I know a lot of people are trying to do the same, so I thought I would share some tips on how to cut back on sugar that I have discovered along the way. I’m not eliminating sugar from my diet (I still love desserts) I’m just trying to enjoy my sweets in moderation more so than I did while preggo.
1. Eat fruit first –When a craving hits me I don’t try to tell myself ‘no’. I’ve found that when I do that I’m miserable all day, and I usually end up caving after a few hours anyway. Instead I tell myself I can only eat (whatever I’m craving) AFTER I eat a piece of fruit. The sneaky thing is, most of the time the sweetness of the fruit kills the craving, I will still want a cookie but I won’t be craving it, so I can much more easily resist!
2. Drink water – I have also been craving sodas lately. I force myself to chug a full glass of water then I won’t want the soda, so I make myself do that first. Drinking water before eating a sugary snack can also make you feel more full, and may take away the desire for the naughty food too.
3. Control what you buy – If it is not in the house, you can’t eat it, so remember to use self control when shopping! For me, it’s all about moderation so I allow one dessert purchase per shopping trip, and I don’t allow myself to buy anything else until the first thing is gone. I usually choose to buy ice cream, so if I get that, then I won’t bake cookies or buy any other sugary snacks for the house.
4. Buy small containers of ‘bad stuff’ – I’ve found that I eat much less if the container is small, because I don’t want to run out! When I buy a big container I just eat, and eat and eat! If you bake cookies, immediately freeze most of them so you aren’t tempted to over do it.
5. Make a plan – Figure out what your weak areas are so that you can prepare against them! If you are weak at the grocery store, give yourself a mental pep talk before going in! If you have trouble stopping for a fast food dessert on the way home from work, make phone calls in the car so that you can’t stop and order food. Create a realistic game-plan and stick with it!
When you are dealing with sugar or something else that you love, you can’t expect yourself to just magically change and not want it anymore. It’s a process, so it’s very helpful to find ways of outsmarting the cravings! These five things are working for me!
Are you trying to cut back on sugar or another type of food? What works for you?
Mary @ Woman to Woman says
Thanks so much for this post…great ideas! I seriously try to limit what comes into the house. It works well because my sweet-craving usually makes its appearance in the evening when I’m too tired to go back out to the store. I’ve trained myself to think of organic carrots and raw almonds as treats. (It’s amazing what we can fool ourselves into believing!)
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Mary ~ says
Great tips on curving sugar cravings, I just pinned your post! Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi I'm Shannon! says
That fruit trick sounds great!!
Flourchild says
I brush my teeth when my sweet tooth kicks in..it helps!
Lisa Lewis Koster says
Thanks for the great tips. I’ve heard that sugar is more addictive than cocaine…it wouldn’t suprise me. Unfortunately I love sugar WAY too much!
Gail @ http://biblelovenotes.com says
I’ve been dieting lately and find I’m also craving sweets. Thanks for these tips. Bless you.
Mara says
These are great tips and they do work if you stick with them. I’ve noticed that the more water I drink, I don’t crave sweet juices and sodas.
~ Visiting from EOA link-up ~
A Proverbs 31 Wife says
Excellent tips! The water thing works the best for me. Or I will make a huge thing of green tea slightly sweetened with raw honey. It’s healthy and sweet :)
We’re neighbors today at Denise in Bloom
Shell says
I try not to have too much of it in the house. If it’s here, I’ll eat it!
Stephani GenerousSavings says
Thank you so much for this post. I am so addicted to sugar and I need to get rid of it. I just asked my son to get me some water, after reading your suggestions!
Jacqueline@ Deeprootsathome.com says
I like the fruit first idea, and also you can try taking a spoonful of coconut oil before or with every meal. For many people that nutrient-dense food seems to quell lots of cravings. We use raw cheese in the same way. Both are ‘good’ fats!
Jennifer T says
Brushing my teeth– especially after dinner!– almost always takes care of my sweet cravings. Then I allow myself a cup of herbal tea to help fool my tummy into thinking it’s full before bedtime. :)
Faith @ Artistic Hands of Faith says
These are great tips!! I love it. :-) I just recently decided to start cutting out sugar from my diet completely (I’d been slowly eating less and less). Thanks for sharing.
Stephanie says
These are such great tips! Right now I’m doing a 21 day no junk food challenge, but after I’m done with that I will have to remember some of these :)
Laura @ Cookiecrumbs and Sawdust.blogspot.com says
I LOVE to bake, goodies mostly, so I have to have a plan for them. If they’re cookies, I freeze like you recommended. Plus then we have them later for packed lunches and picnics. For other treats, I make a list of people to share with. Or I make things when I know I have an event that will require a dish.
