!!!!MUST HAVE SOMETHING SWEET..NOW!!!!! any "safe" suggestions?

[speedygt03]

Tonight I was craving something sweet so so so bad, but didnt know what was ok to eat. I dont need anything huge, just something that I can take a bite of. Usually, when im done eating dinner I finished it off with something sweet, but now......I cant. Is there anything, that anyone else out here, does to help the cravings? I drank tons and tons of water thinking it would go away but it didnt. so......................I did something bad. (and gross) I ended up eating more than half the package of my swiss cheese! its like 8oz total so i bet I ate like 6 of them ounces! No im stuffed and feel nasty, is there anything that is quick to make? or something that I could keep on hand in the fridge for a while or something............................anything!!! i was a huge choco-holic, so im suprised i went this long without any cravings! thanks in advance.

[Brook]

Re: !!!!MUST HAVE SOMETHING SWEET..NOW!!!!! any "safe" suggestions?

These are the moments that are going to make or break you, speedy. You're not hungry, so you have to decide if it's really important to EAT.

Feeding cravings doesn't make them go away, it perpetuates them and the mind set that it's okay to give in once in awhile. Isn't that the sort of thought process that got most of us in trouble in the first place??!! I know it was for me!

Repeat after me: "Food is fuel for the body, not a salve for the soul."

I'm sure someone will be along to give you ideas and tell you what you want to hear, but really, it's like the quote in my siggy says, "You have to stop trading what you want most for what you want at the moment."

If you're hungry, grab some protein and a bit of fat and feed the hunger - but don't take orders from an M&M!!

I have faith in ya!
~Brook

[Desertthorn]

Re: !!!!MUST HAVE SOMETHING SWEET..NOW!!!!! any "safe" suggestions?

I agree with Brook, the most important thing that we HAVE to learn ( and I am not sure Ive learned it yet) is to control that craving monster. You can do this!!

[gonnabthinin2006]

Re: !!!!MUST HAVE SOMETHING SWEET..NOW!!!!! any "safe" suggestions?

surgar free jello with whip cream! thats what i use when the sweet tooth is too much for me.

[Moochiecat]

Re: !!!!MUST HAVE SOMETHING SWEET..NOW!!!!! any "safe" suggestions?

I agree with Brook and Desertthorn: This is the time for you to wrestle with that sugar monkey that is riding your back and beat him! If a food item is making you crazy like this, don't you think the best thing to do would be to deal with that need so that you don't feel this way anymore?

I speak from pure experience here. There were many a cranky difficult evening here as I was wrestling with cravings for my 'treats'. I fed my cravings, but I didn't give them what they wanted - I gave them protein/fat combo snacks instead of giving them splenda-sweetened items.
I wanted to teach my body and my brain that if I was truly hungry, I'd get fed, but I wasn't going to feed the sugar monster anymore.
I went through a period of mourning for my 'treats', and quite honestly it took me a very long time to get through this. I found myself always trying to justify having the sugar-free jello, or mulling over buying sugar-free chocolate bars. I ended up waiting about 3 months before I let myself have anything treatlike....and when I did, I was very strict on portion control, and I was constantly monitoring whether something triggered even more cravings, which can be the case even with artificial sweeteners.
Give this a read:
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ead.php?t=5922


Other than the almost 50 pounds that I've lost, getting rid of those crazy cravings was one of the best parts about Atkins. Sometimes I get nostalgic for the things I see in the bakery section of the store, but honestly, when I think in terms of nutrition, they all look so empty and devoid of anything good for me, and the feeling quickly passes.
They aren't worth it.

BTW, sugar free jell-o contains aspartame, which we are told to avoid, as it causes stalls in some folks, and it's just basically bad for us.

[Yoly1001]

Re: !!!!MUST HAVE SOMETHING SWEET..NOW!!!!! any "safe" suggestions?

Other than the almost 50 pounds that I've lost, getting rid of those crazy cravings was one of the best parts about Atkins. Sometimes I get nostalgic for the things I see in the bakery section of the store, but honestly, when I think in terms of nutrition, they all look so empty and devoid of anything good for me, and the feeling quickly passes.
They aren't worth it.

