how do you wean yourself off of eating so much sweets?? (veggies, smoothie)
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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?
I get cravings every month too. Here's what I've found helpful:
I don't -store- anything in the house that I would normally eat when I have cravings.
That means, I don't buy chocolate, cookies, cake, ice cream, or pastries, any other time of the month. I only buy enough of whatever I'm craving for a single serving. So - if I'm craving something, I have to get dressed, leave the house, go to the supermarket, and buy the single-serve sized mini-cheesecake (it's around the size of half a restaurant slice, but it's a whole round cake).
If I crave chocolate the next day, I have to go to the supermarket, and buy a single butterfinger bar, or whatever other single piece of chocolate I need. Or, a single cupcake. If I absolutely positively must have salt, I go to the supermarket, and buy a single serving bag of Ruffles from the deli section.
In this way, I satisfy my craving, but am not able to binge even if I wanted to, because the food simply doesn't exist in my house.
I say "I am not going to buy/I don't need to eat that rubbish" and then follow it through. As a result I am slim and don't have to "watch my weight" etc...... Simple.
Don't wean. Go cold turkey. It's easier on your head and your body. If sweet potatoes and squash and other (very) complex carbs satisfy you, by all means eat them. If you need energy late in the day, eat high quality proteins throughout the day to keep up your stamina.
Don't wean. Go cold turkey. It's easier on your head and your body. If sweet potatoes and squash and other (very) complex carbs satisfy you, by all means eat them. If you need energy late in the day, eat high quality proteins throughout the day to keep up your stamina.
ya I'll do the veggie thing. the only thing I can think of for protein throughout the day is a nutrition bar for breakfast, maybe something with eggs for lunch and sandwhiches with lean lunch meats. is that what you do? Also, I've tried going cold turkey..I just wind up going nuts later on sweets. I need a better solution than that.
Dump the nutrition bar. They are just fillers and no substitute for real food. They are great in a pinch, but you can do much better for an actual meal.
I sometimes make peanut butter smoothie that takes less than 3 minutes to make.
Peanut butter, plain non fat yogurt, skinny soy milk, 1/2 banana. I am energized and full.
Dump the nutrition bar. They are just fillers and no substitute for real food. They are great in a pinch, but you can do much better for an actual meal.
I sometimes make peanut butter smoothie that takes less than 3 minutes to make.
Peanut butter, plain non fat yogurt, skinny soy milk, 1/2 banana. I am energized and full.
I know nutrition bars aren't that great. I only eat them when I really have no time and if my appetite is lacking really bad, that way I at least eat something. The smoothie sounds amazing. I just can't have yogurt, lactose intolerant . what do you do in place of it?
I know nutrition bars aren't that great. I only eat them when I really have no time and if my appetite is lacking really bad, that way I at least eat something. The smoothie sounds amazing. I just can't have yogurt, lactose intolerant . what do you do in place of it?
Re smoothie: just use a little more banana for texture. Or you can get a soy yogurt substitute. Although, yogurt (and fermented dairy) tend to not have much lactose.
BTW have you tried almond milk? It has a great texture, and the sugar free ones taste sweet and creamy and 1 cup only has 40 calories.
My favorite nutrition bar is a Lara Bar. You can get them at health food stores and Target. The have dried fruit, spices and nuts. Nothing else. Very good, filling and healthy. They are also really sweet since the base is typically dates, so they will kill your sugar craving. I'll have one for breakfast or half for a snack.
I know nutrition bars aren't that great. I only eat them when I really have no time and if my appetite is lacking really bad, that way I at least eat something. The smoothie sounds amazing. I just can't have yogurt, lactose intolerant . what do you do in place of it?
Back in my 20's, I was diagnosed as being lactose intolerant.
I used to get severe diarrhea and extreme cramps every time I ate things like American cheese and ice cream, and it would last for 3 - 4 hours.
So for a few years, I avoided eating or drinking most dairy foods.
Then several years later, I discovered I could drink fat free (skim) milk, and my body had no issues with it at all.
Next, I started experimenting with other fat free dairy foods, and found I could digest them as well. So you might want to give fat free dairy products a try, and see if it works for you?
I also switched from eating American and Swiss cheese, to eating only provolone cheese, and that seemed to also help with my lactose intolerance. However, at this time I no longer eat any cheese (except fat-free cottage cheese), since I try to avoid all foods that are high in saturated fat.
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?
Fruit is probably your best bet for your sweet cravings, since it is both sweet and healthy.
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). 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. 
. what do you do in place of it?
