Help- trying to diet but have a sweet tooth!

Lola87

I'm trying to lose weight and am aware of what I should be eating but the problem is I have such a sweet tooth. Usually all goes great until after dinner when I feel like have some desert! I usually go for something crunchy and chocolatey like a few biscuits, a bar or otherwise maybe a scone but would love some alternative healthy options. Or ways of getting rid of this sweet tooth of mine would be even better. As I said I manage to eat super healthily all day until the evening when the sugar cravings hit after dinner.

EileenG

Make sure you are eating enough of the right things. Being hungry will bring out your sweet tooth.

Ok, some possibilities, sugar-free jelly. Sweet but low cal.

Also, very dark chocolate. If you like chocolate, then try eating it, but going darker than usual. If you normally eat milk, then go for 60 or 70%. If you eat dark, go for the 85 or 90% stuff. Or if you are very hard core, go for the 100% stuff. This way, you get your chocolate fix but with a lot less sugar and less of an inclination to binge.

What about a cheese plate after dinner? Eat it with a knife and fork rather than on bread and it's not as fattening as you'd think.

As an extreme solution, gymnema sylvestre is a herb which totally kills your ability to taste sweetness. I have some little sucky tablets of this and I literally can't eat anything sweet for about two hours after. Savory food is still fine.

cjdun1

OP, I feel your pain..........I've found meringue nests and sugar free jelly to be a god-send.....also, Pink and Whites (biscuits - 0.5 of a WW point each), WW biccies are also yummy..................mini-kit kats are relatively ok, IF you can stop at 1 - I can't...............


http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055336690

Aard

Eileen G, do they sell those herb-tablets in health-food stores in Ireland, or do you have to buy them online? They sound great!


OP, you asked about ways to get rid of the sweet tooth: I found that if I go cold-turkey without junk-food, the cravings are gone by about 4 days. To help with snacking, maybe get a bag of mixed nuts to bring with you wherever you go, or indeed to have after dinner.

DigiJem

For a nice dessert I slice some grapes or strawberries over meringue nests, and pour on a low-fat yogurt. Or try some sugar free jelly whisked up with a low-fat yogurt.

siobhan.murphy

a couple of after eights after u have them in the freezer for a while are great.

metamorphosis

+1 with the dark chocolate and suger free jelly.

I have also read good things about chromium as a supplement in the diet. It's supposed to supress suger cravings. I have never tried it though.

EileenG

cjdun1 wrote: »

OP, I feel your pain..........I've found meringue nests and sugar free jelly to be a god-send.....also, Pink and Whites (biscuits - 0.5 of a WW point each), WW biccies are also yummy..................mini-kit kats are relatively ok, IF you can stop at 1 - I can't...............


http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055336690

Trouble is, all those things (except the jelly) are very high in sugar, which will only encourage a sweet tooth. Actually, you've just illustrated why WW points are not a good tool nutritionally. I would never encourage anyone to eat pink and white biscuits or kit kats.

Lola87

Thanks for all the replies everyone. Have managed to resist the chocolate biscuits so far this evening, probably because I went to the gym later than usual and ate beforehand. Have tried sugar free jelly before but don't really like jelly, I try to avoid dairy apart from probiotic yogurts so no cheese for me, but i will try the dark chocolate! I'm most interested in that herb because I'd love to just give up sugar so that would help to begin with. EileenG can you tell me where I could get it?

EileenG

I got these www.cocooncenter.com/Arkopharma-No-Snacking-2-Be-Slim_4500194.html going through Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, in the pharmacy there.

But I've seen tinctures of GS in a couple of health food shops in Dublin, round the Grafton Street area.

jdivision

I take chromium irregularly and feel that when I'm taking it it helps. I think berries - I like fresh blackberries, blueberries and raspberries, occasionally use strawberries - with cream is a good choice but be careful with portion size

peepeep

Lola87 wrote: »

I'm trying to lose weight and am aware of what I should be eating but the problem is I have such a sweet tooth. Usually all goes great until after dinner when I feel like have some desert! I usually go for something crunchy and chocolatey like a few biscuits, a bar or otherwise maybe a scone but would love some alternative healthy options. Or ways of getting rid of this sweet tooth of mine would be even better. As I said I manage to eat super healthily all day until the evening when the sugar cravings hit after dinner.

