Tips to cut sweets?

[drodriguez0503]

Honestly when it comes to sweets I feel as though I have an eating disorder. I simply cannot resist them. The longest I have been able to kick sweets for is 3 days before I finaly break down. I have no problem with eating clean. I love fresh raw veggies, salads, chicken, tuna, and fish. It's easy for me to stay away from red meat, breads, pasta, and pizza items etc. But sweets are my crutch. It is even worse because I am currently stationed on an Airforce base. If you have never been on an Airforce base before you should know that one of their main morale boosters (killers for me) is food. They always have stocked candy, pies, and ice cream free for the taking. Some say that a sweet tooth is derived from a life of having sweets for instance when I was growing up there were always sweets in the house. I have always had a high metabolism so they didn't affect me. But, like every one else, I got old and the crap I ate and am still eating has finaly caught up to me. I also read an article that states that waay back in the day things like fats and sugars are what ensured prolong survival so the brain is naturally wired to crave sweets. Don't know how true it is. Anyways does anyone have tips on how to effectively cut out or even just cut down on sweets? Thanks for the info!

[Renskol]

Obviously you have a problem with sugar craving. Assuming you're goal is also with losing fat, find alternative's to substitute sugar and learn to say no to thing's; Self control is extremely important. Some tip's:

- Drink more water
- Chew sugar free gum

That's what I do when I'm hungry and resisting the temptation of eating sugary thing's (when on a cut anyhow).

[drodriguez0503]

Im going to try the sugar free gum approach today. Another thing that I did is replace one bad habbit with another. I quit smoking because I hated the smell, not because I am afraid of cancer. But I started dipping. I have been throwing in a dip when I crave sweets but that gets expensive since I am now dipping several times a day. Thanks for the info.

[lbloomfield]

I always brush my teeth whenever I get cravings and it's not my cheat day.

[bah01001]

1) Chew gum when you get a craving
2) Brush your teeth...I know after I brush, I tend to NOT want to eat sweets
3) Snack on something else....try Carrots and some ranch dressing...Carrots are pretty sweet.
4) Eat some fruit like a PineApple which is one of the "sweeter" fruits

[TomLynx]

Try snack on other healthier things and drink more water. Also make sure you are eating properly throughout the day too.

If you simply can't resist sweets I'd suggest getting some of the boiled sweets and just sucking them as they take forever to finish that way, just grab a few of them and do that. I used them to cut down my nail biting but I can see it working in this instance.

[TPlain23]

Sweet potatoes control my cravings with no problems, coupled with it being a low GI carb you cant lose.

[morrikj777]

Coffee works for me. I don't think I've craved sweets for 3.5 years now. Even when they're around me, I don't indulge. It's just one of those things you'll have to retrain yourself over the course of a month or two. Train your brain to think of something else at the time, positive thoughts.

Unfortunately, the dipping is probably not helping the cause even though it's "technically" an appetite suppressant with the nicotine in there. You're probably wrecking your gums by doing that and cancer is a possibility there as well.

It's been suggested before, but drink tons of water. You'll be amazed how much you do not think about food when you're full up on water. It's every 30 minutes or so you need to fill up on water because your body expells the water you drank earlier fairly quickly.

[dmacdonal9]

My view on it is that if it is behaving like an addiction, you need to treat it like one. Does an alcoholic restrict himself to two drinks a day? Does a heroin addict decide he's only only going shoot up once a week on his "cheat" day? No one would ever think that would work, so why would we think it'd work for a sugar addiction?

Food is tricky of course because you can't give it up entirely, but you can structure your diet so it has almost nothing "sweet" in it. Eat that way for a few weeks and you may find the addiction stops being an issue. It's actually a good argument for keto in my opinion (one of the very few). The satiety you get from all the protein and fat really helps cut back on your ad hoc food intake.

Also, just like any other addiction, find your triggers and cut them out of your life. Triggers like bars and smoking need to be avoided if you're an alcoholic. So if being hungry/tired late at night while watching TV is a trigger for you to eat sugar (it is for me), fix it by not watching TV at night and replacing it with something else. Shift calories from the early part of the day to later in the day so you aren't going to bed hungry. Or whatever it is that triggers you to want to eat uncontrolled amounts of sugar. The triggering behaviors are often much easier to change than the addicting behavior itself.

[lee__d]

Nothing to say other than: 1. eliminate sweets from your proximity, or 2. acquire self control because if you're counting calories you can fit at least a little bit of anything into your diet.

