Pamatga, I really respect how you are paying attention to your body!
Just please
also pay attention to your psyche. If you deny yourself all "desserts" you may find eventually that you'll feel so deprived, you'll cheat.
Try to be aware of those urges so that you can nip them in the bud with an SBD-safe version first, okay?
I've been on SBD for over 4 years. When I started, I was incredibly vigilant about sugar in my diet. Other than things listed in the book (like Cool Whip, FF Half n' half, and the less than 3g of sugar in dressings), I didn't let
anything with sugar in it pass my lips. Period.
I think that was really helpful for me at that time. But as time went on, I found that I could be less rigorous in that regard and stay on plan. I became less afraid of minute amounts of sugar in my food. This has let me feel less deprived, more comfortable in public (I don't panic if someone suddenly suggests going out for a meal and I don't have the ability to plan, bring stuff from home, etc.), and hasn't affected my ability to lose on SBD.
I also make a lot of SBD-safe versions of things, especially baked goods. I found myself absolutely craving a piece of chocolate cake with peanut-butter frosting at a friend's BBQ one weekend and was able to stave off the craving with a promise to make some at home for myself that was SBD-friendly. I actually used a cookbook by the author you mentioned (Marlene Koch's
Unbelievable Desserts With Splenda) to make
this. It was worth the wait and made it possible for me to make similar "bargains" in the future. When I make a dessert for someone that is made with sugar (something I do rarely), I usually make an SBD version for myself so I don't feel tempted to snack on it.
If the dessert you substitute is
free from nutrients, I can see why you wouldn't want to substitute it for something
with nutrients, like a slice of multi-grain bread (assuming that's a
totally WW bread,
not a white bread with some grains thrown in, which would make it pretty free from nutrients). However, the nutrients in a
healthy peanut butter cookie (good fats from oil and peanut butter, protein from PB and WW flour, fiber and vitamins from WW flour, etc.) could easily outweigh those in a slice of multigrain bread (some protein and fiber from WW flour and possibly some good oils in grains).
Just something to think about. There's a big difference in the nutrient profile, for example, of a homemade oatmeal raisin cookie and a pixie stick (or Lik m' aid or any other candy that's just basically sugar), even if they were
both made with sugar. You know?
Just wanted to put in my $0.02 to say that dessert does not always equal "bad." Lots of desserts can be really healthy and full of nutrients,
especially if you make them yourself.