It shouldn't be hard to follow the NHS 12 week plan but my spirit was dropping (more like my sugar levels). Cutting sugar out of my drinks has been a lot harder than I thought as well as dropping the nightly chocolate clearly I'm addicted to sugar.
Plus side I have attended my second kickboxing class, this has boost my mood being out with other people my own age (normally I'm at home with the children) as well as it was an enjoyable exercise
Any tips on how to stop my sweet tooth taking over my diet?
Hi Debbie, I think in time you will find that as your body gets used to less sugar, you will crave it less. And your taste buds will adjust so that as time goes by you will start to find some things too sweet!
There are lot's of sweet fruits that would be better for you to enjoy. Mango, or strawberries, tinned peaches or mandarins mixed with yoghurt maybe? Frozen yogurt, low sugar jelly. What about those individual chocolate drink sachets too? Some vegetables are even sweet when they are cooked, caramelised onions, squash and sweet potato?! So you don't have to miss out altogether. Or just let yourself have two squares of chocolate after your dinner every evening. Mind you that only works if you have the self discipline not to eat the whole bar!
Sweet cravings are very difficult aren't they? I find eating a little more at breakfast and lunch helps with the mid afternoon sugar lows that lead to cravings 😊 Also eating slow release carbohydrates regularly throughout the day.
I'm glad you enjoyed your kick boxing 😊 It's good to do something for yourself isn't it?
Find nice fruits, natural sweetness in things like liquorice tea, really small treats like a square of very dark chocolate. Put selected 'treats' in the freezer and just have one portion out to defrost at a time. (I make an apple flapjack where the sweetness only comes from grated apple and chopped sultanas). Or pre-prepare small pots of chopped fruit or dried fruit, nuts and tiny chips of chocolate. Hope that helps you with some ideas!
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It really does help thank you, the flap jacks sound nice I will have to find a recipe
Hi Debbie,
I try to introduce fruits and veg I don't normally eat into my diet. This week I ordered some organic dates and my life, I could only eat two - they were that sweet and filling and I think they're like the sweetest fruit you can consume. Of course, we do already get quite a lot of sugar from fruit so I found I didn't really have much of a withdrawal feeling when I cut out processed sugar out of my diet.
I hope this helps and you give dates a try, I got a box of organic ones and they last for ages so I only munch on them when I have a sweet craving; it's working so far!
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Thank you I will give dates a try, need to expand the kind of fruits I eat.
Lots of really lovely fruits out there which might help, pineapple, mango, strawberries etc but make sure not dried fruit or fruit juice so the sugar is in its natural form. You could have with natural yoghurt for a dessert on eat on its own. Dark choc (> 70%) is good but in v small quantities, unfortunately I can't stand the dark stuff tho :(. Another tip for your drinks to try is squeezing lemon or lime into water, makes it taste nicer and more palatable. I have sparkling too which I love even more, if its still water you can leave fruit and herbs like mint in it in the fridge to infuse the flavours. The cravings will get easier the longer you've been cutting down on the sugar...
Hi lesstolose, I've just started the blood sugar diet which is low carb, supposed to retrain your insulin measures. I've been amazed to see I've lost 41/2lbs in a day! I know it's likely to be water but it's a big incentive to keep going. When I took the quiz on the website, it became clear I was hooked on carbs!
I was just wondering if cutting out the sugar from your cup of tea was worth feeling miserable about. I know it goes against the grain to suggest a sweetener but it might make the whole experience a little more pleasant. A low cal hot chocolate drink or just a couple of pieces of really good quality dark chocolate might also help you along. Your happiness is important and is the key to success. Xx
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