Taming cravings
Annie asks in the comments section of this post:
I really like chocolate. Especially high quality dark chocolate. Most days, I could subsist on the stuff. Okay, not entirely, but I could eat a lot more than I should.
Since I'm trying to shed the last few lingering pounds of pregnancy weight, I've been making a concerted effort to watch what I eat. Sweets tend to be my downfall, so my best solution has been to keep desserts to a minimum in our home. Honestly, though I know it's not any brilliant solution, that's what I've found to work best.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Well not entirely, but seeing as I don't have time to pack up and head for the grocery story every time I think about chocolate, knowing there isn't a smidgen of it in my whole house really helps.
I don't completely avoid the stuff, though. I normally make one dessert per week - a small pan or small recipe which will last for only a few days. Or, we'll get one half gallon of ice cream for the week - which also only lasts for a few days around here. This way I'm not completely depriving myself, but I'm also not making it easy to eat more than a fair share of chocolate or sweets in the week - especially since I'm splitting the dessert or ice cream with two other people!
My husband has been gracious to agree to fewer desserts and sweets around the house since he knows I'm determined to get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight. I know I'm very blessed in that regard.
We try to eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies and I've found that when I'm feeling especially hungry for sweets, eating a banana or some apple slices helps. If that doesn't do the trick, I'll often have some homemade whole wheat bread toasted with honey and butter. I know, I know, it's nothing like chocolate, but it is good.
And that's about it when it comes to my ideas on curbing the sweet-tooth cravings. Would anyone else out there like to share what has worked for them?
You've mentioned having a strong sweet tooth. I do, too, and I struggle daily not to give in to it. How do you do it? I've tried allowing small indulgences rather than a complete fast, but I find the chocolate glutton in me rising and overpowering more often than I'd like to admit. How do you tame your cravings to be satisfied?Um, did I say anything about having a handle on this? :)
I really like chocolate. Especially high quality dark chocolate. Most days, I could subsist on the stuff. Okay, not entirely, but I could eat a lot more than I should.
Since I'm trying to shed the last few lingering pounds of pregnancy weight, I've been making a concerted effort to watch what I eat. Sweets tend to be my downfall, so my best solution has been to keep desserts to a minimum in our home. Honestly, though I know it's not any brilliant solution, that's what I've found to work best.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Well not entirely, but seeing as I don't have time to pack up and head for the grocery story every time I think about chocolate, knowing there isn't a smidgen of it in my whole house really helps.
I don't completely avoid the stuff, though. I normally make one dessert per week - a small pan or small recipe which will last for only a few days. Or, we'll get one half gallon of ice cream for the week - which also only lasts for a few days around here. This way I'm not completely depriving myself, but I'm also not making it easy to eat more than a fair share of chocolate or sweets in the week - especially since I'm splitting the dessert or ice cream with two other people!
My husband has been gracious to agree to fewer desserts and sweets around the house since he knows I'm determined to get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight. I know I'm very blessed in that regard.
We try to eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies and I've found that when I'm feeling especially hungry for sweets, eating a banana or some apple slices helps. If that doesn't do the trick, I'll often have some homemade whole wheat bread toasted with honey and butter. I know, I know, it's nothing like chocolate, but it is good.
And that's about it when it comes to my ideas on curbing the sweet-tooth cravings. Would anyone else out there like to share what has worked for them?
posted by Crystal Paine at 4:00 PM
28 Comments:
Dear Crystal,
My mom doesn't eat sweets during the week and has her fill on
Friday. (If your trying to lose weight though you don't want to "have your fill").
I think food journaling and planning really helps. A formal program helps as well. I held onto the last 10 lbs of pregnancy weight for over two years and finally lost it while doing Weight Watchers. Weight Watchers does cost a bit ($15/month), so it is not very frugal. For me, it was worth it and I will do it again after my next baby (or babies). I'm sure a smart person could come up with a similar plan. Planning what you eat, recording what you actually eat, and being aware of what your energy needs are to either loose or maintain your weight really helps. I feel more in control. I have a HUGE sweet tooth, but having the 10 lbs weight loss goal and seeing how what I eat translates into my weight has helped me. I still let myself have a treat every day or so, but it is just one piece of REALLY good candy.
