How to handle salt and sugar cravings

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chelsg94
chelsg94 Posts: 35 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey everybody!
So I've been going to the gym and trying to clean my diet up a bit, but I am having a HUGE problem with cravings. I crave salty snack foods and sweet snack foods (gummies, baked goods ect). I know that you should eat in moderation and not deprive yourself, but I have a huge snacking issue that I want to get under control! My protein intake has been increased in the hopes of staying full for longer but the cravings DO NOT CARE. Does anyone have any tips?

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  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
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    I find distraction and not having it in the house help significantly. I enjoy fitting in treats, but until I learned to moderate things (still working on pizza, but I've gotten ice cream figured out), I had to stick with buying one single serving at a time. Hobbies that keep your hands busy such as knitting or painting can help a lot.
  • valskeete
    valskeete Posts: 53 Member
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    Seltzer water. The bubbles fill me up and if I want flavor I put lemon and lime juice in it (Sprite :)
  • Triplestep
    Triplestep Posts: 239 Member
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    I actually do think you should deprive yourself in the beginning, just to get the cravings under control. Someone just posted about craving sugar in the Recipe section, and asked for healthy recipes for sweets; here's what I wrote:

    "I would ease up on the sugar and sugar substitutes for at least a few weeks; eliminate if you can, but if not, then really cut down. It's gonna suck for a while, but the reward is you'll find your sugar cravings really diminish, and you'll be satisfied with much less.

    Back when I did Weight Watchers, I had a leader who would give us recipes for "treats" and I found myself living for the daily fudgcicle mashed up with sugar free cool whip or the like. Now I get most of my calories from real food, but I enjoy a serving of cookies with almond milk now and then, and I'm satisfied with much less. (I am also having much more success than I ever did on Weight Watchers.)"
  • chelsg94
    chelsg94 Posts: 35 Member
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    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    I find distraction and not having it in the house help significantly. I enjoy fitting in treats, but until I learned to moderate things (still working on pizza, but I've gotten ice cream figured out), I had to stick with buying one single serving at a time. Hobbies that keep your hands busy such as knitting or painting can help a lot.
    PIZZAAA is the absolute best! Thank you!
  • chelsg94
    chelsg94 Posts: 35 Member
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    Triplestep wrote: »
    I actually do think you should deprive yourself in the beginning, just to get the cravings under control. Someone just posted about craving sugar in the Recipe section, and asked for healthy recipes for sweets; here's what I wrote:

    "I would ease up on the sugar and sugar substitutes for at least a few weeks; eliminate if you can, but if not, then really cut down. It's gonna suck for a while, but the reward is you'll find your sugar cravings really diminish, and you'll be satisfied with much less.

    Back when I did Weight Watchers, I had a leader who would give us recipes for "treats" and I found myself living for the daily fudgcicle mashed up with sugar free cool whip or the like. Now I get most of my calories from real food, but I enjoy a serving of cookies with almond milk now and then, and I'm satisfied with much less. (I am also having much more success than I ever did on Weight Watchers.)"
    Thank you so much! I'm really going to try and cut down on sugar :) but a fudgesicle mashed in whipped cream does sound amazing...
  • chelsg94
    chelsg94 Posts: 35 Member
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    valskeete wrote: »
    Seltzer water. The bubbles fill me up and if I want flavor I put lemon and lime juice in it (Sprite :)

