Get Fit Slowly

48 responses so far ↓

• 1 Kalieris // Feb 26, 2008 at 2:14 pm

  Things that work for me when I get a sweets craving:

  - herbal tea with a little artificial sweetener or honey (or a cup of sugar free cocoa)
  - one small piece of really good-quality chocolate
  - a couple of pieces of dried fruit
  - a sugar-free Jello cup
  - half or quarter cup of low-fat flavored yogurt
  - a small amount of fruit

  Basically, the idea is to use the smallest amount possible of the least unhealthy sweet thing available. Just a small taste is all I need sometimes to feel satisfied, particularly if I hold it in my mouth for awhile rather than gobbling it down.

• 2 Amber // Feb 26, 2008 at 2:14 pm

  I don’t know how to overcome it, but that same thing happens to me. I have heard that if you resist long enough (for a few weeks), then the craving will go away. I’ve never been able to last that long, so I don’t know!

  Sometimes I try to eat a piece of fruit, and that often tides me over. Sometimes it doesn’t (like today) and I end up eating a slice of cake (like today). It’s definitely something I struggle with every day.

• 3 Amber // Feb 26, 2008 at 2:16 pm

  Oh, and congrats on not over eating in the Mexican restaurant!

• 4 leanne // Feb 26, 2008 at 2:23 pm

  I carry small hard candies with me and that does the trick if I’m out and about. I also have small squares of dark chocolate at work and if I’m craving something sweet I’ll let one of those melt in my mouth. If I’m at home, though, and the sweet craving hits, it’s a different story. Usually I’ll take just a spoonful of ice cream and eat that or I’ll bake 1 chocolate chip cookie and that will suffice. Fruit or yogurt doesn’t fill that craving, so I don’t even bother because I know that I’ll still want a “real sweet” later. Give in to your cravings! If you’ve been craving something for 4 hours, I think you deserve a small treat. Otherwise, you’ll keep craving it and might give in to a huge slice of cake or something.

• 5 Red // Feb 26, 2008 at 2:26 pm

  After reading Good Calories, Bad Calories, I find myself in the “avoid sweets” camp. I’m not saying you should be a monk and avoid sweets entirely, but it it’s a normal thing I’d try and hold off.

  For me Pineapple can satiate my need for sweets.

• 6 Leslie // Feb 26, 2008 at 2:28 pm

  I have won most of the food battles I have been fighting (portion control, eating more fruits and veggies, no more soda etc.) but I am right there with you on the craving sweet after a meal. That is the one that I just can’t seem to get past. And I am also with you on the more I ignore it the worse it gets. Sometimes, just a small bite of something (a hershey kiss, a few m&m’s) will wipe it out but sometimes it makes it worse. I am on a kick to get HFCS out of my diet and I am hoping once I get that taken care of that the sweet cravings will reduce…

• 7 mandy // Feb 26, 2008 at 2:31 pm

  Your post was very timely today, as I am sitting here at the end of my work day craving something as well, feeling overpowered, and overwhelmed with thoughts. However, in my case it’s not sweet, I’m craving salty flavors, burger, sub, just something very bad!!! But when I do crave something sweet a granola bar usually does the trick for me, and I wash it down with a bottle of water, it’s filling, full of good fiber and sweet. My granola bars of choice (when I don’t make my own) Kashi brand.

• 8 keysue // Feb 26, 2008 at 2:32 pm

  I crave sweets a LOT. A friend of mine tells me that eating protein of some sort will help curb a sweet craving. Sometimes that seems to help, but not always. I handle it more by just trying to limit it to something small - ONE cookie or ONE small piece of chocolate. I also try to hold out until the end of the day. Once I eat the one sweet thing, eating is done for the day, so I don’t eat more.

  It helps too, that, as I’ve gotten older and more moderate about sweets - if I do binge on sweets, I can really feel what happens to my body. I feel sick, I get headaches, it messes up the rest of the day. I try to remind myself of that when the cravings start.

  I’m loving this blog, and Get Rich Slowly too - thanks!

• 9 Matt // Feb 26, 2008 at 2:34 pm

  Stop whatever you’re doing and read Michael Pollan’s new book (if you haven’t already). Or at least read this article. Your brain craves sweets because most of the brain’s energy is derived from sucrose.

