My Body Craves Sugar Bad!

If the soda and candy bar fit into your calories, you'll lose weight. I save room for some type of dessert every night so I don't feel deprived while still hitting my macros/micros beforehand.

I crave it too so I leave room for it ! One of my favorite things is Breyers Strawberry Ice Cream. I can have half a cup 110 cals. I eat very light at lunch and dinner I might have room for a cup. Win win.

Please don't start some restrictive "diet" in which you strive to eat the "right" foods. It isn't going to work! Choose a sensible calorie goal and eat everything that you enjoy - while staying under your goal. You will lose weight. Eating unnaturally will backfire. Save yourself the trouble.

mwood1234 wrote: »

I love to eat salads and veges but my body craves sugar soooo bad I don't feel good until I drink a soda or eat some chocolate. No I don't eat/drink sugar every day, but I do at least 3x a week. I'm just starting a diet plan. For example, yesterday, all I ate was veges, big salad and some cheese and drank lots of water. Today.......I have sucha strong craving for sugar I had to get a soda and candy bar to feel better, and it worked. How am I going to lose weight like this? Help!

Like others have said, you can include a candy bar or soda in your calories if you want and still lose weight. I am a proponent of eating a healthful and balanced diet and think it makes things easier, but you can include some sweets in a healthful diet so long as you get a lot of nutrient-rich foods too.

That said, I wonder if you might be craving sweets because you are undereating and not getting enough protein. Your yesterday sounds like it could have been really low cal and without much protein. For me, eating a good balance of nutrients (carbs, fat, protein) and enough calories and an overall satisfying and enjoyable mix of foods tends to preclude any cravings.

mwood1234 wrote: »

I love to eat salads and veges but my body craves sugar soooo bad I don't feel good until I drink a soda or eat some chocolate. No I don't eat/drink sugar every day, but I do at least 3x a week. I'm just starting a diet plan. For example, yesterday, all I ate was veges, big salad and some cheese and drank lots of water. Today.......I have sucha strong craving for sugar I had to get a soda and candy bar to feel better, and it worked. How am I going to lose weight like this? Help!

You can eat whatever you want as long as it fits into your calories.

However, you describe your cravings as intense, then say you feel better after eating a candy or drinking a soda. Have you had your blood sugar checked?

Add lots of baked/broiled/roasted veggies to your days: green beans, yellow squash, egg plant, cauliflower, broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini, asparagus, cabbage, even onions.
Also leafy veggies like spinach, romaine, swiss chard, collards, brussel sprouts,

If you need to increase your protein, decrease some carbs to fit in meat, eggs, yogurt, cheese, bacon.

It sounds like a couple of issues might be coming into play here.

1. As has been mentioned above, are you getting enough protein? You should be shooting for .65g - .85g per pound of bodyweight. Dieters need more protein than the average person not only for satiety, but to preserve muscle mass while losing weight.
2. Are you eating enough fat? .35g per pound of bodyweight is a minimum. This is needed for joint and hormone health and to absorb vitamins from those veggies you eat.
3. Is your deficit too aggressive? How many pounds a week are you trying to lose?

Now to the deeper issues. What is your attitude towards sugary food? Do you view it as forbidden fruit? Do you think you're not allowed to have it? That it's "bad"? That you're only supposed to have it every now and then?

If you do, STOP THAT! It's just food. Just like the veggies you eat. It's okay to eat it. In reasonable portions, just like you eat the meats and vegetables and fruits you eat in reasonable portions. And you know what? It's okay to do it every day. It's just... food. And it's just calories.

This isn't to say that it's okay to fill your day with sugary treats. Of course your diet should mostly be filled with nutritious food. But if you have calories left after you've gotten your nutrition? Have a cookie or two.

It's really okay.

Eat the chocolate! Super dark chocolate is still "nutritious" and is a tasty and quick way for me to meet my fat macro (from what I noticed, the higher % cocoa content, the more fiber and fat and less net carbs and sugar there is). It's also super difficult for me to eat more than 15-20g of it (that much will take me at least 20-45 minutes to consume).

If you're constantly craving sugar/chocolate, could it be because your diet is too restrictive? I personally would be starving on veggies and cheese alone (how much protein are you eating?)

asteriskthat wrote: »

VykkDraygoVPR wrote: »

I try to eat chocolate most everyday. I'm still losing! Just keep it in your goals. As long as your logging is accurate, you should still lose just fine.


Chocolate is tasty. No way I'd cut that out.
Soda is a non-issue for me though.

Holy moly, I don't know why I didn't think of trying to have chocolate every day. I try to leave room for my lattes, why wouldn't I make room for chocolate? This seems like a much more sustainable way of keeping up with my chocolate love.
It's funny how despite everything I've picked up on MFP, there are still little gems like this that help me towards a healthier approach to food.
Thanks

Yes, many people on here who are successfully working toward, or have already achieved their goals, have done so without cutting out any of the foods they love. They may have to reduce the frequency or portion size, but it's possible to still eat a balanced, nutrient dense diet, fit in chocolate or wine (sometimes both!) and still lose weight. Many of us find that to be a sustainable, mentally healthy outlook to know that we don't have to suffer or completely eliminate foods in order to achieve goals.

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I would just eat when hungry but make sure not to exceed my calorie goal per day.

mwood1234 wrote: »

Wow all the great responses! Thank you sooo much! As many of you said, my proteins are way too low. I will also view the sweets as just food and not "bad". Good idea. Yes, I did have my blood sugar tested 2 months ago and it was good. Could it have possibly changed in these last two months? Don't know but it is probably because I am not eating balanced enough. As I charted my daily food intake today my report said I was over on carbs & sugars and under on proteins.

What kind of lunchmeat do you buy that is healthy to eat?

I have also found that I'm hungry every two hours! It's very frustrating. Some of this is probably because of a medication I take that affects my serotonin levels. I take Paxil. Any thoughts on this guys? I'm going to keep nuts & cheese for snacks at work to help with the hunger pains. I really really hate hunger pains.