I don't mean to be harsh, but you just need to think about it this way: would you rather have the chocolate biscuits and be fat, or do without them and lose weight? Just stop eating the sugar, it's not that hard.

Jwacqui

peepeep wrote: »

I don't mean to be harsh, but you just need to think about it this way: would you rather have the chocolate biscuits and be fat, or do without them and lose weight? Just stop eating the sugar, it's not that hard.

I think that is quite harsh and maybe a bit unrealisitc! When people are trying to lose weight they don't always have willpower strong enough to resist the treats and sugar.

I would suggest maybe allowing yourself a small treat every second day and sugarfree jelly is really good.

I have been following WeightWatchers the last year and am down nearly 4stone. I allow myself treats all the time but within reason and it had never hindered my weightloss! If you are doing everything else right then this won't destroy your weightloss efforts once they are within reason.

aloevera

I agree, it is harsh. People do in fact have difficulty trying to fight sugar cravings, me included, and without positivity and support of others as well as will power and motivation, you wont succeed!!!


Anyways, Lola87, I know how you feel. Sometimes when I want something sweet I have a Muller light yoghurt - they work a treat for me, you can buy ones with dark chocolate sprinkles, caramel/toffee flavour, vanilla etc etc. Ive found some shops dont have all the flavours, dunnes usually do however.

I find vanilla and the one with the chocolate sprinkles do the trick for me. i usually keep the chocolat sprinkle ones as 'a treat' once /twice a week when im REALLY craving chocolate or even for the weekend or something...

Blackie93

Jwacqui wrote: »

When people are trying to lose weight they don't always have willpower strong enough to resist the treats and sugar.

That's a bit of a contradiction?

Surely if you are making a conscious decision that you want to lose weight (which is achieved by eating less calories than your body burns) then you wont want to keep eating food that makes you fat/unhealthy...?


B

Jwacqui

Unfortunately it isin't as easy as straightforward as that for most people.

Eating sugar does not automatically make you fat/unhealthy. Everything in moderation.

Losing weight is really hard and I don't think anybody just eats healthy and exercises and loses weight without making any mistakes. If they do fair play they have more motivation and willpower than most. Everybody has their slip ups and their weaknesses. It is not always as straightforward as people think.

EileenG

Blackie93 wrote: »

That's a bit of a contradiction?

Surely if you are making a conscious decision that you want to lose weight (which is achieved by eating less calories than your body burns) then you wont want to keep eating food that makes you fat/unhealthy...?


B

In an ideal world. But when you are looking at everyone else eating chocolate biscuits, it's very easy to think "What can one biscuit hurt? I'll do more cardio tomorrow."

In the long term, stop buying biscuits and other sweet stuff. If it's there, sooner or later, you'll eat it. Your family doesn't need it either.

peepeep

Jwacqui wrote: »

Unfortunately it isin't as easy as straightforward as that for most people.

Eating sugar does not automatically make you fat/unhealthy. Everything in moderation.

No, but sugar is madly addictive. Once you stop eating it, your cravings will go away. They won't go away if you keep feeding yourself sugary 'treats' during the week.

And really, it IS that straightforward. That doesn't mean it's easy. It's straightforward in that it's uncomplicated; stop eating sugar is not a complicated thing to understand. It's not easy though because sugars addictive nature will make you want to eat more of it. It comes down to whether you really want to lose weight or not.

orlit

Please don't try mini Kit Kats to help give up sugar, unless you have amazing willpower there's no way you'll stop after just one! I own a nutrition club, teach weight loss challenge classes and have managed to reach and maintain my ideal weight for the last 6 years... but recently moved in with a new flatmate who felt it was his duty to leave stacks of mini kit Kats on the coffee table! I started with one maybe two a day but this quickly turned into seven! No problem :eek:
I don't know about you but sugar has a very bad effect on my mood, I get very irritable, my skin flares up and my energy levels drop. The only solution I came up with was to ask my flatmate not to buy them. And if he does buy them put them in his press - NOT on the coffee table. They say it takes 21 days to break a habit and I think it's true. I'm "kit kat free" for the last month it's like anything else, no quick fix - take 1 day at a time

dropkick murphy

i find that melting a couple (2 or 3) squares of dark chocolate and dipping some chopped slices of banana into it is yummy and filling and hits the chocolate urge .. better than having a mars bar

confusedgirl

peepeep wrote: »

No, but sugar is madly addictive. Once you stop eating it, your cravings will go away. They won't go away if you keep feeding yourself sugary 'treats' during the week.

