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Sweet cravings

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NoCarb

NoCarb

Active Member
Hello! Unfortunately I cannot handle my sweet cravings due to concomitant mental illness. Is there a way to indulge to something that will be as pleasurable, but with the minimum impact? I like alot squirty cream with chopped hazelnuts and no sugar chocolate drops for example. Is there anything else that will fill me with fat but not carbs, while it has sweet taste? Thanks!
 
NoCarb said:
Hello! Unfortunately I cannot handle my sweet cravings due to concomitant mental illness. Is there a way to indulge to something that will be as pleasurable, but with the minimum impact? I like alot squirty cream with chopped hazelnuts and no sugar chocolate drops for example. Is there anything else that will fill me with fat but not carbs, while it has sweet taste? Thanks!
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Sugar free jelly with cream?
 
Diet soft drinks or squash are sugar and fat free and being liquids are relatively filling. The problem with most sugar free chocolate is the laxative effect if you eat too much.
 
I'd also go for sugar-free jelly. For a small amount of carbs that can be worth it, how about an Options chocolate drink? 🙂 Or 85% dark chocolate is very low in carbs and can assuage the craving 🙂
 
eight weeks in to my diabetes and I still crave fizzy (sour) sweets all the time.... I find pomegranate helps as it can be really sweet (and sometimes quite tarte too).

Also, not sure of the carbs etc, but Tesco's do some fizzy lemon sweets that have Stevia instead of sugar - I can't eat them as it goes straight through me (stevia) but that may also be an alternative?
 
I'm so glad you wrote this.
Some time ago I asked the same question and got a huge number of answers, but they all basically told me to find some willpower and just stop snacking. I felt like I was back at school by the condescending replies - mostly people telling their own stories of how well they'd done and how they'd just cut out snacking overnight - making themselves look big and making me feel small.
This need foe sweet stuff is widespread and I don't think it has much to do with mental problems - honestly I think its as difficult to get over as smoking.
From your replies so far, the best ideas seem to be to change your snacks to something more innocuous like the suggested jelly and cream. I can't see much wrong with your cream and hazelnuts and choc (except for the laxative effect). Do you think nuts and berries would be ok? I also like grated lindt dark chilli chocolate with cream (I don't like nuts myself) but sugar free chewing gum doesn't work for me although it does for some people.
I think people without a sweet tooth have no way of understanding just how difficult it is.
I guess it must be the same for smokers, alcoholics and drug addicts.
 
BBarb said:
I'm so glad you wrote this.
Some time ago I asked the same question and got a huge number of answers, but they all basically told me to find some willpower and just stop snacking. I felt like I was back at school by the condescending replies - mostly people telling their own stories of how well they'd done and how they'd just cut out snacking overnight - making themselves look big and making me feel small.
This need foe sweet stuff is widespread and I don't think it has much to do with mental problems - honestly I think its as difficult to get over as smoking.
From your replies so far, the best ideas seem to be to change your snacks to something more innocuous like the suggested jelly and cream. I can't see much wrong with your cream and hazelnuts and choc (except for the laxative effect). Do you think nuts and berries would be ok? I also like grated lindt dark chilli chocolate with cream (I don't like nuts myself) but sugar free chewing gum doesn't work for me although it does for some people.
I think people without a sweet tooth have no way of understanding just how difficult it is.
I guess it must be the same for smokers, alcoholics and drug addicts.
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Actually I think you have a point Barb and some people do struggle desperately with sweet cravings that are difficult to satisfy especially if there are additional issues that Nocarb describes.
I was recently reading an article about research into the addictive nature of sugar products and it describes it like this;

'Sweet foods are highly desirable due the powerful impact sugar has on the reward system in the brain called the mesolimbic dopamine system. The neurotransmitter dopamine is released by neurons in this system in response to a rewarding event.

Drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines and nicotine hijack this brain system. Activation of this system leads to intense feelings of reward that can result in cravings and addiction. So drugs and sugar both activate the same reward system in the brain, causing the release of dopamine.'

