Clean eating is soooo hard!

L

lora-kate1

Cathlete
I have read all about clean eating and I am all for it however I have such a terrible sweet tooth that I can't seem to stay with the program. It is like I am addicted to sugar! I did it for one day and had no chocolate or sweets of any type and it was so stressful! How do you all do it? I know that if I could sort this out I would for sure get the results I am looking for. I swear that if I was addicted to anything I would never be able to quit. Thank goodness that I am not. Eating clean looks so easy on paper but it is such a nice thing to look forward to having a sweet at night and I have no willpower if I am out for diner and there is a desert. Also I am so sleep deprived due to my amazing children that a little chocolate goes a long way since I don't drink coffee. I also don't want to totally deprive the kids of sweets (I was as a child which probably explains my need for them) but how can I bake them a batch of cookies without eating some of them? How frequently could I get away with having a sweet (i.e, chocolate, pie, cookies, cake, ice cream)? Help! Where does everyone get the willpower?
 
You are right, it does indeed take willpower to eat clean.

Changes don't happen overnight and the best thing is that you know for you it's the sweets that is causing you the trouble. It takes DOUBLE the willpower when you have kids around. You should set a personal goal for yourself and slowly change your habit. Maybe go 1 or 2 days out of the week promising yourself no sweets and clean eating. The next week, do it for 3 days, etc. etc. Once you really wean yourself off of the sweets and it's not a habit any longer, you don't need to fully deprive yourself ...go and have something once in awhile as a REWARD not a HABIT - perhaps once a week. It will take time, but you can do it and the results you will see will be so worth it!:)
 
Make or buy cookies that you hate but the kids love. If it exists.

Don't buy the stuff. Shop while well fed.

I drink green tea, it helps to keep me going without coffee or sugar.

I eat sweets maybe once week. Usually on the weekend. And I eat a smalllllll portion. If I ate it any more often than that I would descend back into eating them a lot!

Find another nighttime treat. Not totally clean (ok not at all clean) is sugar free chocolate pudding. But it wouldn't be that bad for you.

Find another "reward" at the end of the day other than sweets.
Non food based I mean. Tough I know.

Surf fitness sites for motivation.

If you havent' already cut out processed carbs, including breakfast cereal, try that...it helped me cut my 4 pm sugar cravings.

Figure out when you trigger times are and do something other than hover around the cupboard where you keep that stuff.

Tell yourself you can have it if you REALLY REALLY want it...but you don't CHOOSE to have it.

This sounds crazy but if I am going to be at a moms group or something when I KNOW there is going to be cake, cookies, or whatever (THEY ALWAYS DO!!) I mutter to myself "Must not eat cake." over and over like a mantra. My friends laugh when they hear me.

I am always glad I abstained, later. Instead of that vague feeling of regret...."It was store bought and not that good and I ate it so fast I hardly tasted it and it wasn't even worth it"

All that said...

I SO love warm freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Made with BUTTER. mmmmmm.

and

I am realllllly dreading Halloween.


:)


Jen
 
My goodness, I could have written that same post! I have exactly the same problem. I am diligent about working out and eating healthful but I blow it all with my sugar addiction! I wish I could figure a way to control it also. I agree that is so much harder with children in the house because we love to bake together plus I like to keep treats on hand for them.
 
I am a believer in everything in moderation!! If you want to have some chocolate or a little dessert just control the portions and dont load up on everything else.You got to enjoy life!!:) :)
 
Hi
Figure out what's your weakness and don't keep it in the house. My weakness is chocolate. To get around that, I keep vanilla ice cream for the kids (not a temptation for me) Then I put a dark chocolate semisweet baking bar in the freezer. (lower in fat than milk choc) I'm on WW's so 1/2 cup of that vanilla ice cream and 1 oz of that dark choc chopped into it is 5 pts--works for me--if I've been keeping up w/ my workouts and eating right all day. I have no problem resisting homemade oatmeal cookies or banana bread--Forget about homemade choc chip cookies!!:eek: That would just kill my willpower. Find out what works for you. :) karen
 
All good advice given here. For me - I've realized that I cannot adhere to a really "clean" diet. I do my best to make healthy food choices, I try to exercise at least 3-4 times a week, and I just don't sweat it! Portion control is a biggie, though.

Having said all that, I maintain at around a size 8-10, used to be a size six when I was more diligent about diet/exercise, but with two children, a job, a dog, a house, (and a husband! ;-)), there's not too much time left for exercising six days a week. I totally admire you moms who make the time by getting up earlier to work out, or those that work out at night after the kids are in bed. I'm too lazy!

So don't be too hard on yourself. Just do your best and don't stress it too much!

Michelle
 
I like the advice given here. I've never had a sweet tooth until I got pregnant with my twins. For some reason sweets were something I could actually keep in my stomach. Then I got into the habit of having them every day.

Now, I tell myself I can because I am breastfeeding. Um, no, I can't, lol.

