Curbing your Sweets Cravings

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Hi, all. I started Keto back in January of this year and I'm loving it! I've noticed though that I am almost always craving sweets, whereas before Keto I hardly ever ate candy or even liked things like cake or cookies all that much. What foods do you all eat to curb these cravings? I've found my own little way in my e-cigarette (haven't smoked a cigarette in five weeks, yay!) by purchasing a lot of fruity or dessert flavors. However, I do work with food and we have a freezer full of cheesecakes, tarts, brownies, and anything else you can imagine. Some days it drives me crazy! What are some tasty, low carb options I can take advantage of? Thanks!

Oh and I just started using MFP again TODAY (I always come crawling back), so if anyone would like to add me please do!

Replies

  • FIT_Goat
    FIT_Goat Posts: 4,224 Member
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    The longer you go without feeding the cravings, the weaker they become. If that's not your thing, use sugar-free Torani syrups in your coffee.

    And these: http://screwedonstraight.net/keto-diet-peanut-butter-cup-fat-bombs/ are absolutely the best thing ever... EVER!
  • He1loKitty
    He1loKitty Posts: 212 Member
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    Yeah that's been true for me too. I've had a lifelong sweet tooth. I still struggle with it almost daily. But I've found that the less sugar I consume, the less I want it. At first, drinking fruit or vanilla flavored decaf tea helped. I also stopped keeping treats in the house. Finally, it helps not to talk about it! Like if I'm craving some ice cream, if I mention it to a friend or co worker, it materializes as a real craving. Whereas if I keep it to myself, it tends to go away. How's that for deep thoughts?
  • Leonidas_meets_Spartacus
    Leonidas_meets_Spartacus Posts: 6,198 Member
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    Make your own cheese cakes, ice cream etc. I make my own cheese cakes, caramel cakes, ice creams if I crave sweets. Make sure they are Sugar Free and low in carbs and high in fat.
  • wtimbrell
    wtimbrell Posts: 5 Member
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    I've found that sugar free jello sometimes curbs the need for something sweet for me, especially with a blob of Cool Whip on it!

    Also, I don't know what your carb limits for the day are or if you have a Superstore where you live, but I buy Superstore nanaimo bars from their bakery occasionally. They are only 15g carbs per serving and once in awhile I so need that hit of sweet!
  • blaccoffee
    blaccoffee Posts: 26 Member
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    Ive heard good things about ricotta cheese and vanilla extract being a keto friendly dessert.

    Apparently mascarpone cheese is sweet and has 0 carbs so ill be trying that soon.

    I usually just find a minty tea blend and make cold tea
  • amandarsmiles
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    Please try this, it has only 5g net carbs, I found it on reddit.com, it's so yummy:Ingredients
    Cooking spray
    1 egg
    2 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened/dark)
    2 tablespoons sugar substitute of choice (I use stevia or swerve)
    Pinch salt
    1 tbsp heavy cream/almond milk
    1/2 tsp vanilla extract
    1/4 tsp baking powder
    Directions
    Spray the mug with cooking spray.
    In a small bowl, beat the egg. Set aside. In a separate, slightly larger bowl, mix cocoa powder, sugar substitute, and salt. Add cream/milk, vanilla, and egg to the dry ingredients. Mix well. Add baking powder and mix again.
    Firmly tap the mug on the counter to release any large air bubbles.
    Cook for around 1 minute 20 seconds, depending on your microwave. The top of the cake should be solid. Flip cake onto a plate to cool.
    Top with whipped cream or berries if desired.
  • amandarsmiles
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    Here is some ice cream I've made! It did the trick (for craving ice cream).:

    Ehow.com How to Make Homemade No Carb, No Sugar Ice Cream
  • amandarsmiles
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    One more really easy and super delish treat: 1 T creamy peanut butter (no sugar added kind), 2 T heavy whipping cream, put it all in a bowl, rub it all together in swirly circles pressing it into the bowl while rubbing using the convex side of a spoon until smooth/fluffy. It turns into a light and fluffy peanut butter mousse and you get a little arm workout!
  • Booksandbeaches
    Booksandbeaches Posts: 1,791 Member
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    Please try this, it has only 5g net carbs, I found it on reddit.com, it's so yummy:Ingredients
    Cooking spray
    1 egg
    2 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened/dark)
    2 tablespoons sugar substitute of choice (I use stevia or swerve)
    Pinch salt
    1 tbsp heavy cream/almond milk
    1/2 tsp vanilla extract
    1/4 tsp baking powder
    Directions
    Spray the mug with cooking spray.
    In a small bowl, beat the egg. Set aside. In a separate, slightly larger bowl, mix cocoa powder, sugar substitute, and salt. Add cream/milk, vanilla, and egg to the dry ingredients. Mix well. Add baking powder and mix again.
    Firmly tap the mug on the counter to release any large air bubbles.
    Cook for around 1 minute 20 seconds, depending on your microwave. The top of the cake should be solid. Flip cake onto a plate to cool.
    Top with whipped cream or berries if desired.

