I have a problem of sweet tooth.. any solution?
@wfhchristiner (352)
Canada
October 20, 2012 7:48pm CST
I've heard and read so many times that we have to eat more frequent in smaller portion to loose weight. Eating more frequent will stabilize our glucose level. Eat 5 times a day (3 times + 2 snack times in between). The problem with snack times: I have sweet tooth. I love chocolate! Those chocolate bars are so tempting. I've tried to eat healthy, but blow it up with a chocolate bar. Three o'clock in the afternoon is my craving time of the day. Now, this time of year is the worst, with all these small size halloween chocolate bars. They are everywhere in the office! I try to eat carrots, apples, bananas, yogurt, but my sweet craving is still there. Do you have the same problem? What's your solution?
4 responses
@wfhchristiner (352)
• Canada
4 Nov 12
I try to limit it to 1 small size (like the Halloween size) a day. If I have the big bar, then I break it into 2 pieces. I also try to eat protein bars, instead of regular chocolate bar. Protein bar, we still have to watch it too. Many protein bars contains high sugar and fat. Also, it is difficult to find a good taste protein bar. The taste of protein bar still can't compete with regular chocolate bar though.
@aireanna18 (1914)
• United States
21 Oct 12
Well, first of all my advice would be to cut down on the chocolate that you purchase at the grocery store. When it comes to wanting to eat healthier, it starts with the food that you purchase. Truthfully, I have cut out a lot of the junk food eating just by not going down the snack aisle. This has helped a lot. The funny thing is that even when I am going to purchase snacks for the classroom, I have to make a special point to put it on the grocery list because I generally skip this aisle in the supermarket.
Don't get me wrong, I still will pick up desert items when I am craving something sweet, but I will limit it to buying at the most 1 - 2 desert items for the week. Believe me, I do have my favorites like cake, brownies, and ice cream; however, I do try to cut down the amount that I purchase.
One trick that I have tried that helps some is that I will tell myself that I am not going to purchase the item if I cannot find some nutritious value in the item. This works sometimes. It does at least help you to look at the labels and be more conscious of what you are eating. Sometimes, I will look at the label, and realize that it has no nutritional value, and put it back. Other times, well I am craving sweets so I will buy 1 -2 favorite deserts for the week. I make that my limit.
The limit does help because I know when it gone, that is it. I bought desert items yesterday at the store. They are in the fridge but I have not opened them yet. Another good trick sometimes is to opt for a desert that you have to make. If I buy the box of Brownie mix when I am craving chocolate, while I know that it is going to take a little effort on my part to actually make them. This also helps some because it is less available than the chocolate candy bar that you just have to unwrap and eat.
Honestly, I do not think that it is possible to remove all sweets from your diet. If we look at the food pyramid we would find that it lists to eat sweets sparingly. That means it is okay to have some sweets in our diet, so we just need to make conscious choices to limit the portion of those sweets in our diet.
Chocolate does have some good qualities. I hae done research that it is a good brain food. It also does have some iron in it. Truthfully, it can be a good snack choice. I try to get chocolate with nuts in it, so I am also getting some of the nutrients of nuts. Generally if I make brownies, I will load them up with plenty of nuts that have good omega-3s in them. Another idea, go to Sprouts they have tons of fruit and nuts coated with chocolate. Then, you may feel like at least your sweet chocolate choices are a little bit more nutritious. I do find that when it is more nutrients in the sweet choices you tend to get satisfied more. It is like rather than in 30 minutes you have the sugar crash, the protein that you ate with the chocolate helps to balance out your sugar levels, and keeps you from feeling hungry quite so quickly. Just have a limit to what you will buy at the store and you will see that your portions decrease.
My biggest issue with candy bars is that if I go some where like a training and they have chocolate out on the tables. It is like I get bored or hungry, and I will grab a piece of chocolate.
@wfhchristiner (352)
• Canada
21 Oct 12
Thanks Airenna. You are absolutely correct. The limits, I will try to track down my sweet crash for the week then, setting limit like you mentioned. Maybe make some kind of schedule, sweets for weekend only. I tried to skip the brownies, muffin, cakes, cookies, etc. I don't buy those things anymore. My biggest problem is around the office. Chocolates are everywhere (they are free!)
I tried to walk and strech every now and then in the office, just to get around not sitting all day long. So when I walked around, I will see all these chocolates, snacks in the office. It is really tempting.
I tried to look for the dark chocolate ones, but not many.
It is so true that portion control is the key. Eliminating sweets totally from our diet will be difficult, so be cautious of the portion. Thanks for your input!
@aireanna18 (1914)
• United States
21 Oct 12
Maybe you could talk to your colleagues at work try to get them to support a healthier eating habits too at the workplace. I know that I have worked at place where they did challenges for losing weight, a SWAT wellness program that included earning points for exercising and eating healthy. Lots of employers like these type of suggestions in the workplace because it means healthier employees, less sick days, and higher productivity. You may be able to get something like this started at your workplace after all we all want to eat healthier and lose a few pounds if possible. Then, your may at least find that the amount of junk food in the office decreases so that you are not eating so much junk food at work. I mean it is like the difference between the boss bringing in doughnuts or bagels or rather than muffins fresh fruit. Something along these lines.
@GemmaR (8517)
•
21 Oct 12
I have had to lost a lot of weight over the past couple of years, and I used to eat a lot of chocolate and things like that as well so I have really had to change the way that I am eating. One of the things that you should do is to make sure that you are allowing yourself at least one snack per day. This means that you will know that you can have some of the foods that you like, and there is no point in denying them to yourself completely because this means that you will only rebel and end up eating them in larger portions than you would have done before.
@wfhchristiner (352)
• Canada
21 Oct 12
Absolutely true. This happens to me as well. Try to keep it out completely, at the end I end up with eating them in big portion just to satisfy the craving. Treats little once or twice is good. Keeps it out from my mind. Sometimes this is a matter of mentality. The hunger is not there, just the mentality that drives you to blow it out. Small treats keep the mind away. I just don't like to keep the treats every day. I have try to switch it with protein or granola bar, instead of chocolate bar. I read the labels too, some protein or granola bars are full of sugar. The ones that have honey, fruits, caramel, have more sugars than the others.
@wfhchristiner (352)
• Canada
21 Oct 12
I am not familiarwith the southbeach diet. Is it the same as dr Atkins? the calorie diet?
