How do I overcome sugar craving?

[SquishyBeanBag]

I can deal with hunger but after lunch I crave sugar sooo badly!!

What are you tips for managing it?

At the moment I try to allow self just one sugar thing right after lunch with 90 to 100 calories but on a good day I end up eating two in a row.

[Timeforabiscuit]

Go cold turkey on the sugar, honestly it's the only thing that's worked for a good length of time. I've found it's a really intense craving for about ten minutes after a good meal, switching my habits to go for an after dinner walk or doing the washing up helps divert attention.

I tried having mint tea after dinner, which is "sweet", and also worked for a bit rather than a sugary snack.

[snowlady4]

I have a sweet thing (usually bar of chocolate,) every night. If that doesn't hit the spot, I go for a piece of fruit or sometimes a hot chocolate.
I find buying sweets snd biscuits etc only in individual wrappers helps me. Far less likely to have a second helpibg if I have to open new packaging!
Also, controversial, but sometimes I have a can of beer instead of chocolate, I know I won't want chocolate with beer!- and the beer is only 140 calories!

[LessOfMe99]

Cold turkey is the only thing that worked for me.

[Pitstop1986]

I usually have a fruit or herbal tea then try to keep busy for a while.

Saying that, I have a sweet treat every evening, I just work it into calorie allowance. Either small bar of chocolate- you can get multipacks of eg toffee crisps, crunchies, etc for around 150 calories each, mini magnums, a couple of biscuits or a bowl of porridge sweetened with honey or maple syrup (but you could also use them 0 calorie syrups for a low cal hit of sweetness) or an options hot chocolate with a couple of marshmallows.

I eat this just before bed, then brush my teeth so that I'm not tempted to carry on eating

[Sunflower8848]

A Diet Coke, the caffeine hit gives me a bit of a pick-me-up and the sweetness hits the spot.

[PossumintheHouse]

A couple of squares of Green and Black’s 85% dark chocolate, or some blueberries/strawberries/raspberries with natural yoghurt works a treat.

[Rubyandscarlett]

Another vote for cold turkey - l used to be like you op but started a low carb diet and honestly don't evwn think about sweet stuff any more - lost a stone so far this year

[JuJuHeyHey]

Slices of apple with almond butter.

Posh fruit and nut mix from M&S.

Greek yogurt and mixed berries.

[SquishyBeanBag]

@JuJuHeyHey they all sound so calorific though.

[idontlikealdi]

Cold turkey. Its hard for a couple of days but when I did Atkins back in the day it totally broke my sugar cravings.

[Twoshoesnewshoes]

My craving has reduced now I have only savoury at breakfast.

[FlabMonsterIsDietingAgain]

If you can make it through the first 10 days you'll find your craving for sugar massively reduces all of a sudden.

[ToastedTCake]

I've always had a sweet tooth but had a massive wake up call last year, aged 50, to say I was very close to being diagnosed a type 2 diabetic! I've managed to reduce the level of sugar in my blood so I am back in the normal range but it's made me think twice about what I eat.

I eat more veg now than before and try and snack on stuff like carrots and eggs.

[PaminaMozart]

Another one saying cold turkey is 'easier'.

2 essentials:

• no crap food in the house
• find tasty non-sugary things to eat instead.

Personally I found Dr Mark Hyman's The Sugar Solution really helpful. Also his companion diet book which includes lots of tasty recipes.

[stcrispinsday]

I have a sugar-free boiled sweet or a cup of licorice and peppermint tea which tastes quite sweet. Diet Coke also works.

[SquishyBeanBag]

10 days just seems so overwhelmingly far from what I could possibly aim for. At the moment I can't go half a day without it.

I have two children so I always have some sort of choc biscuits in for them. I really don't want to have to get husband to lock that away from me. I need to build up the self control myself.

I seem to crave it more when I'm dieting...maybe I'm more susceptible to it when I'm having smaller meals. I think I need to cut down on the sugary snacks with no aim and pressure of loosing weight then once I've got that under control I'll work on my portions to loose weight.

I eat healthy meals..I love boiled vegetables especially green ones. I like clean food.

Im ashamed to say I ate half a box of quality street chocs this evening😫 🥹

[PaminaMozart]

Im ashamed to say I ate half a box of quality street chocs this evening😫 🥹

Why?
Surely, after you'd eaten 3 or 4, the little voice inside your head will have told you to stop?

But why did you have this crap available in the first place? Surely you know that your kids don't need this crap and neither do you. So just stop buying it.

[jane46b]

I treat myself every night - to an Options Belgian hot chocolate - only 40 calories and does the trick just nicely

[soupofpasta]

I struggle with this too.

What has helped for me -

Not buying any sugary stuff in the first place. Going to the shops is a pain so if I don't buy it I can't be bothered going out to get it. I sometimes ask the teenagers to keep theirs in their own rooms and don't tell me they have it!!

Make sure you are never really starving, even before a meal and that you are eating slow release carbs at every meal. If I go low carb as well I'm like a sugar fiend!! Enough protein and fat.

Salad before a meal, just say lettuce and cucumber. All the chewing makes you feel you have eaten more.

Allowing like one square of chocolate after the meal. This helps me not feel deprived.

Cinnamon!! I put cinnamon on a very small ramekin of greek yoghurt. Cinnamon tricks your tastebuds.

Filling up with tea.

[SquishyBeanBag]

@PaminaMozart literally nothing of what you have said is helpful.

It was a birthday present I received in the post today.

[SquishyBeanBag]

@soupofpasta thanks. I'm going to try every one of those suggestions.

@jane46b good shout, I'm going to get some...as there's no way I'd binge drink hot chocolate but I can imagine it hits the spot. Thank you.

[PaminaMozart]

@SquishyBeanBag

@PaminaMozart literally nothing of what you have said is helpful.

It was a birthday present I received in the post today.

Edited

Fair enough.

If your inner voice isn't powerful enough, you need additional tools.

Try The Sugar Solution by Dr Mark Hyman.

But at the end of the day it is a choice you make.

[JuJuHeyHey]

@SquishyBeanBag

@JuJuHeyHey they all sound so calorific though.

Calories aren’t bad in themselves, it’s about making them work for you best. Proteins like nuts and full fat yoghurt are higher in cals but make you feel full for longer.

[CortieTat]

Get rid of sugary snacks, it’s easier to avoid candy and sweets if you don’t have them stashed at home. Especially if you have children, cookies are neither necessary, nor nutritious and kids don’t need to learn bad food habits. Make sweets a very occasional treat, not a diet staple.

[SquishyBeanBag]

But even school gives them a pudding after lunch.

I only have sweet stuff in for after their dinner.