[TigerGal24]

I've been having an internal battle with myself for almost 2 weeks now over this and could use some help. I've been on a "lifestyle change" for just over a year, losing 80lbs in the process. The last month or two however, I've been struggling with cravings for sweets. I've been so good throughout this journey, sticking with healthy foods, excercising, and continuously losing weight. But sometimes lately I get in the mood to eat sugary junkfood and when it hits me, it hits hard. Last month I took a break and had some ice cream and m&ms one night then right back on track the next day. About 2 weeks ago I had a craving for some homemade cookies, and thought if I just ignored it and kept on track it would go away. But it's still there and only getting worse! I want to go home and just bake a batch and eat them without the guilt, but how can I when I already feel bad enough for even thinking about eating sugary food in the first place? Should I continue to try ignoring this and hope it'll eventually go away? Or should I give in and maybe then I won't crave junk foods again for a long while? I don't want to sabotage my diet for the sake of my tastebuds and it would suck to have to fight through this all the time too. What can I do? Will one night of bad eating cause me to gain weight?

[Ksquared]

Try the Diet Soda cupcakes You can have your cake and eat it too!

[berryblondeboys]

I had the terrible desire for chocolate chip cookies recently. I bought ONE. Next day I bought another - just one. It fit within my calories for the day. It satisified what I was super wanting and I stopped at ONE. By baking a batch of cookies, you'll eat more than one. you know it and really, savoring the one did the trick. I could have gorged on a ton, but I wouldn't have enjoyed beyond the first couple, so why do that to myself? Now, I have cookies in the house for the kids and I don't crave them or have the desire to eat them, so it did the trick. I VERY rarely crave sweets, but ignoring it was killing me this past week, so I just kept it moderate and I was proud of myself as that's life - learning to stop at one instead of a whole batch.

[luciddepths]

I found that I had the same thing, so what I do is find that thing I'm craving but in mini for or make out myself and make it not as bad!!

[Michelle2008]

Go on - but just a little!!

[zoodoo613]

I agree with the small serving idea. If you have more than a passing craving, satisfy it, but don't go whole hog. Can you give the rest away, since it's homemade you're craving?

To your final question, one night of bad eating won't make you gain weight in the long run, although you might be a bit higher for a few days as your body process the now unfamiliar junk.

[PreciousMissy]

I do the same thing...have small doses. I wanted chocolate so I had one of those little squares, but I made sure it was the best single piece of chocolate I could afford haha! Surprisingly, it did the trick. I haven't craved chocolate in some time now.

[Expunge]

For me, when I get a craving for sweets, I try to do something like the following:

-Buy chocolate. Real, delicious, high-quality chocolate - dark or milk, depending on my mood. The kind that's so expensive I can't even think about buying it often or more than an ounce or two at a time. That way I get the sweet fix, the foodie fix, and the "super-special treat" fix all at once.

-Buy a small container of real, full-fat ice cream (one of the mini-size Haagen-Dasz types). Enjoy it, savor it, and only eat one. Even better if the ingredient list only says "Cream, sugar, eggs, (whatever fruit or other flavor it is)".

Sometimes a healthier (but still high calorie!) sweet, like some greek yogurt layered with fruit, nuts and honey will do the trick as well.

[JayEll]

The idea of just one or just a little bit is OK, but be aware that for some people, there is no such thing as just one. One leads to another, and another, and another. If that is something you think would apply to you, then don't even start!

You won't die because you don't give in to your sugar cravings, any more than an ex-smoker will die if they don't have a cigarette.

Perhaps you're lacking something else--not enough protein, or not enough calories in general. Or perhaps it's not food at all you want, but the kind of feeling you get when you eat sugary foods. Just take some time and look at it before you decided you "have" to have something.

Good luck,
Jay

[April Snow]

you are just about at goal now (congrats!!!!) so I think it's time to start to figure out your ongoing relationship with food, and esp. with treats. Have you decided that it's best for you to try to eliminate these things on a permanent basis? If yes, then I would work on developing alternatives that you are comfortable eating, maybe things you can make yourself so you can control the ingredients but that you can make in single servings. (and one idea - having a cup of hot tea with some extra sweetener and a generous dash of milk takes care of far more cravings than I could have imagined!)

But it's also very reasonable to want to be able to add MODERATE amounts of treats into an otherwise healthy lifestyle. That is what I hope to do (and what the plan I am following is designed for). So right now, these sorts of treats are off limits, but once I reach my goal weight, I can have some once a week, and eventually twice a week. Not a batch of cookies every night, and not a batch of cookies even once a week, but a couple of cookies once in a while. I won't know until I get there if that will trigger me into wanting them all the time, to the point where I don't resist having them all the time. But right now, I can delay my desire for these things because I know I will get to have them again next year. And I think the same thing will apply when I do start having them - I can delay a desire for week because I'm not trying to tell myself that I can NEVER have them.

I personally think either of these approaches is reasonable, depending on the person and their needs, so you need to try to figure out which one feels like the right one for you. And since you tried once and were able to get right back on track, it seems like you may be able to be somene who can allow herself to enjoy periodic treats.