BAD sweet tooth…tips, please

[Anonymous]

Cacao powder - only 10 calories a serving. You can add it to oatmeal, milk, yogurt, smoothies. Definitely agree on serving size and dark chocolate. also fruit of choice can help. and after dinner, brush your teeth and don't look back. also having an early dinner and fasting for 12 hours could help. ie dinner at 7 and don't eat again until 7am. you got this!

[Anonymous]

Chew gum or eat a tic tac. Far fewer calories than a full dessert.

[Anonymous]

low sugar kombucha also satisfies me; maybe split up into 2 servings since they are sugary. and drinking lots of water, especially carbonated water helps to curb the cravings.

[Anonymous]

OP, lots of people talking about moderation here, but for me I had to go cold turkey.

I was a non-stop sweets eater, and had ballooned to over 200 pounds.

I went on a 30-day, zero sugar diet, not eating any sweets or any foods that had added sugar. It was rough for the first week or so, and I definitely had to fight the cravings. But then they went away and I was OK for the rest of the month. That month, I lost 25 pounds.

Now...stage 2 is where it gets hard. I realized that I could not go on a "no sugar ever for the rest of my life" diet, so had to figure out what to do long-term.

First thing I learned was that moderation did not work for me - if I had any amount of sweets - even a bite - it set off my sweet tooth for the rest of the day and I would eat everything in sight. So that would not work.

What I have moved to instead is a purge day every two weeks or so - I set aside a day when I can eat whatever I want. And I eat everything that day. Honestly, I eat so much I feel sick by the time I go to bed. But then I'm done. The next day, I go back to no-sweets routine.

This has worked for me for over two years. It takes some self-discipline, but I do not have a constant craving for sweets - I have learned to eat better and my cravings have gone away.

[Anonymous]

Healthy fats. Pegan diet by mark Hyman

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, lots of people talking about moderation here, but for me I had to go cold turkey.

I was a non-stop sweets eater, and had ballooned to over 200 pounds.

I went on a 30-day, zero sugar diet, not eating any sweets or any foods that had added sugar. It was rough for the first week or so, and I definitely had to fight the cravings. But then they went away and I was OK for the rest of the month. That month, I lost 25 pounds.

Now...stage 2 is where it gets hard. I realized that I could not go on a "no sugar ever for the rest of my life" diet, so had to figure out what to do long-term.

First thing I learned was that moderation did not work for me - if I had any amount of sweets - even a bite - it set off my sweet tooth for the rest of the day and I would eat everything in sight. So that would not work.

What I have moved to instead is a purge day every two weeks or so - I set aside a day when I can eat whatever I want. And I eat everything that day. Honestly, I eat so much I feel sick by the time I go to bed. But then I'm done. The next day, I go back to no-sweets routine.

This has worked for me for over two years. It takes some self-discipline, but I do not have a constant craving for sweets - I have learned to eat better and my cravings have gone away.

Not OP but this sounds like what could work for me. I cannot moderate sweets at all (e.g., one square of dark chocolate, a couple spoonfuls of ice cream).

[Anonymous]

Fruit. As much whole fruit as you want. I finally learned how to pick a good watermelon, and I can devour an entire one by myself in about 4 days. I exercise daily and eat plenty of vegetables so am not remotely concerned about the sugar in it, though the resident DCUM crazies will come out and say that fruit sugar is exactly like eating a cupcake. [ignore the resident DCUM crazies]

If you really must get something junky, then go out, and eat it outside. Do not go to the grocery store and bring it home. For example, go to an ice cream store and get a scoop in a cup, and enjoy it. But do not buy a pint/quart/etc at the grocery store and bring it home. Either that, or make it yourself from scratch (ie, make the apple pie, don't buy the apple pie).

And be kind/patient with yourself. 10lbs really isn't a huge deal.

[Anonymous]

Prevention is everything. As a binge eater I have learned to identify triggers like dates and raisins or potato chips that I keep out of the house. Artificial sweeteners and eating sugar at breakfast or on an empty stomach also make the cravings unbearable. I have kept my New Year's resolution not to consume cake, cookies, candy, or sweetened drinks until our family vacation in August.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Prevention is everything. As a binge eater I have learned to identify triggers like dates and raisins or potato chips that I keep out of the house. Artificial sweeteners and eating sugar at breakfast or on an empty stomach also make the cravings unbearable. I have kept my New Year's resolution not to consume cake, cookies, candy, or sweetened drinks until our family vacation in August.

