How to fight the sweet tooth?!!!
 

So I am new to the dieting world. I stopped drinking soda and all caffeine years ago, we switched all ground beef to turkey and I don't eat any fried foods. I do however have the worst sweet tooth it is my never ending down fall! I love cakes, brownies, and choclate. I have tried some of the 100 calorie packs...most of them suck cause they don't taste right. A lot of the sugar free stuff isn't that great either so are there any tricks out there that any one can help with?!

Also any recipes for just good low cal/fat foods that have lots of flavor? I hate to sound so silly but it is not something I am very good at yet and need a little push in the right direction! Thanks to all for your input and patience :)

I also have a sweet tooth-but since I have been controlling my diet and exercise better, it's been toned down quite a bit! I just let myself have the things that I want in moderation, but I work for them. I don't eat quite as many calories at dinner or earlier so that I could have it, and on top of that, I walk to the store to go get it myself and only get one of whatever it is. Often, I do heavy hands on the way to the store, which burns even more calories. I don't record that exercise, and I don't use that to negate my treat-but I find that I feel good about eating something I want if I have worked for it. If I have to have chocolate, I get a candy bar at the store and split it with someone or save half of it for another day and really enjoy the bit that I have-a half a candy bar lasted me four hours. Before I started this ordeal, it would have been gone within five minutes. It used to be, that sugar acted as crack-one bite of anything sweet and I needed more omg right now! But now, I really can take it or leave it and I don't really have to have it. That also might be because I do let myself have treats once in awhile. I hope this helps-that's how I deal

Best way to get rid of a sweet tooth is to get rid of the simple carbs. And really, the right fats are ok. Calories have to come from somewhere and that's carbs, proteins and fats. Too much protein is hard on the kidneys, so have some peanut butter or avocados or nuts And get rid of the empty calories in those simple carbs.

The only way for me to get rid of the cravings is to get rid of the sugar. An alkie can't switch over to light beer and sober up.

Lets face it, we don't need sugar to live. Oh yeah, it makes life sweet, but some people just can't do sugar...just like some people can't do booze. I happen to fall in both categories. Darn it! ;)

I treated my sugar addiction like I was an alcoholic and cut it old cold turkey. That means that I had no artifical sweeteners or sugar for a long while. I even stopped fruit for a bit (but only about a week). First I introduced fruit back it and then I went with cooking only with natural sweeteners (blue agave is my favorite, followed by maple syrup and honey).

Now I can eat sugar on occasion and it doesn't drive me nuts. I even a a dark chocolate toblerone bar sitting in my fridge at the moment, which would've been eaten in probably one day before!

One thing I will say, though. IF you struggle with sugar/cravings eating low fat desserts is a BAD IDEA. They don't fill you up and you just want MORE and MORE. The desserts that work best for me now are high fat but I just take a bit. This cheesecake recipe is amazing: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/dess...heesecake.html (I use blue agave as a sweeteners, make sure you cut the measurement by 3/4 if you use agave and cook at a lower temperature) and it fills you up. I can eat a much smaller piece and be satisfied than if I were eating something that was lowfat.

I treat my sweet tooth with Power Crunch protein bars and Think Thin protein bars and Fiber One 90 calorie bars. My sweet tooth has been very happy with those choices lately.

Atkins Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bar = 19g protein, 2net carbs, tons of fiber, loaded with chocolately nutty goodeness - and TOTALLY satisfies my sweet tooth and fills me up at the same time!:D

I agree that the most complete way to free yourself of a sugar addiction is to cut as much sugar and simple carbs out of your diet as possible for a few weeks, then slowly add fruit and higher-sugar vegetables back in. Personally I am currently eating less than 15 g of sugar per day with no artificial sweeteners of any kind (good, bad, or indifferent) and I'm very happy with the food I'm eating. When I first saw that number I though there was no way I could get that low but I assure you it's possible and enjoyable.

I swear by Atkins protein bars and whey protein shakes too (be careful some of those protein bars and protein shakes are FULL of carbs). I'm not on the Atkins diet, but when I need something sweet, I grab one of those and get some fat, protein and a bit of sweetness.

