Help! I have no willpower against sweets

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I have been trying very hard to reform my diet to be healthier. I have almost completely cut out refined flour, I eat more produce, lean protein etc. The one thing I cannot seem to do is shake my desire for sweets. I have tried the give in to your cravings and have a taste approach-I end up binging. I have tried to completely eliminate sweets-I binge. I have tried taking my reasonable serving and putting it away, even in hard to reach places...it doesn't work. I have no willpower whatsoever when it comes to sweets.
I do believe dark chocolate is healthy (in moderation) and I usually can keep that to a reasonable serving...then I eat a cookie or two. Any one have suggestions to break this habit/cycle whatever it is? I have tried going for walks, not having it in the house (school unfortunately often has free sweets and is of course a source of stress), chewing gum and similar tricks and nothing seems to work. Does anyone have new ideas/strategies to stop this?
Please help!
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Replies

  • Monica_has_a_goal
    Monica_has_a_goal Posts: 694 Member
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    Well you sort of mentioned it.. i love my apple pie gum. .its a wonder drug for me :laugh:

    But fresh fruit instead of processed sugar can help.. and sometimes i put a lil whipped cream on strawberries.. it beats a candy bar.

    As for chocolate.. theres a dark chocolate by Trader joes thats individually wrapped and only 100 cals. .love it!
  • aWashCloth
    aWashCloth Posts: 198 Member
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    Find lower calorie sweets. I love Thinsations and Crispie Minies! They give me my sweet tooth without breaking my calorie bank!
  • raisingbabyk
    raisingbabyk Posts: 442 Member
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    not having it in the house will still help you at least not eat it while your at home. Maybe put a note on the fridge "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels". I love that line. Or a before and after pic of your success so far to keep you going?
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    I'll be honest.. you're going to have to simply say no. Or else you're going to have to learn to eat them in moderation. No one can solve this for you, unfortunately.

    I am a sweet-a-holic. I LOVE sweets. I tried giving them up completely and it didn't work. I found myself becoming resentful and completely unreasonable about it. So, I added them back into my lifestyle (I mean.. most people can't honestly go the rest of their life without consuming something they REALLY love - no matter what it is! Learning to eat it in moderation and having CONTROL over it vs it having control over you is key).

    I read labels. I know what food items give me more bang for my buck. For example, I love cinnamon rolls - but I know that I can have a larger piece of cake (no frosting) for roughly the same amount of calories. I'll pick the cake - because I get more for the same amount of calories.

    Is it easy to only eat one piece of cake? It is now, but it certainly wasn't in the beginning. Learn to control the urge to just keeping eating whatever it is you want.

    Good Luck
  • nisijam5
    nisijam5 Posts: 10,390 Member
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    I eat sweet sensations double chocolate pie mixed with blueberries or raspberries...that would be a good snack with fruit...it's very satisfying to me.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    I struggle with this too, I know I'm eating empty, nutritionless calories but it's hard to stop.
    I resolved this week to cut out (or down) added sugars Monday to Friday. I've still had fruit and dairy as I'm not so concerned about sugars that come packaged together with some other nutrition/fibre etc.
    I've done well so far - my overall sugar is still pretty high but I'm just not eating that extra junk and that is much better for me.
    I will enjoy some dessert on the weekend, then get back to it next Monday. This seems doable to me - maybe it would work for you too.
  • unhappy86
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    I gave away all of my little snacks. I have no will power and if i have them laying around I'm going to eat them! One thng i do is when i have a really bad craving I drink decaf coffee w/ splenda instead. I've also tried distracting myself like i'll jump in the shower or brush my teeth or paint my nails. One thing that i discovered is that if i do give in i'm going to eat twice or three times what i should have. Oh and as far as work, we have snacks laying around at work all the time, what i do is ill say out loud that i cant have it so that if I do reach for it ill be too worried someone will remind me i'm in a diet. lol hope it helps
  • oreolover
    oreolover Posts: 29 Member
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    These are great. Thanks guys :)
  • neurochamp
    neurochamp Posts: 261 Member
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    What are you doing while you snack? Are you mindlessly eating while you watch TV or do other activities, or are you sitting quietly with your treat, eating it slowly, and really *savoring* it? If you're mindlessly munching, chances are you go for more because you're just not satisfied...try really taking the time to enjoy a (small) treat and see if that helps.

    Otherwise it's completely mind over matter - you need to WANT to stop snacking enough to just make it happen. Think about your goals and really push to stick to just one treat. If all else fails, set a schedule for buying the stuff you really like - set a rule like "I will only buy one large chocolate bar OR one small package of cookies (not both) every two weeks. If I binge and eat it all at once, too bad - not allowed to buy more for two weeks!" (If you live with people this is doubly motivating, because not only are YOU out of treats, you also get the guilt for leaving your family/roomies treat-less - next time you'll pace yourself :wink: )

    I have done all of these - eating more slowly (and focusing on enjoying things more) and only allowing myself to buy the treats I like every couple of weeks really works for me. Good luck! :smile:
  • tallteacher
    tallteacher Posts: 74 Member
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    One thing that works for me, but perhaps you've already tried, is this: if you crave something, have a small amount of it, but SAVOR every single bite. Craving chocolate? Take a Dove Promise and take a tiny bite. Roll it over in your mouth. Feel the creaminess on your tongue. Smell how rich it is. Enjoy every sensation of this little bite. Then take another tiny bite and do the same. Often we crave something, but don't take the time to ENJOY that craving. It takes us 10, 20, 30 bites or more before our emotions/brains/whatever have registered all the sensations and our craving has been satisfied. Do nothing else except focus on the one thing you crave. Don't eat it while talking, driving, watching tv, whatever. ONLY satisfy that craving and focus on the sensations.
  • jowings
    jowings Posts: 157 Member
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    I don't know if this will help at all (I am generally not a sweet person, my vices are all savory :D) but I did have these awesome pretzels crisps today that were cinnamon toast flavor, and they were SO GOOD. I was wanting something a little sweet and I picked them up because they were low cal and had relatively healthy ingredients (not a lot of preservatives etc.) and they were a very pleasant surprise. So if you want to try them out, they are Snack Factory Pretzel Chips in "Cinnamon Toast." Might be a nice substitute for when you need a little something sweet : ).
  • stubbysticks
    stubbysticks Posts: 1,275 Member
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    Personally, I think by saying "I have no willpower" you've given up already. It's a copout. If you started telling yourself "I DO have willpower & I CAN do this" at least there's a chance it might actually be true.