I couldn't agree more with this statement. It's crazy how before atkins I had not clue what an empty calorie even was. Now every single piece of food I put in my mouth is carefully considered. That is one fo the best gifts atkins has given me, it has openned my eyes so that I can make the right nutritional choices for myself and for my family,

I understand how difficult it is to overcome those cravings, especially when you have kind of a set ritual. After dinner you used to get somethign sweet, so come up with a new routine; maybe now instead drink a cup of decaf coffee with heavy whipping cream w/o spenda. It may not be fun at first but it will definatly be worth it. Teach your body this and eventually you won't even miss that stuff, I know I don't.

I know it's hard to get through these difficult times but I know you have what it takes to get through this.

[Desertthorn]

Re: !!!!MUST HAVE SOMETHING SWEET..NOW!!!!! any "safe" suggestions?

PS.sometimes sour pickles help. LOL

[AllenCltNC]

Re: !!!!MUST HAVE SOMETHING SWEET..NOW!!!!! any "safe" suggestions?


This is a Little off topic but the same idea.

This is my 2nd time on Atkins (Day 1 actually). For some reason I am constantly hungry!! Its not a craving for sugar, its just a craving for food period. Below is the List of what I have eaten so far today.

2 Ceaser Salads (1 Cup lettuce, 1 Oz Shredded Cheddar, 2 Tbsp 0 Carb Dressing)
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, Grilled
4 Grilled Broccoli Spears with Olive Oil
2 Boneless, thick cut, Pork Chops, Grilled
4 8oz Glasses Water
1 8oz Splenda Sweetened Orange Soda

I can feel my stomach telling me its full (Well over full actually!) But for some reason I am craving everything. This same thing happened the last time I was on atkins, thats kind of what I stopped after 2 weeks & 17 pounds later. I just couldn't take the cravings. Any help would be gladly apreciated!!

[Moochiecat]

Re: !!!!MUST HAVE SOMETHING SWEET..NOW!!!!! any "safe" suggestions?

When I first started Atkins I had the 'hungries' all the time. I eventually figured out that it was more of an emotional hunger and I think it had to do with the fact that I was on a *diet* and somehow thought I was going to be deprived. I had to learn how to stop eating when I felt full by telling myself that if I was hungry later, I was allowed to eat again. (I'm a big fan of the five or six small meals through the day)

Back to the subject of wanting something sweet....another thing I told myself was that in time I'd be able to have something sweet, but not until I was ready and felt I could handle it. I kept thinking about things like the berry rung, and the dairy rung, when I could flavour yogurt with sf syrups as a treat. I kept my eyes open for Induction/OWL legal treats I could make at home and squirrelled the recipes away for a time when I could use them.

Interestingly enough, now that I'm at these rungs and I can have these things, I can have a fridge full of them, and actually forget that they're there, no lie!
Pre-Atkins I would just be dying inside to get home to have that piece of cake or chocolate bar I had tucked away, and now (even though I totally love the fruit and legal treats I make) it's not like a fire burning in me to gobble them down.

And I tell you, if I can conquer this sugar demon, anybody can.

[speedygt03]

Re: !!!!MUST HAVE SOMETHING SWEET..NOW!!!!! any "safe" suggestions?

Thanks everyone for the responses. It's just another thing thats got to be worked on with me. I just really didn't want to mess up big time and eat a pizza or something, just b\c I was craving something sweet. I usually have deviled eggs on back-up, but I already ate them all! So that would have helped, So I better get peeling.......

Thanks again everyone!

[burtonator]

Re: !!!!MUST HAVE SOMETHING SWEET..NOW!!!!! any "safe" suggestions?

Forget having something sweet! Have something with a high fat content. I usually use mayo. I'll take a 1/4 porkchop and add mayo. My craving will die almost right away.

Are you getting enough fat? I find that I never have cravings. The only time was last week when my gf who's on southbeach KEPT talking about sweets.

Also.. try having some tea...

[speedygt03]

Re: !!!!MUST HAVE SOMETHING SWEET..NOW!!!!! any "safe" suggestions?

Is tea with some splenda, ok? B\c that would work.