My mom never really kept sweets around the house so I never developed a taste for them. I could just as easily pass up a chocolate chip cookie as have one. No biggie. Now chips and dip, on the other hand...

If I could just get back to where I was - not having a particular affinity for sweets, I'd be all set.

I like the advice to not keep the things I like in the house. I don't particularly like brownies but love peanut butter, I don't like chocolate cake but love white cake (you know, with the icing that wedding cakes have - yes, I have the recipe - it is pure sugar and soooo yummy!).

I also like Extra gum - it is sugar free - and Breathsavers hard candy - 5 calories per mint.

Now, to impliment my tricks, lol......
 
Since both grandmoms have diabetes, I really try to encourage healthier eating at our house. We bake cookies about once a month and I always have three or four over the week, at times we even throw out a few of them. Our main "sweets" are apples, oranges, and I know a poor choice, sweetened cereal. I have two daughters, and the 12 year old already tries to pick out better cereal. Life cereal is her present choice. A typical snack at our house if fruit, nuts, PB & crackers, raisins, or those yummy little iced yogurt squares (again not a great choice).

They have really made headway in drinking just water. When we go out to restaurants they choose soda about half the time, and water the rest. We've been making little changes over the past two years....and I want to continue making better choices. But during special times, parties, supper at grandma's, if we want something we eat it! Life's too short to be good ALL the time :p

Sami

Oh, grandmas RARELY ever bake pies anymore because they can't have them. The ones with splenda aren't too bad but still not the real thing.
 
I can sympathize with you. I almost always feel like I need a sweet after dinner. As others have said try and pick things that the family like but you don't. I do this with DH & grandchildren. My after dinner snack is often Sugar free Jello topped with Light sour cream or a low carb yogurt topped with some low carb Special K cereal. That will probably change. I eat a lot of salad with low fat dressing for snacks. Of course that does not replace the sweets. When we go out to movies etc. I usually will eat gummy treats, no fat, or a few pieces of chocolate if I can get DH to share. I drink water to leave the calories open for the foods I enjoy. Anyway what ever is a trigger to over eating I try and leave it out of the house.
Diane SUe
 
I hear you - i have a major weakness for chocolate. My two secret weapons; Health choice Fudge Bars (90 cals) and on really good days, I treat my two Viactiv calcium chews (that I take anyway) as my sweet treat. The caramel ones are really yummy!!

DD
 
I'm by no means perfect, but here's some things that have worked for me. I LOVE chocolate, and I will binge eat it if I don't have any! So here's what I've been able to do about it: use chocolate flavored protein/engery bars. The ZONE bars are delicious, so are PROMAX they have several chocolate flavors. I order from NETRITION.com - the shipping is only $5 and it gets there quick!

For breakfast, I have oatmeal mixed with (you guessed it) chocolate protein powder. I like the Designer Whey. I also add 2 tsp. of unsweetened cocoa. I like Ghiradelli and Drostes the best. This really makes it rich. If you want to add a little fat, use a tsp of all natural peanut butter or a few almonds or peanuts. It is SOOOOO good and comes in around 300 calories.

For dessert, I've purchased low carb chocolate chips. They are really good and a Tablespoon warmed in the microwave is wonderful. I sometimes put them on a low carb CHOCOLATE tortilla available on Synergydiet.com. This is a fabulous dessert at about 150 calories.
They also sell other low carb chocolate candies. These are good but they are about the same amount of calories as regular candy so watch out. However, I don't get the blood sugar spike like I do with regular candy so I'm not tempted to eat as much. They also sell mini chocolate covered donuts which are really good if you heat them in the microwave for about 15 seconds. They are 38 calories each and not that high in fat. Two of them and I'm happy.

The ZONE makes a good brownie and chocolate muffin mix. Atkins isn't bad either. Again, there's less carbs and generally fewer calories. NO PUDGE makes a great brownie mix that is fat free (but high carbs). They are about 100 calories a brownie but they are great! My kids love them! They are so easy to make too!

Smuckers makes a chocolate fudge that is low in fat. There are a few flavors, read the label for the lowest fat one. A tablespoon of this is fabulous with a bag of the 100 calorie oreo chips - or melt the chocolate chips and dip the oreos. This is under 200 calories total and is satisfying. Edy's slow churned ice cream is really fabulous too and has several chocolate flavors.

My plan is the chocolate breakfast and 1 dessert per day - either at lunch or dinner - staying below 200 calories for dessert. I also have a chocolate protein shake or a chocolate protein bar as a snack. I figure that into my daily meal plan. If I don't I will go off the deep end! If you are satisfied with the snack and no dessert later - good for you! I usually want both so I have dessert at dinner and after lunch I know that I'll have a snack in a few hours that is yummy chocolate (or your favorite flavor)

For lunch and dinner I have vegetables and fish or chicken. If I'm really hungry I add a salad with low fat or fat free dressing. Maple Grove ff raspberry vinagarette is good. No croutons though! Many times I have a salad with chicken/turkey/tuna and tons of veggies for lunch.

