Can the sugar craving be beaten? Should I try?

It ocurred to me that every culture I'm familiar with has some sort of sweet dish eaten after an evening meal. This leads me to believe that the body's craving of sugar after a meal is universal.

Right now I'm trying to concentrate on work, but I'm having the hardest time because I'm craving sweet so badly that I'm fidgety and slightly woozy.

I actually just walked two blocks to my neighborhood grocery store, hoping that they were offering samples of cookies in the bakery section as they sometimes do. They weren't.

The question is, can I beat this sugar craving by staunchly ignoring it for a few weeks? I realize that I'm getting plenty of 'sugars' in a lot of the foods I'm already eating. But I'm talking about the craving for a cookie, or a brownie, cupcake, baklava...Now my stomach is churning.

Has anyone out there been stoic enough to resist the dessert impulse long enough to have it disappear like a beaten addiction? Or should I be giving in to this craving a little and having some yogurt with honey or crisp bread with jam?

Is this a real need that my digestive system has, or is it something that I can, and should, fight against?

(I'm 1100 calories into a 1500 - 1600 calorie day).

ha if i had 400 calories left, i'd dig into a brownie with icing or a bowl of fat-free ice cream with chocolate syrup. sorry, i'm sure i haven't helped at all

It depends. Some people are able to ignore their cravings better than others. In my experience, ignoring cravings can either lead to less of them, or even bigger cravings which lead to times when you can't stop eating because your body isn't getting what it wants. I try to find a balance between giving in and holding my ground. What I usually do to curb my after-dinner sugar cravings is buy some chocolate and bite off a little bit at a time. I usually get bittersweet chocolate because I often feel like I need less of it and it still does the job. Ghirardelli chocolate is good for this because their squares are quite big and only about 70 calories for a square. Often people eat huge amounts of things without thinking about it, but if you stop to actually taste the food and savour it, then you end up feeling like eating a lot less. So my advice would be to eat a little of something, but try and make it last as long as you can.

Actually, it's just a few minutes later and I feel the intense craving subsiding. I'm guessing it will come back again later though. I try not to eat after 8:00 PM, but I tend to stay up until at least 11:00 PM, leaving a number of hours when I want to eat something.

I'll forego the brownie with icing and the ice cream with chocolate syrup, thanks!

Actually, I could be in Ghirardelli Square in a matter of minutes, if I were so inclined, but luckily they have the chocolate at my local grocery store down the block. Whenever I find myself near Ghirardelli Square I wind up ordering a crazy sundae.

I've been making a Korean dessert drink called Su Jung Gwa, with cinnamon, ginger, (black) sugar and dried persimmon. It usually knocks the craving out, but I'm just wondering if, as you mentioned, green_tea_turtle_baby, the craving isn't my body telling me something that I actually might need.

I'm going to try to go through the end of October without eating anything that primarily a sweet and see how I feel on November 1st.

Hmmm...then again, with Halloween right around the corner, that might be tricky.

It's weird- I used to be one of those people who had to have something sweet after every meal. But once I started eating healthier and getting the proper nutrients through real food, I didn't have the cravings anymore because I'd be completely satisfied from dinner. I noticed that I tend to crave sweet things after unhealthier meals like pizza or fast food. I guess my brain just says well, I've already had something bad- I might as well have more unhealthy stuff. But if I do have a sweet craving, fruit usually does the job for me. There are plenty of low-calorie desserts to try. Sugar-free pudding is also a great, low calorie way of dealing with this as well.

It is entirely possible to live without sugary foods for a while, and that's the answer to getting rid of a sweet tooth.   If you're used to sugar in large & regular amounts then it's quite difficult at first because your taste-buds are what's known as 'sugar tolerant'.   Also, if you rely on sweet foods to boost your energy, you have to adjust the rest of your diet to achieve the same thing.  (If a sugar craving means anything it means you're not getting enough energy)  It all boils down to keeping blood-sugars stable.

So I'd suggest the following...

- Don't cut your calories at first.  Any reduction in energy from other foods will mean you want to fill the gap with sugar.  Go with a 'maintenance' intake until things have stabilised.  To lose weight afterwards go with a smaller deficit... 500 cals.

- Eat/snack regularly..... Skipping meals or skimping on meals will lead to low blood sugars.  Low blood sugars lead to hunger pangs and sugar cravings.  If you're sitting there feeling woozy... have a snack, just not a sugary one.

- As well as sugars avoid all refined starches, fruit juices & processed foods and replace them with wholegrains, whole fruit and other high-fibre foods....   Refined foods and simple starches turn to sugar in the bloodstream almost as fast as sugar so avoiding them makes this process easier.

- If you can feel yourself crumbling and want to have something sweet, have a small amount straight after a main meal.  Again... it keeps blood-sugars more stable.

You can try taking green tea and other potions, but the above works pretty well.  After about 3 or 4 weeks you can reintroduce sweet foods and you'll probably find they don't taste as appealing and are therefore less of a problem.  Best of luck.

