Why do I think about sweets SO MUCH?

[61inchesoffun]

And I'm not talking about simply an occasional craving...

I simply do not feel "satisfied" if I don't end dinner with a dessert. And not just a piece of fruit...no, it has to be something LOADED with sugar like two red velvet cupcakes or nearly an entire Cadbury milk chocolate with almond bar! If I don't have something similar to that, I feel "anxious" almost...is this feeling all in my mind??

Yesterday leaving work I had to talk myself out of going to the new cupcake bakery, and when I made it home I had to talk myself out of leaving the house to go over there! I literally sipped on some green tea (which helped a little, cuz by the time I was done it was bedtime basically)...

Last time I tried to cut back on sugary foods, two weeks into it I felt better overall, but I literally felt "sadder" than normal...it was a weird feeling. Why do I think about sweets SO MUCH?

I understand that when you're trying to change your diet you must exercise discipline and willpower, but sometimes I can't help but think that it's even more to it than that for me, personally. Since evaluating my diet recently, for the first time in my life, I feel like my obsession with sweets is actually, well, an "obsession". How do you overcome a food obsession....?

[Amanda76]

I think that kinda obsession is a little normal. I feel a strong pull toward them during the holidays, that normally causes me to cheat enough that I start craving sweets again (gonna try to avoid that this year by keeping with my habit of only indulging duirng special events...the effects of trying EVERY Christmas goodie that crosses my path over a 2-3 month period is not worth it! LOL). Post-holiday season, it takes me about a MONTH before I lose the "longing" for sweets once I quit eating them. I even have to avoid yogurt and certain fruits to get rid of the longing! So you may need to tighten up more and for a bit longer than you thought to overcome it.

If you really can't get past it, I'd wonder if you associate sweets with a positive time in life (kinda like the nostalgia I experience with sweets around the holidays) or lack of sweets with something that hit you as extremely negative (growing up on a super-tight budget or not being allowed certain foods and feeling weird around your friends for not being allowed to eat them, etc).

I think knowing you have a choice to eat sweets is helpful. Choosing to lead a healthier lifestyle doesn't mean you can't have other priorities that take over sometimes or that you can never eat food for mere pleasure EVER again. Just means most of the time you are going to do what's right for your body...and with your emotional well being having the ability to take a toll on that, yeah...sometimes you will NEED to cut loose and just enjoy stuff for the sake of enjoying it.

[andy_lee]

When I first started working out I was the same. I usually had sweets at least once (but often twice) a day. I eventually changed this to where I would only have sweets 4 days a week, then I cut it to 3 and right now I'm avoiding them all together for basically as long as I can in order to help get rid of the cravings that they cause. I wouldn't have been able to do it all at once but doing these steps over time has helped me slow the cravings down. Doesn't mean stuff isn't tempting, I just have to resist it. I know it also helps me to make protein bars with chocolate protein shake and fat/sugar free pudding mix in it. When I don't have real sweets often, something that simple really can feel like a cheat.

[MrsMandeeLei]

I understand what this is like and have struggled with night time eating for years (not just eating too much for dessert but literally waking up in the middle of the night to go binge while still half asleep). For me the best solution has been to substitute in something that is as healthy as possible that will still take care of the craving. Fruit does not work for me. 99.99% of the time I crave chocolate and so I find some way to have some and fit it in without going overboard. At first I would have some dark chocolate , just a small piece every night after dinner. I put the chocolate bar in the freezer and every night I would take out my small portion (I despise chocolate when it's rock hard and cold from the fridge or freezer so this works for me, I know some people prefer it that way so wouldn't work for them.) And that worked for me. Now I almost always have "protein pudding" or "sludge" (1 scoop chocolate protein powder guess you could use any flavor though, unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tbsp natural peanut butter, and a little water to mix it up) after dinner. This has been the most effective for me. It really fills me up, I mean I feel STUFFED and satisfied after.

[61inchesoffun]

If you really can't get past it, I'd wonder if you associate sweets with a positive time in life (kinda like the nostalgia I experience with sweets around the holidays) or lack of sweets with something that hit you as extremely negative (growing up on a super-tight budget or not being allowed certain foods and feeling weird around your friends for not being allowed to eat them, etc).

^I think it's more of an "obsessive" thing because I just think it's not normal to have as many "thoughts" about sweets during a typical day as I do! lol

I know that I can't cut them out cold turkey, so finding healthier substitutions is a priority for me...I'm just jealous of those people who don't even crave sweets at all...I soooo wish that was me!

[61inchesoffun]

When I first started working out I was the same. I usually had sweets at least once (but often twice) a day. I eventually changed this to where I would only have sweets 4 days a week, then I cut it to 3 and right now I'm avoiding them all together for basically as long as I can in order to help get rid of the cravings that they cause. I wouldn't have been able to do it all at once but doing these steps over time has helped me slow the cravings down. Doesn't mean stuff isn't tempting, I just have to resist it. I know it also helps me to make protein bars with chocolate protein shake and fat/sugar free pudding mix in it. When I don't have real sweets often, something that simple really can feel like a cheat.