    Have you considered a free day or free meal periodically? I do it pretty much every week & it does wonders keeping cravings in check. You could do it less often if you wanted to, but more than one day a week will interfere with your weight loss. Mentally it's a nice break from dieting...I can't wait forever for a piece of cake, but if I know I only have to wait 6 days for one, then I can get through today without it.
  • ejohndrow
    ejohndrow Posts: 1,399 Member
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    I love sweets-a lot, they're like my favorite food ever but, I don't keep them in my room. I know I'll eat them. What works for me is out of sight, out of mind. It may take a while to get used to, but to start with, don't just hide your treats-throw them away, give them away or something. Why have something around to entice you like that? You really just need to learn to stop and think and ask the question, "Do I need this? Will I be happy in the long run" A month ago I was eating Subway sandwiches every day and justifying a cookie with it. Since then I've really limited my sweets and prunes are probably the sweetest things I've had since. It's hard, and it takes willpower, but it gets easier the longer you go. I'm not saying to never have a treat again-just learn that it is a treat, it's meant for special occasions, not every single day.
  • OfficerFuzzy
    OfficerFuzzy Posts: 222 Member
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    I use moderation most of the time.
    My favorite ice cream bowl has become the 1/4 measuring cup, and then I tell myself I can always have another fourth tomorrow. :)

    And try not to have them around, and those that you have around try to make them low-calorie.

    Just keep at it and I think you'd build a barrier in your brain that just says, "not that much or not that or something like that."
  • tisamg
    tisamg Posts: 62 Member
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    I have a sweet tooth, too! Not that I always follow this advice, but a WW leader years ago, told me that if you are craving something sweet, eat a pickle.... seriously... a pickle. She said that it had something to do with them being opposite tastes. I tried it and it works. I think it works because after I eat a pickle, I have NO desire for anything sweet.... except when I was pregnant :smile:

    When I first started losing weight, people at work would bring in donuts, pastries, cakes, etc. It was really hard to pass them up, but then after a while, it became a habit. Sometimes it just comes down to old fashioned discipline and control. Don't let the food control you :smile:
  • beautybiz
    beautybiz Posts: 50 Member
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    I like Dove Sugar Free Dark Chocolate and Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Almonds

    I make this stuff a co worker introduced me to we call it Fluff:

    1 package of sugar free fat free vanilla pudding
    1 package of sugar free jello any flavor (I like strawberry)
    1 container of sugar free cool whip

    boil 2 cups of water completely dissolve pudding in a bowl, add the jello and let cool down. Fold in the cool whip and put it in the fridge to set. You can eat it as is or add a little fruit or nuts. It's really good and satisfies my sweet tooth.
  • MIMITIME
    MIMITIME Posts: 405 Member
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    I not only have a sweet tooth I have sweet teeth. Sweets have been my main stay for years but fortunately I moved enough to keep off the weight. Then, out of no where I was struck down with some major medical issues so the weight has crept on the last 5 years and now I need to lose it because it is driving me crazy! These are the things that help me but we are all different. Greek Yogurt with fruit, especially the strawberry. Whole Fruit frozen bars have a sweet taste and come in lots of fruits. I love the strawberry and it has only 70 calories. Dark chocolate thin mints help me when I am really craving sweets. The Dole individual fruit cups like peach have a sweetness to them and I love it over cottage cheese. I have seen a lot of low cal cake and cup cake recipes on here. I am going to try the pumkin one this weekend and see if I can eat just one and freeze the other. I do use real sugar in my coffee first thing in the mornings - just can't give up the sug in my coffee! Good Luck
  • ziggylove
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    Mmm oreos.. :D I really like my sweets as well, but after a week or two of avoiding the temptation (mainly by reminding myself I really need to lose a bunch of flab) it's like I lost most of the urge to eat sweets. I've also been trying to eat more healthy sweets like fresh fruit, applesauce sprinkled with cinnamon, Kashi cereal bars, and Silk Light chocolate soy milk. I tried Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches for the first time last week and they are quite delicious for 140 cals. There are also Skinny Cow candies but I haven't tried those yet. I think it really comes down to applying self discipline. If you can learn to do that, you'll be successful. :)
  • thirtyandthriving
    thirtyandthriving Posts: 613 Member
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    Slimfast bars are really good and only 100cal. Fiber one bars 140 cal. Skinny cow makes candy and individual packages for around 120 cal. I also have a very large sweet tooth and I used to eat a king sizable candy bar every day. With these things I do not feel like I am missing out on anything.
  • almille
    almille Posts: 89
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    elstien: "set a schedule for buying the stuff you really like - set a rule like "I will only buy one large chocolate bar OR one small package of cookies (not both) every two weeks. If I binge and eat it all at once, too bad - not allowed to buy more for two weeks!"

    Wow, that's a really good idea! I already budget compulsively within the month and am pretty good at enforcing it, so I think I'll do the same with my treats. Bizarrely I think it'll be easier if I feel I'm 'saving' it for tomorrow than if I'm just never supposed to have it.