    My mom has had huge success doing this as well! I'm definitely going to give it a try, I do love pop haha
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    I crave things more when I don't let myself eat them.
  • piggysmalls333
    piggysmalls333 Posts: 450 Member
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    Learning the difference between emotional vs real hunger, packing yummy and healthy snacks sprinkling in a little salty and sweet that are better than whatever you find in the vending machine. And just getting mentally tougher with yourself. Before you dive into that bag of Doritos ask yourself, "Is this worth it? Do I really need this? I want to get healthy because _____________ (fill in your biggest motivation here). And lastly, even when you do give in, forgive yourself for being human and just move on with making the rest of your day healthier choices if possible.
  • boofmylumpia
    boofmylumpia Posts: 43 Member
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    Don't forget about your fiber as well. Try snacking on foods with high volume but low in calories. For example, rice cakes and popcorn. You can also try some greek yogurt mixed with berries for your sweet tooth, it's delicious.
  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
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    if i have an actual craving like im gonna punch someone if i dont get this then i will make it fit or be at maintenance.. if im just like that sounds good i eat something else and once im full it doesnt matter anymore anyway
  • tgrieger87
    tgrieger87 Posts: 37 Member
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    I've been going with these Fiber One 90 calorie chocolate peanut butter brownies lately. Def satisfies my cravings and tastes good.
    Even though they're small I try to eat them slowly!
  • AmberMacey31
    AmberMacey31 Posts: 1 Member
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    Try going on pinterest for healthy treats. I make a batch every week. This week it was carrot cake oatmeal cookies. Every time I have a sugar craving or snack craving I have one. If the pizza cravings are too bad there are healthy pizza recipes too. Last week I made aubergine pizzas using thick slices of aubergine instead of dough with tomato paste instead of sauce and delicious toppings. And cheese. Lots of cheese.
  • chelsg94
    chelsg94 Posts: 35 Member
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    piggysmalls333 wrote: »
    Learning the difference between emotional vs real hunger, packing yummy and healthy snacks sprinkling in a little salty and sweet that are better than whatever you find in the vending machine. And just getting mentally tougher with yourself. Before you dive into that bag of Doritos ask yourself, "Is this worth it? Do I really need this? I want to get healthy because _____________ (fill in your biggest motivation here). And lastly, even when you do give in, forgive yourself for being human and just move on with making the rest of your day healthier choices if possible.

    Awesome advice! Thank you :)
  • chelsg94
    chelsg94 Posts: 35 Member
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    tgrieger87 wrote: »
    I've been going with these Fiber One 90 calorie chocolate peanut butter brownies lately. Def satisfies my cravings and tastes good.
    Even though they're small I try to eat them slowly!

    Ummmm sounds AMAZING! But I don't know how slowly I would be able to eat them! Haha I'll definitely check that out!
  • chelsg94
    chelsg94 Posts: 35 Member
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    AmberMacey31 wrote: »
    Try going on pinterest for healthy treats. I make a batch every week. This week it was carrot cake oatmeal cookies. Every time I have a sugar craving or snack craving I have one. If the pizza cravings are too bad there are healthy pizza recipes too. Last week I made aubergine pizzas using thick slices of aubergine instead of dough with tomato paste instead of sauce and delicious toppings. And cheese. Lots of cheese.

    Pinterest is the best!
  • chelsg94
    chelsg94 Posts: 35 Member
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    boofmylumpia wrote: »
    Don't forget about your fiber as well. Try snacking on foods with high volume but low in calories. For example, rice cakes and popcorn. You can also try some greek yogurt mixed with berries for your sweet tooth, it's delicious.

    Popcorn is my jam! Although I feel like I shouldn't add the butter and salt ;)
  • KendraMonster
    KendraMonster Posts: 46 Member
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    When I crave sweets I chew gum and have water and wait 10 minutes. If i still want it, I only eat half of it. Sometimes I am saited if I just have a bite.
  • tgrieger87
    tgrieger87 Posts: 37 Member
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    AmberMacey31 wrote: »
    Try going on pinterest for healthy treats. I make a batch every week. This week it was carrot cake oatmeal cookies. Every time I have a sugar craving or snack craving I have one. If the pizza cravings are too bad there are healthy pizza recipes too. Last week I made aubergine pizzas using thick slices of aubergine instead of dough with tomato paste instead of sauce and delicious toppings. And cheese. Lots of cheese.

    I miss pizza sooooo much... Message me a link to the recipe if you can please!
  • LushFix
    LushFix Posts: 306 Member
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    Pickles could help with the salt issues. Low calorie, obviously watch how many due to sodium. Also pretzels in moderation.

    As for sweet. I'm really into flavored herbal teas. Not sure if they have Davids tea where you are but they have some amazing teas with little to NO calories. I reccomend the following.

    (Birthday cakes, red velvet, organic cinnamon roobios chia ) hot or cold. I do not even need any sweetner)

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