@donna25trinity - great question, and a complicated issue, at least for me. I have a horrific sweet tooth which is mostly the cause of my weight gain over the past 30 years. I’ve read all about how addictive sugar is, how the body responds just as it would to cocaine (or maybe it’s heroin, either way……). There was a long time I thought the only way to control it was to stop cold turkey and never have sweets again, just like an addict would have to do. It broke my heart to even think about never having a cookie or ice cream again, which made me realize that yep, that’s just how an addict feels about giving up whatever it is they’re hooked on. However, we have to eat, it’s impossible to completely knock out sugar, and I am close to having that savage beast under control.

1. We almost never have sweets in the house. I know not everyone has that luxury. Even when my grandkids are here, I rarely have cookies etc.
2. It takes practice. The more often I say “no” to the urge to grab sweets, the easier it gets.
3. I allow myself something once in awhile, within reason. I get myself a blizzard from DQ, but a small size, and eat it slow. Then log it. I actually had ice cream twice last week - both small sizes, both after burning a couple thousand calories biking.
4. When I do have the urge to get something sweet, I remind myself how good it feels to wake up the next day knowing I made that good choice.

Trust me, I am the person who could stop and buy a box of ice cream treats and eat the entire box driving home from work. Or eat 4 donuts when someone brings them to work. Or buys a bag or Oreos and eats the whole thing in one setting. And this can go on for days. So for me to say I “almost” have this under control is no small feat. I guarantee you there were days I wracked up 1000’s of calories in sugar, followed by something salty, followed by something sweet.

I love @Mrs_Hoffer routine of a long walk on Sunday to get a pint of ice cream. Theresa, will you still be able to do that in the new house? How is your eye?

Eagerly watching this space to see how other people deal with sugar since I'm a bit like @donna25trinity in having more than one sweet treat a night. It generally all fits in my calorie goals, but what it does take away from is my macro goals. Last night was not entirely typical, but I had a serving of ice cream with berries for my dessert. Then, feeling a bit peckish, had a serving and a half of kettle corn (sweetened popcorn). With my evening tea, hmm, a nice square of dark chocolate would go well with that. That was 536 calories in sweet treats out of the 1750 I had allotted for the day. In the before times, I think my sweet consumption would have been double those calories because I was eyeballing portions.

I recognize that the later I eat dinner, the less dessert I have since I try to finish all of my eating by 8 pm. I also do not have any sweets during the day. I don't eat breakfast, everything I eat for lunch is homemade (so no sugar in salad dressings for example) and I try not to snack in the afternoon.

Ohhh.. do I have a sweet tooth! My grandfather was a honcho with a giant sugar corporation, and my mother grew up in sugar cane country. I was raised on sugar. I’ve heard many family stories about me putting sugar on things like hamburgers. To this day, I still don’t like cottage cheese without (artificial) sugar on it. Sugar on bread was an after school snack.

The only way I can manage it is In the grocery store. If I don’t buy it, I don’t eat it. The few times I’ve bought cookies or similar for a specific reason, all my planning goes out the window and I can eat the whole package.

On top of that, I’m an excellent baker, so I’m always asked to make desserts for every party and gathering of family and friends. I solve that by telling everyone that I can only have a small piece (I don’t want to let others see me fail) and they must keep or take all leftover dessert him with them. If there is something left at my house, it goes to the neighbors even before the dishes are done.

I know that most folks think we should learn to manage it, but this is a better choice for me. Diabetes runs in my mothers family (surprise!), and before I started to take off the weight, I was pre-diabetic. I REALLY don’t need extra sugar and carbs. I try to satisfy my sweet tooth with fruit.

I'm in the "don't buy it, don't have it in the house" camp. But ... I can keep a packet of biscuits in the cupboard unopened. I do buy good quality dark chocolate and eat it one square at a time, putting it out of sight. I also have mini ice creams in the freezer.
I'm probably more tempted by savoury snacks, but the same rules apply.
Even on holiday I'm not having many desserts or ice creams (but I did have a single scoop cornet today)

Wednesday

yes x3
0/3 pass days used

Exercise – yes
Tracking – yes
Calories – Yes

2/3 pass days

@BMcC9 You should be a writer — I was in stitches when I read weighing/logging was “Strong With This One”. So great to see your post and know you are with us.