This, the best advice.
I would also add that increasing amount of protein in every meal helps to keep cravings under control.

[Anonymous]

For me, avoidance is the only thing that has worked long term (three plus years at this point). I know it sounds impossible, but your taste truly does change and you won't miss or crave it after awhile. Before that, I had used the moderation method for a long time and only ate sweets on the weekends or at special occasions, but doing that keeps your body in the cycle of consuming high fat, high sugar treats, and you won't truly get over the addiction.

There's little to no nutritional value in sweets, especially highly processed ones, so giving them up entirely is really the best thing for your body.

[Anonymous]

I also wanted to echo the comments about making sure you are eating enough other food: whole, unprocessed fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, etc. Foods that will fill you up and meet your nutritional needs. If you are hungry, you'll find it harder to resist a quick hit of sugar.

[Anonymous]

Me, too, OP! I recently became addicted to “Frozen Farm” sorbet. A pint of watermelon sorbet is only 70 calories. Delicious! There is a more caloric orange flavor (tastes like a creamsicle) yet still under 250 calls/pt. I think this brand was on “Shark Tank” (my favorite show.) I still LOVE my Graeters and Haagen Dazs, and eat that too often, however. these sorbets serve their own purpose. Just bought 7 containers today!

[Anonymous]

For me, avoidance is the only thing that has worked long term (three plus years at this point). I know it sounds impossible, but your taste truly does change and you won't miss or crave it after awhile. Before that, I had used the moderation method for a long time and only ate sweets on the weekends or at special occasions, but doing that keeps your body in the cycle of consuming high fat, high sugar treats, and you won't truly get over the addiction.

There's little to no nutritional value in sweets, especially highly processed ones, so giving them up entirely is really the best thing for your body.

I think everyone is different. I was probably consuming 1000+ calories of sweets per day before I lost weight last year. I am able to sustain a healthy diet (and a BMI that dropped from 27.5 to 19.5), but I still want a little something each day for my sweet tooth. I eat a lot of whole grains, fruit, veggies, lean protein every day, don't drink alcohol except for maybe one glass of wine per month. This way of eating is only sustainable for me if I get to have my little 50-100 calorie treats with a few grams of sugar once or twice a day.

Plus, I find it difficult to maintain my weight where it is if I eat entirely healthy foods - I don't want to lose additional weight and I don't want to eat more protein, veggies, etc. I can eat close to 2000 calories a day and don't feel like it's a big deal to have 10% of these calories come from foods that aren't nutrient dense.

[Anonymous]

I do a “light” dessert, like a Yasso bar (80-100 cal) on weeknights and indulge in real ice cream (a serving, not a pint) on Sat nights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

For me, avoidance is the only thing that has worked long term (three plus years at this point). I know it sounds impossible, but your taste truly does change and you won't miss or crave it after awhile. Before that, I had used the moderation method for a long time and only ate sweets on the weekends or at special occasions, but doing that keeps your body in the cycle of consuming high fat, high sugar treats, and you won't truly get over the addiction.

There's little to no nutritional value in sweets, especially highly processed ones, so giving them up entirely is really the best thing for your body.

I think everyone is different. I was probably consuming 1000+ calories of sweets per day before I lost weight last year. I am able to sustain a healthy diet (and a BMI that dropped from 27.5 to 19.5), but I still want a little something each day for my sweet tooth. I eat a lot of whole grains, fruit, veggies, lean protein every day, don't drink alcohol except for maybe one glass of wine per month. This way of eating is only sustainable for me if I get to have my little 50-100 calorie treats with a few grams of sugar once or twice a day.

Plus, I find it difficult to maintain my weight where it is if I eat entirely healthy foods - I don't want to lose additional weight and I don't want to eat more protein, veggies, etc. I can eat close to 2000 calories a day and don't feel like it's a big deal to have 10% of these calories come from foods that aren't nutrient dense.

This is totally fine. Some people here will tell you otherwise, but I think they’re just projecting their lack of self-control. At that BMI, up to 25g of added sugar a day will not kill you or put you at risk of diabetes.