It surprises me that I know what's good for me. I know I'm responsible for my own mouth but I love choccie, cakes, sweets and sugar. I'd probably eat a Malteser that I'd dropped on a pavement.
What do you guys do when you get a craving? Any tips before I can't bend down because of my belly?
Brush my teeth, drink herbal tea, chew on fennel, do a few toning exercises, write and reply to posts here.
I'm the same with sweet food. I have actually extracted and eaten food that I had thrown in the bin with vegetable peelings on top before. 
Ha. Love that. Good tips. I might buy a colouring book like when I was a kid and just start frantically colouring in. Will try what you say. My hubbie logically tells me to just not eat it. So true.... but I can't hear his words over the Screaming Sugar Troll.
You can get colouring books for grown ups but they are rather boring mandalas, had a couple for my birthday. So I just bought some childrens' ones in Wilko.
Ooh. I do love Wilko! Will get some. I may submit the results to next year's Royal Academy Summer Exhibition!
Go to WHSmith, their adult colouring books are beautiful. Mind, they are expensive at around £11. Personally, the cost of the book is much cheaper to me than the cost on the scales if I didn't have this distraction sometimes. It is amazing how therapeutic colouring can be, I have lost myself a couple of hours before now, lol.😊
I crave chocolate. Instead I turn to fruit like a banana or a few grapes. Try some new healthier foods and then substitute them?
Hi Netty, I have a massive sweet tooth. I am ok during the day but the evenings were a nightmare - just wanted to eat all evening.
I have taken a variety of steps to get over this and I would say it took me about 3 months to get past it. So this is what I did as an evening snacker - first changed the snacks, swapped sweet biscuits for savoury, found 100 cal chocolate - check out the calories in 1 stick of a Twirl or a strip of chocolate and <100 cal cakes such as weightwatchers mini rolls. Then there are sugar free jellies only about 10 cals and low cal yoghurts about 60 cals. And of course fruit, fresh and tinned. I then restricted myself to 150 cals in evening in snacks. Once a week I allow myself an evening off and will usually have some cake or a full bar of chocolate - I still do this.
Once I was used to the new snacks I tried to cut back from 3 to 2. Now I usually have some fruit about an hour or so after my dinner. The reason I leave it a while is to break the habit of eating something sweet straight after something savoury - that was also a real problem for me.
Once you look into the calories in fruit etc you should be able to find nice tasty desserts like Eton Mess with fresh strawberries and mini meringues without too many calories.
If you are like me it will take you time to get master the sweet things and take back control but it can be done, just take your time and don't try to change everything at once.
Hope that helps a bit and good luck 
Perfect. I will get some dark chocolate. I just need to train myself to not be a greedy gannet. Thank you very much.
I am very much an advocate of the 85% choc too. I get slightly different ones each time. The chocolate taste is intense and I find your mouth sort of gets dry and you're naturally limited how much you have. I've also found that tescos does 35g small bars of Ecuadorian dark choc which is a reasonable portion size and helps fend off cravings.
As well as colouring in, I would suggest developing a sewing habit. I keep things next to the sofa waiting for repairs or to sew on extra bits of sequins/patterned trimming etc. I pick it up after dinner and it keeps my hands full. And I wear my sequins with pride knowing I chose them instead of having unhealthy post-dinner snacks!
Also freeze leftovers in portion sizes for future meals, do it straight away so you don't come back for seconds. Lots of luck
Thank you. That's really useful. Love the idea of your sequins. I might end up with a house full of cushions! That would certainly stop me reaching the front door to go and buy sweets. Thank you again.
Rather than making cushions I've been fixing my rather dishevelled cushions which are often the nearest thing to hand when I'm looking to keep my hands busy. My bf also recruited my new sewing zeal to repair his drum cases! I've got zero sewing expertise whatsoever, purely motivated by trying to stop myself mindlessly munching! Lots of luck, hope you find something that works for you
I have found with cravings try and distract yourself by doing some of those things others have mentioned like exercise, brushing teeth, having green tea. If you still have the craving after half an hour it can be worthwhile to have a little bit of whatever you are craving otherwise I find I just overeat other things or just eventually cave and binge. I love sweets as well, so when I am really craving chocolate or something I will have a little bit of dark chocolate and that usually stops me thinking about it and I can just get on with the rest of my day.
