Advice for a sweet tooth?
 

So I have always had a very big sweet tooth, now with working out it's not so much the getting up and moving part that I can't do because that's not the issue. The issue is that I have hard time sticking with the healthy eating and that is a big factor. Any advice on how to keep with the healthy foods and away from the sweets when they almost call my name?!

Any advice helps thanks so much. :?:

I have one of the worst sweet tooths (teeth?) ever! What helped me was weening myself away from sugar through other sweetener options, and avoiding simple carbs altogether. I like using Truvia (stevia-based) and the new Nectresse (monk fruit extract-based). I personally can't use aspartame but I'm ok with sucralose.

After a few weeks of avoiding sugar, your cravings should go down considerably. :)

I allow myself to have sweets occasionally, but I don't keep them in the house. Most of the time, I don't even keep ingredients to bake with, to avoid making late night treats. I am a total sweets hound, but if I allow myself to have a candy bar or an ice cream cone once in a while, I don't really crave it as much.

I also find that when I eat nutrient rich foods, I don't crave sugar as often. Although it will always be something that is a constant internal battle.

In my opinion you need to determine if you're the kind of person who does better abstaining 100% or if you're better off alotting a small amount within your calorie limits to keep you from going binge crazy.

I agree with JohnP. I am the first kind mentioned. I had a huge sweet tooth and would lose all control with sugar until I practically cut it out of my life. The only sweet thing I have had in weeks was mashed sweet potatoes (no sugar added). I also don't eat bread/pasta type carbs.

i am the same way. i allow small things. maybe 5 hershey kisses or a mini ice cream sandwich. id say i have one treat/day!

I had a major sweet tooth but I found the fruits that I like to substitute. I have candy in my house right now but I also have red grapes. I like mangos and etc. To me those are my "candies". I also allow myself a treat when the calories allow it but it isn't as compulsive as before.

From one sweet tooth to another, try to substitute in some fruit for chocolate. You will get all sorts of opinions on whether you should eat fruit; some say they eat little/no fruit because it does have sugars in it which cause them cravings.

I, on the other hand, think that fruit is beneficial to one's health and it doesn't cause me to have cravings the way processed carbs and sugars do. I don't eat a ton of it, and typically one of the servings is a berry mixture which is comparatively low in sugar. Fruit has so many nutrients, antioxidants and fiber, I fully believe that eating a serving or two a day is well worth the risk of going on a sugar binge.

For me, fruit just satisfies that sweet tooth.

well, I had the same problem.. my big weakness is soda pop... and that is the heart of it. Once I started replacing that with other drinks I had an easier time resisting the other sweets.

I also know that if I'm going to cave on sweets its going to be a soda. Because of that I try to have a glass/bottle of water handy at all times.

So perhaps you should figure out what sweets are your weakness and replace them with something healthier instead.

I allow small things which are sweet but not addictive (for me)--things like a 100-cal can of coke. There are some biscotti I get at Costco which are 100 cal packs too and I don't binge on those. If I start eating more than one at a time (in a day), it's out. It mostly shuts the cravings up. I don't have stuff that's dangerous (real chocolate or puddingy things or ice cream) for me unless it's one serving somewhere with people. It's not in the house. Those boxed mini Haagen Daaz bars are out, for example.

I'm not a sweets addict but once in a while I crave ice cream so I have it since I can control the amount or I dip strawberries or blue berries in greek yogurt.

My new substitute is strawberries with steevia AND fat free coolwhip. I also drink chocolate protein shakes and candybar tasting protein bars.

Do you like dark chocolate? If so, make dark chocolate covered strawberries on occasion. Melt 6 hershey's special dark kisses witha small amount of skim milk over a double boiler, dip strawberries and lay on wax paperto dry. 6 hersheys kisses is only 2 thirds of a serving and so you're getting your sweet fix without too much candy. Also youre getting the antioxidant filled strawberries as well as calcium and antioxidant filled dark chocolate. Don't do this daily or anything, though. Its only healthy in moderation.

I used to think I was going to die if I didn't get my candy, but then I learned that, for someone like me, sugar just leads to additional sugar cravings. I tried cutting out the really sweet stuff, and now I don't want it anymore. I'll occasionally have something sweet (like flavored Greek yogurt, "diet" ice cream, dark chocolate, etc) but I so rarely want it anymore.

For me, the key to getting over sugar was to not eat it for a while- the less I eat, the less I want. I noticed the cravings decrease after the first 24 or so hours.

Thanks everyone for all the tips and advice I really hope I can cut the sweets out and work on not having those cravings anymore so that i can see my maximum results.

I do better with artificial sweeteners in moderation and sugar substitutes - anything from sucrolose to erythritol to stevia powder. A few other rich things around like dark chocolate and heavy cream for fruit and that satisfies me.

I do the same the atkins bars 1 per day kinda satifys me. some are like having a candybar. & sugar free cool whip on sugar free pudding is ALMOST sinful.

Hi,

Great to read this thread cause I have the same problem. I found that sugar is like an addiction..it is worst when you are off it for the first week and then it gets better...then if you eat something sweet again the craving comes back all over again.