    This is a good recipe! I've seen it before. It really hits the spot for a brownie if that's what you're craving.
  • alexray92
    alexray92 Posts: 2 Member
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    I never get cravings for sweets as-such, but I do get fruit cravings sometimes, especially if I haven't been getting adequate nutrition. What I normally do is mix a cup of frozen berries with a cup of whole goat milk - the milk freezes on and partially thaws the fruit, it tastes amazing. Usually it ends up being 20-30 carbs, so I have to be careful, but usually fruit is the only carbohydrate in my diet anyway.

    Looks like this: http://imgur.com/ZBbDWDZ
  • tastethis
    tastethis Posts: 68 Member
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    Russell Stover sugar free candies are good, just be careful not to eat too many or they can make you sick. Atkins makes a ton of sweets and snacks that you could look into. Breyers makes carbsmart ice cream. Looking up "fat bomb" on pinterest or /r/ketorecipes will bring up a ton of results...I've never made one that's worked really well for me though.
  • missyyclaire
    missyyclaire Posts: 572 Member
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    When I smoked (years ago) and would quit, I'd have horrible hunger, at leas that's what it felt like. Perhaps you're still going through a bit of withdrawal from the cigarettes. I've read how most of our smokes are laced with 200+ chemicals and sugar is one of those chemicals in cigarettes.
    Since I don't know anything about the e-cigarettes, you might make sure there's no 'sweetener' of any kind that might be triggering these cravings.
    My experience with food (no cigarettes) has been that once I stopped eating sugar laden food, after about 4-5 days I stopped craving them. But, if I ate anything high sugar, it was like fireworks going off in my brain that said "I WANT MORE SUGAR AND I WANT IT NOW". I can say easily my brain is a sugar addict...and if I don't feed it sugar, but give it lots of fat, it behaves quite beautifully for me.
    Best to you as you act as your own detective and figure this mystery out
  • toez79
    toez79 Posts: 63 Member
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    I really like the fat bombs so you can have just a small treat that seems like candy. I have a silicon mold that makes them really easy into small portions and you can just eat 1 or 2 at a time. Check google or pinterest for a ton of different variations.

    Sometimes in the afternoon I have a sweets craving (just out of habit and boredom I think) and I'll get a cup of coffee with creamer or a latte with heavy cream. I don't know if it's the warmth of the drink or the fat of the creams, but it gets rid of the craving! Maybe it's just that it still feels like "a treat!"
  • FIT_Goat
    FIT_Goat Posts: 4,224 Member
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    Russell Stover sugar free candies are good, just be careful not to eat too many or they can make you sick. Atkins makes a ton of sweets and snacks that you could look into. Breyers makes carbsmart ice cream. Looking up "fat bomb" on pinterest or /r/ketorecipes will bring up a ton of results...I've never made one that's worked really well for me though.

    Be cautious when adding these specific things to your diet. Two of them contain maltitol, which provides 2-3 calories per gram. Sugar provides 4 calories a gram. It has a fairly high glycemic index of 36 or 52, the lower number is if you used the powdered form. Compare that to sugar which has a glycemic index of 60.

    If you're counting net carbs, you'll probably be better off subtracting only half or a quarter of the sugar alcohol carbs from maltitol (if it has 20g of sugar alcohol... only subtract 5-10g and not the full 20).

    Personally, I get it bad on both ends from maltitol. It causes me intestinal distress, and it also will stall my weight loss like few other things.

    The ice cream doesn't use maltitol. But, for the purposes of keto, you would get the same amount of carbs making your own ice cream using heavy cream and sugar-free torani syrup when you wanted it... and you're going to get a lot more fat, less protein, and the same amount of carbs (3.5g per half cup). Also, it's easy to make and pretty amazing.