Thank you. I can't believe I may have to look at the grown up dark chocolate when the Curly Wurlies are waving at me. I'll certainly try and thank you.
Honestly I still prefer milk chocolate, and sometimes I just have some of that instead. Fun size bars act as a good treat, but my problem is I will eat more than I need to if it is my favourite choc lol.
You will find what works for you and remember a treat is ok every now and then
I love your brutal honesty about a malteser on a pavement because I am absolutely the same.
How I have dealt with cravings is to get the best quality dark chocolate and best unrefined peanut butter (my other weakness) and have some when the craving is still there after a cup of tea or work out. If my diversions don't help, I allow myself what I am craving, but an unrefined version.
I get chocolate from the raw chocolate company and the peanut butter is Meridian...
I can't say I am now able to resist the malteser on the pavement, but I am better armed to deal with the urge!
xx
Go for good dark chocolate. If you're not used to it go for gradually higher percentages until you find yourself loving the really dark stuff - once you get to about 70% plus the health benefits (of a small amount) start to outweigh the disbenefits. Find a really good chocolatier who makes fantastic but expensive chocolates, preferably fairly small ones, and have them as a one a day treat. When you're spending £1 or more for each small chocolate you'll want to make the bag last, but the explosion of flavour and low GI of one really good chocolate will leave you satisfied and not wanting to lose the lingering flavour in your mouth by putting something else in it too soon. You'll soon find the very sugary brand name chocolates are a very pale comparison.
I'll try that. I did recently buy three chocolates for £10. I can't remember what they tasted like as I wolfed them down so quickly but I will try to be good. Thank you so much.
Wish I knew Netty! Wish I knew........
I'm a grazer, stems from nursing in the "olden days" when often meal breaks were lost because we were too busy caring for sick folk and not clock watching, so we got used to snatching meals when we could.
It's not bad at weekends when husband not at work during the day but during the week........... don't eat sweets but the packet of crisps, the sultanas, the cream crackers with cheese on and the bananas soon add up without thinking.
Have started logging down all I eat using an app called 'Macros'.....but as only started on Saturday it tells me am OK. Am hoping thst just the thought of writing down all I eat each day will make me more aware. Have you tried writing it down?
Lord knows it's never too late to gain more friends. I don't see old friends in case they think they're seeing double!
I've started writing it down but I'm just working on my honesty as my Jack Russell keeps telling me that I'm lying!
What do you turn to when you feel stressed? Feed the Choccie Beast?
Hi Netty, I also had a huge sugar addiction going back a few months, and have cured it (as far as I can tell) by going cold turkey. The first week was easy as I was enthusiastic the the next couple were awful as the cravings overcame the smugness lol, but then one day the cravings were just gone and now I can only tolerate a little sweetness. I can eat dark chocolate (85% or higher) and be really satisfied with a couple of squares, and do still like fruit but prefer it with something savoury like a bit of cheese or a few nuts to offset the sweetness. This approach might not work for everyone but it did help me. Good luck x
I'll give it a go. I suffered from smugness in the past when I lost loads. I don't think I had the last laugh! I was nearly too fat to take part in a weight loss study the other day. The shame! As I reached for a Crunchie!
I really appreciate your tips! Thank you
Snap. I could do with tips also.
Oh Netty, I love chocolate too. I steal my kids chocolate😳
I started taking magnesium as I read it curbs sweet cravings. So far I'm not too bad. Although I did eat a (few) flakes ones day last week.
Ha. I would do that too if I had kids. I don't fancy stealing my Jack Russell's Bonio though plus she wouldn't allow it anyway! I try not to fall into the multi pack trick because I've never saved the others for later!
Will look at Magnesium and thank you. Any other tips, please just say.
I don't have a sweet tooth at all, but am just as bad with savoury food as you are with sweet. My little Jack Russell, Alfie, has never had so many walks in his entire 6 years as he has had in the 5 weeks since starting my healthy living regime, lol. When I get the urge to stuff my face, Alfie gets harnessed and off we go, sometimes it's just round the block and sometimes it's into the fields if my craving is bad. It has got to the point that when I open the fridge, he heads to his lead and back door!!!! 😊
Chocolate 
Chocolate
Chocolate Cake Anyone?
Easter chocolate
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