[James199117]

next time you want something sweet stick it up your ass... every sweet thing your gunna have just angus it and im pretty sure you will stop pretty phucking fast.

but seriously if you just really commit the body will stop having those cravings after a few weeks. but it has to be 0 sugars for a few weeks or the body will want it. its like dabbling in heroin... that **** just dont work

[wings_unhinged]

Going on a ketogenic diet killed my addiction. Maybe it can help you too.

[unleashthelion]

I say you should ask yourself why you want to stop eating sweets. What is wrong with eating them? Do you not have a certain number of calories you get to eat, each day? A certain number of carbs?

The problem with "real" drugs is that you cannot just enjoy them in moderation (due to their highly addictive nature) and you will eventually have deleterious effects to your health. Sugar meets neither of these, when used in moderation, so you should really take a long, hard look at why you want to stop consuming it.

You also have to ask yourself if there could be a reason why your body wants it so much and why you want to go against your body's desires, when there is nothing truly harmful in doing so.

[mjf100215]

I have no problem with eating clean. I love fresh raw veggies, salads, chicken, tuna, and fish. It's easy for me to stay away from red meat, breads, pasta, and pizza items etc.

Something that hasn't been mentioned...

You're saying you 'stay away from red meat, breads, pasta, and pizza items etc' as if red meat, bread, and pasta are some evil that the human body can't digest. First, why?

Second, if you haven't reached ketosis and just went low carb, is it possible that your body is legitimately desiring carbs and you're reaching for sweets instead of just providing some carbs?

Am I way off?

[drodriguez0503]

Well when I think back to it when I am actively engaged in certain activities my appetite for sweets is non-existant. And when I am watching tv all I want to do is snack. Time to pick the basketball back up. When I am in the room, since I am away from family for the next 3 months, I am glued to far cry 3 on ps3. Its funny how my addictive personality is. I dont want to set the controller down to eat lol. So I think im gonna play more games, get outside more, and cut out tv more than usual. Also Im about to look up the ketogenic diet. Dont know what it is but Im an open minded person.

[drodriguez0503]

Something that hasn't been mentioned...

You're saying you 'stay away from red meat, breads, pasta, and pizza items etc' as if red meat, bread, and pasta are some evil that the human body can't digest. First, why?

Second, if you haven't reached ketosis and just went low carb, is it possible that your body is legitimately desiring carbs and you're reaching for sweets instead of just providing some carbs?

Am I way off?

Well, I always thought I was suppose to stay away from that stuff if I wanted to lose weight. You are probably spot on. Maybe I have been trying to diet the wrong way this whole time. But I just read a simple keto diet and Im still trying to wrap my head around it. I always thought red meat and fats were the devil when losing weight. Im gonna try it out against the little voice in my head saying this couldnt possibly work. But then again when nothing else has really worked maybe I am going about this the wrong way.

[unleashthelion]

Disregard everything you thought you knew and realize that extra weight or fat is stored energy and that energy is measured in "calories"; you burn a certain amount of calories each day; if you take in more calories than you burn, you will store more calories (you will gain weight or fat); if you consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose calories (you will lose weight or fat).

Source: Losing a Backstreet Boy off my frame in 10 months while eating under 2000 calories a day (pizza, candy, pastries, fast food, and soda almost on the daily).

[drodriguez0503]

Disregard everything you thought you knew and realize that extra weight or fat is stored energy and that energy is measured in "calories"; you burn a certain amount of calories each day; if you take in more calories than you burn, you will store more calories (you will gain weight or fat); if you consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose calories (you will lose weight or fat).

Source: Losing a Backstreet Boy off my frame in 10 months while eating under 2000 calories a day (pizza, candy, pastries, fast food, and soda almost on the daily).

Well as much as I agree with you that less calories = weight loss i do not want to develop diabeties in the process.

[unleashthelion]

200g of carbs is 200g of carbs, regardless of GI or how simple/complex they are.
Controlling calories actually reverses diabetes (http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011...n_1118122.html).
But you're right, "sweets" are awful and you should never eat them. You should also stay away from eating any fats, red meat, fast food, processed food, non-organic food, and any food that does not come from the Earth.

Good luck breaking your "sugar addiction". See a CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapist) if you really want to stop eating it.

[abProdject2012]

I make a diary of what I want to eat on cheat day, then I pound it first thing, no holding back when the day comes. It's easy to walk by donuts at work if I know I can eat 8 on Saturday am...

[NewGainNation]

Obviously you have a problem with sugar craving. Assuming you're goal is also with losing fat, find alternative's to substitute sugar and learn to say no to thing's; Self control is extremely important. Some tip's:

- Drink more water
- Chew sugar free gum

That's what I do when I'm hungry and resisting the temptation of eating sugary thing's (when on a cut anyhow).

