Eat Sweets Once Per Week
If you are trying to lose weight, then aim for once every two weeks or less. Increased sugar intake means that the sweets you are eating will be stored as belly fat, lead to weight gain, speed up the aging process and raise the risk of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. The less processed sugar you eat the better, but since most of us aren’t willing to quit sugar altogether, having a weekly maximum is helpful in managing.
Save Desserts For When They Are Really Worth It
You’ve just decided to monitor sugar consumption, thus making it time to prioritize. Avoid sweets you don’t like and enjoy the one that’s a special occasion of your choosing.
Don’t Keep Sweets At Home
Because even if you aren’t craving them, you will end up eating them. If you just want something sweet, try fruit or cereal bars or a rice cake with honey. You might also go for tea with honey.
Check Food Labels
It’s wise to check labels when shopping. Sugar is often hidden in bread, salads, yogurt and other foods you normally consider healthy. Once you identify and begin preferring sugarless foods, your mind will curb your desire for sugar itself.
Watch Your Detours
The same way you shouldn’t ignore sugar in yogurt, you also can’t ignore your daily chocolate bar. Watch the small detours you take from your eating plan every week and don’t fool yourself into thinking you are consuming less sugar than you really are.
Choose Quality Over Quantity
If you want to reduce the number of sweets you consume, then pay close attention to quality over quantity. A few small bites of your favorite chocolate is much more satisfying than a slice of cake. Remember desert can burden you with an extra 25-50 calories per bite.
Eat Half
Half your dessert is 100% better than all of your dessert. Find someone special to share it with so you are not tempted to polish it all off yourself.
Add Exercising To The Mix
We all indulge once in a while. When you’ve fallen off the wagon and gone on a sugar binge, use it as an excuse to hit the gym. Your muscles use the carbs for fuel, so use them and boost your metabolism (having a little extra glucose in your blood and insulin when exercising can really improve your metabolism) instead of storing it all as fat.
Make Your Own
When you make your favorite treats at home, you can choose the products and ingredients you add. Replace whole eggs with just the whites whenever possible, use less sugar and add natural sweeteners (for example, stevia) for a healthier alternative to store-bought.
Buy Small Packages And Portions
Avoid keeping, for example, a pint of ice cream in your freezer if you are trying to lose weight. Instead, buy the smaller individual sized cartons to alleviate a moment of weakness.
Small Plates
Similarly, when it’s time for dessert, get out the small plates. It’s all in the presentation and many people eat with their eyes as well as their mouths. If the plate looks full, then your mind will be tricked into believing that your tummy is full as well.
Don’t Forget About Fruit
Fruit contains natural sugars which lessen your desire for sweets while simultaneously arming you with vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants which have a positive impact on your metabolism and reduce fat storage.
Eat Small Meals Regularly
More frequent meals will give you energy and regulate your blood sugar. Plus the calories you save on smaller meals can be used to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Need A Sweet Every Day?
If you want to taste something sweet every day, then choose one of the following:
- 1 fruit after your meal
- 1 fruit salad with honey, cinnamon, and nuts
- Light jello with fresh fruit (one per day)
- Yogurt with fruit, honey, and nuts
- Yogurt with honey or jam
- Whole wheat cereal with 1.5 % milk
- Dark chocolate with nuts
- 1 Whole wheat cereal bar with fruit or chocolate
- Dried fruit
- Hot cocoa with 1.5% milk
- 1-2 sugarless cookies
- Sugarless desserts with fiber and a low glycemic index
*Remember that these suggestions have not been customized – you can always seek the advice of a professional to create a diet plan that is suitable to your body’s specific needs.
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