  So, you know, feed your brain. An apple would be good.

• 10 Kalieris // Feb 26, 2008 at 2:37 pm

  Oh, and as far as soldiering through goes, it feels like punishment to me, and I get resentful, so I don’t do it. I try to listen to my cravings and find the least damaging way to satisfy them. Making myself feel deprived tends to set me up for failure.

• 11 Driver B // Feb 26, 2008 at 2:43 pm

  I go with one LifeSaver. I keep a roll in my desk at work and it has saved me from many an afternoon trip to the cafe. I know they are basically pure sugar but they are only about 10 calories each and the fact that they last a long time in your mouth usually helps me a lot.

• 12 TosaJen // Feb 26, 2008 at 2:46 pm

  After 4 hours, you’re probably genuinely hungry, not just craving a sweet. Do you still have some of those nuts around — that can settle you down for a while, and somewhere I read a tip that a handful of nuts 30-60 minutes before a meal will cause most people to eat less.

  Congrats on the thoughtful Mexican meal, BTW. I’ve got a built in food limit, because I usually share meals with the kiddos — I need to work on what to do when they aren’t along.

• 13 kazari // Feb 26, 2008 at 2:52 pm

  I’m like you!
  Especially after spicy food, for some reason.
  I find a coffee helps. otherwise fruit.

• 14 grimsaburger // Feb 26, 2008 at 3:00 pm

  Spouse gets irritated at this, but I usually grab a little palmful (1-2 tablespoons) of dark chocolate chips when I crave sweets (he gets irritated because then I’ve reduced the bag to a level that can’t sustain a cookie recipe). Sometimes dried fruit does it-especially something like mango. Sometimes an apple does it.
  If I’m really, really, really, really craving sweet, I’ll dip out a tablespoon of peanut butter and dot the surface with dark chocolate chips. I’m always surprised that such a small quantity goes such a long way.

• 15 metroknow - AlmostFit.com // Feb 26, 2008 at 3:32 pm

  A small piece of dark chocolate is also really useful for this. Don’t chew it - let it melt and enjoy it.

• 16 Susan // Feb 26, 2008 at 3:33 pm

  I too crave them after meals, especially dinner. I tend to crave sweets in general, and sometimes I just have to give in.
  Sweets have very a strong hold on me, so much so that I blog about it quite a bit!
  I’m slowly working towards overcoming my sugar addiction. I’ve got a bit of work to do, though!

• 17 Jessie // Feb 26, 2008 at 3:59 pm

  In the short run, I go for a cup of hot tea, usually jasmine (which smells very sweet, but doesn’t taste it). In the longer run, I can usually keep sweet cravings down to a minimum by making sure I eat meals including mostly foods that the diabetes association identifies as lower glycemic index, and by eating protein or fiber (salad or veggies) first in each meal.

• 18 Lauren Muney, wellness + facilitation coach // Feb 26, 2008 at 4:16 pm

  I’ll eat some raisins…. The craving goes away.

• 19 elisabeth // Feb 26, 2008 at 4:30 pm

  I’m in the “one piece of really good chocolate” group–especially since after lunch, I can take a short walk , maybe a quarter mile round trip, to get a small dark chocolate sold by the piece, made locally. I don’t want to think of a life without dessert, I want my relationships with food to be friendly, not fearful!
  At home after dinner we usually have whatever fruit is in season; right now we’re having different kinds of citrus, but we peel and eat just one between us. And, since I’m taking a drug that affects one’s calcium levels, I have to have to take calciumwith every meal–and for 10-30 calories one can have a fairly sweet supplement..

• 20 Anca // Feb 26, 2008 at 5:09 pm

  I wouldn’t try to fight/ignore it. Your body must have some reason for the craving, maybe a good one, maybe a bad one. Have you tried brushing your teeth after the meal? Sometimes that works to relieve feeling the “need” for dessert. Otherwise fruit, dark chocolate, a teaspoonful of honey.

