Sugar cravings
AngeleyesJo
Posts: 191 Member
I'm getting regular cravings for sugar especially chocolate what do people do so they don't ruin their diet?
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Replies
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AngeleyesJo wrote: »I'm getting regular cravings for sugar especially chocolate what do people do so they don't ruin their diet?
Having a piece of chocolate doesn't ruin anything...I eat dark chocolate almost every night for desert...doesn't ruin anything.
Beyond that, have some fruit or something.
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Regular cravings - incorporate.
Increasing cravings - avoid.3 -
When I do the following, I don't have cravings:
1. Get sufficient sleep
2. Exercise regularly - when I get the happy hormones from exercise, I'm not prone to seeking them from food.
3. Get sufficient protein in relationship to carbs. I'm not low carb, but reducing carbs and upping protein worked for cravings for me. See also http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html
4. Eat moderate amounts of fruit. This makes me less interested in higher calorie sweets.
5. Take a magnesium supplement. This can be especially helpful for women premenstrually.
6. Save foods like chocolate for after dinner, in small amounts
7. Stay hydrated
8. Have a calorie deficit that is appropriate for the amount of weight I need to lose. An overly aggressive goal can definitely lead to cravings.
9. Eat at maintenance when my appetite goes up premenstrually.
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cwolfman13 wrote: »AngeleyesJo wrote: »I'm getting regular cravings for sugar especially chocolate what do people do so they don't ruin their diet?
Having a piece of chocolate doesn't ruin anything...I eat dark chocolate almost every night for desert...doesn't ruin anything.
Beyond that, have some fruit or something.
How much do you have?0 -
AngeleyesJo wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »AngeleyesJo wrote: »I'm getting regular cravings for sugar especially chocolate what do people do so they don't ruin their diet?
Having a piece of chocolate doesn't ruin anything...I eat dark chocolate almost every night for desert...doesn't ruin anything.
Beyond that, have some fruit or something.
How much do you have?
I can't answer for this poster but I can answer for myself: Whatever I have room for. Do I have room for 260 calories of Haagen Dasz chocolate ice cream? Do I have room for a 75 calorie truffle? A 40 calorie fudge bar? I keep things around in single serve portions so if I want them, I can have them...and I know when to stop.
I'm 96lbs down today. I've had chocolate when I craved, as well as any other food. I pay attention to nutrition, but I'd go insane if I couldn't indulge in other things. But I only eat those things in quantities that fit into my daily goal. Find a balance, do a little planning and you'll succeed.3 -
AngeleyesJo wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »AngeleyesJo wrote: »I'm getting regular cravings for sugar especially chocolate what do people do so they don't ruin their diet?
Having a piece of chocolate doesn't ruin anything...I eat dark chocolate almost every night for desert...doesn't ruin anything.
Beyond that, have some fruit or something.
How much do you have?
He's a 180 lb guy who does exercise regularly. He can eat more than you can, most likely.
If you can eat a small amount of chocolate and work it into your daily goals, do so. If it is causing you distress - you're going to have to figure out why that is. Chocolate isn't evil. It's just food. Log it into your food diary and enjoy.4 -
AngeleyesJo wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »AngeleyesJo wrote: »I'm getting regular cravings for sugar especially chocolate what do people do so they don't ruin their diet?
Having a piece of chocolate doesn't ruin anything...I eat dark chocolate almost every night for desert...doesn't ruin anything.
Beyond that, have some fruit or something.
How much do you have?
What is appropriate for me is going to be different than what's appropriate for you...you just need to look at your diary and see what you can fit in...for me, it was one of those things that was worth it for my sanity.
Right now I'm really enjoying these dark chocolate covered mangos...they are rather calorie dense, but I love them...it's about 180 calories for 1.5 ounces which is a nice little desert...nothing over the top. When I was dieting I tended towards just having a square of dark chocolate and would usually only have desert a few nights per week...I'm in maintenance now and I'm a 180 Lb male who exercises regularly so my calorie targets are going to be quite a bit different from yours...I need around 3000 calories per day to maintain my weight.
Keep in mind also that I've been at this good livin' stuff for over four years...there's always an adjustment at the beginning and I had to basically learn that I didn't need chocolates and candy all of the time and to savor them as treats...but yeah, sometimes the best cure for a craving is to just have a little...some people have a hard time moderating that and others don't.
I generally satisfy my sweet tooth with fruit though...I have two to three servings per day.2 -
I treat myself to it if I had a good day its a way to reward myself depending on if I have the calories. Sometimes its a 100 calorie ice cup and other times a piece of milk chocolate. Deprivation will ruin your diet quicker than anything just work it into your calorie/macro goal. I found that if I forbid food then I will binge. Portion control is key. The bag says 6 pieces I have 1-2 according to my caloric goal.2
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What do you mean by craving, when do you have it, how specific is it (is it just for chocolate or specific treats that are around or something you used to eat), and what happens when you have it? All that is relevant to the answer.
It's easy to get small pieces of high quality chocolate with about 50 calories. If you would be satisfied with one of them, that's an idea. I've also been turned onto lately to a non-sweetened chocolate drink made with ground chocolate beans. That also could hit a craving and is low cal (I am drinking it in the mornings because I'm cutting down on coffee).
Also, if what you mean by craving is you just like to have a little something sweet after dinner, you can save calories. If you mean that you struggle when seeing foods you find tempting between meals, even without being hungry and end up eating them and going over calories, there are ways to work on that.
