How do you stop the craving for chocolates and sweets

ricardos_65 · February 2018

TavistockToad · February 2018

Fit them into your day/week

livingleanlivingclean · February 2018

TavistockToad wrote: »

Fit them into your day/week

This.

I find I crave things less, and probably eat less, if I know I can have them when I like... I don't think of these things as bad, or tell myself I can't have them.

roselle_french · February 2018

I'm a chocoholic, but haven't had some in a while. When I'm craving for it, what I do is to just drink hot cocoa (like swiss miss).

bendyourkneekatie · February 2018

I don't. I either don't act on the craving, or if I can fit it in my calories, I do. I tend to have chocolate every day though

Enthusiast84 · February 2018

I have chocolate everyday. I love chocolate so I make it fit into my calorie allowance. I don't feel deprived this way. I'd say make them fit otherwise it will feel like a diet and you might be thinking about chocolate/sweets all day.

Alatariel75 · February 2018

I eat high cocoa dark chocolate. I can knock off a block of milk chocolate, but am perfectly happy with a few squares of really high quality dark chocolate.

sandraraby123 · February 2018

KETO diet works for me, No longer crave anything. not a diet but more way of life. check you tube for info, a lot of doctors give you information on KETO high fat low carb, problem is your Insulin production.

Misskcm · February 2018

Like everyone else said... don’t deprive yourself of it. Log it in your calories in the morning so you know you can have it later without going over.

h1udd · February 2018

I use chocolate stevia drops in Greek yogurt, chocolate protein powder to bake shakes and chocolate halo top ice cream

That way I don’t need to fit regular chocolate into my day ... 1/3rd of it tastes of chocolate anyway

ninerbuff · February 2018

I eat them in moderation. Eat them and account for them. Be disciplined enough to know that you'll have to cut somewhere else if you exceed.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

amusedmonkey · February 2018

I don't think cravings (for anything) can be completely eliminated. You can become better at controlling them with practice and using certain tricks, or they become less frequent.

The first step for me is not to try to push them away as hard. That only breeds stronger cravings for me. If I know I can have something whenever I want, I'm more likely to act strategically than on impulse.

The second step was to make the foods I tend to overeat harder to acquire. If they're not around or require conscious effort to acquire I'm more likely to go "meh, too lazy to go to the shop for a single serving pack" and that alone can make the craving less prominent because the feeling of not wanting to change my clothes, put on my shoes, walk 15 minutes to the store, get back home, and change back into house clothes feels stronger than the craving. Sometimes it is worth going to the shop, so I do that. In that case it's conscious effort with full knowledge that I'm acting on a craving, but it's not an act of impulse. I enjoy eating it and it gets logged.

This need to perform actions to get whatever I want also gives me time to consider how my day is going. Can I fit it in? Do I want to modify my other meals? I'm I hungry today? Weighing these aspects helps me decide if a sweet snack is worth it today or not.

Sounds like a lot of mental work, but after a while of doing this, it just happens in my brain. I don't have to make that mental process happen and it takes a few seconds.

There are times where I want something and have to rely on self control and tell myself a firm "No". For example "you've already had chocolate today, you don't need ice cream too. You can have ice cream tomorrow or any other day, but not today. You won't die if you have to wait one day." Sometimes by the next day the craving is gone so that's a win, or of it's still there I plan it into my day if it's worth it so that's another win in that I didn't act on impulse.

batorkin · February 2018

Chocolate protein shake every morning instead of breakfast. Healthy and keeps me full until noon.

kommodevaran · February 2018

You don't. You just decide whether to act on them, or not.

angelexperiment · February 2018

I think when you eat a more balanced timed nutrition plan it balances out that sweet craving. Trust me I'm so much so the queen of chocolates and sweets! But once I started the plan I'm on now ( which has no sweets soda or chocolate only cocoa nibs) I've had no craving for anything which I found so odd bc I usually always do. Especially if I overdo it awhile it's like withdrawal ( I had a bad binge eating problems) but nothing it's been like 4 weeks no cravings. But if I just want chocolate I try to do unsweetened cocoa powder on a bana and freeze it problem solved.

SteamPug · February 2018

I actually find depriving myself of it more effective than fitting it into my calories. It’s obviously a personal choice, I just find that my cravings go away after awhile of not eating it and eventually I just get to a point of not being that bothered about eating it. When I do treat myself now I always wonder what all the fuss was about, chocolate just doesn’t taste as good as it used to.