• 21 AB // Feb 26, 2008 at 5:11 pm

  Trader Joe’s dried Mango. I get that same feeling after many meals. I’ve never been able to make it go away without either just suffering through or tricking it with something like half a glass of juice or something. But Trader Joe’s dried mango (and I don’t even like mango) does the trick. And for few cals (150 a serving, about 900 cals per bag which lasts me 2-3 days) you not only get that eating candy feeling but vitamins and a little protein. They have other dried fruit too. Works like a charm.

• 22 Lucas // Feb 26, 2008 at 5:30 pm

  I’m in the fruit camp. It’s nature’s desert! I keep a bag of blackberries in the freezer, and break them out when a sweets craving hits. That way I always have something sweet on hand, and I don’t have to worry about “having” to eat them before they go bad.

• 23 ben // Feb 26, 2008 at 5:58 pm

  happens to me all the time. and apparently others as well! i’ve heard if you go a week or so without sugar, your body learns to deal without it. i haven’t been able to do that - so i can’t give personal experience on that one. however, i’ve found that a good piece of sugar-free gum does wonders. i’m a particular fan of orbit citrus mint. on top of getting rid of that craving, you can burn up to 20 cals per hour just from chewing.

• 24 Kaila // Feb 26, 2008 at 8:08 pm

  I had issues with this maybe a few years ago… and I used to just chew a piece of sugarless gum. It felt like I was constantly eating something sweet. Eventually I got hooked on the gum… I would CRAVE it if I didn’t have it… but that’s another subject.

  Now, I usually either drink some hot chocolate or eat some granola, but I don’t get the sweet cravings too often.

• 25 Toby // Feb 26, 2008 at 8:36 pm

  another vote for a very small piece of the darkest chocolate possible, like a square centimeter… put it on your tongue and let it melt… close your eyes… I have walked away from many decadent desserts by having bits of fine chocolate in my glasses case so they are handy. Here’s where I learned it: http://www.prevention.com/cda/article/chocolate-and-health/7d3e8169c1903110VgnVCM20000012281eac____/weight.loss/strategies.for.success/food.portions

• 26 Mike // Feb 26, 2008 at 8:49 pm

  Sometimes I’ll have a protein shake if it’s been a couple of hours and I still crave the sweet. There are some good chocolate ones. If it’s really bad, I’ll make it with soy milk and then it’s almost like a milk shake (well almost, but thick and chocolatey).

• 27 Jill // Feb 26, 2008 at 8:56 pm

  I often crave something sweet after a heavy carb meal (like mexican food or burger and fries). I find that if I eat a more balanced meal, I don’t crave the sugar afterwards. If I do, then I have tea with honey in it afterwards or a piece of fruit to deal with the cravings.

• 28 anna // Feb 27, 2008 at 3:27 am

  I normally don’t eat cakes or candy (since i can’t handle eating small amounts I’ve decided to not eat any) but sometimes I get the same cravings that you write about. The hunger after something sweet simply won’t go away…
  I’ve found that for me pineapple is the thing that satifies those cravings the best, maybe because it’s a combination of sweet and a bit sour. Anyway - that’s what i resort to when those craving hit me.

• 29 brooklynchick // Feb 27, 2008 at 5:31 am

  I, too have been told it goes away - that its just a habit. I still experience it.

  First, I WAIT. That way I experience being full from lunch, and don’t eat a huge dessert on top of it. I try sucking on a hard candy.

  First choice, fruit. If not, small piece dark choc, as others have said. In a pinch, a two-pack of fig newtons (I cant have the whole box anywhere near me!).

  Congrats on your progress!

• 30 Molly // Feb 27, 2008 at 8:00 am

  I’m totally with you on the sweets cravings! Especially if I’ve eaten something savory or spicy for the meal. My husband and I keep a bag of peanut M&Ms in the freezer and usually eat 4 or 5 after dinner. The peanuts give just enough substance and the chocolate is just enough sweetness. Plus, being frozen they offer a satisfying crunch! At one time I did the match and found that 5 peanut m&ms are roughly 50 calories - and that’s a concession I’m willing to make, as it usually satisfies the craving.

• 31 Never the Same River Twice // Feb 27, 2008 at 8:05 am

  This is a tough one for me. I’ve found gum helps because you can select a sweet flavor but take in few calories. Plus, the chewing probably burns off whatever calories you’re taking in.

  Sugar free hot chocolate is another one I turn to, especially in the winter.

