Craving for sweet things after meals - how can I stop?

[SuperSoph73]

Basically what it says. I'm currently trying a low carb diet and it seems to be going really well, albeit slowly but I'm not a great dieter. However, I have always craved sweets, chocolate, ice-cream, etc after I've had my lunch/dinner. Have any of you got any tips as to how I can stop this happening & ways I can stop giving in?

Thanks.

Bump

Try things that are sweet, but not laden with calories. Frozen grapes are tasty & like cold sweeties, frozen yogurt (a bit!) like ice-cream, Highlight hot chocolate (35 calories per cup) instead of a chocolate bar, sweet fruits like melon/mango/strawberries/ etc. I find a lot of my eating is bound up with emotional things, esp. boredom - when you crave something sweet, maybe try doing something else to take your mind off for 10 mins or so, & then see if you're still dreaming of a whole chocolate orange! Good luck!

i'm trying to watch calories so i try alternatives like:

sweet rice cakes.

peanut butter/honey/no added sugar jam thinly spread on rivita type thing.

if i really really cant resist choc, i walk to the shop and buy a small choc (like choc buttons).
and eat them slowly, if i eat them too fast, then they're finished in a flash and i crave more. sounds stupid, but its working for me.

if i banned sweet things completely, i think i would crave them all the time. so i let myself have really little bits every couple of days.

sometimes its just sheer will power not to eat sweet stuff, because i really really really want to loose the weight.

have i even answered the question?

I have absolutely the same problem - I can be doing really well, but as soon as I have had a meal THEN I want the puddingy sweet thing, whether it's something creamy and stodgy, or (preferably) s0omething chocolately!!

FWIW, very high percentage cocoa plain chocolate, such as green and blacks, has relatively fewer calories. My preferred choc is Galaxy (I love the creamy sweet soapy taste/texture) but if you can retrain your taste buds to like the plain chocolate and try and savour say just 4 squares, that is fine I think. It's also supposed to be low G.I.

Alpro soya drink, chocolate flavour, tastes nice and is high in protein. I wouldn't find it satisfying as a pudding, but it sometimes helps when I have my 4pm chocolate urge!

Brush your teeth straight away after eating - works for me if I can remember/discipline myself to do it

Thanks for that. Will give these a go. Good luck to all of us

Vanilla tea (add milk) also works as the vanilla has a pudding-type fragrance.

hi i have the same problem and swear by skinny cow hot chocolate or ice cream(if i'm desperate).I also like the ww chocolate top deserts for a treat.i Try to just keep busy or recently have tried a bit of exercise after meals and the craving passes after about an hour well most times lol!
good luck claude x

Have you tried sugar free jelly? It comes in 2-sachet packs, and if you make up the two it makes 2 pints of jelly and is about 70 calories. (I use the Hartleys brand. Tried Weight Watchers make and find them vile.)70 calories, even on top of your daily allowance is not going to do too much damage.I have it for breakfast, with a small tin of mandarins in juice set in it. It really fills you up, and has the added benefit that it's another 2 pints of water in you! Try these variations: when making the strawberry or raspberry flavours, instead of making up the jelly with cold water once it has dissolved, use sugar free cream soda(most shops do own brand for about 50p) or make up the lime jelly with diet lemonae. you can detect a slight 'fizz' once it has set, but it can satisfy sweet cravings. Also try whipping a ww yoghurt (50 cals) into the jelly once cool. You may need to whisk a couple of times during setting to avoid separation. It's like creamy blancmange. Try freezing it too - whisk halfway during freezing. Great alternative to ice cream.
Good luck everyone, and remember - there is no such thing as a failure - only people who fail to try again when they fall...

Chewing gum?

Try not to eat anything else for 30 mins after your lunch / dinner. It's quite likely that in 30 mins the craving will have gone away (something to do with it taking that long for the message to get from your stomach to your brain that you're full).

A small glass of really cold milk seems to be doing the trick for me at the moment

I think the reason I often want something sweet after a meal is to "clean" my mouth of the savoury taste from the main meal, IYSWIM.

I find drinking water or tea has the same "cleaning" effect and I don't need the sweet stuff.

Muller Lights are a good way to satisfy a sweet craving. They have a vanilla one with a sprinkling of chocolate that is really yummy.

How about cleaning your teeth straight after eating? That normally stops any craving I have.

I used to do Atkins and would make up a sachet of sugar free jelly each day and have that when I needed something sweet - advise against the lemon/lime one though, think lemsip!

Another thing to try with the jelly - instead of making up with cold water, use cooled tea made from those speciality teabags; ginger etc

I second Muller Lights, but I'd go for the fruit ones; strawberry is my fave.

Fruit salad is also a winner, and taking the time to chop up the fruit also helps dull the cravings I find.

M&S do sugar-free butterscotch that taste just like the real thing and just one of them gives me the 'sweet hit'

emmanana, love the jelly / tea idea.

the supplement Chromium is meant to help reduce Sweet cravings

I agree with beanlet, a fruit salad would be a good choice and like others have suggested, a low fat yoghurt might also work for you. Are still feeling hungry after your dinner or is it just a general craving for something sweet afterwards? Maybe if you added a sweet element to your dinner via a sauce or relish that might help too.

Amy

1 x meringue nest = 50kcal

100g sliced strawberries = 28kcal

30g(masses!) Anchor half fat squirty cream = 14kcal

pile it all up beautifully = 92kcal

or bash it all together with a shape zero strawberry yoghurt 71kcal for a big bowl of creamy eton mess style goo = 163kcal

woops only just read op - obviously my suggestions only work for low cal not low carb (sorry!)

You can make it low carb friendly by making your own meringues with splenda though TT