BombshellPhoenix Posts: 1,693 Member
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    I fit it in.

    I ate ice cream every night for like almost 9 months straight. Lost 53 lbs. *shrugs*

    Making sustainable changes for life means fitting things in you enjoy into them. If the majority of your calories are coming from nutrient dense sources, there's nothing inherently wrong with something sweet with yes *gasp* added sugars, high fructose corn syrup. Assuming you don't have a medical condition.
  • OhCora
    OhCora Posts: 72 Member
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    having VERY cold water, sometimes with a few frozen berries in it seems to stop my sweet tooth. when it doesn't, I eat my diabetic chocolate.
  • love8383
    love8383 Posts: 169
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    i try to find things that are sugar free but don't taste like it. like Jell-O Mousse Temptations
  • lizziebay
    lizziebay Posts: 7
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    I like to make my own frozen yogurt using fat free greek yogurt and a scoop of chocolate protein whey with a sweetener of choice. It helps with my sweet tooth and I only have a 1/2 cup scoop at the end of my day. On top you can always try out a Walden Farms calorie free chocolate or caramel syrup.
  • ItaliaNovella
    ItaliaNovella Posts: 6 Member
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    creamies has some really yummy lowfat bars! but just eat what's healthy. its not a cheat meal, its an earn meal... cuz you earned it! (learned that one from onnit)
  • robbiehill99
    robbiehill99 Posts: 1
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    I reckon you should get onto some Green Tea :) It's perfect for dieting because it has no calories, contains natural thermogenic properties and also fills you up which is always a bonus when dieting. The Green Tea infused with wild berries or raspberries will satisfy the sweet cravings too :)
  • MissBabyJane
    MissBabyJane Posts: 538 Member
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    I just eat something sweet and try to fit it in my calorie goal. I stopped depriving myself from having treats. When I used to do that, I started to binge (I've never had this problem before). So now when I want to eat something sweet, I just make it work. Like today for example - I had a lunch (around 200 calories) and then I was craving something sweet and I ate WHOLE chocolate (515 calories) so I have left around 500 calories for the day, but so what? I will eat some veggies/fruit/yogurt for dinner and I will be perfectly fine. :)
  • LucasEVille
    LucasEVille Posts: 567 Member
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    My local supermarket (Tesco) sell Chocolate Tea, its basically dark cocoa in with the tea leaves... With sweeter only its 2kcals, with a drop of my unsweetened alpro almond milk its like less that 12 kcals... Lovely and sweet sorts out my cravings until while I work out what I am going to fit into my macros whether its real chocolate, fruit etc!
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,573 Member
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    I was reading something yesterday that said if you have a protein deficiency, you will crave sweets (among other symptoms like fatigue, sore muscles/cramps, achy joints..all of which plague me).

    You may want to check your protein intake during the day and make sure you have eaten enough protein - while it's very easy, relatively speaking, to stay within a calorie goal for the day, it's *not* so easy to do so AND take in enough protein.

    The peanut butter / dark chocolate snack sounds heavenly...

    I don't want to deny myself treats, but I also don't want to be craving them all the time either.
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,804 Member
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  • Glaziazisaur
    Glaziazisaur Posts: 30
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    Is there a particular sweet you crave? You could try a lower calorie substitute. For example, I like really dark chocolate (90%+) which is nice and also requires you to eat more slowly. If you crave something like ice cream, you could try sorbet or frozen grapes or frozen mashed banana. They still have sugar, but being cold it will make you eat more slowly so you can enjoy it more.
  • Snip8241
    Snip8241 Posts: 767 Member
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    I anticipate them and plan a sweet treat in my snacks. I usually have peanut butter and a banana or apple.
  • sabinekiwi
    sabinekiwi Posts: 23 Member
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    I leave enough calories over for the night crave :wink:
  • BombshellPhoenix
    BombshellPhoenix Posts: 1,693 Member
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    Also, OP. I looked through your posting history you suffer from anorexia. You should not be looking for lower calorie substitutes or dieting based on your last posts. I know you have a fear of foods. Perhaps you should be speaking to your doctor? No foods are bad.
  • inthekitch
    inthekitch Posts: 26
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    .
  • inthekitch
    inthekitch Posts: 26
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    This is so accurate!

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