What's your dessert policy?

Brownilocks
Brownilocks Posts: 30 Member
edited November 27 in Social Groups
What's your dessert policy? When do you allow yourself dessert, what do you choose, and how much do you eat?

I have a fairly strong sweet tooth, which can make it challenging to be on a low carb diet, since sugar is a very dense - and addicting - carb package.

Futhermore, I love to bake! :/

Any tips?

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Replies

  • bluefish86
    bluefish86 Posts: 842 Member
    There are a lot of low carb cheese-cake recipes out there are really good. Beware artificial sweeteners though as they can trigger major cravings for some people. I personally like my baked goods to be less sweet, so I'll often half the amount of sweetener in a recipe.
  • bluefish86
    bluefish86 Posts: 842 Member
    Also, dark chocolate (85%); 4g of carbs per 25g and supremely satisfying.
  • carlsoda
    carlsoda Posts: 3,425 Member
    I've been avoiding them. At our company Christmas party over the weekend I did have the dessert since it was an event otherwise if I'm still feeling like I need something after dinner I just have some roasted pecans. I'm just a little scared to have some sort of dessert at home :)
  • ettaterrell
    ettaterrell Posts: 887 Member
    bluefish86 wrote: »
    There are a lot of low carb cheese-cake recipes out there are really good. Beware artificial sweeteners though as they can trigger major cravings for some people. I personally like my baked goods to be less sweet, so I'll often half the amount of sweetener in a recipe.


    This! I don't have sweets because the 2 times in the last 3 months the artificial sugar made me so hungry.... This whole diet I've been so shocked at the lack of hunger so when the sugar sets it off I don't feel it's worth it! I haven't tried something sweet with berries yet but I plan on experimenting with their sweetness over Christmas.
  • cassandranken
    cassandranken Posts: 129 Member
    So far I've been avoiding them, aside from Fat Bombs. I've been wanting to try a LC cheesecake recipe though.

    Funnily enough I noticed something yesterday. I generally don't like hot coffee. I like my cold coffee sugary. But hot, sugary coffee? gag. I decided to try a cup with heavy whipping cream instead of half and half like my fiance drinks. I put in some coconut oil, HWC, and 2 packs of splenda. I actually LIKED it! It wasn't too sweet, wasn't too black. I'm surprised the heavy cream made THAT much of a difference!
  • elize7
    elize7 Posts: 1,088 Member
    I stay away from dessert. It just starts me up with all my bad habits. Better to just see food as fuel and give myself non food rewards for now. Maybe for always. A very slippery slope for me.
  • nicintime
    nicintime Posts: 381 Member
    Dessert is the devil.

    For me. For now.

    Eventually I want to make low carb cheesecake or some such, but that will be a ways away.

    Yesterday I had plain yogurt with 40 grams of mashed up raspberries and no artificial sweetener. A little bland, but I was doing it more for gut health than flavor.

    I still drink diet soda, and one of those after a meal seems to satisfy the sweet tooth.

    Ain't addiction grand?!?!?!?!
  • ki4eld
    ki4eld Posts: 1,213 Member
    I eat dessert when I want it, which isn't often. I cut it out entirely for 14 months and pretty much lost my taste for it. I do enjoy it occasionally, especially a special occasion, and I don't stress about it either. I do try to choose something with some redeeming value... fresh fruit over cookies or cheesecake over pound cake, but that's about it. Inevitably, hubby and I will split a dessert and end up taking part of it home too. 2-4 small bites is usually enough to get an enjoyable taste without killing my macros.

    I too love to bake and I've discovered that I don't care about eating what I make so much as I just want to make it. So I do and send it to work with hubby. The office is full of geeks who thrive on baked goods. That they're keto-fied baked goods is a bonus for them and they don't even notice the difference. It's like feeding my kids cauliflower in their fruit smoothies when they were little. I knew I was doing something good and they had no idea it was good for them. win-win I keep a little of whatever I bake so I can enjoy a taste and send the rest off to the pit to be devoured.