I read an article that stated it takes 5 days to get over the initial cravings of sugar. They described sugar like a drug. If you reduce your sugar intake drastically or completley compared to before, your body craves it. You body will have withdrawals but after 5 days, the withdrawal stage is over and you shouldn't crave it as much. Personally i am a big chocolaye lover so for me, if i didn't eat chocolate for weeks on end, i would crave it too much and eat copious amounts; therefore i have a little fun size chocolate every other day :) It's what works for you!

i actually got my sugar fix from some fat free berry yogurt, its probably not for everyone but its worth a shot.  normally i dont like yogurt that much but it seemed to work well for me as a dessert replacement.

The way to beat the sugar craving snacks is replace them with healthier alternatives that are good for you and sweet.  Fruit comes to mind immediately....grapes, apples etc also there are a lot of sugar free products out on the market that really taste good and have little to no sugar in them.

great advice gi-jane. I've been thinking lately that I'm consuming way too much sugar...in the past 6 months I've developed a pop addiction I never used to have and now as a result drink almost no water. But have no problem drinking 2 cans of diet Coke/day.

textheavy, if you're craving dessert, a nice guilt free treat is to microwave an apple and sprinkle cinnamon on it.

How do you make Su Jung Gwa?

but fat free yogurt is often loaded with sugars? right? when i was in america i was buying a low carb brand it had like half the sugars and twise the protien...or maybe is this topic about adding extra sugar,  cause i consider anything besides plain white yogurt a treat food.

I've found that once I start eating sugar, I continue to crave it on a regular basis...  It's beating that craving for a few days to knock the "addiction" into submission that is the hard part.  Sugar in coffee/on oatmeal doesn't bother me, like you, it's the desire for cookies, cake etc...  I just try to remind myself that I'm not HUNGRY, I don't need FOOD, I'm craving a sensation/taste, and it's not important.  If I AM hungry, I'll eat something like celery, or cucumber. 

IN my experience kicking sugar is just like beating any other addictive food habit(like caffeine), so it all depends on which method you want to use. cold turkey, gradual, whatever it takes; if you feel it's necessary for your health and peace of mind find ur method of choice. Mind over matter as they say.

As for actual tips: i try to have naturally sweetened, healthier alternatives to old favourites(like oatmeal cookies sweetened with bananas and agave nectar) or just plain sweet grapes, and i use a LOT of will power to focus on their sweetness so I get used to it and not the brownie :)

it may or may not work for you, hopefully something does :) Good luck!(although luck has nothing to do with it)

In my experience cutting out sugar just leads to more cravings. I cut out sugar completely for close to 2 months - never had a reduction of cravings, and I wasnt consuming simple carbs either. I ended up bingeing on ice cream, snack cakes, basically totally unhealthy stuff. It does help to have fruit, or Greek yogurt with honey, but if I want a piece of chocolate or something, I just let myself have it. Although I do have a friend who claims to be a sugar addict and has to go cold turkey on it, or she binges as soon as she has a taste. I think it depends on your personality. If it's been longer than a week or two and you're still craving it like crazy, just go ahead and have a small amount. That's just my 2 cents though :)

When I first started losing weight, I had a terrible sugar "addiction".  I guess I'm more a cold turkey kind of gal, and I just cut it out completely for a good six months. No cookies, cakes, candy, etc.  Yes whole grains, fruits, vegetables.  There were some white-knuckler days but it was easier for me to not have any at that point in the beginning. 

Coping mechanisms:  hot herb tea, crunchy vegetables, a piece of fruit.  Also whining about it, i.e. moaning and groaning about how much I desired it was on the list.  I dunno, it just seemed like acknowledging that I wanted it helped.

Now I am OK with the occasional dessert like a piece of cake or a big cookie.  About once or twice a week, I have two squares of dark chocolate after supper, being sure to savor. 

Thanks for all of the feedback! I really enjoyed reading all of your coping mechanisms and thoughts on sugar. I got a lot of good advice from all of you, and more importantly, I feel like I'm not alone in this.

I think I'm like many of you, and the sugar cravings are exacerbated by the reduction in calories my body is experiencing. I think I should probably take in more calories per day, as I've been losing about a pound a day for the last three days (eating ~1500 calories as a 250lb, 5'11" man is probably not hacking it).  I guess I should be shooting for 2000-2200. But I have to say, seeing the weight drop so fast is pretty nice (but I know it's not healthy).

meganr, I appreciated your comment about "being sure to savor" when you eat your chocolate. I think this is very important.

If I watch a movie or surf the Web while I'm eating, I find that the food is gone and I didn't really experience consuming it. But if I stop everything and just sit down with my food, think about every bite and pay attention to the flavor and feel of it in my mouth, I feel much more satisfied after the meal.

qmwillcand I was taught to make Su Jung Gwa by a friend, but I found a great video at YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEXQko6yBg0

It may be difficult to find dried persimmon depending on your location. I find it at a Japanese market near my house, and it doesn't look exactly like what you see in the video (what I get is flattened on its side). And I was taught to slice the persimmon up and use less, because it's pretty expensive.

