Intense sugar cravings at night!
rocknlotsofrolls
Posts: 418 Member
If you guys ever had cravings for sweets in the evening, how do you get pass them? Last night I was determined to fight the temptation, so I went to bed early. I've tried eating low carb during the day, but that doesn't really help. I usually crave a pack of donuts, cause of the instant feel good pick me up that it gives me.
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I need that sweet after dinner. I love Vitalicious brownies. 100 calories each and they satisfy my sweet tooth. The Vitalicious muffin tops are good too. Pricey, but for me totally worth it. Three times the size of any of the Fiber One things and way better tasting.2
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I usually have something sweet after dinner...usually some dark chocolate. I don't try to avoid it, I just make it work.1
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a teaspoon of nutella to eat slowly2
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cwolfman13 wrote: »I usually have something sweet after dinner...usually some dark chocolate. I don't try to avoid it, I just make it work.
I agree with this, it's the 'forbidden fruit' syndrome just try and work it in to your calorie goal and if you set aside not only the calories but the food it won't be so tempting and at times easier to resist.1 -
I almost always crave sweets towards the end of the day also. My tip is to replace your go-to's like donuts with a healthier alternative, such as fruits, trail mix, or a wholesome smoothie. It takes some time to really get over the craving for junk food, it's breaking a habit. Good luck!2
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Yogurt with fruit, or just fruit, or a latte with chocolate are what I go for when I have sweet cravings.1
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I save 200-300 calories for dessert every night.3
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I also have insane sweets cravings at night. I've had success avoiding eating by having tea (sometimes with honey- measured and logged) at night. I drink a big mug or two. And, yup, head to bed early.3
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rocknlotsofrolls wrote: »If you guys ever had cravings for sweets in the evening, how do you get pass them? Last night I was determined to fight the temptation, so I went to bed early. I've tried eating low carb during the day, but that doesn't really help. I usually crave a pack of donuts, cause of the instant feel good pick me up that it gives me.
I now eat around 40g of carbs a day and I don't crave sugar. For me, I can't limit sugar. I have to take it out of the equation completely. It does, however, take 2-3 weeks of consistent low carb to stop the cravings.
On the rare occasion that I do feel the need for something sweet now, I eat a small amount of fruit or a low carb/high fat treat like keto chocolate mousse. It satisfies without causing cravings and it doesn't take much because of the high fat content.
After doing low carb for several weeks I noticed how much my sensitivity to sweet tastes changed. Steamed broccoli tastes sweet to me now. Fruit is super sweet.
I hope this helps. If not, I agree with the above reply about dark chocolate.
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I've got two broad suggestions.
- Do everything you can to cut refined sugar out of anything you'd eat to satisfy a sweet tooth as it were. Just find something else that is entertaining in that way to eat. Example; 2 cups of blueberries, which is a SH&T load of blueberries (thinking bulk here) has only like 170 calories, how much ice cream, cookies, whatever your pleasure can you eat for that? In my mind it's a terrific tradeoff. Granted ice cream at 170 calories is much less expensive than blueberries 170 calories.
- Do everything you can to really investigate number 1, sugar acts like a drug in our systems and until you have a real sense of whether your graving is from the addiction or a real need for calories by your body you will be addicted, full stop.
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You said you tried going low carb during the day, but did you try to increase your protein? For me, protein is an appetite suppressant. For a few days, try extra hard to meet or exceed your MFP protein goal, and see if your cravings for sweets diminish.
If you're not a big meat eater, one way to do that is with protein powder that doesn't have added sugar. Plain Greek yogurt has a lot of protein too. You can mix in fruit and nuts if eating it plain is hard for you. The only plain Greek yogurt I like is Red Top from Lucky supermarket. Oikos plain is also okay.
Being sleep deprived or dehydrated can cause sugar cravings too.
When I was first trying to kick the sugar habit, I drank a lot of herbal teas, especially Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice with a few drops of stevia. It really calmed me down and helped me feel satisfied.
Ultimately, you have to decide if you want to keep trying moderation, or if you think abstaining from sweets for a period of time would be helpful. If you keep failing at moderation and are getting frustrated because you're breaking promises to yourself, you either need to find new strategies (which is why you're here!) or you need to abstain for a while to see if that helps.