Thanks everyone is being so helpful! I love hearing what helps your cravings. I am guessing I will have to cut out sugar entirly for a while I just hate having do so. I have a med issue that has caused me to have to eliminate ALL other vices and I think sugar replaced it all. I think it is the main reason I gained (other then being in culinary school and pregnant lol) and the main reason I cant get rid of it. I am VERY new to dieting so any advice any one has is great and you are all so encouraging with the amount of weight people have lost it makes me feel more hopeful then I have in a long time thanks so much

Not sure what your diet is but could adding some fruit help? An apple or some grapes or strawberries? My husband is learning to eat some fruit instead of candy bars. He doesn't really need to lose weight and he's doing great eating some fruit in the evenings instead of the junk he used to eat before.

I completely agree with eliminating sugar from your diet if you're a sugar addict. But, since sweets aren't my "food drug" of choice I can eat them in moderation. Occasionally I do have a craving for something sweet.
I've turned into a food snob since I've started eating healthier. I don't eat something unless it's really worth eating. I am not going to waste good calories on a piece of birthday cake that comes from walmart, a 100 calorie snack pack or some cheap ice cream. But, I will eat a really great piece of home made chocolate goody from the local sweet shop in down town, but I only buy enough for one or two bites and I savor it.

Same here, I'm such a food snob now too! I refuse to buy cheap crappy chocolate so I only buy expensive imported dark chocolate and then try to spread it out as long as possible. Or I make my own sweets with whole wheat flour, natural sweeteners, oatmeal, fruit, and nuts.

To get my chocolate fix I have started eating a Kelloggs Fiber Bar the Chocolate Chip ones are awsome. 120 calories but so worth it and the fiber helps fill me up so I can eat one as an afternoon snack and make it until dinner time.
Also, sugar free extra gum has come out with some really good flavors, I have tried the mint chocolate chip and strawberry short cake ones and they are good. Only 5 calories a stick and can sometimes help take away the cravings.

Yes! I love the Key Lime pie gum that Extra has...only 5 calories and it kicks the "I need to have something sweet after lunch" craving. I also love the FiberOne Oats & Chocolate bars...they are 140 calories, but I love them and I make them fit into my calorie allotment for the day.

Does anyone reward them selves an indulgence like if you do great all week work a decadent dessert into your calories for one day?
I am thinking about doing that but dont know if it is a good or bad idea! We have a great boutique cupcake shop that I JUST found and love it so I was thinking about making it my indulgence reward. After 5 lbs have one then at 10 have another then once a week if I can keep in my calories and eat well all week. What does everyone think?

If all you're doing is counting calories I think that's appropriate. When I was counting calories I took a day off once every two weeks ish. But if you are trying to get off sugar this will probably ruin the progress that you have made in reformatting your tastes in that week. I have noticed that with eating radically less sugar I am better able to appreciate subtle flavors, especially in foods like berries that I formerly found only slightly sweet. They now blow my mind when I eat them and are so enjoyable! I can hardly imagine eating a sugar-packed dessert now, nor do I want to. So you just need to decide for yourself what your goals are. Are you just trying to lose weight or is your sweet tooth really a sugar addiction that you want to shake? You might be surprised at how your dependence loosens once you stick to getting off it for a while.

I do have a bit of an addiction to sweets I have a type of migraines that causes an increase in sugar cravings so I should probably stop them all together for a while. Thanks for everyones input it has all been really helpful. I am not yet on a specific diet I hope to try jenny craig soon I am starting by getting back into exercising and keeping calories low I want to know it is something I can stick with before I pour money into it.

I AGREE with this! I've been doing this more and I'm loving the homemade goodness of my decadent treats as well as the nutritional control over what goes into it!

OP, I too have a HUGE sweet tooth (often heard saying that I would live off sweets if it would not cause me to die:lol:) That said, I have an EXCELLENT cookbook called "The BEST Light Recipes" from America's Test Kitchen. It contains "lower" calorie/fat versions of your favorite foods and, of course, DESSERTS!:D I've made the carrot cake (350 cals/slice) and I've gotta tell you...SUPERB! Everyone agrees (even my non-dieting friends didn't know it was reduced calorie)....simply the BEST carrot cake recipe in the world..haha!

Anyhoot...enjoy your goodies...in moderation, of course.:)

Joyful - I'm in the market for a new, quality cookbook. Is this the one you're referring to? Just checking before I invest!

http://www.amazon.com/Light-Recipe-E...1513805&sr=8-8

Thanks!

I am addicted to sugar. I had to go cold turkey I cut it out of my diet the first week. I added some fruit back this week. . I think for me right know I have to stay away from the low-fat version of that stuff. Maybe try some fruit or sugar free jello it helps me so far. Good luck!

