Serious Sweet Tooth!

[teeny]

Okay everyone, I need..... yes, more advice! I have a terrible sweet tooth!!! It's killing me. When I had my son, I had about 16 pounds to lose. So, I started running (yes I run too! ) and I watched what I ate. It was summertime, so I did a lot of barbecueing with veggies and meat, and I would only allow myself to have treats on the weekends. It worked and I dropped the 16 pounds, and after I was done nursing, I dropped another 9!!! Yeah, for me! Well, ever since I got down to this weight, I have not been perfectly happy and this is why. I think there is something in my head that tells me, "Come on, you're skinny, you can eat whatever you want." and I listen to the evil little voice, and I eat whatever I want, and then a couple of days later, I jump on the scale and find out I have gained a pound or two, and so I freak out, and exercise like mad for the next couple of days to get it off. It works, but my sanity is on the edge!!! Plus, I may be able to get it off easy now, but if I get pregnant again, I know I will just put on the pounds because of my bad eating habits. And, to look at the long term future of my eating, right now I think my body and metabolism can take it, but I've heard that once you get into your thirties it's a lot harder to take weight off. So, what should I do? It's only sugar that I have a hard time with. Chips, etc. don't really tempt me. I literally probably have dessert every night. And probably something sweet during the day like a cookie or candy or something. Some days, I don't gain weight, and then others I do. (Probably depending upon how much of the sweets I ate, and how bad they were.) Like yesterday I made lemon bars (VERY UNHEALTHY) and ate three of them, and then I had one for breakfast this morning! And then I jumped on the scale! Anyway, does anyone have any profound words of wisdom? Does anyone else go through this?

[5ft Diva]

Okay, first of all, STOP OBSESSING ABOUT YOUR WEIGHT. That is unhealthy all by it's self.

The other thing I'd tell you is, I seriously used to be just like you. Oh man, I could down a dozen of cookies in no time. After I had my 4th baby, my desire to have sweets was gone. I have no idea what happened, I literally lost my appetite for them. Sometimes I have to force myself to eat them. Anyway, that is just my experience. I'm not offering expert advice but from my experience, I'd tell you to listen to your body. If you have an internal alarm going off inside then listen to it, other than that, enjoy your sweets. Don't sweat it, and stop hopping on the scale every time you eat a cookie. I think it's in your genes to be able to keep the weight off.

[teeny]

You know, not hopping on the scale is really good advice. After I got down to my pre-pregnancy weight my scale broke. I decided I wasn't going to buy another one because I knew I was obsessive with it. A couple of months later is when we moved here. My husband bought a scale and so I weighed myself and found out I had lost nine more pounds!!! I am at the weight now that I was in highschool! I was so excited. I also was really surprised because I hadn't been monitoring it with a scale. So, I guess that goes to show that weighing yourself obsessively has nothing to do with dropping pounds.
Besides the weight issue, I feel that I really do need to get control of myself. Type II Diabetes runs in my family and I'm worried that if I keep eating sugar obsessively I will get it later in my life. My MIL has it and she is miserable with it.

[5ft Diva]

That makes sense. My MIL also has it so I know what you mean. She's got it under control but it's always lingering over her and I think she wishes it didn't. Yeah, I'd be concerned with that. I don't really know anything about it.

[LostnFound]

I also have the worst sweet tooth. Mine is for chocolate and home made goodies. I won't touch chips, or packaged cookies etc. But I love to have home made items around the house. I feel I am nuturing my children by baking for them. My Mother did not bake or cook period, and I love to do it so I bake treats once a week. It's very hard to make a salad for lunch when you can just grab a rice krispie treat to snack on real fast. I was telling 5'D and AP that I grew up in a horrible environment for eating habits. We never had fresh fruit or veggies around. We ate out frequently. I really need to spend like a year with someone with a healthy lifestyle to really absorb good habits and see that it is possible. Anyone need a roommate?

But Really , does anyone have any advice on truly changing hard habits????