[sadie147]

Re: !!!!MUST HAVE SOMETHING SWEET..NOW!!!!! any "safe" suggestions?

This is a Little off topic but the same idea.

This is my 2nd time on Atkins (Day 1 actually). For some reason I am constantly hungry!! Its not a craving for sugar, its just a craving for food period. Below is the List of what I have eaten so far today.

2 Ceaser Salads (1 Cup lettuce, 1 Oz Shredded Cheddar, 2 Tbsp 0 Carb Dressing)
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, Grilled
4 Grilled Broccoli Spears with Olive Oil
2 Boneless, thick cut, Pork Chops, Grilled
4 8oz Glasses Water
1 8oz Splenda Sweetened Orange Soda

I can feel my stomach telling me its full (Well over full actually!) But for some reason I am craving everything. This same thing happened the last time I was on atkins, thats kind of what I stopped after 2 weeks & 17 pounds later. I just couldn't take the cravings. Any help would be gladly apreciated!!

I'd maybe try adding more fat...why not leave the skin on the chicken breasts? mayo, butter, etc all will add fat to your diet. Fat satiates you when you are hungry. it does work. maybe make some egg salad or devilled eggs with mayo? other than the olive oil there doesnt appear to be much fat here...

[texwife&mom]

Re: !!!!MUST HAVE SOMETHING SWEET..NOW!!!!! any "safe" suggestions?

I have coffee or tea with splenda and cream.

[Finelly]

Re: !!!!MUST HAVE SOMETHING SWEET..NOW!!!!! any "safe" suggestions?

I'm going to slightly disagree with people, and I'm basing it on articles I have read written by Dr. Atkins before he died. Yes, it is important to give up our addiction to sugar. But no, we do not have to avoid sweet things when we crave them.

It is perfectly acceptable to have an after-dinner sweet treat, as long as it is small and made with splenda. You may have to give up any sodas in order to do it, though, as your splenda allowance is small.

I have not had a single bite of sugar in 7 weeks and 3 days. It's safe to say that I have now gotten my body to the point where it neither "needs" it nor wants it. The THOUGHT of sugar bothers me. THe memory of how it gave me a short-lived high and then a lot of tiredness bothers me.

But I have splenda. Every night I have something with splenda in it. I like the taste of it, and it doesn't stall me and it doesn't make me crave more sweet things, so by experience, I know it is ok.

There are a few things to think about:

1. When you have a craving for sugar, or any other carb, the key is to immediately eat something high in fat. This will immediately reduce or eliminate the craving to eat something bad. One thing I have discovered is that my body literally was misinterpreting things. When I wanted potato chips, I used to think it was because of the salt. Turns out, it was the FAT I wanted. My mind thought that "fat" equalled salt and sweet things, when in fact, all I needed to do was grab a piece of cheese or some cream cheese or throw a dash of cream into something.

2. Try to make your splenda treat at the end of the day. This helps you if the craving for sweets comes earlier. You can stand in front of Baskin Robbins and think "ok, yeah, but I have cheesecake waiting at home tonight, so missing out on this isn't bad."

So what to eat? Sugar freejello mixed with whipped cream is good and quick and easy to have around. You can blend equal amounts of sour cream and cream cheese with a little vanilla and splenda to make a pudding that tastes exactly like cheesecake. You can make panna cotta, which is essentially heavy cream and plain gelatin with sweetener and is lovely and refreshing. You can take some raspberry diet rite soda, chill it until slushy, then add some heavy cream and it will be amazing.

The atkins.com website has some fabulous dessert recipes that are safe for induction. There's a panna cotta recipe, a mocha slushie recipe, and several custard recipes that are to die for!

Just remember to limit your portions. Don't eat an entire mixing bowl of anything. Keep track of it all on fitday.com.

This is not about depriving yourself of taste. It's about depriving your body of the sugar and carbs that cause you to be fat and unhealthy. Learning to deal with the desire for sweets is a matter of knowing your body.

I personally feel that by allowing myself a sweet treat every day (and I did it last time around, too, when I also lost a ton of weight and inches), I am far less vulnerable to the sugars that will start to come back into my diet when I start OWL (fruit) and when I go to maintenence.