And really, it IS that straightforward. That doesn't mean it's easy. It's straightforward in that it's uncomplicated; stop eating sugar is not a complicated thing to understand. It's not easy though because sugars addictive nature will make you want to eat more of it. It comes down to whether you really want to lose weight or not.

Yes I totally agree. Most sugar free products have aspartame in them which has been linked to cancer/be carcinogenic. I'm not sure because enough research hasn't been done on it. I will testify that Diet Coke/Coke Zero is HIGHLY addictive-I used to be able to go through 4 or 5 500mls bottles per day whilst being on weight watchers. I later found out that fizzy drinks have phosphoric acid in them which leeches your bones and decreases your bone density! :eek: Weight watchers is a good diet overall but I would avoid ALL weight watchers products. Anything sugar free isn't actually good for you because it causes your body to crave carbs and sweet things hormonally.

I find that once I eat sugar again, my body will start craving it and I'm back to square one again. And I would make all my own food from scratch because theres a lot of hidden sugars (and salts btw) in processed food like ready meals, cartons of soup etc. I have only come to this conclusion reluctantly after trying to have sugary "treats" like WW yoghurts etc. Maybe it works for some people but defo not me.

If you do keep eating sugar, keep track of how much sugar you're eating-point/calorie count it in-because as someone else has said, 1 or 2 kitkats will lead to 7 eventually. Alcohol has a lot of sugar in it too btw especially wine so stick to "clean" spirits like vodka/gin. I know I'm anti-sugar/sugar free but if you only use diet drinks as spritzers for two or drinks MAX on a night out, it wont kill you either.

thesweetlife

you could try natural confectionery or sugar free confectionery/chocolate,also low in fat. I have come across a stall in Georges arcade selling such items.

jam_mac_jam

Fruit would be the best really, fake sugar or a little bit of sugar is pointless, have an orange or a kiwi, I find it a much better way of getting rid of sweet cravings, esp an organge because they take so long to eat that you feel satisfied.

corkcomp

thesweetlife wrote: »

you could try natural confectionery or sugar free confectionery/chocolate,also low in fat. I have come across a stall in Georges arcade selling such items.

fruit would probably be a better option ... sugar free confectionary is normally high in fat and laxative type substances .. and low fat stuff is full of sugar so no real winners!

thesweetlife

corkcomp wrote: »

fruit would probably be a better option ... sugar free confectionary is normally high in fat and laxative type substances .. and low fat stuff is full of sugar so no real winners!

Fruit would be the better option but as she has a sweet tooth sugar free confectionery or no added suger chocolate would work as the chocolate contains reduced fat aswell as no added sugar. You are right about the sugar free confectionery causing laxative problems but only if taken excessively.All things in life are good in moderation! plus the sugar free bags and bars are usually smaller in size than regular confectionery.Check out the stall as they also have dairy free and gluten free goods.There are also natural jellies that do not contain sugar or sweenteners but natural juice fruit(A bit like The Natural Confectionery Company without the sugar)

EileenG

Don't do the sugar-free stuff. First, they are often sickeningly sweet, and will do nothing to help cure your sweet tooth. Second, they are full of sugar alcohols which will give you an upset stomach, smelly farts and the runs. Seriously not worth it.

I still reckon very dark chocolate, progressing to darker and darker, is the way to go. Start with the 70% stuff, work up to the 85%, then the 90% and finally the 99%. I guarantee you won't binge on that.

MissMotivated

EileenG wrote: »

Don't do the sugar-free stuff. First, they are often sickeningly sweet, and will do nothing to help cure your sweet tooth. Second, they are full of sugar alcohols which will give you an upset stomach, smelly farts and the runs. Seriously not worth it.