No wonder you're craving sugar if you're trying to starve yourself thin.  You know it's not healthy so why subject yourself to it?   Seriously....  you're feeling 'woozy', you're hoping for cookie samples, your poor body is not enjoying this process and you could end up quite ill. 

You see, what they don't tell you is that losing weight is the easy part!!!  Keeping it off sorts the men from the boys.  And people who crash diet the weight off usually find they end up regaining everything they lost in half the time it took to lose it.   Which is a terrible waste of time and effort all round.   So do the smart thing.... and up those cals to 2200.  You'll find the sugar cravings die right away, you'll have more energy, you'll be in a better mood, and you'll still probably lose 2.5lbs a week which would make you 50lbs lighter by Easter-ish.   

That's great advice.

Already today I planned on 2200 calories. And I'll be back to my daily 9-mile bike ride (-600 calories) by the end of the week.

I'm allowing myself to snack on fruit today, whenever I feel a little hungry.

I think it's kind of nice to start out for a few days with a lower calorie limit, just so that you can see how much more you are eating when you go up to a healthy calorie limit. Then when you look at what you were eating in the past, you realize how much you were over-eating.

This is a hard subject because chemically pure refined sugar essentially is something our bodies were never supposed to have, so we aren't very well equipped to handle it. it literally is an addiction. I was addicted for years; if I deprived myself, I'd get such cravings I'd end up bingeing.

I did, however, beat it.

But, I'm a raw foodist, and this approach seems too extreme for people to follow. But I lost a solid 15 pounds from it and I don't get any unhealthy cravings anymore, and I never feel the urge to overeat. For the first time in my life I can relax and just enjoy food! I never thought that'd be possible. I understand a lot of people have in their heads that eating raw must feel like deprivation, but it doesn't.

So, here's a couple recipes for healthy raw desserts that might help you with your cravings:

Take two or three avocados, put them in a blender with raw agave nectar (or maple syrup, if you don't want to spring for agave, though it's not that expensive) and raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder, if that's all you have), blend, and you have instant healthy chocolate pudding! 

Take three or four frozen bananas, cut into medallions, put into a blender with either frozen blueberries, or raw cacao powder. Blend until smooth, and you should end up with something the consistancy of soft serve, tastes just like ice cream!

You can make a really healthy sorbet by blending frozen strawberries; sprinkle nuts on top and enjoy! Same thing works with frozen blueberries.

If you're really adventurous, add some handfuls of spinach to the above desserts. Greens help with sugar cravings, are great for you, AND are imperceptible in desserts like the above.

If you have a food processor, you can process together equal parts of pecans and dates. Press into a pie tin, and put aside. Blend a cup of frozen blueberries with a few soaked dates. Mix in a bowl with another cup of frozen blueberries. Pour over the date pecan 'crust', and let set in the fridge. You have blueberry pie!

Hope you like the above; they'are all a lot better tasting than they sound!

I read in a book about why people get cravings.  Traditionally, people crave salt or salty foods whenever they aren't getting enough water (some people think they ARE when they drink carbonated sodas or drinks, which of course actually does the opposite.  Just because there is water IN it, doesn't mean you're getting the benefits of drinking water), so that when your BODY does get some water, it can retain as much as the body will let it (salt in work, here).

Whenever people eat salty, greasy, or high-processed foods, your body needs some energy to PROCESS all that crap going in you.  What's the best boost?  Oh hey, how about some high sugars?  That'll get my blood going faster.  Sugars provide that quick-energy you NEED to process it all.

If you cut down (or out completely, that's helpful, too) on the processed and over-processed foods you're eating, I bet your sweet cravings will go away.  I've gotten to the point that most sugary substances make me sick, and I go CRAZY with that excess energy.  Ah, the fun times of being a kid, right?

Fun fact: People also happen to crave chocolate and spicy foods.  Weird, right?  Or maybe more typical.  Anyway, both of those give an excellent boost to an endorphin release in your brain, giving you an instant happy-high.  Usually when people are sad or down, they crave it.  Do you see a pattern, now?

That's the reason people compare eating chocolate to falling in love; when you are infactuated by a person, endorphins are released, and the pupils dialate.  Of course, infactuation subsides after a while, so less endorphins are released... therefore, pupils dialate less, if at all.  So, don't be thinking your significant other doesn't like you anymore.

Also, a lot of women can start to depend on chocolates (and men to spicy foods) because of that release.

Bottom-line?  The body gives you cravings for things your body NEEDS.  However, if you give it healthier choices, you'll realize you're body will NEED less because it's already getting it.  Such as... fruits, vegetables, whole grains and such are a great place to start.

have you tried sugar free jelly? if you must add a little lite cream to it - works everytime