I have a huge sweet tooth as well. One thing that I like to do when I'm really craving something sweet is to make an apple dip. The dip is a mixture of peanut butter and honey, heat it up just a little bit and then eat with your sliced apple. This will usually completely satisfy my sweet tooth. Although, I must admit that there are times when only chocolate will satisfy that craving.
I have maintained an 86 lb weight loss for nearly 2 1/2 years. Sweets are also my downfall. My family doesn't care for them though. I realized that when I baked something and said it was for the family, it was actually for me. I ate way more of it than I should while they ate very little.
I rarely fix desserts but when I do, its in very small quantities that can be gone within a couple days. I allow myself one bite. The first bite tastes exactly the same as the 10th.
My Weight Watchers leader shared something this week that I thought was good as we head into the holiday season. Remember its a holiDAY not a holiWEEK. :-)
Try eating it everyday for a week or two because most likely you will loose the craving for it - after all you are eating everyday. If this doesn't work keep in mind that most cravings last less than 15 minutes and then they are forgotten. Try doing an activity and see if you forget about it. You could also look at chocolate alternatives like sugar-free, fat-free Jello Chocolate Pudding (I love eating this in a pie shell with Cool Whip Free), chocolate flavored cereals, Slim-fast chocolate shakes (they are less calories than a candy bar!) and diet chocolate snacks. Also, make sure you are eating enough which is 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. Are you starved because you skipped breakfast and now you feel like you need chocolate? People who let themselves go hungry tend to crave fattening, carbohydrate filled snacks as a survival tool for the body to prevent starvation - and it doesn't matter if you are fluffy your body will still fight against the "famine". It IS normal for women to crave chocolate during their time of the month because chocolate cravings may be triggered by a magnesium deficiency (which chocolate has). Hope this helps!
I have a huge sweet tooth, espicially when pregnant. For me, and my family whom also love them, keeping it out of the house is the only thing that really works. Being on a tight budget makes this easy to do...ummm do I buy candy or milk?? A no brainer there! If we do have it in the house, like now (post Harvest Party), I find that my kids keep me accountable. I for some reason can justify me eating it (even though I am pregnant) but don't want them to have all that sugar. If they even hear the wrapper coming off they come running! We do indulge from time to time, otherwise we tend to go overboard when the sweets are accessible. Moderation moderation moderation. I haven't read this but friends have and say it is excellent, "Love to eat, Hate to Eat. Overcoming the Bondage of Dangerous Eating Habits" by Elyse Fitzpatrick. I have heard her speak and she has a passion for the Lord and women!
I am so glad that you posted this because I am currently pregnant and am battling TERRIBLE chocolate cravings.
I know this will sounds TOTALLY crazy but I heard from a midwife that when you are craving chocolate your body is lacking in whatever nutrients are in broccoli. I've never tried it so can't say whether it works or not, I'll have to try it :-)
~Jennifer K.
I have no regrets about taking processed sugar out of my diet about a year and a half ago. I had to go on a strict diet (somewhat like the Atkins at first) to get rid of the cravings and it worked. Other than a few seconds every once in a while I haven't craved chocolate or any sweets. I love having it under control, especially after being so addicted for 28 years.
My reason for taking it out of my diet was because I'm very sensitive to sugar and hypoglycemic.
I just wanted to encourage you that it CAN be done!
Kerry
Pickles.
Seriously, more than fifty percent of the time eating a dill pickle when I am craving something sweet totally rids me of the craving.
The only problem is, I usually don't want the pickle. I will still eat it though just to try to stay off the sweets.
I have always liked the idea of not keeping sweets in the house but having a large family and dear sweet grandma and grandpa types in our church we are always given candy, cakes, muffins, etc...
My kids are pretty thin. I guess people just think they need to eat more, LOL.
It sounds very wrong... but I find that pregnancy works for me. Now... don't get all crazy and go out and get pregnant (unless your married and all for the idea) because I'm pretty sure it doesn't work this way for most! During my pregnancy with DS and this one my desire for chocolate (something I have always been weak for) is mostly gone. Of coarse if it's there I may want it... but even sometimes then I turn it down.