If you choose abstinence, it definitely can be done, but to change the habit you have to be really consistent. After a few months, going without sweets will feel normal to you, and you will hardly think at all about sweets at night - unless someone puts them in front of your face. That's always gonna be hard!
Abstinence doesn't have to last forever. Usually it calms down your cravings so that you can make more rational choices about when to enjoy a treat and how much to have.
Hope you find good ideas from someone and that you have the success you want.
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Well if you don't have a pack of donuts in the house, you won't eat them. Keeping highly palatable calorie dense foods out of the house for a time is one strategy.
Or, if you're good at moderation, pre-log a serving of something you like.3 -
Juicies, which are packets of frozen fruit juice. 43 calories each. Also crunchy and take a long time to eat! I know for sure they are available in Oz and NZ; not sure about US, but there must be something similar.2
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I love saving some calories for halo top(60-80ish cals/serving), or frozen yogurt(100-130 cals/serving without toppings), or a McDonalds ice cream cone or cookie (both 170 cals) at the end of the night! It's what keeps me sane with all the salads and veggies!1
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I also save 260 calories each day for 2 small "Nature's Bakery" protein brownies and a small glass of milk. Primarily because I'm generally hungry right before bed.
If your cravings are just an intense urge for some sugar in your body rather than nighttime "grazing", you may be better off keeping a bag of Skittles or other non-chocolate candy around and save calories for a handful of that, instead.2 -
Halo top!2
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I totally understand! I have the same issue, except Incrave sour candy, constantly. For the past 3 weeks I haven't had any candy, but I have had green grapes, pineapples and olives with my salad. I'm trying to satisfy my sweet and sour craving with substituted foods.2
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I have a lot of success with pink lady apples ( they taste sweeter to me) with some peanut butter1
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Halo Top!2
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I definitely don't try to avoid it. I've realized that if I fight the craving, I'll give into it and binge! I keep Halo Top around or the Outshine fruit bars. I also really enjoy the sweetness in the oats and chocolate fiber one bars! They're like a dessert to me. Good luck!2
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I have some sort of weird relationship with sugar. If I stay away from processed foods with sugar for 2 weeks, I am usually fine and dont crave it as often. But once I give in, to even things like skinny cow ice cream, I just restart the whole cycle. I have lost weight (80lbs) before and used those types of items for subs, but ultimately I get right back to the same thing. This time, I use fruit for my sweet tooth. I also like fresh strawberries in greek yogurt, really dark chocolate. Even plain rice krispy cereal with a little 2% milk will do it for me. I find these are less likely to send me on a binge and satisfy the sweet craving. I must be a sugar addict.2
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I save about 250 calories every day for dessert. I usually have a Fiber one brownie (90 calories) along with a serving of Halo Top ice cream (70-90 calories) and 2 servings of reddi whip whipped cream on top (30 calories). That or I'll have strawberries with whipped cream or a few pieces of dark chocolate. I can't give up my desserts!1
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Think Thin protein bites are great. I always need a treat after dinner. They provide some extra protein and help me scratch the itch. Totally recommend them!2
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Great replies guys. Never heard of halo top.0
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Halo Top is amaaaaazing! Expensive, but on the rare occasion I want nothing in the world but a pint of ice cream, it's perfect! My usual go-to for nighttime sweets is dark chocolate- I get the 100 cal dark chocolate bars from Trader Joes. In general, I like individually packaged 100-cal snacks because I can more easily limit myself to having just one. But if it's not individually packaged into serving sizes, there's a good chance I'll eat way more than intended!1
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Try making "nice cream" with bananas! Add other fruit too. It ends up being sweet and desserty without a lot of heavy dairy or fats.1
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I buy bags of frozen fruit, measure out however much I have calories for, defrost in microwave and eat. I don't know if you're a fruit fiend like I am though... depends on what tastes best to you out of the available options.1
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I usually freeze grapes. That does wonders for me. Then, other times, I buy gummy bears, which isn't a terrible post workout snack.1
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rocknlotsofrolls wrote: »If you guys ever had cravings for sweets in the evening, how do you get pass them? Last night I was determined to fight the temptation, so I went to bed early. I've tried eating low carb during the day, but that doesn't really help. I usually crave a pack of donuts, cause of the instant feel good pick me up that it gives me.
I used to eat chocolates late at night before bed. I know the feeling. I replaced them with a protein bar (some actually taste really good!). That helped it become a more familiar food that was satisfying.0
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