P.S Bark Thins are everywhere here (including mega bags at Costco). Have never tried one. Provisions can be sent. 😉

✅ Exercise: 10 minutes weight lifting, 20 minutes swimming
✅ Calories
✅ Tracked

0 passdays used ( )

I manage sweets by not having them in the house, except for plain sugar for brewing kombucha. Even with the kombucha, I have to exercise self control not to have too much, too often. I brew it releatively strong with a ¨bite¨ that keeps me willing to limit it to a few ounces. I found out that my kombucha has about 6 grams of sugar per 3.5 ounces of kombucha-- which is about 1.5 teaspoons. It does not seem to trigger me to think about any other sweets and for now I am willing to accept that as the price for the s. boullardi probiotic yeast and other probiotic bacteria in it--- I think in this case the good outweighs the bad if I keep the portions small.

I do use allulose, monkfruit or stevia for sweetners in recipes that call for sugar or in my homemade yogurt, but I am dreading the day when they discover something really bad about them like they have about the others. I try to limit them also because of my awareness that just the sweet flavor still can have a negative effect.

I have tried the ¨one square of dark chocolate¨ thing but just today have accepted the fact that I have not been able to stick to one square. I tried to get at least 88% dark and then I can generally hold it to 2 or 3 squares because I really do not LOVE it without the sweetness. But this week I bought a bar of 72% dark Godiva chocolate and ate half the bar yesterday and half today. What I noticed, both days, was a very intense crazing for it--- couldn´t think about anything else for at least 20 minutes after eating it and wasn´t really satisfied after half the bar. Even that little bit of sugar was enough to put my in full blown addict mode. I decided this is NOT FUN. I have decided that chocolate is something I don´t want in my house either.

I have been thinking a lot about the relationship between habits, policies, and lifestyles. I have decided I want it to be my habit that I do not buy sweets, instead of a rule (because rules provoke that ¨little rebel¨part of me. So now I am going to work on dropping the habit of occasionally buying chocolate, as I have dropped the habit of buying all other sweets except sugar for kombucha.

5/18
Did I exercise for at least 20 minutes? 👍🏻
Did I stay within my calorie budget for the day? 👍🏻
Did I keep track of everything I ate and drank? 👍🏻

(Documenting consistency (if there is a P=instead of number its a Pass Day)
UAC: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20-21-22-23-24-25-26-27-28

May goals
1 Miracle Morning ~ S.A.V.E.R.S
2 Wake up EARLY for meditation
3 Yoga (5/6 times weekly)
4. Minimum sweets (work them in my calorie goal)
5. 30 day squat challenge 6. No late night snacking
7. Daily journal logging

Super job today @eokoro 🌷 @jmu1965 🌸 @ideas2 🌻 @GrandmaJackie 🌷

Did I exercise for at least 20 minutes? Yes, 33 minute walk
Did I stay within my calorie budget for the day? Yes
Did I keep track of everything I ate and drank? Yes

Pass days used - 1

No sugar, honey, etc. in the house.
Most sweets have ingredients that are known to cause IBD (I’ve had Crohn’s the past 25 year) so once I heard the medical study results I cut emulsifiers kageenan etc out of my diet.That knocks out Ice cream & baked goods. No ketchup, no commercial salad dressings, etc.

I was eatibgv82% dark chocolate & that was great, but needed to drastically reduce saturated fat, so we no longer buy/eat that.

Currently, besides fresh fruit, my husband eats a few dates & I have a “kiddie” box or two of raisins each day.

I have always found if I eat sugar, vegetables & fruits don’t taste as good.

Sugar (and sodium) make my appetite go into overdrive.

I promised myself I’d do whatever it took to maintain my weight.

✅✅❎ perfect calories & tracking which were my focus today.

Pass day. Got a quick on-the-go dinner and it killed the calorie goal for the day.

May 18
Exercise: yes (it wasn’t 20 min, was 12. But at this stage even 1 minute is better than 0)
Tracking: yes
Calories: yes
Passes used up.

May 2022-UAC goals: 3/18 days. Hopefully, I will start to post some more successful days of reaching the goals.

Super Wednesday work to the following:

@Maggie_MJ 🌻
@Caroline_slowandsteady 🌸
@MadisonMolly2017 🌹
@LazyBlondeChef 🌼
@ashleycarole86 🪷
@enlightenme3 🌺