I still reckon very dark chocolate, progressing to darker and darker, is the way to go. Start with the 70% stuff, work up to the 85%, then the 90% and finally the 99%. I guarantee you won't binge on that.

I agree with EileenG on the dark choc, I was a chocaholic up to about 2 months ago!! My mouth would water at the thoughts of it and now I have some 85% cocoa dark choc if I really want some but the most I would have is 3/4 small squares and that would be more than enough. Also the sugar-free jelly is great if you fancy something sweet and I've discovered greek yoghurt with blackberrries is just delicious!! really feeds the sweet tooth

farmergiles

I used to fast from time to time ( I still do ) but after I finished and went back to eating I'd go back to the usual biscuits,sweeties,cakes etc etc etc.
Guess what... I'd be back to my old weight within a month.

If you don't have biscuits,sweeties etc in the house you aren't tempted.
I do realise this can be difficult if you have kids in the house.

I live on my own so it's easier but I stopped drinking milk a few weeks back (cos I'm sometimes a little asthmatic) and I've stopped eating biscuits etc and I don't really miss them.

Now I'm not saying I'll never eat them again but if I only eat them occasionally I should be OK.

I think that what they say about plenty of fresh fruit and veg and juicing is good I've been doing it for a month or two and am feeling better for it.

If you think oh I'll just have a couple of biccies today,or I'll have some sweeties then you're not really serious about changing your eating habits.

I do think it's easier to abstain and after a few days the cravings go away.

Do you want to eat rubbish or do you want to lose weight and be healthy ?

We all have the choice to decide how to live our lives.

EileenG

Kids don't need constant biscuits either. I never buy any for my three children, and they are happy enough to buy some with their pocket money, or to bake some if they are broke.

Cutevelvet

Sugar is highly addictive and in some books has been compared to heroin in the addition stakes. Dont be fooled it is not easy to give it up and people who do normally end up back on it again. It is a drug and like some people are prone to be alcoholics, for others sugar is their drug of choice. So I really really dont think its as easy for some people as everyone thinks it is. And if you do manage to go off it, you have to avoid all sugar products which are high cocoa solids chocolate (it still contains sugar) for the rest of your life as otherwise its ends up in a viscious circle and you are back to square 1 again...

farmergiles

No one is saying you have to give up all sugar products and never eat them again.

But cutting down on them is surely a good thing.


I find if I say I'm not going to eat something for a month I can usually do it.If after a month I say I'll leave it for another month I can do that to.
I might then have the item occasionally.

I used to regularly buy Tunnock's caramel wafers and eat a packet of eight all at once.

Now I might buy them occasionally and eat them over a few days.

Nothing worthwhile is easy but I do think most people can cut down on certain foodstuffs if they want to.

If someone said to you stop eating crisps for a year and I'll give you a brand new Ferrari I'll bet lots of people could give up just like that.

If I really liked pizza but felt it was not good for my health I'd never say I'm going to stop and never eat it again because that's too hard,but I'd say I'll stop eating it for a month and then only have one once every month. That's a lot easier to do.

Cutevelvet

What I really meant was for me, I would have to give up sugar completely which is definitely not easy. For example, if I went to Weightwatchers and bought the bars, I could not only have one, I would have to have the whole 6 (which would lead to me spiralling out of control for weeks). So some people who are posting here talking about how easy it is and willpower etc. must be women (or men) of steel in my opinion. For some people its not just a question of willpower!!

EileenG

Yeah, I'm crap at the moderation thing too. I can either not buy something, or I can eat it all. I can't handle anything in the middle. An open packet of something nice is like an itch that just nags at me until I either bin it or eat it.

You can get 99% or 100% chocolate which has no sugar. It is definitely an acquired taste, but it is so strong that it's one of the few nice things I can eat and walk away from before it's all gone.

Lola87

Cutevelvet wrote: »

What I really meant was for me, I would have to give up sugar completely which is definitely not easy. For example, if I went to Weightwatchers and bought the bars, I could not only have one, I would have to have the whole 6 (which would lead to me spiralling out of control for weeks). So some people who are posting here talking about how easy it is and willpower etc. must be women (or men) of steel in my opinion. For some people its not just a question of willpower!!