92019start · February 2018

For some people, like myself, it is easier to abstain than to moderate tempting foods. Here is more details about that here from habit guru Gretchen Rubin: https://gretchenrubin.com/2012/10/back-by-popular-demand-are-you-an-abstainer-or-a-moderator/

amusedmonkey · February 2018

92019start wrote: »

For some people, like myself, it is easier to abstain than to moderate tempting foods. Here is more details about that here from habit guru Gretchen Rubin: https://gretchenrubin.com/2012/10/back-by-popular-demand-are-you-an-abstainer-or-a-moderator/

Although I kind of agree with this, I find it a bit oversimplified. I believe people fall on a spectrum for this, and that even the same person can be an abstainer for some items and a moderator for others. I'm an abstainer for nuts and sweetened condensed milk. I only have them in a very controlled manner as a part of a recipe but not on their own because it's more stressful for me to moderate them in that manner than to set rules for them. Everything else I'm various degrees of moderator. Some things fall in the "abstaining" category for me but not because I need to abstain for them, it simply happens because I rarely deem them to be worth the calories for some reason and find myself choosing other things so I end up not eating them for very long stretches of time. Peanut butter falls in that category for me.

malibu927 · February 2018

Work it into your calories. For me, if I tell myself I can’t have chocolate then I end up binging on it at some point.

mortuseon_ · February 2018

YMMV, but I find that lower-calorie or more nutritionally dense versions like Fibre One brownies, Halo Top, and protein bars help to address the cravings without knocking out my goals for the day. The brownies are only 90 kcal each, and protein bars are usually around 200 kcal but work to replace a different protein source in my day. Plus, protein makes me feel more satiated anyway (just personally). Or, low calorie soda. I know people go on and on about how the sweeteners are supposedly bad for you (absolute nonsense), but as long as you're not worried about the acidity and your teeth, they can be a really handy tool. I probably shouldn't be drinking them with bulimia-damaged teeth, but...oh well

I also try not to buy high-calorie sugary snacks, but it's difficult when living with someone else who isn't trying to lose weight

I try not to open that cupboard in particular...

RadishEater · February 2018

I found for most food I craved, fittings it into my allotment each day made me think about it and crave it less as time past. However, that has still not quite happened with chocolate yet. I have learned that nutritional versions don't cut it for me and make the cravings worse. Eating a square of dark chocolate as a mid morning snack works well up till dinner and portioning out dark chocolate chips for dessert is sorta working.

Cravings while annoying and can seem detrimental, can really help you pinpoint why you want to eat ...stress, hormones, boredom, emotions etc. Developing habits to combat/work with them in the long run really helps you, so don't give up!

willsreb · February 2018

I love chocolate too! It feels like a constant battle to be honest. At the moment I am allowing myself a small sweet snack of 100-130 calories so I can make sure it fits into my calorie goal. A small kitkat is 104 calories, for example. My problem is, I associate watching a good film or series with eating chocolate

KWlosingit · February 2018

I eat 100% cacao shaved into my plain greek yogurt everyday with a little stevia for sweetness. I am a chocolate monster and would never have lost 68lbs without chocolate everyday.

concordancia · February 2018

I practice saying no and it becomes more and more of a habit. I was at two events with cookies yesterday and I had zero cookies because it was hard enough to figure out the food that would actually nourish my body. I walked a few miles and danced for over an hour straight, I could have fit in a cookie, but I chose to practice "no" instead of practicing making excuses, since it was slightly easier with the cookies on the other end of the room.

ladyhusker39 · February 2018

ricardos_65 wrote: »

How do you stop the craving for chocolates and sweets

I don't. I've learned how to still enjoy them within limits.

SteveMFP123 · February 2018

I do a weekly food shop and just avoid buying them, if they're in the house I will eat them all, I've never been able to just have one of anything.

klr1981 · February 2018

I keep bars of Godiva chocolates in my top drawer- I just eat a square every now and again. I’ve found I have to give in a little so I don’t go on a crazy binge

onward1 · February 2018

I've been having Halo Top chocolate ice cream every night, lately I've been eating the whole carton, I just plan for it.

AnnPT77 · February 2018

I agree with what others have said - moderation, substitutions, work it in, make it logistically harder, etc. Good stuff.

For me (and some others I've "talked" with here), it helped me to reduce cravings for high-calorie, low-nutrition sweets when I made it a point to eat much more whole fruit.

Initially, I targeted 3 servings daily. Eventually, I was able to be more flexible and reduce that without unwanted cravings returning.

Long term, some of the things I formerly enjoyed (certain sweet baked goods, for example) became unpleasantly sweet and too mono-flavored/simple-tasting to be enjoyable. (I do still enjoy some special sweet treats, just not all.)

This is not universal, won't work for everyone, but it helps some of us.

TyTravis007 · February 2018

Take them out of the equation completely; no sugar. Toss them all in the garbage and suffer through the week's worth of craving. The first day without the sugar is always the worst, but as time goes on you'll notice your cravings get weaker and weaker until they disappear altogether

That's what I did when I quit drinking soda ten years ago and when I entered into the Keto lifestyle three years ago. Patience is a virtue!

dangerousdumpling · February 2018

Cutting back in processed and high sugar foods helps me have less cravings. I feel that those foods cause rebound hunger for me and I want more more more. Which isn’t to say I don’t eat them at all. Just a lot less. You could either fit in a little daily treat or a bigger treat once or twice a week.

How do you stop the craving for chocolates and sweets

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