[5ft Diva]

One of my kids favorite snacks is sliced apples with caramel. We also love veggies w/ veggie dip. It's work and we dont do it often but when we do my kids love it. I've thought about (but it's not happened yet) to have a healthy snack waiting for my kids when they get home from school. That way they'd know I love them (this answers a question from another thread) and they'd be learning what good nutritious snacks are at the same time. I think that if you teach your children good habits now, it's easier to keep them later in life. At least that's what I've seen with my friends. Whenever I see a really good habit they have I ask them where they learned it from and they always tell me it's something they just grew up doing.

[Big_Sissy]

Hey, you could just enjoy the weight. I do

ha ha, No seriously I have a real sweet tooth too. If the candy/snacks are there, I eat them. My wife grew up in a house that always had snacks so it doesn't really bother her. I however, did not. So when they are there... well, they won't be for long.

One of the things I am always trying to get her to do is STOP BUYING them, or making them. Because if they don't exist I don't eat them. So complete elimination could be an easy answer.

[teeny]

Yeah, I grew up in a house that didn't have them either. My Mom is a huge health-nut and even when she does make treats they are made with honey and wheat flour. So, I think ever since I got married and moved out, I've just had a hard time with it. It was famine for 18 years, so it's almost like my bodie's wanting a feast for 18 years!!! Wow, that would put me at 36! So, I'm almost 25 now, I guess that gives me 11 more years to pig out!

[5ft Diva]

Yeah, I'd take that one and run with it!

[Big_Sissy]

ha ha, only 25 wow they grow them young these days.

[Dia Minha]

I have been nawing on getting at this all morning. I can so relate and with the struggle I have with my weight I have struggled to overcome sweets and all the other stuff like chips as well.

Sugar is an addiction. Your body will tell you it needs it. The only way to get rid of the addiction is to get it out of your system. Which of course is so easier said then done. Try substituting sugar free treats for 10 days. This will give you the sweet taste without the actual sugar and then you can give up the sugar free treats easier because your body will be off the sugar. My favorites are sugar free fat free hot cocoa made with skim milk and sf ff pudding made with skim milk. Fruit also would give you a healthier sweet choice.

For those of us that have that salty craving 94% fat free or airpopped popcorn is an excellent choice. You can even count it as a whole grain. Try flavoring it with taco seasoning, or chili seasoning, or ranch dressing to mix it up a bit.

The whole idea is to try substituting a good wholesome food for the not so good one instead of just eliminating it all together. If you can go 10 days without it, then you should be able to then have some without "needing" it. This does not work for me, however. Once I get it I have a hard time getting it back under control.

Hope this helps.

Dia

[5ft Diva]

Oh, you're so awesome Dia Minha! What great advice. There are times I crave some things and I've never thought to just substitute it w/ something else. makes sense though. If you're a Dr. Phil"ologist", then you know that's what he'd tell you to do.

The pop corn, you just dump a packet of taco seasoning, chili seasoning or ranch dressing mix in it and mix it up? Anything else?

Is there a substitute that tastes good for chocolate?

[Dia Minha]

Sorry I tried to reply earlier, but again got sidetracked and then lost my post before it could be posted.

Sprinkle, don't dump. If you are using microwave popcorn just sprinkle your seasoning right in the bag, close, and shake. If you are using air popped, spray lightly with Pam spray (I like Crisco butter flavor), sprinkle seasoning, cover and shake.

For a chocolate substitute (if your talking like candy bar chocolate) I like mixing my instant SF FF chocolate pudding mix with skim milk. After its set, warm in microwave for 30-45 seconds. To me it is just like a melted chocolate bar. You could use cook and serve, but I find the aspartame (which is a no calorie sweetner) seems to turn bitter when cooked. So just warming the instant tastes better to me. If you are talking cake or brownie you can mix 2 T of cake with 1 T of water in a small microwave dish and cook in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. Ta-da a single serving size cake. Top with light cool whip instead of frosting. I love this, because it prevents me from eating the whole cake and also because I love non-frosted warm cake right out of the oven.

