Stop Sugar Cravings

[hexi2]

I have been thinking a bit about what went wrong on maintenance and one thing I do know is my difficulty in beating sugar cravings (all started with a biscuit on refeed)....

While this is not the only factor one thing I found interesting is the common link between dieting and going nuts on sweet foods (something I NEVER did pre-Cohens) so I thought we could put together a thread for some ideas on how to avoid sugar binge eating...

One product I have been using that seems to help is Blackmores Sugar Balance...

Blackmores Sugar Balance™ helps reduce cravings for sweet foods that may develop due to dieting or low blood sugar. This formulation is specially designed to enhance chromium absorption and help balance blood sugar levels.

Features and Benefits:

One of the biggest challenges in sticking to weight-loss diets is not succumbing to sugar and carbohydrate cravings. These cravings may be the result of having low blood sugar due to dieting, leaving long intervals between meals, increasing exercise, eating refined and processed foods low in essential nutrients, or having a stressful lifestyle. Blackmores Sugar Balance has been formulated to help:

balance sugar levels in the body
balance the appetite and reduce tiredness due to low blood sugar
reduce cravings for sweet foods that can develop due to dieting
replace nutrients needed for energy production and appetite control that are lost due to increased exercise
support the production of energy from the metabolism of food

[hexi2]

The other things I have found on the internet include

1. Cravings usually only last a few min up to 15 min, at the onset of craving set stop watch and time 15 min hopefully it will pass

2. Drink a glass of water - followed by a small protein snack

3. Avoid artificial sweetners and diet drinks - they have been found to increase the sugar cravings

4. Lower caffeine intake

5. Carry around a tissue with a few drops of vanilla - sniff when craving occurs

6. Take Chromium tablets

7. Brush teeth

8. Distraction eg; go for walk, phonecall etc

9. Try to avoid refined sugar products altogether and go for 'natural' sugars like fruit

[vijion]

Thanks for sharing that! Very handy.

[mel]

Thanks hexi
This will help me!! Everytime I get a sugar craving, Which happens alot! I will remember to come here and read this!!

[hannah]

Any one have any idea bout murray sugar free biscuit range sweetened with splenda? is it suitable for ppl like us on cohen's maintenance?

[louise41]

Great Thread Hexi.
I read something yesterday that said you are less likely to crave chocolate if you have adequate levels of magnesium. Most good calcium supplements also contain magnesium, so for anyone like me who craves chocolate it is probably a good idea to take your calcium/magnesium supplements

[hexi2]

Yes Louise

Thats what the research said - and calcium needs magnesium to be able to work properly in the body.

I am having a hard time cutting out artificial sweetners and diet drinks...they are my weakness and may have attributed to my sugar bingeing when I finished? Something I need to get on top of

[hexi2]

*bump*

and according to the Think Slim Book - drink green tea! Will stop hunger in its tracks and hopefully cravings too...

Mantra: Replace ALL sweet foods with green tea

[Carissa]

Thanks for this Hexi!! Im my diary you may find I have really been battling against, emotional eating and sugar binge- this thread has been good- It was only last night actually that I stopped byt he Chemist- I am now taking a cocktail of vitamins everyday; including Zinc, Magnesium, Iron & Chromium- On top of the Fish Oil & Multi Vs Lol. I have also stocked up on White and Green Tea.

I have been following you around alot on here lately, it helps me to read about your own struggles, because they seem similar to my own... The only worrying thing is that my eating issues are occuring during Cohens not Maintenance

It is getting hard for me. So Hopefully the extra supplements I am taking in addition to all the books I am starting to read; I better start to improve my mind and body and overcome this!

<3

[shell]

As you said in a previous post Hexi, you were more of a savoury person (like me) and rarely ate sweet foods (like me).

I aslo read on the Binging thread about a link you include -about people who were on a very restricted low calorie diet, many when finished, also had a problem with binge eating.

I think a bit of it is also because we are restricted in what we can eat for so long, it is like letting a kid let loose at a toy/lollie shop.
Where do you start!!

THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE EVERYBODY!
There a many, many people who have done the program, and are doing great!!


My advise to anybody who has had any previous eating "issues" before doing the program, or if you have a compulsive nature, or "other" issues-
GET SOME HELP before you finish the program.

As has been said on here any times- loosing weight is the easy part, it is the "head" part that is the hardest to sort.

AND NEVER GIVE UP!!

Shell

[salvital]

Thanks for the tips hexi2. I finished Cohens about three months ago and have put on about 4 kgs since then, mostly through giving in to sugar cravings, which have been worse post Cohens than before. Interestingly I'm having no difficulty resisting savoury snacks such as chips and biscuits which I used to find impossible to pass by before. I'm wondering if alcohol is linked to sugar cravings - I completely lose any resolve after a couple of glasses of wine and stuff myself with anything sweet that I can find in the fridge or cupboard.

[carrieanne_c]

i would think it produces a drop in your blood sugar and thats why you crave sugar-try eating the cheese before drinking-I havent tried it yet but it may help!

[salvital]

Thanks Carrieanne, I'll give your suggestion a try. How are you going trying not to eat all that lovely Spanish food?

[fornight]

I remember reading somewhere that wine has high level of sugar because it is made from grapes. Beer on the other hand has less but you will still need to control.

[WendyNZ]

Hi guys, this is very interesting. I'm having troubles with the thoughts of chocolate and sugar at the moment and I'm keen to nip it in the bud, so that I can focus and get the programme finished. Its probably worse because its school holidays here and I have my 3 at home with me all day....

So do you think that I'm better to take sugar balance or straight chromium, and should I take a Magnesium and Calcium one also? I do take a Multi vitamin at the moment along with the omega 3 as recommended.

Keen for your thoughts.....have a fab day cohenites

Wendy xx

[Miss]

Hi Wendy
We seem to be running into each other lots at the moment!!

I have been taking chromium since Day 1 as well as a Calcium and Magnesium supplement, in all with all my pills I am taking about 5 a day!!

I am still taking them all now even on maintenance and intend to as it seems to work.......

So get yourself to the health shop if you haven't already and get some chromium, I think from memory it's only about $12 for a bottle!

take care
Melissa

[Ms. Jiggles]

I think the best thing to stop the sugar cravings is to not have sugar! Can I do that? Noooooo.

So now I only have it twice a week instead of pretty much daily.

I notice the cravings are much reduced now that it is limited to twice a week and it still gives me something to look forward to on those days.

Usually it is a bowl of ice cream or a few cookies on those two days.

If I redo the program with a new diet plan, I will have to stop this twice weekly thing, of course.

I did my entire program and never cheated (except didn't do refeed 100%)....sugar was always in my thoughts, though! I lusted over everything that I couldn't have while I was losing weight. I think I programmed myself to have a sugar binge after I was done with the program by doing all this lusting!

If I do this again...that is one of the many things I will change.

Ms. J

[carrieanne_c]

i like spanish food but some of it is a reall nono for me rice, and cocas(like a pizza without cheese, i do spanish on the weekends but i am always ready for cohens tasty comfort food by monday.

[Pommiegal]

PMS...does anyone get that terrible craving for sweet things (ie: chocolate) every month? If you do, what do you do about it? How do you control it, when you have a house full of kids who are so blase about choccie???? (I don't understand how they can be mine!!!!)

[princess_sunbeam]

I take chromium every day- it seems to help with sweet cravings. When I am on program, chocolate is eradicated from our house. My family want to see me succeed, so it is a small price to pay!