Thanks for sharing,
Laura
Sally says
Great tips! I’ve also found that if I brush my teeth when I crave sugar, it helps the craving go away. Not sure why, but it works!
Jeni says
Great ideas! Keeping the junk out of the house is the best thing but hardest thing to do!
Summer Nicole says
Great advice! And I love that it is just five simple things to help with sugar cravings instead of 805 things you must do and buy to kick the sugar habit. I want to raise my little ones to have a healthy mindset without being fitness-focused. These ideas fit in nicely with that desire, thanks!
Elisabeth says
I love this post! I am SO lucky that this pregnancy I seem to not be having any sugar cravings… but these are all the same things I do to help keep my kids sugar free… in fact, the hard part I have is keeping enough fresh fruit in the house for six big fruit lovers!
Recently FINALLY got the hubby to switch from his diet soda addiction to drinking water with Mio in it. Perfect? No. Much better? Oh, yeah!
Amy @ {Life to the Full} says
I’m definitely with you on this one! I just wrote a post about my goal to “quit sugar”, in moderation of course. I’m okay with a home-baked treat now and then!
Great tips. And the plus side is that the longer you cut back on sugar, the easier it is to resist it! The cravings seem to fade a bit.
Selena says
I am with you on sweets–I love them! But I usually try to do as you said and limit what I bring into the house (especially since my mom is diabetic and I take after her). The fruit and water tricks are great ones, and I will definitely pray for strength to drink water the next time I’m craving a Wild Cherry Pepsi I(the only soda I like)!
One thing that works great for me when I want sweets, or I want something and I can’t pinpoint it, is to eat some dates. I buy the whole, pitted kind that are not sweetened. They are sweet enough (just barely), but have a great texture, plus they are filling. About 4-5 of these, and I’m usually good to go.
Thanks for the tips!
Bethany says
Really great tips! The grocery store that I shop at has lots of bulk items, and lots of sugary things in bulk. If I go and decided to buy a treat, I can literally buy myself 5 peach rings. It beats eating the entire package by myself!
Kerry says
I honestly think sugar cravings are the worst! It is hard to satisfy them with anything but something sweet. I have been slowing decreasing my sugar intake and doing it slowly has seemed to help me stick with it more.
Thank you so much for sharing on A Humble Bumble’s Healthy Tuesday’s Blog Hop!
Kerry from Country Living On A Hill
A @ A Conquered Mess says
Definitely needed this.. I’ve been eating too much junk lately!
Becca says
Great tips. Please stop by my Friday’s Five Features and link up this post (and others)! http://diy-vintage-chic.blogspot.com/2013/08/fridays-five-features-no-3.html
Jann Olson says
Really great tips Paula. I swear that sometimes the first tooth that I cut as a baby was a sweet tooth! lol! Hubby and I have been trying to control our cravings and eat less sugar also. I, like you can NOT totally cut out sugar or I crave it more. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Danielle says
Wonderful tips, Paula! =) Thanks for linking up with us at the Pinterest Power Party!
Danielle
SewMuchCrafting.com
Kathy Penney @ Sparkles And A Stove says
These are great tips and ones our family is looking for! I agree moderation and teaching kids to manage sweets responsibly will serve them as they get older to make better choices. Thanks for sharing at All Things Pretty!
Barbara Rosenzweig Artist says
Great ideas! I had better start putting them into practice!!
Theresa @DearCreatives says
Great tips. We try to have treats once a week. We call it Friday Fun Night. & only pick out one small treat. Thanks for sharing @DearCreatives party! I hope to see you again this week!! & thanks for the note on FB I just saw it btw. I need to be better about my FB page. I’m hopping over to yours now. ;) Theresa
Dawnelle says
These are way better than my methods! I went for portion control when i was prego. I bought the butte size candy bars so i could tell myself i had one even though they were small. I also bought the single serve Sunday cone or icecream sandwiches so i couldn’t eat a whole carton of ice cream
Katie says
I make healthy alternatives. Use natural sweeteners such as dates and date syrup instead of sugar. Stew some apples with cinnamon and top with flaxmeal to emulate an apple crumble. Eat a piece of dark chocolate or use natural unsweetened cocoa. Natural sugars are healthier, however I still like to limit them.
Alessandra Ferguson says
Great tips. I craved sweets like a mad person with my baby girl. And even now nursing I crave chocolate like crazy…and I wonder why I still have ten pounds to drop (although I do hear that’s normal with the second baby). But anyways…I need to do some of this! I have been telling myself the same tip about fruit.
FLM says
I find that buying 1-2 individual pieces of candy (remember penny candy?) instead of a whole candy bar does the trick to control cravings. It’s worth the effort to find a store that sells them.