Struggling with sugar cravings today

[WelshRoo]

Hi All
A brief background.
I was told of Friday I have early diabetes, no other information other than an appointment made to see the diabetes nurse on the 13th. Presuming since I am overweight, 38 and have a family history that its likely Type 2 but cant obviously confirm that until I speak to doctor.

I was one of those people that had 2/3 sugars in a tea or coffee and ate chocolate and fizzy drinks daily. And I wish I could say a small bar but nope - and now here I am. Lesson learnt. Decided then that the obvious thing I would be told is to lose weight, so I know my main addiction is sugar so I cut out chocolate, fizzy pop and sweets. I have had none since Friday although I have had sparkling flavoured water which says no added sugar but I know it contains some sweeteners. Still - 3 days with none is doing well for me.

Today I am really struggling with sugar cravings.
I have been having strawberries, blueberries and a few grapes to try and curb it which seems to have worked for now but I just wondered if there is something we are allowed to have that wont send blood sugars through the roof but will satisfy the little sugar pangs!

Thank you in advance all.
Im still learning!

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Hi All
A brief background.
I was told of Friday I have early diabetes, no other information other than an appointment made to see the diabetes nurse on the 13th. Presuming since I am overweight, 38 and have a family history that its likely Type 2 but cant obviously confirm that until I speak to doctor.

I was one of those people that had 2/3 sugars in a tea or coffee and ate chocolate and fizzy drinks daily. And I wish I could say a small bar but nope - and now here I am. Lesson learnt. Decided then that the obvious thing I would be told is to lose weight, so I know my main addiction is sugar so I cut out chocolate, fizzy pop and sweets. I have had none since Friday although I have had sparkling flavoured water which says no added sugar but I know it contains some sweeteners. Still - 3 days with none is doing well for me.

Today I am really struggling with sugar cravings.
I have been having strawberries, blueberries and a few grapes to try and curb it which seems to have worked for now but I just wondered if there is something we are allowed to have that wont send blood sugars through the roof but will satisfy the little sugar pangs!

Thank you in advance all.
Im still learning!

Not really
I switched to savoury, extra hot chilli in fact.

 

[rebrascora]

I eat fat, protein and fibre when I get sugar cravings rather than reaching for the sweet stuff, because the more sweet stuff I get, the more I want. The fat, protein and fibre are filling without causing my BG levels to start on the rollercoaster, which can become self perpetuating. ie. My BG goes up but then, when it comes down in a couple of hours, I get the cravings again and want more. It also really helps to get busy , or go for a walk or get engrossed in something to try to take your mind off it.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Adding more fat and protein in between meals can adversely affect a lot of people's weight loss though.
I found replacing the mouth hit from sugar with a hit from hot food from a regular meal worked by stopping cravings, and without getting extra calories from snacks.

 

[Spathiphyllum]

Hi All
A brief background.
I was told of Friday I have early diabetes, no other information other than an appointment made to see the diabetes nurse on the 13th. Presuming since I am overweight, 38 and have a family history that its likely Type 2 but cant obviously confirm that until I speak to doctor.

I was one of those people that had 2/3 sugars in a tea or coffee and ate chocolate and fizzy drinks daily. And I wish I could say a small bar but nope - and now here I am. Lesson learnt. Decided then that the obvious thing I would be told is to lose weight, so I know my main addiction is sugar so I cut out chocolate, fizzy pop and sweets. I have had none since Friday although I have had sparkling flavoured water which says no added sugar but I know it contains some sweeteners. Still - 3 days with none is doing well for me.

Today I am really struggling with sugar cravings.
I have been having strawberries, blueberries and a few grapes to try and curb it which seems to have worked for now but I just wondered if there is something we are allowed to have that wont send blood sugars through the roof but will satisfy the little sugar pangs!

Thank you in advance all.
Im still learning!

As you're Type 2, the most important thing for you is losing weight. So, Travellor's right, you really, really want to avoid snacking. And the second most important thing for you is getting more exercise.

For dealing with "the little sugar pangs", sugar-free drinks are ok-- but Barbara's suggestion of distracting yourself with a little exercise is even better!

Fundamentally, you're trying to get rid of old, bad habits and substitute new, good habits. Which is tough-- until suddenly, one day, it isn't. ; )

 

[Leadinglights]

If you are having enough for your meals and snacking is more from habit than hunger something like carrot sticks or celery or the Nature Valley protein nut bars (or shop own) which are 10g carb or less per bar are good.
If you like baking, you could try some of the delicious low carb cakes that can be found on sugarfreelondoner website, some rockcakes posted today at only 5g carb each.

 

[rebrascora]

Adding more fat and protein in between meals can adversely affect a lot of people's weight loss though.
I found replacing the mouth hit from sugar with a hit from hot food from a regular meal worked by stopping cravings, and without getting extra calories from snacks.