My main sweets craving during this pregnancy has been for sweet/tart things (Sweet Tarts or Sprees are a dream ~ and may I say, a great thing to add on at CVS when you are just a little under your needed total). The nice thing about this craving is that 80% of the time a fresh orange can do the trick! Yum... I may have another... good thing I bought a bag at Aldis this week!
I have always had a sweet tooth as well. One thing that I have noticed, especially since I am nursing, is that when I am craving something sweet, I often am needing something with a good fat in it. Such as almonds, or toast with butter, etc. Keeping up on my fat intake helps me not binge on sugary treats. Obviously you don't want to eat a pound of butter, ; ), but I have found that actually trying to eat more good fats keeps me feeling more satisfied longer. And it can also actually help you lose weight as well (believe it or not! ).
Between my second and third babies, I lost about 75 (needed) lbs. One thing I did was buy those ready-to-bake big cookies, and fix one each night as a special treat after the kids went to bed. Somehow, knowing I had that "prize" coming enabled me to hold out earlier in the day. And boy did it taste good, still warm from the toaster oven!
Now I've been either pregnant or nursing the past two years straight, so am not watching my weight so much. But as we learn more and more about whole foods, I try to make our desserts moderately healthy, such as cherry cobbler or blueberry crisp... a bit sweet, yet incorporating lots of fruit.
Cathy
My favorite chocolate dessert is Breyer's Fat Free Double Churned Ice Cream in French Chocolate. It tastes just like a rich full fat ice cream and two scoops completely eliminate my chocolate craving! I also have a glass of fat free chocolate milk occasionaly and enjoy the chocolate flavor while drinking it slowly.
Round out your snacks with protein - peanut butter and apple, peanuts, cheese. This helps you to feel fuller longer. I sometimes add chocolate chips (melted) to peanut butter, making a dip for apple slices. Semi-sweet or dark chocolate are better than milk or white. (less sugar content I think) Or I would put a "few" chocolate chips in my yogurt (only way I can eat it!).
For a snack when I had gestational diabetes (a friend suggested this), I would make one piece of whole wheat toast, put on butter (or Parkay or whatever) then top with cinnamon (very good for you) and Splenda sugar substitute. Making cinnamon toast! :) Don't blow on it (breathe out when taking a bite) or the Splenda goes flying. This is a healthy but "sweet" tooth substitute. Hope this helps.
When I need a chocolate fix, I make a chocolate Slim Fast shake (with skim milk) and that does the trick. I also like those low fat fudgesicles. I usually bake something sweet a couple times a week, but limit myself to a few bites and that's it. My husband loves baked goodies and I like to have enough on hand to serve for dessert and also to pack in his lunchbox the following day. My son gets one sweet a day and then I give him sugar free pudding or cut up fresh fruit if he still wants something sweet. If I have a day where I really indulge, then I just know I have to exercise double my normal amount the next day.
Frozen Hershey kisses, those little individual chocolate bar thingies, or chocolate chips. I'm with you, I prefer dark chocolate. And when they're frozen, they take much longer to eat. And after you've sucked on them for quite awhile, it kinda feeds that craving. Seems to work for me lately.
This won't be a popular answer, but if you take sugar and most starches out of the diet...or limit starches, it does take away cravings...eventually. We rarely eat rice, and only occasionally potatoes and very seldom any kind of pasta, etc. Of course we have a lot of pounds to loose and have diabetes...but still, just eating fruit instead of sugary stuff will help. We try to be careful too of how much fruit we eat...and eat apples for the most of it.
I find that dividing desserts into small portions in advance really helps! For example when I serve cookies with tea, I serve a cookie per person and not a whole jar.
My husband and I used to have a pretty severe sweet tooth as well. We used to need something sweet after dinner each night, even if it was a little square of dark chocolate. We realized that part of breaking the addiction to sweets is to break the expectation of them after mealtimes, so we eat no refined sugar during the week, and then allow ourelves to eat quality desserts on the weekends, but in moderation.
