What to do about craving sweets
by Anonymous
Cravings anyone?
A lot of times I crave sweets or baked goods but I know I shouldn't have them (weekends especially). What is a good way to keep my mind off eating?
My mom suggests brushing my teeth but a lot of time that is the last thing on my mind. If you have any ideas similar to my mom's let me know! Thanks again for all your help.
First off know that you're not alone!! Most people crave yummy treats. There is absolutely nothing wrong with WANTING them. I talk a lot about "learning to live with the foods you love, rather than learning to live without them."
So, rather than trying to forget about the cravings (although learning to differentiate between "want" and "need" isn't a bad idea), I'd suggest learning to MANAGE the cravings. Instead of making any food "strictly off limits," I suggest making "rules" concerning it. The rules must define:
1. how often
2. how much, and
3. in what situation a food/beverage is consumed
See more about this on my page about diet busters.
Rules for your sweets/bakery items might look like this:
1. Allow yourself to have them only on the weekend
2. Resolve to buy the smallest portion possible (100 calorie snack pack of cookies from Trader Joes, the smallest cookie at the bakery, the smallest bag of M&Ms, etc.) OR...set a limit on the number of calories you'll spend on treats if you want to eat them every day. I usually allow 50-150 "fun" calories when I set up meal plans for my clients.
3. Allow yourself to have a cookie/dessert only if it's at the end of a meal...never as a meal itself. Of course there's always the possibility of substituting a lower calorie option that's still appealing to you. Cinnamon raisin toast is a good muffin or sweet bread substitute. You can also make your own yummy muffins with:
1 pkg Devils food cake mix
1 can plain pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
Bake at 400 for ~20 minutes.
If it's chocolate...how about low calorie chocolate pudding, sugar free hot chocolate, or a fudgesicle?) See what others consider their healthy yummies.)
Make sense? Let me know what you come up with!
You can also find out how to STOP sugar cravings before they start, here.
Should you be unable to stop the cravings...see my list of top 10 foods to satisfy sugar cravings.