    The current fave in my house is coconut cheesecake custard, which is delicious, easy to make, and surprisingly gentle on the macros. Recipe... http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/34759269#Comment_34759269
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    In my mind, I'm allowed to have one real dessert a week. In reality it only happened on Thanksgiving.
  • glossbones
    glossbones Posts: 1,064 Member
    I try to make desserts that only become single servings, because I do have a sweet tooth, and I do react poorly to sweet things (both my guts get burbly and my brain wants more and more). So if I have a dessert I think of it as a 'sometimes food' like Cookie Monster says. If I ate dessert every night I'd end up eating all sorts of other things I don't want to.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    What's your dessert policy? When do you allow yourself dessert, what do you choose, and how much do you eat?

    I have a fairly strong sweet tooth, which can make it challenging to be on a low carb diet, since sugar is a very dense - and addicting - carb package.

    Futhermore, I love to bake! :/

    Any tips?

    If you haven't already, I highly, highly recommend taking at least a month and abstaining from all sources of sugar, including fruits and artificial sweeteners. By eating them at all, you're feeding the sugar habit and basically sabotaging yourself.

    Take 4-6 weeks and abstain entirely from them, then you can consider re-introducing them. Doing this resets that "sweet tooth" and breaks the addiction habit. Once you do that, you can find your personal tolerance levels and see how they affect you.

    I personally don't do "desserts," generally. It's a slippery slope, and one nearly always leads to a whole container or batch (or a good portion of it). If I do decide to indulge in a sweet treat, I usually try to get the single-serve type of thing. So, instead of buying a quart of ice cream, I go to the nearby quality ice cream place and get a single scoop. Yeah, it's more expensive, but that's part of the point -- it's a deterrent to me just getting it willy-nilly, and it keeps it out of the house, in general.

    I enjoy baking, too, but now, I bake for other people. I'm actually getting ready to make half a dozen pumpkin rolls this afternoon, most of which are already sold, and some of which are going to be going into my husband's work to share with his coworkers (who might buy some more). I do the same thing with things like brownies, cookies, and cinnamon rolls.
  • anglyn1
    anglyn1 Posts: 1,802 Member
    I made a keto pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving. Otherwise I have a square of 90% dark chocolate and some cashew butter most evenings before bed. No other desserts and I drink coffee and tea with no sweeteners.
  • Couchpotato39
    Couchpotato39 Posts: 691 Member
    I generally don't eat sweets because I have a sugar addiction. When I want something sweet, I typically do berries with whipped cream. I have had real desserts a few times since I started in June on very special occasions. I will have a real dessert on Christmas.
  • blacktie347
    blacktie347 Posts: 109 Member
    I regularly drink hot beverages with tons of Splenda - it has 1 carb per packet, and I count those. It's probably the main source of my carbs.
  • SamandaIndia
    SamandaIndia Posts: 1,577 Member
    If you have access to low sugar chocolate biscuits or chocolate chip cookies then all you need is whipped cream with a little vanilla in it and for the biscuits a teaspoon each of tia maria and coffee (make up a strong coffee and use the fluid) per biscuit. Put cream on a tray. Put fluids on first cookie/biscuit and cover in whipped cream. Repeat until you create a log. Leave at least 4 hours for it to soften. Optional scatter dark chocolate on top as a decoration. Yum and low sugar.
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
    edited December 2015
    I made a keto pumpkin pecan cheesecake for Thanksgiving, too.
    I've experimented a little. The things I like the best, which don't seem to trigger too many cravings for me (though if I eat them often they do):
    * coconut chia seed pudding (sweetened with a little Splenda or liquid stevia)
    * the pumpkin cheesecake
    * a pumpkin-almond/coconut milk smoothie with liquid stevia, ice, cinnamon and nutmeg (got the recipe from someone here and it's great)
    * I've experimented a little with sugar-free Jell-O
    * a square of 85% cocoa, sometimes with peanut butter
    * fat bombs