I also agree with ksharma that getting enough sleep and exercise can help a lot with cravings or simply temptations unrelated to hunger--lots of people turn to sweets to wake themselves up or for stress release.0 -
AngeleyesJo wrote: »I'm getting regular cravings for sugar especially chocolate what do people do so they don't ruin their diet?
I just found out about Halo Top ice cream. You get it at Whole Foods, but it may be stocked elsewhere. You can also buy it online from the company. One entire pint (4 of the 1/2 cup servings), costs you 240 calories. I like it. Expensive but with to stock it for "binge" moments.0 -
Yes it's mainly chocolate or something sweet after dinner x0
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AngeleyesJo wrote: »I'm getting regular cravings for sugar especially chocolate what do people do so they don't ruin their diet?
How about a sucking candy?1 -
I too am getting sugar cravings lately, is it the season change? Anyway, I used to be ok with eating one square of dark chocolate but now I find I eat an entire bar
I have the calories available but I used to eat a regular food snack - now its consumed with some kind of sweets, usually ice cream. I did find the "ice cream" thats mainly protein called Arctic Zero, it has 150 calories per pint - its alright I suppose, the biggest downer is its 5.00 a pint!
Maybe a chewing or sucking candy is the way to go, I need to stop eating as much sweets as I have been - it doesn't matter if I have the calories or not I don't feel I should be eating a full chocolate bar or 500 calories worth of ice cream!
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L Glutamine helped me a lot for my sugar cravings.0
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When I get sugar cravings... I eat sugar. Brownies after dinner tonight. It was glorious. And all kept within caloric ranges-- that's the trick. Chocolate isn't BAD... it's made up of fats and carbs and other nutrients same as any other food (unless you're anti-sugar... but that's nutrition combat territory saved for debate)-- it doesn't have a magical property to ruin anything fat loss related unless you pound it in quantities that blow your caloric deficit... just like any other food.
In short, if you want something sweet and don't have issues with sugar... indulge as needed and within your caloric restraints.
As noted, fruit is always a great option as it carries the good stuff like micronutrients and fiber.0 -
Allowing sugar in your diet is different for everybody. I for one am a sugar addict. I can't eat one piece without eating the whole thing and then moving on to something else sweet. It's a horrible thing that I have tried to conquer my entire life. If I eat the cookie I go back for more and then continue with the poor eating the next day and the next day and so forth. I can't have sugar if I want to stay on track with my healthy eating. I wish I could because I love sweets. But it is honestly like crack cocaine for me.2
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AngeleyesJo wrote: »Yes it's mainly chocolate or something sweet after dinner x
Given that, it doesn't sound so bad. Can you plan in a little chocolate after dinner? I find that it's easy not to overeat after a healthy, balanced dinner, and you can get little squares of high quality chocolate and eat them with full appreciation -- that often is enough to be satisfying for me.1 -
Allowing sugar in your diet is different for everybody. I for one am a sugar addict. I can't eat one piece without eating the whole thing and then moving on to something else sweet. It's a horrible thing that I have tried to conquer my entire life. If I eat the cookie I go back for more and then continue with the poor eating the next day and the next day and so forth. I can't have sugar if I want to stay on track with my healthy eating. I wish I could because I love sweets. But it is honestly like crack cocaine for me.
Lack of self control does not equal addiciton.
The claim that your desire for sweets is as powerful as a cocaine addiction would be laughable if it weren't so offensive to those whose lives have actually been affected by drug addiction.1 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »AngeleyesJo wrote: »Yes it's mainly chocolate or something sweet after dinner x
Given that, it doesn't sound so bad. Can you plan in a little chocolate after dinner? I find that it's easy not to overeat after a healthy, balanced dinner, and you can get little squares of high quality chocolate and eat them with full appreciation -- that often is enough to be satisfying for me.
Ya, I eat a 70 calorie Ghirardelli square after dinner and another before bed. I nibble at it really slowly, and let the chocolate dissolve in my mouth. My sweet tooth/chocolate itch is completely satisfied when I'm done.1 -
Would having a small by of choc daily harm weight loss?0
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No, not if calories were the same.0
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Ghiradelli squares come individually wrapped. The dark chocolate ones give me more chocolate flavor (less sugar). I'm way less likely to go overboard with dark chocolate.0
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Thanks0
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AngeleyesJo wrote: »Would having a small by of choc daily harm weight loss?
No...weight loss isn't about eating or not eating a particular food or foods...it's about energy (calories)
Here's an overly simplistic look at what is going on, but it covers the basics...a calorie is a unit of energy...we require energy to exist...we require energy to do our daily...we require energy to exercise, etc...we all have a certain energy (calorie) requirement as per our physical stats and overall activity level...when we consume energy in excess of that requirement, that surplus of energy is stored as body fat...it's reserved energy...it's essentially your backup generator. When we consume less energy than required (calorie deficit), that deficiency of energy has to be made up...so the backup generator kicks on to make up for that gap in energy and we burn body fat and overtime we deplete our stored energy which results in losing weight and getting leaner.0 -
When I have a sugar craving I usually just go for it.. whatever it is. But lately the cravings are more and more so I'm going to indulge in a bitter chocolate bar--- like 70 or 80% cocoa.. I tried this a few years ago and it helped a lot.1
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