Hey, thank you for your great reply to my message! I’ve got another question for you- do you have any advice on how to deal with my cravings for anything sweet? I limited my daily sugars (sugarfree coffee, tea) but I still need some sweets after dinner, and it’s usually chocolate, or fruit if I don’t have anything. How can I deal with this in order to lose weight?

Hey, thank you for your great reply to my message! I've got another question for you- do you have any advice on how to deal with my cravings for anything sweet? I limited my daily sugars (sugarfree coffee, tea) but I still need some sweets after dinner, and it's usually chocolate, or fruit if I don't have anything. How can I deal with this in order to lose weight?

Answer - Permalink

luseeinthesky

Hi Lucy,

Sorry for my very late reply! I also often crave a treat after dinner. Let’s face it: willpower is lower in the evening and we often tend to think that we “deserve” a treat just because we had a busy day.

Fruit is a good choice after dinner if you feel like you need something sweet to bring closure to your meal. Try to go for low-calorie, low-sugar fruits like grapefruit, melon, apple, berries. Fruits that are higher in calories like mango or bananas can better be eaten for breakfast, or pre/post-workout.
Chocolate can be okay as a “meal closer” after dinner if you choose a low sugar dark chocolate and if you’re able to control your portions. This means eating only one square and putting it back. - I personally cannot do that, that’s why I just don’t have it in the house ;). When I want to indulge in chocolate, I go for unsweetened dark chocolate. One of my favorite dark chocolate brands is Lindt Excellence 99% cocoa. It’s really strong and many people may not like it but it’s just awesome to get that big chocolate kick without sugar or artificial sweeteners.
If you need to be stricter with your diet, herbal tea is the way to go. I like dandelion tea as a natural diuretic to help get rid of water weight (for example if your thighs tend to swell a bit the days before your periods). Sage or lavender tea helps me calm down. I also recently discovered corn tea ; it tastes like pop corn :) I basically like trying different kinds of herbal teas to keep things interesting. You can find many new varieties in ethnic or natural food supermarkets.
Finally a way to deal with evening / late night cravings is to distract yourself with something else. Watch your favorite tv-show, read something your really enjoy, get your mind off the thing you crave. Think as if you were babysitting a child. Suddenly the child starts throwing a tantrum because he wants candy, but there is nothing in the house. So you start distracting him using a toy or something else that he likes. Treat your inner child the same way to get your craving out of your mind.