sweet tooth

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I have a horrible sweet tooth all the time!!! I need some suggestions before I turn to something that is not beneficial to my weight loss journey!!!

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  • lovtolaff
    lovtolaff Posts: 65 Member
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    I have a problem with having a sweet tooth after my regular meal so I either eat a few grapes, a small banana or I'll do some plain greek yogurt and add in crushed pineapples and one packet of splenda. So far all of this has worked for me.
  • skinny4me2be
    skinny4me2be Posts: 358 Member
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    when my sweet tooth kicks in--gum. That's what has worked for me.
  • Kristendcampbell
    Kristendcampbell Posts: 786 Member
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    I found this information. I think cravings typically have a reason. This makes sense:

    If you crave sweets you may be experiencing blood sugar fluctuations. When your blood sugar drops, your body may be try­ing to get you to give it more fuel to keep your blood sugar levels stable. If this is a chronic occurrence you may have hypoglycemia, which simply means low blood sugar. Whether your sugar cravings are sporadic or chronic, it is important to choose the right type of food to bring your body back into balance. Giving in to cookies, cakes, candies, or other refined sweets will only make the problem worse and cause a blood sugar roller coaster that leads to more crav­ings. Instead, choose a piece of fruit when you’re craving sweets. In the interim, add more high-fiber foods like beans and legumes, and complex carbohydrates like whole grains to give you the fuel you need without the blood sugar spikes. If you’re really struggling with sugar cravings, you may also wish to supplement with the mineral chromium since it helps to regulate blood sugar levels and ward off cravings.

  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Yes to the food timing and composition.

    If it always happens 2-4 hrs after last meal, then low blood sugar likely culprit.

    And what you ate for meal may explain it. I've found some have success like me, merely eating the fat and protein first, carbs last. Slows absorption and insulin spike.
  • Sugarbeat
    Sugarbeat Posts: 824 Member
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    Eat more fat - seriously it helps with sugar cravings.
  • littledebie1960
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    I have been trying to eat the same amount of cals. per day & I have seen a little weight loss & I think that is the best way to do it.
  • nineateseven
    nineateseven Posts: 65 Member
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    Second what @heybales said.

    I would be careful about eating fruit when you have a sugar craving, but only because it might not fix the problem. I would suggest having fruit and something with protein and fat. The fruit will give you the sweetness you're craving, but the protein and fat will keep you from crashing. The thing with carbs, fat, and protein is that your body processes them at different speeds:

    - Carbs are the easiest to burn, and your body absorbs them fast. It's like a piece of paper catching fire. Quick energy spike, but then it's gone and you're hungry again.

    - Fat is the next fastest burn. That's more like taking a handful of sticks and lighting them on fire. It takes a little longer for the fire to get going, but once it does get going it lasts longer than the flame you'll get with a piece of paper.

    - Protein is the longest burn. It takes more work for your body to convert protein to energy. It's like having a nice big chunk of wood on the fire. Takes longer than anything else to catch fire, but once it gets going it burns for a l-o-n-g time.


    You don't want to keep throwing pieces of paper on the fire or you'll keep getting a burst of flame and then nothing. When those spikes and drops happen, your brain is registering that it needs energy fast... so it triggers carb/sugar cravings. If you try to fix that by eating more carbs - even if they're complex carbs like fruit - that cycle of spikes and drops will keep going. Protein and fats will help keep your energy levels stable. Some of my favorite fruit, protein, and fat snacks are an apple and nut butter, a pear and some cheese, a clementine orange and a handful of sunflower seeds. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by just how satisfying something like that is. You start with a sugar craving, but when you're eating the cheese or the sunflower seeds, suddenly your brain starts registering this feeling of satiety, "Oh, that's what we needed."



    Another thing to consider is that sugar and carb cravings can be a sign of low serotonin or dopamine. Chocolate, carbs, and sugar will temporarily boost serotonin and dopamine levels. Cravings for those things paired with feeling tired, irritable, and "blue" could mean that's part of the issue. Some fixes for that:

    (1) Turn on some lights. Dim lighting triggers the release of melatonin because your body thinks it's time for sleep. But high melatonin means lower serotonin... which can trigger carb cravings. Get the lighting brighter, and it'll let your brain know to switch things around: lower melatonin and higher serotonin.

    (2) Get up, stretch, and move around a bit. That can help for the same reason as turning on lights. Make sure your brain knows it's time to be awake so it doesn't start producing too much melatonin at the wrong time.

    (3) Eat a banana! Has a little bit of sweetness and contains chemicals that are great for boosting dopamine. Pair it with some protein, though :)

    (4) Find some dark chocolate. And I don't mean a Hershey's dark chocolate bar! Chocolate has natural serotonin and dopamine boosting properties, but to get the real benefit you have to find a chocolate that is at least 60% cocoa. It can take some getting used to, but just a small piece can give you a significant boost. Plus, with darker chocolates, you're actually getting antioxidants and minerals like magnesium, too.
  • butterbear1980
    butterbear1980 Posts: 234 Member
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    how bad is this sweet tooth 'problem'?

    if it's just something that kind of bothers you i'd take the advice above.

    or...

    if is it something you think about all the time? is it something you beat yourself up about? are you hung up on the idea that sweets aren't 'healthy'? have you been restricting calories or carbs for a long time? do you binge on sweets, eating past being hungry? is it something that leaves you feeling 'out of control'?

    if so what i'm about to suggest may sound crazy but really helped me overcome these feelings about 10 years ago. after reading 'feeding the hungry heart' i basically allowed myself to eat any and all sweets i wanted and kept a journal of all my emotions. after a few months this helped me overcome my life long 'sweet tooth' and binge eating disorder. Sweets are something I enjoy everyday and never trigger a binge, just part of eating of my day, like drinking water.
  • Lowiclowi
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    I have an awful sweet tooth as well. I make some protein drink into ice cream. Lots of ice and water or milk and protein powder. Or if that doesn't work .i may resort to chocolate. It seems to be my nemesis.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    im a big fan of working what you crave into your calorie allowance. I eat what i want, just keep within my calories.