    I do also put sugar-free syrup in my coffee and sometimes I'll have a tea that's got a naturally sweet flavor. I didn't completely abstain from sweeteners when I started keto but overall the sugar cravings and food cravings/feelings of hunger in general have been a lot easier to control than on other diets.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    A couple of times a week we make a low carb chocolate milkshake. This usually satisfies the sweet tooth. We have tried some low carb recipes for baked desserts but somehow the consistency seems off or something and it's not like the real thing. The shake is closer to the real thing and is easy to just whip up in the blender.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    I will only make a low carb dessert on special occasions and I really try to keep any artificial sweeteners to the bare minimum. I try to make things that don't involve a "crust" or cookies/cakes that require flours. Any I've made so far revolve around cream cheese, HWC, berries or sugar free jello (which adds more AS than I would like). But I limit this stuff to special occasions only and don't want to make desserts of any kind part of my regular diet. That's just not a good idea for me.
    I would go without before I would use any real sugar or flour for any dessert. Even in very small amounts. It's just not worth it.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited December 2015
    I have dessert every single night after dinner. It's like I HAVE to have something sweet straight after. I'd love to get away from from this habit as it would save me hundreds of calories every day!! My willpower seems to be nonexistent on this one thing :disappointed:
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    I love it but it is dangerous for me. When I have something, whether it is coconut and cacao nibs, or a crustless sugar free cheesecake, it still leads to eating more for days afterwards. Every time. It takes me a while to get back on track.

    I'm afraid of diet pop for that same reason. I haven't had a soda in 6 months. I would LOVE to have one but I know it wouldn't be just one.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    I have dessert every single night after dinner. It's like I HAVE to have something sweet straight after. I'd love to get away from from this habit as it would save me hundreds of calories every day!! My willpower seems to be nonexistent on this one thing :disappointed:

    Could you cut back to small, low carb sweet things that are 100 calories or less? A square of dark chocolate, or a cookie sized crustless cheesecake won't set you back hundreds of calories.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    lithezebra wrote: »
    I have dessert every single night after dinner. It's like I HAVE to have something sweet straight after. I'd love to get away from from this habit as it would save me hundreds of calories every day!! My willpower seems to be nonexistent on this one thing :disappointed:

    Could you cut back to small, low carb sweet things that are 100 calories or less? A square of dark chocolate, or a cookie sized crustless cheesecake won't set you back hundreds of calories.

    Cheesecake is my weakness lol I try and stay far away. I have some dark chocolate in the fridge which I haven't opened yet because I don't trust myself to eat just 2-3 squares. But it's mind over matter, I just have to be stronger than that annoying voice in my head!!
  • marlamp10
    marlamp10 Posts: 26 Member
    I have a dessert every night, unless I just don't feel like it. My desserts are more like fat bombs, honestly. Favorites are
    - SF jello made with a cup of HWC (orange is so yummy)
    - Pumpkin cheesecake mousse (mostly cream cheese and HWC) or
    - an ounce of cream cheese melted with a square of 85% dark chocolate and a packet of Truvia.

    I draw the line at lowcarb breads, cookies, cakes, or anything made with nut flours or flaxmeal, because they can stall me if I eat them too often. I'm planning to have flour-based desserts on special occasions, like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or birthday. But otherwise, I'm sticking with the stuff that, so far, doesn't bog me down.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Ooohh Fat bombs! I made a batch of 12 peanut butter cups, 200ish calories each, and polished the lot off in 2 days :flushed:
  • DittoDan
    DittoDan Posts: 1,850 Member
    edited December 2015
    lithezebra wrote: »
    In my mind, I'm allowed to have one real dessert a week. In reality it only happened on Thanksgiving.

    Every other week I have this for a dessert:

    In a bowl:
    1 serving of sugar free jello
    Sprinkle: 1/8 cup salted roasted pecans
    Sprinkle a tiny amount of dark chocolate chips
    Then top with extra creamy Reddi Whipping cream

    It takes so good, caution though...the sugar free jello has a lot of artificial sweetener in it and may cause cravings.