Yeah I think that's the way I'll have to go too, I have no willpower over sugar! I'm going to wait til after Christmas though cos I'll be back home for Christmas and won't be able to resist all the chocolates, xmas cake and biccies!!

Thanks to everyone for the advice. Here's to a sugar free new yaer!

Sapsorrow

When I have a craving I make myself some homemade bownies or oat based cookies using xylitol or soaked blitzed dates for a sweetner. I always try and make them as healthy as possible in other ways by using wholemeal flours (spelt is excellent), adding in seeds etc..
Otherwise for a quick fix the more expensive organic dried mango and apricots are lovely but are still high in sugar but at least theres no other crap in them and it's quite easy to just eat three apricots and feel completely satisifed.
My mum soaks apricots and blitzes them and adds them to plain yoghurt as a treat which is lovely and you can always add in spices or other fruits etc to play around with the idea a bit.
The sugar free brand Cavalier do little tiny biscuit bar things, theres only 80 calories in one, when I first started coming off sugar years ago I used to just allow myself one of those a day and absolutely no sugar in any other foods like bread, dried fruit etc.. At christmas I'd buy myself one of the big chocolate selections (by Cavalier) they uses Malitol which I find to be a very good sweetner for the odd treat but xylitol is definately better (and is actually natural not like aspartame etc)
You can get xylitol sweetened dark chocolate in the health food shops, can't thnik of the brand but it's very dark and not very sweet but still good.
If really desperate I used to buy myself the pricier fruits like pomegranates, mangos, passion fruits etc and I'd pay the bit extra to get them from the organic market because the flavour is far superior to the ones from tescos etc so you felt like you were being a bit more indulgent/spoiled.

BPD

You need to address your blood sugar fluctuations in order to manage your sweet tooth. When your blood sugar drops too low you crave sweet things. the idea is to not let your blood sugar drop too low but in order to do that you need to avoid having a blood sugar spike!

Complicated, I know, but PM me if you want and I'll explain it better.

EileenG

BPD wrote: »

You need to address your blood sugar fluctuations in order to manage your sweet tooth. When your blood sugar drops too low you crave sweet things. the idea is to not let your blood sugar drop too low but in order to do that you need to avoid having a blood sugar spike!

Translated: eat some sweets to stop you eating lots of sweets?

BPD

Incorrect Eileen

Start to cut down all refined food, alcohol and caffeine. This will help you avoid blood sugar spikes. Do it gradually and you will stop having cravings.

Dolbert

Much like you would on a low-carb diet? When people ask me how I've lost so much weight, I either tell them that it is through low-carbing if I think they are open-minded enough, or I tell them that I've totally cut out processed food. Both are technically true, yet one conjures up images of a dangerous fad, with nothing but meat, meat, meat! Whereas here is a sample of how I eat at the moment. As I am so close to goal, after Christmas I plan to re-introduce some fruits, porridge, pulses etc.

EileenG

BPD wrote: »

Incorrect Eileen

Start to cut down all refined food, alcohol and caffeine. This will help you avoid blood sugar spikes. Do it gradually and you will stop having cravings.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that as a man, you never have the pre-menstral woman's special relationship with chocolate. I can assure you that cutting out coffee is not going to reduce a chocolate craving to the point where you can have a bite or two and leave the rest.

The thing is, most of us have a sweet tooth because sugar is addictive, and chocolate is delicious, not because our bodies are telling us we need more blood sugar.

Oh, and may I point out that on a low carb diet, blood sugar flucations are a thing of the past?

BPD

Haha, thankfully I have not had to endure the rigours of PMS and the soothing effects of a chocolate treat. But I have had my sugar addiction!

However, the fluctuating blood sugar levels are the reasons for cravings. Sugar is addictive and it is exactly because your blood sugar is low that you crave sugar in whatever form you are accustomed to. But if you are on a low-carb diet you wouldn't be eating chocolate anyway!

The reason blood sugar fluctuations are non-existent on a low-carb diet is because, typically, blood sugar levels are very low, lower than is healthy in many cases. This is not a good thing. To qualify that statement, your idea of a low carb diet and my idea of a low-carb diet may well be different.