On a side note. You would need to experiment to find the "healthy" choice that works for your craving. If the healthier choice does not fix the craving you could possibly end up eating more in the long run. If you really need it, then eat it, just in smaller amounts. Make it an event. Ex. If you are craving ice-cream serve 1/2 cup (which is one serving) in a nice dessert dish, make it beautiful, and eat with a small spoon. Savor every taste.

I don't mean to sound like a know-it-all I just don't have very much time to embelish (sp?). I have one more Valentine surprise to pull off tonight.

Hope everyone has a great night.

Dia

[amberpatomo]

I love that cake idea! I am going to do that.

I also have a great way to curve your sweet tooth that I want to share. This dessert is a lifesaver for me when I crave junk. It's a weight watchers recipe that was given to me by a cousin on the program.


Key Lime Pie

1 Fat free or reduced fat graham cracker pie crust (sometimes I make my own by crushing up 5 or 6 crackers and putting in a tin)

1/4 cup boiling water

1 (1/16 ounce) package sugar-free lime gelatin

2 (6 ounce) key lime pie yogurt (I try to buy fat free or sugar free)

1 (8 ounce) container fat-free whipped topping


In a smaller bowl dissolve gelatin in water. Pour into larger bowl, add yogurt and stir with a wire wisk. Fold in whipped topping with wooden spoon. Spread into cracker crust and chill for at least 2 hours.

YUMMY!!!!! Also if you don't like lime you can substitute for any flavor. My cousin does lime jello with cherry yogurt. Be creative.

[5ft Diva]

Mmm, all of this sounds good. Thanks for the recipes guys. This is a great way to teach my kids good healthy treat ideas too.

[Big_Sissy]

The Ice cream idea and very small spoon is a GREAT idea. Wonder how long it would take me to eat the entire 1/2 gallon with one of those rubber baby spoons somehow I think I missed the boat on this one.

[teeny]

Wow, thanks guys, those are all great ideas! I have done that ice-cream thing before (getting about a half a cup) and I ate it with a baby rubber spoon!!! That lime pie recipe sounds yummy! When you put the graham crackers in yourself do you add any butter to them?

[LostnFound]

I definitely think if I am going to ever fight the addictions to sweets, I will have to do as Dia Minha suggested and commit to ten days without sugar and try sugar free items. Is there such a thing as Sweets Anonymous? I need a ten step program. Thanks for all the input from all you great people.

[5ft Diva]

LOL! Me too!

[Erudite]

Can we all make a pact to quit sending sweet stuff with our kids for valentine's Day? The kids come home with this halloween-like haul and we all have the sugar roller coaster going on. I get one bit hungry and my willpower is gone and there's all this CHOCOLATE at my house that wasn't there on Tuesday. I was doing so WELL until that happened and now I'm with DiaM and having a hard time getting back on track. Just had to complain to people who know because it doesn't seem to attract my good DH or cause that many problems with the kids (except when Mom unceremoniously throws it all away without telling them).

So...rgh umph ahh...the track...back on the track...I can do it...hey, it's just one little herseys kiss...

I have to say I appreciate all the Moms who sent nice pencils home with the kid's cards. I don't believe in contributing to the haul so my kids had no little gift of any kind to share and somehow my daughter thinks she's cheated people. She asked if we could do storebought cards next year (we make our own on the computer so it can be personalized with pictures they choose) because I think she thinks that the candy comes WITH the card when you buy it. But no...this is other Moms (no offense intended) contributing to the sugar problem, not the cards. Let's quit doing this to ourselves and our kids. 5D is right, valentines day should be about acts of kindness for others...that's showing love where chocolate doesn't (notice how I selectively ignored the fact that 5D's cards came with a sweet of some kind...).

Sorry, It's my own dang fault for letting myself get hungry and popping the M&Ms in my mouth instead of the apple...but we are letting the chocolate industry dictate the language of our feelings (mine whiney at the moment and my daughter thinking that's what it is all about last night) and we don't need to do that. Let's REVOLT against valentines day sweets! ARe YA' With Me?

K...that felt good, I can smile and laugh now...a Valentine's Day revolt...lol. Thanks for listening!