    I hope this helps,
    Dan the Man from Michigan
    Keto / The Recipe Water Fasting
    / E.A.S.Y. Exercise Program
  • marlamp10
    marlamp10 Posts: 26 Member
    Ooohh Fat bombs! I made a batch of 12 peanut butter cups, 200ish calories each, and polished the lot off in 2 days :flushed:

    LOL! I know what you mean. I really can't handle the little candy-like fat bombs--I just go through those like Reese's cups. My fat bombs have to have VOLUME.
  • SamandaIndia
    SamandaIndia Posts: 1,577 Member
    Except an occasional chia pudding, in 2 months of this WOE I have had one day where I had dessert. That day I had a slice each of 2 cakes:

    I made the cake I described above for a bake off at work and one of my team made a vegan cake with no eggs, no sugar, no flour. His cake had a lot of cashews and almonds and was 5 layers and took 6 hours to make, with a recipe in Polish. His won 3rd prize.

    Nuts are my go to replacement for if I get hungry between meals. I mention this as for some folk that is when they look for a dessert of sorts.
  • totaloblivia
    totaloblivia Posts: 1,164 Member
    nicintime wrote: »
    Dessert is the devil.

    For me. For now.

    Eventually I want to make low carb cheesecake or some such, but that will be a ways away.

    Yesterday I had plain yogurt with 40 grams of mashed up raspberries and no artificial sweetener. A little bland, but I was doing it more for gut health than flavor.

    I still drink diet soda, and one of those after a meal seems to satisfy the sweet tooth.

    Ain't addiction grand?!?!?!?!

    I'm an addict too! I think I will tackle my diet coke addiction after I'm at goal weight.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    I have dessert every single night after dinner. It's like I HAVE to have something sweet straight after. I'd love to get away from from this habit as it would save me hundreds of calories every day!! My willpower seems to be nonexistent on this one thing :disappointed:
    lithezebra wrote: »
    I have dessert every single night after dinner. It's like I HAVE to have something sweet straight after. I'd love to get away from from this habit as it would save me hundreds of calories every day!! My willpower seems to be nonexistent on this one thing :disappointed:

    Could you cut back to small, low carb sweet things that are 100 calories or less? A square of dark chocolate, or a cookie sized crustless cheesecake won't set you back hundreds of calories.

    Cheesecake is my weakness lol I try and stay far away. I have some dark chocolate in the fridge which I haven't opened yet because I don't trust myself to eat just 2-3 squares. But it's mind over matter, I just have to be stronger than that annoying voice in my head!!

    It's actually been shown that "willpower" is, at best, a finite resource. Take willpower out of the equation (that is actually a big reason why LCHF works for so many people -- the mechanisms of action take a lot of willpower out of the equation).

    In short -- stop keeping trigger foods in the house, and as I said earlier, abstain entirely from all forms of sugar for 4-6 weeks to break the habit and make new ones.

    Yes, it's going to suck for a few days, but it's only a few days. You will live through it.

    Also, ignore all the haters that say crap like "everything in moderation" or "it's okay in moderation" or whatever. If you are eating hundreds and thousands of calories worth, then you are incapable of "moderation" (which is a pretty meaningless word, anyway) on at least this thing, and at least until you make a drastic change. (In my opinion, the "everything in moderation" is more often a cop-out to justify maintaining old, harmful habits than anything else.)

    You're doing this for your health, remember that. And no, not having the sweets all the time is not going to damage you, especially if you make sure to drop the "can't" mindset. Do not say "I can't," to things. Say "I choose not to." Say "I choose health over sugar."
  • ChoiceNotChance
    ChoiceNotChance Posts: 644 Member
    Very wise words, @Dragonwolf. My husband frequently asks me if I can have something on my "diet". I tell him I CAN have anything I want, but I choose not to have it.
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