EileenG

Lindt 99% chocolate! Great chocolate hit, no sugar, minimal carbs.

Blood sugar on low carb is the same as on any other diet, it just doesn't fluctuate much. Not only have I done the research, I've also gone out, bought a blood glucose meter and tested my own blood.

Reading other posts of yours, I suspect that your idea of a healthy diet is similar to mine, but with extra brown rice. I eat eggs, oily fish, lots and lots of green veg, fresh meat, nuts, berries, seeds, extra virgin olive oil, stuff like that. I don't eat sugar, white flour, transfats and try to avoid all processed food.

Sapsorrow

BPD wrote: »

However, the fluctuating blood sugar levels are the reasons for cravings. Sugar is addictive and it is exactly because your blood sugar is low that you crave sugar in whatever form you are accustomed to. But if you are on a low-carb diet you wouldn't be eating chocolate anyway!

The sugar sis only one aspect of the addiction, theres the caffeine, the psychological/emotional addiction from childoohd etc, and the addiction to the effects it has on endorphine levels. Does chocolate contain Tyramine too?

BPD

khrystyna100 wrote: »

The sugar sis only one aspect of the addiction, theres the caffeine, the psychological/emotional addiction from childoohd etc, and the addiction to the effects it has on endorphine levels. Does chocolate contain Tyramine too?

I believe it does in small amounts.

The blood sugar aspect is the starting point, I agree that there are a whole lot of other issues.

Would you be proponent of weening or cold turkey when trying to give it up?

BPD

EileenG wrote: »

Lindt 99% chocolate! Great chocolate hit, no sugar, minimal carbs.

Blood sugar on low carb is the same as on any other diet, it just doesn't fluctuate much. Not only have I done the research, I've also gone out, bought a blood glucose meter and tested my own blood.

Reading other posts of yours, I suspect that your idea of a healthy diet is similar to mine, but with extra brown rice. I eat eggs, oily fish, lots and lots of green veg, fresh meat, nuts, berries, seeds, extra virgin olive oil, stuff like that. I don't eat sugar, white flour, transfats and try to avoid all processed food.

Very similar, I hate processed food and do all my own cooking.

Sapsorrow

BPD wrote: »

Would you be proponent of weening or cold turkey when trying to give it up?

Lol I'm not the worlds biggest expert tbh! I have managed to be completely sugar free over the years but I laways allowed myself a small amount of chocolate sweetened with malitol.
I'd imagine it depends on the person/personality, when I first went hardcore with my diet about 5 years ago I turned my whole life upside down all at once, I was only 19 at the time and I gave up every thing from alcohol, tea, sugar, refined processed foods, smoking etc all in one big go so it was kind of a bizarre experience. So my experience of quitting sugar was mixed up with the experience of all the other changes I was making I was so hyped up after reading healing with wholefoods that my will power was indestructible! These days sadly the initial excitement of it all has worn off a lot and I'm not able to be nearly as strict as I have in the past, I've also decided that as much as I care about my health somethings are simply not worth living without

BPD

khrystyna100 wrote: »

Lol I'm not the worlds biggest expert tbh! I have managed to be completely sugar free over the years but I laways allowed myself a small amount of chocolate sweetened with malitol.
I'd imagine it depends on the person/personality, when I first went hardcore with my diet about 5 years ago I turned my whole life upside down all at once, I was only 19 at the time and I gave up every thing from alcohol, tea, sugar, refined processed foods, smoking etc all in one big go so it was kind of a bizarre experience. So my experience of quitting sugar was mixed up with the experience of all the other changes I was making I was so hyped up after reading healing with wholefoods that my will power was indestructible! These days sadly the initial excitement of it all has worn off a lot and I'm not able to be nearly as strict as I have in the past, I've also decided that as much as I care about my health somethings are simply not worth living without

I certainly wouldn't suggest living without the things that give us a little bit of pleasure!! It's important for sanity.

That was quite the change you made, a lot to give up all in one go. Just shows what we are capable of when we really want it though.

Sapsorrow

Ya it was it was a good time though, a lot of it stemmed from the decision to go vegan and organic which rules out a lot of your dietary options anyway so the rest came quite easily!