Sugar Cravings

I have a very strong sweet tooth. I enjoy sweet drinks, cookes, pastries, cookies, etc. Not so much candy but most anything spongey and sweet.

Fo others who like sweet treats how do you combat the cravings? My old personal trainer told me to drink more water and that would help. It did for awhile. I would just like to cut back on sweets but sometimes the cravings are ridiculous. I know a little willpower (psychological) might be helpful but I always wonder if there is something with my body (physiologicial) causing the cravings.

http://www.shakeoffthesugar.net/sugar-cravings.html
http://www.gallbladderattack.com/sugarcravings.shtml
http://www.womentowomen.com/understandyourbody/symptoms/cravings.aspx
http://nutrition.about.com/od/grainsandcereals/a/sugarcravings.htm

HTH

Thanks!

I have a sweet tooth as well.. I grew up with a grandmother who constantly baked cakes and pies, had candy and cookies all of the time! Supplement it with fruit...grapes, pinepples, apples, watermelon....sometimes you just have to indulge, lol!

I have a sweet tooth occasionally, so I give into it since I don't see it as something serious, I don't get daily cravings. I don't like candy that much, chocolate is the enemy for me lol. Whole Fruit Popsicles help, they're not too bad sugar wise, only 70 calories, and are sweet, and cold (especially nice in this hot weather). You could probably make these popsicles yourself if you were up to it. Otherwise, I'll get a little piece of chocolate or cereal (Heart to heart is a healthy choice) and that also helps for me. Also pineapples are my favorite fruit and are very sweet. Try finding your favorite fruit to help curb those cravings.

Dva,

I feel your pain. Prior to my cycle, I get serious cravings. I cave into them since they do not happen often.

I think the less you eat of them the more likely your body will not crave them. This was the case for me. I LOVE sweets. Once I decided to eat healthy and exercise, I cut them out of my life. As I wrote earlier, I do get cravings before my cycle but other than that I'm all good. I truly believe it is because I stopped eating them once I started this tract.

I have heard of sucking on hard candy. Only thing is this is likely not good for your teeth. Another thing I heard of is drinking peppermint tea. I have no experience with either [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.].

I totally know how you feel Chrys before that time because I crave sweet and salty. When I have this craving I opt for my favorite snack, kettlecorn popcorn and not the microwave version. It satisfies both tastes and I love it! Sometimes if I think I'm snacking too much in between meals I will chew on sugarfree gum to suppress my hunger. I'm working on eating better but that sweet tooth is hard to combat.

Try more fruits, because they help you feel full( atleast for me) and are natural sugars. I love kiwi because its so sweet, and banana with peanut butter. I know it sounds gross but it's pretty good to me! I run cross country and my coach said fruits are the best thing to eat because you can have them so many ways. they also help with woking out too

When I'm craving sweets I usually turn to fruit. I put blueberries, black berries, grapes, and rasberries in a bowl and mix in about a cup (or enough to cover/coat the fruit) of plain, nonfat yogurt. I used to hate yogurt, but the fruit actually makes it taste good. Not only will you fulfill your craving, but your digestive system will thank you also!

One thing I do to offset sweet cravings is enjoy a nice healthy smoothie. I found the following recipe on weight watchers. My entire family loves it. I've changed it since and they've also created their own smoothie packets but it's still basically the same:

1 6oz ff yogurt
1 banana
1 cup of berries
1/2 cup of free whipped cream
1/2 - 1 cup of milk (can also add ice)

Combine in blender. I put a little honey on top of ours and sometimes add aloe vera juice and/or flaxseed.

I LOVVVVVVEEEEEE sweets and chocolate and cakes - my only slight saving grace is i eat very healthily 90% of the time anyways, all my meals are really good! But i do have to have something sweet everyday...!
However, for me, i have manged to cut the size, i dont need a big 200g bag, just the usual single persons 60g bag lol, though it doesnt feel the same ha ha, but if i want to eat sweets, I have to compromise - if i am feeling like cheating and already had something sweet, I have a low fat and sugar hot chocolate, trust me, it isnt the same, but once I have started drinking it, the craving does go away, or i still think about sweets, but dont feel the need to have them, my Cadburys (think UK only brand?) Highlights Hot Choc made with water is 40cals a cup!!

Unfortunately a lot of it is willpower and disapline - annoying huh. some of us are just unlucky and have sweet tooths!

I exercise a lot too, in a 'bad' session at the gym i would burn say 275 -350 cals, good session around 600plus . . i was going 5times a week but i really cant manage that much anymore so i have got a kettlebell and devised a 30min work out which im aching from today as i did it last night - so i try to 'earn' my treats or burn them off as well!

xxxx

I'm going to do a cleanse soon, and I like to clean up my diet for a few weeks beforehand to get ready for the more intense cleanse. Since my mom was doing it thought I'd try the South Beach Diet as a preparation. The South Beach Diet was designed for those having cardio-vascular health issues, and aims to re-program your body to process carbohydrates and sugars more efficiently so that you don't get cravings that make you over-consume carbs and gain weight. I've always thought weight loss diets were terrible, especially those that encourage abnormal eating habits like no carb diets. Our bodies NEED carbs AND fats AND protein to function properly. The South Beach Diet, on the otherhand, has you for a short time (two weeks) tune up and re-set your body, then eases you back into a regular, healthier diet consuming all the things your body needs, including complex carbohydrates and non-processed sugars. Read more on Wikipedia and here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Beach_Diet
http://www.south-beach-diet-101.com/

I'm about 2/3 of the way through Phase 1, which is 2 weeks without sugars and carbs, including fruit, and saturated fats. I had intense sugar cravings for days 2-5, but now they have dropped off. I don't consider myself a sugar addict because I don't eat lots of sweets or simple/processed sugars and carbs (such as white flour, processed starches, etc.), per se, but this showed me I was wrong. My body was craving these things, so when I did reach for a snack I kept trying to satisfy my body’s cry for sugar. I suggest you give this a try.

I love sweets and I combat my cravings by eating more fruit, raisins and sugar free jello. I treat myself to dark chocolate on occasions when I really have strong cravings.

All of these are such great tips. I think starting to replace the bad sweets (candy/cakes/cookies) with some good ones is a great way for me to start.

@Gado-Gado Gal, I plan to check out the south beach info too. Thanks for sharing.

I run cross country skiing, and my coach said that fruit is the best thing to eat because it can be done in several ways. Try more fruit, because it will help you feel full and natural sugars. Like the kiwi, as it is very sweet and banana with peanut butter. I know it is serious, but good enough for me!

I grew up with a grandmother who constantly cakes and sweet cakes and cookies all the time! supplemented with grapes pinepples fruit, apples, watermelons are sometimes enough to deliver.

To fight the cravings, I'll brush my teeth or rinse my mouth with mouth wash.

For me, I have to lower my carb intake in order to control sugar cravings. It is the only thing that works for me. I think there are physiological/hormonal imbalances that cause serious cravings.

I seem to crave sugar when I'm not even hungry. I'll have a nice salad with greens, salmon and other vegetables in it, then a few minutes later I'll want something sweet.