I can't quit sweets - ideas??

I found that working more flavor into my food helped me to ease back on the sugar and salt. Now I use more flavors like mustard, ginger, horseradish, etc. in my cooking and that helps! When I have a major craving for something sweet, I'll have cup of a fruity herbal tea like the ones by Celestial Seasonings (blueberry, raspberry zinger, etc.) and that really helps! Good luck :flowerforyou:

Im challenging myself to quit all that crap too! Started on Monday and doing much better this week, only a slip up here and there (mainly down to a buffet lunch at work) but have so far gone all week without any sweets at all and only a teeny amount of chocolate.
Good luck - feel free to add me if you want egging on to leave it alone. You can help me in return!
Lynds

Sugar free pudding is a nice treat. I also found a sugar free mousse that you can make with skim milk, thats about 60 calories a serving and still tastes sweet. We also like these frozen greek yogurt bars that are available at bj's or skinny cow ice cream sandwiches that only have 140 calories. This should help you a little bit. If anyone else has suggestions I would love to hear them too.

I too have a major sweet tooth. Have a hard time going a day without something sweet. So I have found sweet alternatives with more natural sugars; like grain sweetened chocolate chips, agave sweetened ice "cream" (it is dairy free, so not really ice cream), date juice sweetened sesame bars etc. Go to your health food store and find things that are better for you so you can have your "fix" without feeling like you are completely ruining your diet. Be careful, though. Even at health food stores the "natural" foods can have a lot of sugar in them, you have to be choosy.

Quit putting it in your mouth. Quit buying it. No one can control what you put in your mouth but you. The more junk you put in the more junk you are gonna crave. The more you crave it the more you will eat it.....vicious cycle. Stop it but simply not putting it in your mouth.

I have major sweet tooth too. I have found if I choose the sweets I really love (mostly chocolate, but also ice cream) and have a little of that thing most days of the week I can manage it. For example, you can have 30 semi sweet chocolate chips for 7 calories - I eat 2 at a time, letting them melt in my mouth and really enjoying the flavor. Or I make sugar free fat free chocolate fudge pudding, add lite whipped topping to make mousse, and can enjoy a nice bowl. If you have Meijer - they have Slender Selections Ice Cream - a mint chocolate sandwich only 100 calories. Plus check the recipe boards for other great low cal treats. Also, I like Extra Sugarfree Dessert gum - my fave is Mint Chocolate Chip - tastes like the real thing, plus chewing satisfaction for only a few calories! Find what you love in sweets, and find a low cal way to enjoy it, and be sure to log everything you're eating (accountability) then you'll be able to moderate your intake! Good luck!

Diet soda makes it so much worse for me. I get my sweet fix from morning fruit smoothies or coffee.

I can't give up sweets - so I just try to find healthier alternatives. Sugar Free Jell-O, Cool Whip Free, Sugar Free Cookies from Whole Foods, Weight Watchers Ice Cream bars & pops, Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches, Frozen Yogurt, etc...

I had a major problem with the mid afternoon slump, that was my main trigger for sweets and I just started getting a cup of tea. Every time I wanted a sweet I got a cup of tea (this was 4-6 cups of tea every afternoon sometimes, lol). After 1 month, I overcame that specific issue.

Just a piece of fruit isn't going to do it. I know. I'm a reformed sweets junkie!

I've mostly cut out most sweets from my diet and after a while, you stop craving it, but it takes some time. A couple of my tricks:

Almost every day, I have 6 little squares of Green & Black's 85% cocoa dark chocolate with a little peanut butter. Yes, it's a sweet (candy), but a healthy one -- dark chocolate has healthy fats, antioxidants, iron, calcium, protein ... and dark chocolate is an appetite suppressant, so it's filling (and tastes like chocolate cheesecake!). I also have Blue Diamond cinnamon and brown sugar almonds -- I'll measure out an ounce for a snack or an extra protein with a meal.

Finally, I have a fruit smoothie almost every evening and the way I make it is like a dessert:

1 banana
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup each of raspberries and blackberries
1T Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter
Ice
Dollop of LIGHT whipped cream

Those things give you a sweet fix in a healthy, filling way.

And if you have junk around the house, get rid of it. The temptation is too much! If you actually have to leave to house to get that stuff, you won't unless you REALLY want it.

I've found I have a lot less sugary cravings since eliminating the diet soda. I used to have a big sweet tooth, but feel I have much better control over it since quiting 8 weeks ago.