• 32 gale // Feb 27, 2008 at 8:40 am

  GUM!!!

• 33 Eric // Feb 27, 2008 at 9:52 am

  You know, I’m seriously of the opinion that you can’t substitute a crave adequately. If you want a cookie, get a cookie - just don’t eat a whole box. Or eat half of one or whatever.

  The feeling immediate satiety allows you to avoid overeating later on (when a crave becomes overpowering, you tend to eat much more of it). Over time, the cravings will probably go down - especially if you are normally following a healthier diet.

  If you just want something sweet, and not anything specific, fruit is always a good bet too.

• 34 Amelia // Feb 27, 2008 at 11:00 am

  Ben, you’re right. When I went without eating sugar/processed carbs for a couple of weeks my sweet craving almost disappeared. But I have a more balanced approach to my eating these days and do not want to spend the rest of my life without dessert, like Elizabeth!

  Grimsaburger, I have the same strategy! But in our house I have to separate the chocolate chips into two baggies – one for me, one for my husband – or else they’ll go too fast. I use a food scale to measure out the amount of chocolate I can “afford” and just enjoy it straight up or maybe with a tsp of pb, like you. My half a bag lasts me a couple weeks. Hubby’s portion, not so much.

  Another good one for me is putting a few chips in a little baggie with kashi go lean crunch cereal with some dried fruit thrown in. I weigh each component so the whole bag is like 200 calories. It’s like trail mix, but better.

  I also have discovered VitaTops (from vitalicious.com). They are sold in some stores, too. I like their chocolate flavors – they’re basically high fiber muffins. The good thing is that I can only eat one, MAYBE two before the fiber makes it impossible to eat anything else. Following up with water helps with this, too. I normally eat one for breakfast but they’re good for a night-time snack as well.

• 35 Sara // Feb 27, 2008 at 11:32 am

  Definitely hard candy like a Jolly Rancher or Werther’s. It lasts a long time, is really sweet, and if you only eat one piece, has minimal calories. A small cookie or piece of chocolate would just make me crave more of those, and can still have 100+ calories and affect your glucose levels and therefore energy levels. I love fruit, but that’s a different kind of craving for me and not the same one I think you’re having. Unless it’s for a chocolate-covered strawberry… yum.

• 36 Darren // Feb 27, 2008 at 12:54 pm

  The sweets thing can be a real pain. My advice has always been twofold:

  1. Listen to and satisfy your cravings, just do it intelligently
  2. Train yourself out of cravings in general.

  For sweets, I do this: if I crave something sweet, I can have it — but it’s likely a single hard candy or something else that’s sweet but not high-calorie. I avoid artificial sweeteners, because they don’t really satisfy, so I just crave again shortly. A half cup of strawberries with just a touch of milk satisfies immensely.

  When my sweet cravings became a problem for me, I “went off sugar” for 10 days. No refined sugar, artificial sweeteners, or natural sugar-substitutes (like stevia and even honey).

  It was hard — lots of stuff that isn’t sweet has quite a bit of sugar for some reason — but since I did that, I rarely crave sweets anymore. When I do, I find that berries and the like are much sweeter than my over-stimulated “sweet tooth” had let me taste.

  To be clear, I’m not “off sugar” anymore, I just tend to naturally avoid it.

• 37 monica // Feb 27, 2008 at 2:36 pm

  JD, I have a mild after-dinner sweet tooth, but its not for cakes or ice cream, its for grapefruit! I started having grapefruit for dessert a couple years ago and got totally addicted to it. Although I still like the concept of cake or ice cream, I just don’t enjoy it as much anymore. A couple spoonfuls of ice cream and I’m done - it’s just too sweet now. Sometimes I have dark chocolate and coffee. Yum!

• 38 Scott // Feb 27, 2008 at 2:45 pm

  http://www.sweetriot.com/

  Sweetriot chocolates are tiny bits of cacao nibs that are dipped in milk or dark chocolate. They have great crunch factor and at 140 calories for the entire tin, you can have two or three bits to cover your cravings without feeling like you ate a box of HoHos.