Yeah, I can see that.
For myself I don't think of this as snacking or eating between meals because I don't really have set meals. Usually I have breakfast and then sometimes I just graze for the rest of the day or I have an evening meal and if a want a snack at some point between, I have it, so for me if I had some meat and coleslaw or cheese and olives to stave off a craving I might not bother to eat later because I wouldn't feel hungry. I forget that other people are quite set in a routine of 3 meals a day or have family to fit their meals around.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

If you are having enough for your meals and snacking is more from habit than hunger something like carrot sticks or celery or the Nature Valley protein nut bars (or shop own) which are 10g carb or less per bar are good.
If you like baking, you could try some of the delicious low carb cakes that can be found on sugarfreelondoner website, some rockcakes posted today at only 5g carb each.

Yes, but at over 200 calories per snack, that's an awful lot.
Near enough the same as a Mars bar.

 

[42istheanswer]

For chocolate, what works for me at that certain time of the month that I get really strong cravings, is to have a bit of dark very high cocoa chocolate. The more cocoa in the chocolate, the less sugar there is. Unless you buy a tiny bar you still need to apply some restraint to how much you eat though, measuring out how much and putting the rest away before I start eating helps me

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Yeah, I can see that.
For myself I don't think of this as snacking or eating between meals because I don't really have set meals. Usually I have breakfast and then sometimes I just graze for the rest of the day or I have an evening meal and if a want a snack at some point between, I have it, so for me if I had some meat and coleslaw or cheese and olives to stave off a craving I might not bother to eat later because I wouldn't feel hungry. I forget that other people are quite set in a routine of 3 meals a day or have family to fit their meals around.

I think that is a major difference is the aspect of different diets working for different people with different lifestyles.

My lifestyle has always been social.
Work, an expense and an entertaining account, so a hotel breakfast by definition at a set range of times, a lunch menu, then an evening meal from a dinner menu. and a bar tab.
The same with a family, maybe not so much breakfast, but definitely lunch at work, and dinner with the kids, and then another snack later.
Then weekends, snacks, coffee out, eating in the supermarket restaurant, meal or two in town....
As to grazing, definitely in between.
I actually liked food.

So, although many people initially told me low carb was a very easy option, just carry on as before, eat until full, don't count calories, just swap out carbs for fat, no effort, the magic bullet of diets, it wouldn't have changed anything.
I'd still be piling in the food, just more calories, and without the choice of foods I'd always had.

I needed to change my relationship with food.
But not by demonising it.
Not by taking away the feeling of hunger.
I still want to enjoy food.
The taste, the texture, and definitely the anticipation.
The social aspect is still important. I will eat out, I'll eat with friends, and I can eat with friends, even if all that is there is noodles or pizza. Even if I hadn't reversed my diabetes, I'd still be doing that, just on a smaller plate.
I certainly changed and cut out the junk aspect, I definitely cut out eating from habit and boredom, (It's surprising how much that actually was). I changed my taste buds, but at the end of the day, I don't think I really changed my lifestyle, just made it a lot healthier. Well, healthier by some standards anyway.

 

[Spathiphyllum]

... I needed to change my relationship with food.
But not by demonising it.
... I definitely cut out eating from habit and boredom, (It's surprising how much that actually was). ...

Yes, this is crucial. I was a thin child but became overweight as a teenager; repeatedly went on diets, repeatedly lost weight but regained it and more ... I eventually decided I would just focus on three things:

1) Try to eat healthy food (and not eat unhealthy food).
2) Try to get more exercise in the course of everyday life, in particular by walking to places where I could, or at least for example getting on a bus a stop or two (or more) later and getting off earlier. And:
3) Whenever I felt like I wanted to eat something, ask myself: Was I really hungry, or was it something else? Was I bored? Did I want comfort? etc. And, if it really was something else-- try doing something else that might actually be better at meeting that need, something that could actually make me feel better than eating that snack. Read a book, phone a friend, go for a walk ...

And it worked. Gradually, over the next couple of years, my habits changed, and in the end I no longer had to *try* to do these things-- they just became my 'new normal'; and I gradually lost weight, and then in my twenties plateaued at a healthy weight and stayed there. (Until Type 1 suddenly arrived and made me seriously underweight! but I'm gaining it back.)

And changing my habits actually made me enjoy food more. As you say, Travellor, "The taste, the texture, and definitely the anticipation." The thought occurs to me that it is kind of about respecting food-- not seeing it as something to stop a craving, but something to look forward to and savour. Like 42istheanswer says, having just "a bit of dark very high cocoa chocolate" and paying attention to it so you can fully enjoy it.