Diet Tip for Sugar Craving

Dear Diet Tip,

Every time I try to diet the following problem occurs:

When I eat any meal that contains a proper balance of carbs, protein, and fat about 30 to 45 minutes after the meal I get really bad sugar craving.

I try not to give in but sometimes it gets to the point where I get headaches and feel light headed. What is going on? Is this all in my mind or what? I need a good diet tip to help me with this problem.

   Susan

Dear Susan,

If you are in the habit of eating sweets and suddenly stop, chances are you're experiencing sugar withdrawal. This symptom is very similar to cigarette withdrawal. You can approach this problem in two ways with below diet tip.

Diet Tip # 1 (Complete Withdrawal)

The craving will begin to subside after the first week or two just like most withdrawal symptoms. To be successful, you must not see or have access to any sugary treats for the first few weeks. Ask your family to help by keeping sugary treats out of your sight.

Once you get through the first few weeks, the sugar craving will not be as strong. However, the first few days are not very fun. Just like in war, you must be psychologically prepared for battle. No pills or herb will successfully cut your sugar craving. Once you get past the first few days, the battle becomes easier.

The only problem with this approach is that many times people go right back to eating lots of sugary snacks within months of breaking the habit. That's why I suggest the next diet tip.

Diet Tip # 2 (Moderation)

The good news is you DON'T have to give up sugar to lose weight. Moderation is the key to dealing with sugar craving. Few people are able to completely eliminate sugar or sugary treats from their diet. In a perfect world, eliminating sugar would be best since sugar is calorie dense and contains NO nutrients.

Unfortunately, sugar is in almost everything we eat. Completely eliminating it from our diet is almost impossible.

The best diet tip for dealing with sugar craving is to allow yourself a few light treats before or after dinner. You can eat 1/2 cup of low fat ice cream for dessert which totals about 120 calories.

My favorite low calorie treat is 1 large serving of sugar free Jell-O with 2 tablespoons of Lite Cool Whip. This treat totals 30 calories and taste great. You satisfy your sugar craving without inhaling a load of calories.

Another good treat is a slice of seedless watermelon which is filling, sugary tasting and totals a little more than 120 calories.

You can combine 1 cup of sliced seedless watermelon (50 calories) with the sugar free Jell-O and whip cream for a total of 80 calories. You'll find more calories in a piece of toast than in this great tasting treat.

If you're oppose to using NutraSweet as some of our Diet Tip subscribers (based on the email sent on this subject), you can use regular Jell-O with light whip cream for a total of 90 calories. Whip cream makes Jell-O taste rich but has only 20 calories per serving.

Try cutting a whole cantaloupe into small pieces and place it in a Tupperware container. Store content in the refrigerator and use for a dessert or snack. A cup of sliced melons is nutritious and contains only 50 calories. Allowing yourself 1 cup of sliced melons or 1/2 cup of low fat ice cream helps you control portion and therefore calories.

We also offer a terrific personal diet plan that can help with sugar craving for permanent weight loss.

Dan Burley
Editor, Diet Tip Newsletter

 

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