I can't deprive myself. I'm a calorie counter, so I just allot myself a certain number of calories a day for dessert. I have to stick with pre-portioned sweets or else I can go crazy. My favorites are home-made cheesecake (reduced fat/carb... i put them in a cupcake pan so it's portioned) and no-sugar-added ice cream sandwiches. As long as I get my daily splurge I don't feel like I'm craving all the time, and it's easy to work in.

I'm still unsure of how to best handle sugar. I definitely agree than not having much for a while reduces cravings, but I find whenever I do then have a dessert or something sugary again the cravings all return with a vengeance and I'm at square 1 again.

I'm currently trying a new method where if I'm craving sugary foods it has to be made at home and as healthy as possible. I blend frozen banana pieces and peanut butter and dark choc chips to make my own ice cream which is working out for me currently.

I was having a protein bar every day which seriously took away my sweet tooth as they were almost disgustingly rich-But have since realized I'm intolerant to soya so that's off the menu now. Too bad!

chocolate covered fruit is what works for me too

While I am very much into my healthy foods - gimme those raw veggies and fruits & lean meats & whole grains! - YUM!!!! - I also suffer from STH (sweet tooth h***). In the past, I have successfully given up all processed sweets - the longest time I went without candy/cake/donut/etc was 8 months. I lost over 30 lb, and felt GREAT. But then one day, my BFF had a chocolate bar craving... and she offered me half... and WHAM! - right back into STH I went. One half of one itty bitty chocolate bar undid all the hard work I had done...leaving me right back at square one, starting over. AGAIN. :(

This time, I decided that in calorie counting, I could have "room" for my "sweet tooth". And I do. Some days (you know the ones!!!) I just HAVE to HAVE some ding-dang chocolate!!! Hershey Bar? Reese's Peanut Butter Cup? Peanut M&Ms? .... whatever, I can work it into my caloric limit. Many times I just have a nice fudge bar after dinner. Sometimes I choose to have fresh strawberries with whipped cream. Delicious! - other times, it may be a special occasion such as birthday or holiday & there's my favorite pumpkin pie (Thanksgiving!) or birthday cake with that cream-frosting icing.... or hey, somebody brought donuts to the office & I just happen upon them.... heh.

Then, there are those days when all I can think about is CHEESECAKE... OMG, I could eat cheesecake for eternity!!! And that's the danger zone. When I want something, and I decide to have it, but then I want it again, & again, & again. THIS IS MY BINGE EATING DISASTER that, from time to time, conquers me wholly. That's what I have to be very careful to avoid, and it's not easy, because there isn't really a trigger for it. I can be stressed out, or calm as a wave at low tide. I can be ravenous or have just eaten a big meal. I can be bored or extremely busy. I never know when that Binge Monster will attack me. So I have to be on guard for it all the time. Sometimes I win! Sometimes, I don't.

But I have discovered this: It is absolutely MY CHOICE as to what does or doesn't go into my mouth. ALWAYS MY CHOICE. Sometimes I give in to the craving; sometimes I fight it & don't give in. The trick, for me anyway, is to fight it & don't give in at least 75% of the time. The other 25% - it might set me back, but it doesn't break me. So I may lose a few battles, but I win the war. I WANT TO WIN THE WAR! ~cause, yeah! I'm in it for the long haul. :yes:

Cinnamon seems to curb my sweet cravings for some reason! Cinnamon on porridge is lovely!

I eat pineapple to curve my sweet tooth while on a diet because I love chocolate and pineapple is healthy and just as sweet! fresh pineapple not canned.good luck!

I know this isn't good for all the time but if you are in a house where people bring in sweets and you can't get away from them and it is just killing you to have some... maybe try the chew and spit trick lol just for a taste of it I do that sometimes like today I took a bite of a berry oreo cuz it was in the house and I wanted to try it i just bit off some chewed it then spit it in the garbage can without swallowing lol then I didn't really care to have one no more. Hope that helps sometimes ;)

oh yeah or some fruit helps maybe with some cool whip

or bake apples and put cinnamon on em

also I blend up an apple sometimes and just put cinnamon in it to make my own apple sauce

look for healthier recipes on youtube as well like I found a recipe for chocolate cupcakes the other day but its made with chocolate protein powder and totally not unhealthy for you things like that. try to substitute with healthier recipes for your favorite sweets and foods. thats what helps the most.

A simple question, but for me it ended up being a complicated answer. I changed some behaviors (no eating in the car, no eating anything purchased from a drugstore or gas station), eliminated a few foods (donuts -- I craved donuts for nearly a year after the last one and I'm not putting myself through that again), went all natural (which means a few plain chocolate bars are still on the list but most of the candy that I used to overeat is not), and made some healthy sweet treats at home (for some reason I can eat frozen desserts like a thin person without overeating so I make my own frozen yogurt, recipe here: Homemade Frozen Yogurt).

This is something you should definitely do! When I began losing weight again I decided to do that (I have a large sweet tooth as well). It took about two weeks for the binge urges and such to cease, but I felt sooo much better! I have been letting myself have sugar a little the last few days.. I am finding it hard not to binge. I must abstain as much as possible from junk food.

I have a sweet tooth and I usually factor in a junior mint (140 calories) and a few lifesavers in daily. It works well for me. Find out what works for you.

My current treat is kettle corn. The Popcorn Indiana brand is only 130 calories for 2 cups, and 6 grams of sugar. I just make sure to eat it very slowly, one kernel at a time.