how do you wean yourself off of eating so much sweets?? (diabetic, carbs)

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by RD5050

Regarding sweets, currently I eat several lite yogurt with fruit cups (6oz) each day, and they tend to be sweet, so maybe that will help you with your sweet cravings?

I also have a few whole grain cereals which are lightly sweetened such as Raisin Bran, so maybe something like that would be better for you than a candy bar or ice cream?

Those are loaded with sugar. You might as well eat a cupcake. Sugar is sugar, regardless of what it's in. On top of that, the raisin bran has starch carbs that will spike your insulin and make you crave sweets even more.

[RD5050]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

Those are loaded with sugar. You might as well eat a cupcake. Sugar is sugar, regardless of what it's in. On top of that, the raisin bran has starch carbs that will spike your insulin and make you crave sweets even more.

Raisin Bran and Yogurt are very good sources of nutrition. A cupcake is not. You can't compare the two.

Some foods, such as Raisin Bran, are lightly sweetened to make eating them more pleasurable.

One cup of raisin bran cereal - 43 grams total, of which seven grams are fiber, 17 grams are starch and 16 grams are sugar

A candy bar is loaded with sugar, and has no real nutritional value:

One Snickers candy bar - 63.5 total grams, of which 53 grams are sugar, two grams are fiber

Above quotes are pasted from here:

Carbohydrates in an Ecourse

I don't believe it is necessary to completely avoid sugar all together.

Just don't eat or drink any foods which are very high in sugar and have no other nutritional value.

And as far as "starchy carbs" go .... you support the Atkins "low carbs" route to health, while I believe carbs are required for energy. So my diet is more than 50% carbs which come primarily from healthy complex carbs, and not simple carbs:

Complex Carbohydrates

Complex carbohydrates should supply about half the calories in your diet; however, the best complex carbohydrates come from legumes, vegetables, breads, pasta and cereals. Choose 100% whole wheat or 100% whole grain brad cereal and pasta products over refined flour products because they contain more fiber. The extra fiber slows down the absorption of the carbohydrates so you feel full longer and be less likely to over-eat throughout the day.

[nancy thereader]

I wish I could learn to like that light yogurt (I forget the name) that is supposed to taste like Red Velvet Cake or Pumpkin Cheesecake pie, but to me it just tastes like ...... yogurt.

Candy corn, that is my weakness.....

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by mir86

I'm pretty thin, but I have a small belly I want to get rid of and love handles that gross me out. I'm pretty well aware that if I didn't eat so much sweets, I'd be rail thin as its the only thing keeping weight on me.

but my bigger concern is that diabetes runs in my family (dads side) and I don't want to wind up with that in just 10 years (I'm 25).

anyways, when I was a teenager, I definitely ate a lot more sweets than I do now and by that I mean cookies, cakes, muffins, chocolate (yumm). I figured out when I was 19 that I'm lactose intolerant so that cut out the biggest offender, ice cream and I wound up losing a little weight. Even though I don't crave sweets as much as I did when I was a teenager, I still crave it really bad, and even worse so the week before the time of the month (I can eat double what I eat the rest of the month too ). Everything else I eat is very healthy, as I LOVE veggies, with the exception of pasta sometimes. I try to eat fruit but I don't love it as much as veggies. I don't drink soda, haven't since I was 9 years old. I don't eat much red meat, I don't smoke or drink much.

So with that said, how do you weed out sweets without going into craving overdrive later on? I thought about eating sweet potatoes, squash..is that a good idea? I seem to crave sweets less when I eat those veggies. I also try not to buy/make cookies or buy chocolate. but sometimes I'll get a craving and eat it all anyways. that's all I can think of. Also, I tend to need a lot of quick food taht I can pack away and its harder to eat healthy that way too. I can make a sandwhich and I do, but I don't like bread that much so I'll have a sandwhich on whole grain bread maybe 2-3 times a week, if that.