I know how you feel....having SOMETHING sweet has pretty much been a part of my daily eating habits for YEARS now. And I do mean DAILY. It's a wonder I'm not twice my weight, actually. I know that cuz it's been a part of my lifestyle for years, it may take a while to fight it...I will look into the recipes for the sludge and protein bars...

[61inchesoffun]

I understand what this is like and have struggled with night time eating for years (not just eating too much for dessert but literally waking up in the middle of the night to go binge while still half asleep). For me the best solution has been to substitute in something that is as healthy as possible that will still take care of the craving. Fruit does not work for me. 99.99% of the time I crave chocolate and so I find some way to have some and fit it in without going overboard. At first I would have some dark chocolate , just a small piece every night after dinner. I put the chocolate bar in the freezer and every night I would take out my small portion (I despise chocolate when it's rock hard and cold from the fridge or freezer so this works for me, I know some people prefer it that way so wouldn't work for them.) And that worked for me. Now I almost always have "protein pudding" or "sludge" (1 scoop chocolate protein powder guess you could use any flavor though, unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tbsp natural peanut butter, and a little water to mix it up) after dinner. This has been the most effective for me. It really fills me up, I mean I feel STUFFED and satisfied after.

A couple of months ago I tried to do the South Beach Diet. About a week into Phase I, I was craving carbs (particularly crackers, bread, cake & cookies), and thought I was doing good because I was fighting it and didn't have anything in the house to eat sweet (or so I THOUGHT lol)....

Well, one day at work I was talking about how strong the sugar cravings were and it was VERY difficult making it through that day. The next morning, after waking up, I went in the kitchen and my floor was sticky....it was SYRUP. I had gotten up in the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, took an Eggo waffle and toasted it, loaded it up with butter and SYRUP, and ate it. (Somehow in the process I had knocked over some of the syrup onto the floor).

I didn't remember I had done it until stepping on the syrup on the floor that next morning, and then vaguely recalled what had happened...I mean, from what I remember I was literally leaned against the kitchen wall with my eyes practically closed while waiting on the waffle to heat up...

That is SERIOUS!

[andy_lee]

I know how you feel....having SOMETHING sweet has pretty much been a part of my daily eating habits for YEARS now. And I do mean DAILY. It's a wonder I'm not twice my weight, actually. I know that cuz it's been a part of my lifestyle for years, it may take a while to fight it...I will look into the recipes for the sludge and protein bars...

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...s+protein+bars
I've made the first 2 protein bars on there. I cut the oats to 2 cups on both of them to make them less carbs. I took someone's advice and blended 1 cup of the oats to help make them thicker. It helped with MagicPunt's bars (I also substituted water for milk). The other bars are basically either pudding, or rock hard from the freezer. Tip on MagicPunt's bars, after you put them in the pan, leave them in the fridge overnight, take them out and cut them up and put them top down (make sure they aren't touching) on wax paper and then leave them in the fridge for several more hours. Because any side that is exposed seems to harden it really helps with making them more portable. The second bars aren't really portable but taste even better in my opinion.

[Kate1]

I understand what this is like and have struggled with night time eating for years (not just eating too much for dessert but literally waking up in the middle of the night to go binge while still half asleep). For me the best solution has been to substitute in something that is as healthy as possible that will still take care of the craving. Fruit does not work for me. 99.99% of the time I crave chocolate and so I find some way to have some and fit it in without going overboard. At first I would have some dark chocolate , just a small piece every night after dinner. I put the chocolate bar in the freezer and every night I would take out my small portion (I despise chocolate when it's rock hard and cold from the fridge or freezer so this works for me, I know some people prefer it that way so wouldn't work for them.) And that worked for me. Now I almost always have "protein pudding" or "sludge" (1 scoop chocolate protein powder guess you could use any flavor though, unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tbsp natural peanut butter, and a little water to mix it up) after dinner. This has been the most effective for me. It really fills me up, I mean I feel STUFFED and satisfied after.

That "sludge" idea is a good one! I'm going to have to try that.

[PBanonymous]

And I'm not talking about simply an occasional craving...

I simply do not feel "satisfied" if I don't end dinner with a dessert. And not just a piece of fruit...no, it has to be something LOADED with sugar like two red velvet cupcakes or nearly an entire Cadbury milk chocolate with almond bar! If I don't have something similar to that, I feel "anxious" almost...is this feeling all in my mind??

Yesterday leaving work I had to talk myself out of going to the new cupcake bakery, and when I made it home I had to talk myself out of leaving the house to go over there! I literally sipped on some green tea (which helped a little, cuz by the time I was done it was bedtime basically)...

Last time I tried to cut back on sugary foods, two weeks into it I felt better overall, but I literally felt "sadder" than normal...it was a weird feeling. Why do I think about sweets SO MUCH?

I understand that when you're trying to change your diet you must exercise discipline and willpower, but sometimes I can't help but think that it's even more to it than that for me, personally. Since evaluating my diet recently, for the first time in my life, I feel like my obsession with sweets is actually, well, an "obsession". How do you overcome a food obsession....?

If I were you I would evaluate my entire diet. Do you drink diet soda's? Do you sip on crystal lite? Do you put salt on anything? Do you use splenda on ANYTHING? Do you use any sugar substitutes?