• 39 Mark // Feb 28, 2008 at 12:06 pm

  I definitely have a sweet tooth and I usually do crave sweets after meals, especially dinner. I have tried lots of strategies (mostly involving not keeping any sweets in the house) but have finally found something that works, Trader Joe’s Chocolate Mini-Merrangues! They are small enough that I can pop a few in my mouth, satisfy my craving, and only add 30 calories or so.

• 40 greenman2001 // Feb 28, 2008 at 5:07 pm

  Am I understanding correctly that at this point you’ve gone 4 hours without eating? And are about to go another 90 minutes without eating? And your question is how to avoid a craving for sweets?

  Here’s an experiment: go three weeks without feeling hungry, by eating 6 meals a day — or 10 meals, if necessary — maintaining no more than a 500 calorie deficit. Then, let’s revisit the question of your sweets craving.

• 41 Asithi @ Small Steps to Health // Feb 29, 2008 at 11:46 am

  I finish off the evening with a cup of hot chocolate. That is my desert. I used to have ice cream most nights. Sometimes I can go days without craving any sweets, but I find that once I go that path of giving to my craving, I just keep going. It is better for me to ignore it and eventually the craving goes away.

  I polished off a box of Girl Scouts Thin Mints cookies in the last two days at work. Normally I eat the fruit and almonds that I pack as snacks, but this week has been a real test for me because all these cookies have been floating around the office. I still have another box in my drawer. I think I will give them away. Each box is worth over 1,200 calories. Eating 3 boxes is 1 pound added to my hips unless I work it off. But so far, I have only eaten 1 box. My co-workers can have the other box this afternoon.

• 42 Jennifer Minson // Feb 29, 2008 at 7:26 pm

  I ALWAYS crave chocolate after I have spaghetti sauce. ( That’s on top of my regular general sugar cravings.)

  While fasting for Lent, I’ve found that hot chocolate or hot chai (with too many calories) helps satisfy some of the cravings.

• 43 seasicksquid // Mar 3, 2008 at 7:21 pm

  Man, I feel you. My biggest weakness is that nagging need for something sweet - even when I eat healthy sweet things like fruit. I have a NEEEEEEED for chocolate. It’s unfortunate. =)

• 44 brent // Mar 4, 2008 at 6:01 am

  Fruit has become my candy and it lessens the cravings. Sometimes I give in to just a small spoonful of something like ice cream. It is enough to stop the cravings.

• 45 Sara // Mar 4, 2008 at 6:49 am

  Hey JD, another thing you might try that tastes really good and rich but isn’t a whopper in calories is a fruit you really like (strawberries work well for this) with low-fat Cool Whip. Low fat Cool Whip tastes so rich and creamy, but it’s not too bad in calories and fat content. Actually, I’ve stifled ice cream cravings with a few spoonfuls of it by itself before.

• 46 Chase Roper // Mar 4, 2008 at 9:58 am

  There are a TON of great suggestions listed already, but I think a slight problem with some of them is that they are suggesting having foods with that are artificially sweetened with sugar, like Cool Whip. My wife and I are trying to quit the candy/junk routine and we’re finding that its most difficult for us in the evening after dinner. There’s the habitual part of it, but also, I think our bodies need to detox in a way from all the sugar its used to. So far, sugar free jello/pudding is good. Or things with natural sugars like fruit. An all fruit smoothie with juices, non-fat yogurt and club soda would be good.

• 47 Aaron // Mar 4, 2008 at 10:40 am

  Oddly enough, I was just reading a small article in Psychology Today about the effect of smells on the mind. Apparently, the smell of vanilla can help reduce cravings for sweet foods, especially when you have food on your stomach (they said that taking a whiff while hungry wouldn’t do much but make you desire food more).

  I’m no expert, but it might be useful to open up a bottle of vanilla extract and take a couple big inhales!

• 48 Ann M. // Mar 5, 2008 at 2:13 pm

  There are some really good suggestions here, but most of them are just for satisfying a “sweet” tooth. I can usually handle that, but what I tend to crave more than just sweetness is chocolate. I cannot stand milk chocolate and have no problem eating unsweetened baking chocolates. I’ve never met a chocolate dessert that was too much chocolate either. Does anyone know of any good recipes for actual chocolate desserts (as opposed to just popping a piece of baking chocolate in your mouth) that aren’t absolutely unhealthy?

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