This also had the unexpected side effect of lessening the quanity of sweets that our systems can tolerate!
I found that the more I eat sugar, the more I crave it. If I can go 2-4 days without sweets (except totally naturally sweet things like fruit - nothing with added sugar), my cravings go back down to a sane level. The first time I was trying this, I found that an apple was actually enough to satisfy my cravings for sweets! Quite a mind shift for a former Coke-drinking sugar lover.
It is important to me not to forbid bad habits entirely, if they make an acceptable treat. I quit drinking Coke by tapering down to once a week or so, and drinking half-and-half club soda and cranberry juice, for fizzy sweetness, and now I don't drink much pop at all. Maybe once every week or two I will have lemon juice and club soda, with a little sugar.
I go back and forth still with how much sugar/candy/chocolate I eat, but I was pleased to realize just now that I didn't have any sweets for the past couple of days, and didn't really think of it either. :) (Then again, I had a lot of baked beans with molasses and maple syrup...)
If I want chocolate- really want it- fruit simply does not do it for me. I'll eat nearly a whole cake in a few days if I have it in the house. Candy bars? The same. I can't control myself around it if I'm in craving mode. Luckily that usually only happens during PMS a few times a year.
When I'm like that, I buy those single serve cakes you can make in your microwave, or a single cupcake at the bakery. It is not frugal- it would be cheaper to make a whole cake, although I can sometimes get the cakes for a few cents with double coupons. You can make your own single serve cakes with regular cake batter, but I'll eat the whole
thing if I do, which misses the point.
The medical costs of me eating poorly would be far more than the occasional single serve cake, or so I tell myself.
Sometimes just giving in in moderation makes all the difference in the world.
My rule of thumb is to drink a glass or two of water before indulging in a treat. I'm as tempted to eat as much when I already feel full and usually a nibble or two satisfies me. I also try to make alot of desserts with fruit and low sugar and fat.
Eat ONLY when actually hungry - and not just when 'craving' something. I lost 10 lbs. this summer by listening to my stomach - and only eating when I was really hungry. The first week was the hardest, because I was used to wandering into the kitchen whenever I felt like I wanted to eat - without really being hungry. Breaking the habit of "grazing" was difficult, but it worked. I don't limit any kinds of foods, but again, I only eat when I am actually hungry, and it does take some 're-training' to figure out when that is!
Thanks, Crystal and everyone, for answering my question! You've been helpful. I think I'm more like Catherine, where, left to my own devices, I can eat a whole chocolate cake on my own in just a few days. Or a bag of chocolate chips meant for cookies. And if I find an extra dollar somewhere, I actually will pack up the baby and load up the car just to find a candy bar or milkshake somewhere. It's really bad! The 'out of sight, out of mind' trick only works for a short while.
I will try all these suggestions, though. A lot are good reminders of things I knew but forgotten. Something ought to work! :) Thank you!
Not to over spiritualize things, but I think checking motivations is huge. Why and when do you find yourself craving sweets? Are you filling your tummy as a stress relief, a reward, or to soothe depression? My husband often says "we do what we do, because we feel what we feel, because we think what we think." What thinking is controlling you?
I brush my teeth. Something about a minty fresh mouth will at least distract me for awhile. :-)
My family teases me because I still have a candy cane left over from last Christmas. I'm not a candy eater - I think "oh, it's so bad for me..." and I save it for a special occasion that never rolls around. :)
Chocolate, however, and ice cream, are two other matters. I will often plan to skip dessert BEFORE a meal, but it's hard to stick with that when seven other people are enjoying ice cream! Drinking a lot of water during the meal helps because then I am full by the time dessert comes around. If I can abstain for a few days it gets easier each meal. I find that it doesn't work to take "just a bit". My nibble always turns my sweet tooth on! My advice for folks like me would be to stay away from it in the first place. :) Now if I can just follow my own advice...
If you want just a single serving, you might try these cake mixes in a mug. I have done this before, and it was a very popular gift, but it would also be nice for a single serving for yourself, and would be less expensive than buying a single serving. http://www.giftsfromyourkitchen.com/mincakes/cake-coffee-mug.html
Sheila
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