This, Chewing sugar free gum is the way to go, And keep drinking lots of water.

[Zephex]

Best thing I have found to curb my sweet tooth is chewing Cinnamon Sugar Free Gum.

If you do give in though, have a small sweet and take your time with it. Savor it. Make it last. Hold it in your mouth till it melts into mush.

[drodriguez0503]

I did start keeping a log of my diet and chewing gum which has helped dramatically. Another thing that I am doing is I found a diet partner if you will. So now each morning we compare diets to see what each other ate the day prior so we can have some type of accountability for what were munching on. We even went as far as to make punishments for when we slip up. Basically we made a card with 11 grueling exercises on it. When we slip up we roll a pair of dice to see what our punishment for the slip up is. Every third day we have 1 cheat meal and we eat it together so we make sure we dont over consume. Ive been doing it for about a week so far and already lost about 5 lbs.

[RoidRageZ]

Do you wanna ruin your goals for 5 minutes of delicious pleasure? Remember, if you have that sweet or not, your day will still pass.

[Blondy135]

Honestly when it comes to sweets I feel as though I have an eating disorder. I simply cannot resist them. The longest I have been able to kick sweets for is 3 days before I finaly break down. I have no problem with eating clean. I love fresh raw veggies, salads, chicken, tuna, and fish. It's easy for me to stay away from red meat, breads, pasta, and pizza items etc. But sweets are my crutch. It is even worse because I am currently stationed on an Airforce base. If you have never been on an Airforce base before you should know that one of their main morale boosters (killers for me) is food. They always have stocked candy, pies, and ice cream free for the taking. Some say that a sweet tooth is derived from a life of having sweets for instance when I was growing up there were always sweets in the house. I have always had a high metabolism so they didn't affect me. But, like every one else, I got old and the crap I ate and am still eating has finaly caught up to me. I also read an article that states that waay back in the day things like fats and sugars are what ensured prolong survival so the brain is naturally wired to crave sweets. Don't know how true it is. Anyways does anyone have tips on how to effectively cut out or even just cut down on sweets? Thanks for the info!

What I did that helped was bought "sensible treats" hot chocolate which is like 60 calories almost no suagr or fat and I also bought animal cookies chocolate flavor and plain mix them up and have a small bowl when im craving. Another trick I did was bought light frozen cool whip and put a dallop in my cerial at night and it turns into a desert. Hope that helps.It really did help me.

[drodriguez0503]

What I did that helped was bought "sensible treats" hot chocolate which is like 60 calories almost no suagr or fat and I also bought animal cookies chocolate flavor and plain mix them up and have a small bowl when im craving. Another trick I did was bought light frozen cool whip and put a dallop in my cerial at night and it turns into a desert. Hope that helps.It really did help me.

I like the animal cracker idea as well as hot chocolate. I might try the animal crackers later on. Thanks for the info.

[Manc33]

My mate is like this. He goes in a shop and comes out with 8 or 10 chocolate bars and eats them all really fast. He buys them all on impulse. I don't know about you but if you are serious about lifting, this is a REALLY stupid thing to do. 8 or 10 chocolate bars equates to well over 2000 calories. So he eats basically a full day's calories in one sitting as a quick snack! God knows what else he eats for "breakfast" or "dinner". He doesn't have 1 ounce of fat on him either, jammy tw@.

You know what my solution is? STOP F**KING EATING SWEETS!

Just stop it and stop saying you can't stop. Stop thinking about it.

Wanna know the real solution, for me anyway.... peanuts, cashews, flapjacks. Any time you wanna snack on sweets, snack on peanuts, cashews and flapjacks.

I have been without sweets for so long now (cakes, biscuits, chocolate etc) when I eat a flapjack it is like eating sweets anyway. Well it does have a thin layer of chocolate on top but thats nothing.

Nuts and flapjacks dude.

[dreamingat30fps]

I like to buy dark chocolate squares this way I can have just one piece at like 60 calories. If I'm really craving a sweet I will eat one of those. Usually I just don't eat many sweets, maybe an apple. I also use to snack when watching TV now I just snack on pickles. I buy the big jar of hamburger pickles (not the sweet kind) and it's almost like eating chips and they have almost no calories (although pretty high sodium).

[Striation]

I eat them. Then when full, I stop. GI is irrelevant.

[jtoy30]

Dont know if this has been said or not but when I have a craving for sweets I drink a cup of coffee with a few splendas in it as opposed to black (what i normally drink). Coffee also helps to suppress my apetite i find.