The reason I ask is from personal experience. WHENEVER I use a sugar substitue or have Crystal Lite or add a few shakes of salts to a dish I turn into a sugar freak. I start thinking "hmmm what sweets could I make" or "should I go sto starbucks?"

For instance... I sprinkled a HALF of a splenda packet on some oatmeal with apples and cinnamon the other morning... then alllll day... and the day after I was caught in a sugar cycle until I forced myself to stop!!!!

I made some sugar free instant jello pudding for dessert... and wound up wanting starbucks... more pudding and wanting to put splenda on my oatmeal in the morning.!!!

In order for me to maintain my clean eating... I must stick to spices and seasoning that are sugar substitute free and salt free...Even Crystal lite has the potential to make my mind wander... Hopefully this will shed some lite on your predicament!

[buttonz]

And I'm not talking about simply an occasional craving...

I simply do not feel "satisfied" if I don't end dinner with a dessert. And not just a piece of fruit...no, it has to be something LOADED with sugar like two red velvet cupcakes or nearly an entire Cadbury milk chocolate with almond bar! If I don't have something similar to that, I feel "anxious" almost...is this feeling all in my mind??

Yesterday leaving work I had to talk myself out of going to the new cupcake bakery, and when I made it home I had to talk myself out of leaving the house to go over there! I literally sipped on some green tea (which helped a little, cuz by the time I was done it was bedtime basically)...

Last time I tried to cut back on sugary foods, two weeks into it I felt better overall, but I literally felt "sadder" than normal...it was a weird feeling. Why do I think about sweets SO MUCH?

I understand that when you're trying to change your diet you must exercise discipline and willpower, but sometimes I can't help but think that it's even more to it than that for me, personally. Since evaluating my diet recently, for the first time in my life, I feel like my obsession with sweets is actually, well, an "obsession". How do you overcome a food obsession....?

Hi, 61inchesoffun~!!
For me, when I started back on my low carb/high protein diet, the 1st couple of days were the toughest ever. All I could think about was krispy kreme donuts, chocolate chip cookies, cakes, twix and etc..well, you get the picture. But once I make it through those days, it gets easier and easier. Now I don't even crave or care for it.

But if the "obsession" gets too much, how about instead of eating 1 whole cupcake, try eating only 1/2 of it and save the other half for later. Instead of quitting cold turkey, maybe you can slowly ween yourself? portion control and work that calorie into your total diet to work for you.

Also, Does your family have a history of diabetes? You might want to get that checked. I have a type II diabetes and when my glucose level is out of control (too high), I get crazy sugar cravings. All I can eat and think about is sweets. That means my blood sugar level goes up again and so on..it was never ending cycle until I really started to incorporate more whole grain carbs and slowly lower my carb intake.

[vavavoom545]

Hi!!
I really feel for you, i am a formal sugar junkie myself. I once convinced my whole family to trash out all sweets out of the house... and i ended up going to the grocery store to buy chocolate maybe 5 minutes after just to give you an idea lol!
After a meal i was not able to concentrate on anything, i would be thinking about cookies or chocolate too much. I tried different things with my diet, more healthy fats, more protein etc etc... The only thing that worked was to completely stop, cold turkey. Its hard for a couple of days/weeks. Keep yourself busy and away from you kitchen after meals if your anxious.
I obsessed the first few days, after that the obsession turns into normal feeling cravings for a couple of weeks and then your free !!!
It's been a month and a half for me
Good luck !!!

[jonnasaays]

And I'm not talking about simply an occasional craving...

I simply do not feel "satisfied" if I don't end dinner with a dessert. And not just a piece of fruit...no, it has to be something LOADED with sugar like two red velvet cupcakes or nearly an entire Cadbury milk chocolate with almond bar! If I don't have something similar to that, I feel "anxious" almost...is this feeling all in my mind??

Yesterday leaving work I had to talk myself out of going to the new cupcake bakery, and when I made it home I had to talk myself out of leaving the house to go over there! I literally sipped on some green tea (which helped a little, cuz by the time I was done it was bedtime basically)...

Last time I tried to cut back on sugary foods, two weeks into it I felt better overall, but I literally felt "sadder" than normal...it was a weird feeling. Why do I think about sweets SO MUCH?

I understand that when you're trying to change your diet you must exercise discipline and willpower, but sometimes I can't help but think that it's even more to it than that for me, personally. Since evaluating my diet recently, for the first time in my life, I feel like my obsession with sweets is actually, well, an "obsession". How do you overcome a food obsession....?

After over-consumption of sugar, I have often craved sugar very strongly for weeks. One technique that has worked for me is to gradually decrease the amount of sugar that you consume. If not, you may binge too quickly and believe me there is NOTHING more discouraging then trying to quite cold turkey and then end up making 0 progress in a week or so. Try getting your fix earlier in the day (does less damage) and look for healthier replacements (dark chocolate for example) I know it might seem impossible now, but take it one day at a time, and your body and mind WILL adjust to the changes. But don't take it TOO gradually! Find the balance that minimizes your cravings yet still is effective. Good luck!!!

-Cana