I've no doubt they'll be those who disagree and simply say 'man up' on this and there's no doubt that we have to work hard to overcome sweet cravings, but the reality is it can be a very big issue for some. Keep on looking for suitable alternatives though. For that sour taste, I find a couple of sugar free rhubarb and custard sweets suffices (M&S) do them but no good if the sugar substitute doesn't agree with you. Amigo
 
BBarb said:
Some time ago I asked the same question and got a huge number of answers, but they all basically told me to find some willpower and just stop snacking. I felt like I was back at school by the condescending replies - mostly people telling their own stories of how well they'd done and how they'd just cut out snacking overnight - making themselves look big and making me feel small.
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Hope that wasn't here @BBarb, and if it was I'm sorry you were made to feel that way :(
 
We all love sweet things from an early age. Breast milk is loaded with fat, but also loaded with sugar. Mums will know it tastes very sweet. So breast fed babies love sweet things from birth. It can't be helped, so I have no truck with people who criticise folk for having no willpower. Formula milk isn't as sweet, and it's these folk that can take it or leave it in adult life. They aren't superior, or stronger willed, it is naturally easy for them to give up sweet stuff.

You are right BBarb, it is as difficult to give up smoking, because you were born that way. It's as daft as criticising folk for being too tall or short.
 
This is me I crave sweet things and I blame my mother x lol x if I fell or was upset she would always say here don't cry have a biscuit or a chocolate bar. This was internalised by myself and led to comfort eating. We also live in a society that celebrates with food ... Oh its your birthday let's eat.... Oh you passed your exams let's eat ... Ect ...so its not always easy to deny ourselves that sweet treat. In fact I don't really deny myself but I do try to find alternatives but sometimes I just eat a small amount of what I want :0 slap my wrist xx haha
 
Do you know Mikey - I never tried my breast milk 😱! It cracks me up just imagining it!
I saw some Werthers toffee sweets in the supermarket today but didn't buy them. I was in a hurry and really couldn't spare a minute to find my specs and read the label. I wonder if they'd be OK.
 
Was that the new Werthers low sugar sweets? I wouldn't buy them cos low sugar sweets usually means Andrex shares go up. Apart from anything else, Werthers is a German company. This is just a forward mission to take over the world. 🙄
 
BBarb said:
Do you know Mikey - I never tried my breast milk 😱! It cracks me up just imagining it!
I saw some Werthers toffee sweets in the supermarket today but didn't buy them. I was in a hurry and really couldn't spare a minute to find my specs and read the label. I wonder if they'd be OK.
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I've tried those Wethers sugar free toffees. They're ok but I'd prefer just one 'proper' toffee without the Andrex effect! 😱
 
Sugar free jelly mixed with low fat yoghurt makes a nice mousse. You can add berries for an extra hit
 
I've tried the jelly mixed with lightly whipped cream to make a mousse, its also good with an egg yolk added to the cooled jelly then the whipped egg white added just as its at setting point (can be tricky).
I don't know what to suggest, but I share your pain!
People tell me metformin reduces your appetite, I don't know how true this is though.
 
BBarb said:
I've tried the jelly mixed with lightly whipped cream to make a mousse, its also good with an egg yolk added to the cooled jelly then the whipped egg white added just as its at setting point (can be tricky).
I don't know what to suggest, but I share your pain!
People tell me metformin reduces your appetite, I don't know how true this is though.
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I personally did not find affect mine, but it seems to affect some, a number have reported it as one of the affects on them.
 
Wow - it must be the power of advertising, I'd always considered Werthers to be British through and through. Just shows how easily we can be conned!
 
I love sweet things, am blaming my mums breast milk for that :D, I like sugar free jelly with whipped cream and grated chocolate on top. I'm going to have a go at freezing muller light yoghurt as a kind of ice cream.
 
I went to slimming world where Muller light yogs were pushed at us because they were considered sin (syn??) free. Then I cam here and was told to avoid all light or fat reduced products because of added sugar - so I stopped buying them.
(It was the childish way we were treated at SW that irritated me so much that caused me to chuck it in).
I always think - poor Mums, can't do right for doing wrong as far as breast milk is concerned 🙄
 
I've found a few seedy fruity bars that are around 9-11g carb each & I find these good for sweet cravings. 9 bars are my favourite & Alpen chocolate & orange cereal bars are nice, though like a puff of wind (very light). Also like the cherry filled 85% choc from Aldi. 13g carb per bar, but does not affect my BG much.
 
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