Just remember a little planning with a lot of water will really help! Keep a food log of everything you eat for a week. That keeps you accountable. Make sure you get enough sleep at night, when my kids keep me up, I'm really hungry the next day. OH - and avoid the wine/beer/alocohol. They make you hungry at the meal and the next day.

Lots of luck, check in and tell us how you are doing.
 
I have a serious sweet tooth too. Mostly, I just avoid sweets because I find that once I start to eat them, I become addicted, but if I avoid them entirely, then I'm fine. You really can get to a point where an orange, an apple or a pear satisfies your sweet tooth. So many things are so overloaded with sugar that your taste buds are used to being out of wack. If you train your taste buds with natural foods, you'll find that an apple really is VERY sweet, tastes fabulous and is very satisfying. I find it helps to avoid diet soda, which trains your taste buds in the wrong direction. However, if all else fails, get some Healthy Choice ice cream and eat it while the kids are eating their cookies. It has protein and calcium and is low in fat. We're talking damage control. ;)

Good luck!

-Nancy
 
Keep a food diary and write down everything that goes into your mouth. I find that I am less inclined to eat something sweet when I know I am going to have to come clean with it in my food journal!
 
Speaking of food diaries. I had a computer program several years ago and would enter everything I ate into it. I found If I even took bite of something I would have to go turn on the computer and add it to my program, so I was a lot more aware of eating and what I ate. It also helped reach my goals and recognize what I was doing or feeling when I would run for something when not hungry. I definitely did not like adding in those sweets etc. and seeing the totals.
Diane Sue
 
Hmmm, I guess I am not alone either:) I thought I was the only one on this board that overindulged!}( I do some serious damage with sweets.Although I did go a full week one time without anything sweet.I always like to have someone I know suffer through a challenge with me.But most of the friends I have now are slim and have control over what they put in there mouth anyways.And the one friend I do have that eats sweets....needs them (very tiny).
Its weird b/c I always wonder why I can run so far,burn so many cals and I never get anywhere with dropping 5 lbs.The thing with me is that I don't sit and eat a bowl of ice cream, or eat a couple of cookies.I constantly pick at things.I will eat a little bit of this and then a little bit of something else.By the end of the day I have eaten alot of empty calories but I never feel bad b/c I actually never finished something.I just ate 5 halves of 5 different bars!;(
But I am working on it, over the last week.In my opinion you can only go day to day.If you have to have something,i would suggest saving it for later in the day.After dinner.It gives you something to look forward to.
BUT if you ever find the magical cure...let me know,I want in.
Lori:)
 
Hi everybody!

What always helps me is eating some fruit for dessert. Apple, banana, grapes, pineapple, oranges etc.
I haven't had sweets in a long time, but I don't even have an urge for them either, the fruits are just right for me.

Just an idea to satisfy the sweet tooth with some healthier choices.

Have a good day
Kristine:)
 
You are right. Sugar busting is hard, but not impossible. It takes a long time to establish. For me, sugar was the final evil in my diet. My husband and I had wanted to kick this habit for about 15 years before we finally did. Not surprising, we feel more energy, and we both dropped down to what we weighed at age 20. The only sugar we take now is fruit, and we have abolished all sugar producing grains (white rice, bread, pasta) and even vegetables like potatoes and carrots.

How did we do it? By cranking up our intake of greens, ideally through green juicing. The more leafy greens we consumed, the more our craving for sugar diminished. I don't even miss sugar now, which is amazing to me since for most of my life I was obsessed with it, thinking all day long about my next fix. We also drank a lot of chlorophyll with ginger and lemon. This cut the desire as well. Except for the sugar addiction, my husband and I had been healthy vegan eaters for years, which is to say that we already had in place the habit of cooking everything whole and from scratch. This is a necessity if you want to cut sugar from your life since frozen, boxed, and canned food is crammed with the stuff.

Fruit tastes just as sweet and delicious to me as chocolate did a year ago. I never would have believed it when I was in the grip of the addiction. Good luck,
Sincerely,
Manmohini
 
Hi everyone and thanks so much for your comments and good advice! I have decided to bite the sugarless bullet and try and cut out all sweets until Christmas. I figure that if I can't do it now I will never be able to do it. This is day 3 and I am doing all right. I am also going to try and cut out white flour products and the obvious high fat deep fried food. Loftly goals I know. I figure that if I am extreme right know I can add a sweet or two down the road once I have my cravings a little more under control. Yikes! Christmas treats are looming!
 
Lori-Kate,

I don't know if this will help but I used to have a trainer and he told me when I craved sweets it was because I needed more protein, he had me up my protein a bit and after about a week my very strong cravings went away. I still deal with them the week before my cycle, that is when the craving for chocolate is the strongest and I have the Zone Double Chocolate bars. I would eat the whole box if I let myself but I cut a bar up into pieces and have a piece at a time through out the day.
 
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