I have found different ways to manage this throughout the years. One tactic was to allow myself 5 hershey's kisses every day. I just added the calories into my total (it isn't really that much).

Now, I try to take a healthier approach. Protein shakes and protein bars help in a pinch. Also coffee or tea with a little coffee mate.

I microwave an apple with cinnamon. It tastes kind of like pie. You can also bake them, just takes longer.

Mix fat free greek yogurt with some fruit (pineapple, strawberries, etc.) and sprinkle with some coconut (I liked the organic unsweetened.) Frozen grapes taste really good in the summer. Italian ice or sorbet is also low cal and good with fruit.


Those cinnamon sugar almonds are REALLY good, and they really don't have too much sugar in them at all. Plus the container they come in has a an "ounce" measuring system on the side, so you know exactly how much you've eaten.

A little bit of fat free pudding or jello doesn't have many calories. Not really the most nutritious of snacks, but better than binging on cake! Same goes with frozen yogurt, if you can limit your portion size. I liked the ben and jerry's single serving ones!

Fat free cream cheese and a little pie filling on a whole wheat english muffin is a low cal alternative to a danish. I don't know what possessed me to do that one day, but it tastes pretty good!

Wow, I've become pretty good at defeating the sweet craving I guess. Hope this helps!

Thanks for this thread - I am trying to wean myself off sugar a bit, as well! For me, I think it's the main thing standing between myself and weight loss - because eating lots of sugar just makes me want to snack more, and that causes lots of bad habits! I know it's not feasible to go completely sugar-free, but I think limiting things that are purely sweet will go a long way...

I am also a "sugar addict" - have been all my life! - so it's very difficult to cut it out, or even just cut it down! But thru-out my yo-yo dieting years, and what I've learned does & does not work for me, a very important lesson I've learned is this: I LOVE SUGAR! - but sugar DOES NOT love me!! It makes me FEEL HORRIBLE! - the more of it I eat, the worse I feel!

I have successfully cut sugar laden foods from my diet (candies, cakes, cookies, sodas, etc) twice in my life. The longest I went without a single sugary food was 8 months. I substituted sugar in my coffee with Equal or whatever else, and just stayed completely away from anything that was "processed sugar". I FELT GREAT! And yeah, I lost weight! (but important to note here that I was exercising & eating less as well... so that wasn't "just the absence of sugar")

Right now, for the past 3 months, I have been eliminating sugary foods from my diet once again. Eating more fruit really seems to help a great deal! Natural sugars don't aggravate my body like processed sugars do! Also, when I get a craving for chocolate (yup, 99% it's around my monthly surfing of the crimson wave!) I go for something small & simple like SUGAR FREE Chocolate Jello Pudding. It calms my chocolate craving without over-sugarizing me (PLUS - BONUS! - they're so low in calories, I can have TWO & not de-rail my diet!!!!... yay!!!)

I eat fruit for breakfast 5x a week (protein brekkies on Sat/Sun). Usually a big ol' juicy grapefruit or a strawberry/banana smoothie. I drink only diet when I feel the need for a soda (Diet Mtn Dew is my drug of choice there!) but I drink water 80% of the time. (Also, anytime I DO drink "regular soda"... it's soooo sweet... TOO SWEET! - I can only withstand one or two sips before I'm reaching for my water bottle again!!!)

I do have regular sugar in my coffee - but I only drink 2 cups per morning, and I use sugar-free creamer so I don't get ANY extra sugar.

...here's an interesting tidbit: last week was "birthday cake day" at my work. (We celebrate everyone's b'day every 2 months with cake or ice cream) I had one small piece of cake - an END PIECE (with all that sugary icing... YUM!!!!!) :devil: ...and OMG... I went into sugar-overload almost immediately afterward!!! I was flying high & bouncing off the walls for about 15-20 minutes, and then suddenly - CRASH!!!! - I felt awful!!!! Which just proves to me how much SUGAR DOES NOT LOVE ME! :barf:

Yup... I feel much much better when I really curtail my intake of sugar. :D

I hope this helps you in some small way!

Oh me too the more I eat it the more I want it and I have days that the tought of anything but sweets makes me sick I hate it!
I am stopping all sweets including fruit for 2 weeks then slowly adding fruit back in seems like that might help