Also, I'm a dancer in a small company (nothing serious, just for fun) so I have to have a lot of energy, especially since our practices are really late at night. coffee makes me feel sick so I avoid it as much as I can.

Have my fellow sweets lovers managed to wean themselves off? I'm not saying completely eliminate it but only eat about 1/4 of the sweets you ate before?

Apples. Keep a bag or basket of apples handy at all times and when you want something sweet, eat one.

I'm a candy addict and I had to get myself off sugar recently, too. Apples do help more than anything else.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by nancy thereader

I wish I could learn to like that light yogurt (I forget the name) that is supposed to taste like Red Velvet Cake or Pumpkin Cheesecake pie, but to me it just tastes like ...... yogurt.

Candy corn, that is my weakness.....

I hate candy corn. Hate it because I love it so much that if I buy a bag of it, I will eat it until it's all gone and I feel sick from it.

I hear you on the yogurt. That's a crock. I'll only eat yogurt that's vanilla or lemon and doesn't have that jelly-ish "fruit" added to it.

[RD5050]

Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801

I hate candy corn. Hate it because I love it so much that if I buy a bag of it, I will eat it until it's all gone and I feel sick from it.

I hear you on the yogurt. That's a crock. I'll only eat yogurt that's vanilla or lemon and doesn't have that jelly-ish "fruit" added to it.

I eat Kroger brand lite yogurt, which is found in Ralphs and Food4Less, here in California. Not sure if it is a nationwide brand?

I think their lite fruit yogurts are delicious. I typically get strawberry, mixed fruit, strawberry/banana, peach, pomegranate, blueberry, lemon and a few others, and they all taste great.

I can't speak for other brands, but if you can get the ones made by Kroger, give them a try. They are also less expensive then most of the other brands. Usually .50 each for a 6oz size.

[FalconheadWest]

I get diet 7up/sprite/sierra mist as it's caffeine free, fat free, sugar free... but it has a lemon lime taste which is sweet and that sometimes helps. I only take a sip/gulp or two and put it in the fridge. That one can might last 2-3 days.

Otherwise, if I'm craving something and don't give it to myself, I end up eating more and more to make up for it, and then grab the chocolate or ice cream in the end anyway. My doctor told me it's best to give into the craving quickly to get rid of it, and it's all about moderation.

[Chickrae]

Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801

Apples. Keep a bag or basket of apples handy at all times and when you want something sweet, eat one.

I'm a candy addict and I had to get myself off sugar recently, too. Apples do help more than anything else.

Apples are great and I sometimes dip them in low fat yogurt...that seems to satisfy my need for sweets.

[stepka]

Originally Posted by RD5050

I don't believe it is necessary to completely avoid sugar all together.

For some of us it is. Just as some people need to avoid alcohol altogether, not just moderate it, sugar is like alcohol to an alcoholic for some people. And I am one of those people so I don't wean--I just went cold turkey and it's the only way. Set a date, do some self talk during that time and then cut it out. 4 lbs gone already and it's only been a week.

[theluckygal]

I gave up on processed sweets completely by switching to (preferably organic) fruits. No fruit cups or jars or flavored yogurt. Packed food is loaded with sugar or fat or preservatives, no matter what they have you believe. Store lots of seasonal fruits at home & shop at a local farmers market for a colorful variety. I usually make a fruit salad or a smoothie with non-fat yogurt or milk. Add few drops of honey if you want.

If I get chocolate cravings I eat only dark chocolates from organic stores that have very less sugar content. Love the bitter sweet taste. For flavored drinks I usually get natural coconut water, lemon or orange zest sparkling water (0 calories & 0 sugar) from the organic store.

Reading books & articles about processed foods helped me a lot in giving them up. I dont even get any sugar or fat or carbs craving anymore because I am convinced they are bad for me. I forcibly eat them only when I have no other choice, like when I am traveling.
Watch this documentary: Food,Inc. It helped me a lot.

I understand it could be difficult packing your meals from home & there is no healthy choice in any fast food places. It needs some planning ahead to create healthy meals.