In this article I'm going to share 3 tangible steps to help overcome your sweet tooth cravings.
I'm also going to cover the 2 main reasons I've observed as to why you might be experiencing intense and/or frequent sweet tooth cravings.
That way, you are aware of the most common underlying reasons it's happening and can avoid them in the future.
So make sure you read until the very end to fully understand this, get the action steps you can put into practice right away, and regain full control of your sweet tooth....
Just like I did.
If you're new here, my name is Jesse and although I've been a Fitness Professional for almost 10 years now...
I have a massive sweet tooth myself.
For me, I couldn't control my portion sizes with sweets.
I couldn't just have 1 or 2 cookies. It would end up being at least 7.
And I couldn't have just 1 slice of cake at a birthday.
I would have 2 or 3 and the only reason I wouldn't have more was because it wasn't socially appropriate to eat 4 slices of birthday cake at someone else's birthday.
It wasn't uncommon for me to have ice cream every day in high school and college too.
Fast forward 10 years later to today,
and I'm in much more control of my sweet tooth.
I can have 1 serving of a dessert and stop there.
I can even turn down some sweets when offered. Simply because I don't want it.
Which had never happened once in my first 20-25 years of life.
So if you can relate to any of this or have some of the same struggles,
just now that if I can turn it around with sweets....so can you.
Now, before I go into the 3 fast-action steps you can start using today to limit your cravings...
You should know the 2 most common reasons people experience intense or frequent sweet tooth cravings - so you can avoid them in the future.
(based on my own experience coaching a few hundred individuals over the last 5-8 years.)
First - If you're eating drastically low calories, you should absolutely expect to feel intense cravings at some point.
And I'm willing to bet my life savings that you'll also end up yo-yo dieting as well. (regaining weight lost)
So, what is considered 'drastically low calories?"
I would say anything more than 1,000 calories below your maintenance calories is probably unnecessarily low.
Not that you can't ever eat 1,000 calories below maintenance.
But if you are, it likely has to be for a very brief amount of time before adding more food back into your diet. So you can prevent binging later on.
The problem is that there's so many people out there eating drastically low amount of food and trying to stick with it for months or longer.
So they develop these intense cravings, end up binging every few weeks, and yo-yo dieting.
I see this all the time with adult men who are eating in the 1000-1500 calorie range to try and lose weight fast.
99% of the time, that isn't going to be sustainable for an adult male who is working out every week.
The second reason people experience these sweet tooth cravings is often because they're following an "elimination diet."
This is commonly used by people who cut out carbs or sugar from their diet.
If you're taking an approach like this, I would 100% expect you to have cravings and also to end up yo-yo dieting as well.
There are very few people who can go the rest of their life without eating carbs.
Meaning, whatever results you see are likely temporary.
Also, when you completely eliminate a macronutrient (or micronutrient) from your diet...
You tend to crave those things more.
So if you're someone who is dealing with pretty intense or frequent sweet tooth cravings, I would make sure to keep these 2 things in mind.
Try not to eat unnecessarily low amount of food and don't choose an approach like an elimination diet that will magnify your cravings.
Now, let's get into these 3 tips I promised you to help limit sweet tooth cravings....
1. Plan To Include 1 Treat Into Your Daily Calories
One of the beauties of tracking your calories is that you can realistically include any food you want in your daily intake, and still see results.
That being said, it's going to be in your best interest to eat mainly more nutrient-dense foods that help you feel your best and function optimally.
Like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, grains, etc.
But planning in 1 serving of a treat into your calories once or twice a week isn't going to hurt you in any way.
And it will likely help satisfy those sweet tooth cravings as well.
Especially if you do this along with eating in an appropriate calorie range and eating plenty of protein and vegetables to keep you full.
2. Replace Foods You're Craving with Calorie - Friendly Alternatives.
We're fortunate to live in a time where there is millions of products & brands in the grocery stores now.
And there seems to be a lower calorie or higher protein alternative for almost any food you might want.
One trick that's worked for me is choosing some of these lower calorie options for some of my favorite treats.
So it's really easy to fit within my daily calories since they are less "calorie expensive."
Here are just a few examples that I've used in the past....
Ice Cream ----> Halotop Ice Cream (Ben & Jerry's also has a lower calorie option)
Candy / Chocolate ----> Chocolate Chip flavored Protein Bar (I like ONE bars or Pure Protein bars)
Chips ----> Quest Protein Chips
Pancakes / Waffles ----> Protein pancakes with light or sugar free syrup
But if there's a specific food you're craving, see if you can find a lower calorie alternative in the grocery store or online.
3. Don't Keep Junk Food In The House
This is such a simple, yet effective way to limit eating treats & junk that you often feel bad after eating.
If you're buying cookies, chips, candy, etc. in the grocery store, you've already committed to eating it.
And having that as an ongoing option in your cabinet every day is just another temptation for you.
So my best suggestion would be not to keep a bunch of junk in the house that always makes you feel bad after eating it.
And instead, follow step #1 and plan to include 1 serving of a treat within your calories.
So if you want that treat to be cookies, maybe go out and buy a couple cookies from a place you really like for that day you plan it within your calories.
Instead of keeping 3 dozen Oreos in your house at all times and nonchalantly eating one every few hours.
I really hope this article was helpful and that you'll be able to implement these 3 action steps to keep you sweet tooth at bay.
If you want to watch the video version of this article, you can do so on YouTube Here.
And if you have any specific questions about your personal situation or need some guidance with your nutrition or training, don't hesitate to send me an email: Info@RoseFitnessNY.com
Thank you again for reading.