How do sweets fit into your routine?

[ChefChris]

Hi

I am going to copy Lindrusso's idea on alcohol and ask a question about sweets...

I mentioned on the alcohol thread that I just started weight watchers to drop a few pounds. I am in a rut of wanting something sweet after lunch AND after dinner! This is difficult to afford point-wise/calorie-wise as I don't tend to have extra points/calories to spend on desserts because I use them up on the meal.

I am curious as to how many treats you all allow yourselves daily and/or weekly? I need some encouagement to cut out the routine/expectation of meal then dessert.

Thanks for your help!
Chris

[pmmahan]

I find with me, its feast or famine. Sometimes, I can't get enough, other times, I 'll go for weeks without really wanting a dessert. I do a lot of Cooking Light desserts, mostly brownies (yummmm) to keep the fat content low. When I'm on a kick , I'll eat something sweet every night for a coupel of days, and then let it go.... I try not to think of it as "letting" myself have these treats, because as soon as I do, I want more - the forbidden fruit thing....

[hhcowgirl]

Ummmm.. . they don't.

It's that simple. I am meticulous (yes, to the point of being truly annoying) about every bite that goes into my mouth. The moment I see something chocolate or buttery, I instantly envision it settling on my hips. My BF the other day was asking me if I liked Cadbury cream eggs and it was so sad, I honestly could not remember. I think the last time I had "real" chocolate was probably last summer, and that was only once. I am not necessarily proud of all this, in fact I'm sure it is to the point of being a little neurotic; however, as I have said before, it is simply a choice I have made. I would rather remain very slim than enjoy that piece of chocolate evry once in a while. Please don't think I sound really smug or self-satisfied--it's just something that I have to do to keep up with my irritating perfectionist tendencies.

[This message has been edited by hhcowgirl (edited 02-05-2001).]

[pmmahan]

hhcowgirl - I admire your resolve! Wow!

It is so interesting what things are important to us. I enjoy eating all kinds of foods (even sinfully delicious chocolate) and do so in moderation, while exercising, and am able to stay an ideal weight for my height.
I could never deprive myself (I learned that at an early age), so I strive for balance.

[emilycat]

Hmm...let me see.

I'm a self-confessed dessert addict. I have to have something sweet every day, and it used to be after every meal (sometimes even breakfast -- yup, I've been known to follow up my bagel with a Hershey's miniature).

Usually, dessert is either a bit of chocolate (I'd refrained from buying it for a couple months because I love it so much and it's so expensive, but last week I caved in and bought a monstrous bar of Hershey's Special Dark. It'll last me about 5 days, then I won't buy anymore for a while.)or a half cup of Edy's whole fruit sorbet. Granted, my idea of dessert is often a bit of a stretch...typically, my dessert lunch is oatmeal with Equal and cinnamon (I know, kinda weird, but I love oatmeal and have a bowl nearly every day), yogurt, or sometimes a couple of graham crackers, if I have any around.

As a runner who logs quite a bit of mileage, I get around 2,000 calories a day, maybe a little more. I feel like if I'm getting all the necessary nutrients I need from fruits, vegetables, grains and so forth, which I think I certainly do, I can allow myself a couple hundred towards my sweets-satiation. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Emily

[This message has been edited by emilycat (edited 02-05-2001).]

[cindyluwho]

I don't have dessert after every meal, just because I don't always think of it (I didn't grow up having dessert after meals), but I'll sometimes have a muffin after meals--I make a batch of mini-muffins, usually blueberry banana or pumpkin, and store them in the freezer, then microwave a couple when I want something sweet after lunch or dinner. The advantage of making mini-muffins is that if I only want a tiny bit of something sweet, I can just microwave one and that hits the spot. Or I can have 3 if I'm still hungry. For awhile, I was eating a couple of digestive biscuits every night before going to bed (they're kind of like shortbread cookies, but not quite as buttery, with a wheatier taste really yummy!). They're sweet, but not very sweet, and I found them to have just enough sweetness for me. But my grocery store stopped selling the ones that don't have hydrogenated vegetable oil, which I tend not to eat, so now I sometimes eat other kinds of cookies, which interestingly are not that sweet either...I guess I like to have something that is a little sweet, but I don't like cloyingly sweet desserts. Sometimes I have some granola too. There's usually a pretty good amount of butter or oil in all of these things, but if I only have one or two cookies or a little bit of granola, it's not a big deal. It probably helps that I'm vegetarian and I love to eat vegetables, so my meals are usually pretty healthy and it's ok if I have a few cookies here and there. I don't really count calories, but I've been more conscious of what and how much I eat lately (not eating many pre-packaged items and making my own meals, which saves a ton of money to boot!) and have been exercising alot harder, and I've lost more than 10 pounds over the past few months. The exercise has really helped! I used to stop after running 2 miles, when I started getting a little sweaty and tired, but now I push through it and keep going, and have found that this has made a HUGE difference! And now I actually LIKE running!

[SusieO]

Chris:
I am a Lifetime member of Weight Watchers, having lost 35 pounds and kept it off for more than a year. And I eat something sweet every day. Did you know that you can have 3 Hershey's kisses for 2 points? Or, if you buy the right brand (Baker's semi-sweet, I believe), 27 chocolate chips for 1 point. Also, Hershey's Tastetation hard candies, especially chocolate mint, go a long way toward satisfying a sweet craving.

My point is this: you can find a way to work sweets in without blowing your point budget.

Good luck to you!

[kwormann]

I also crave a sweet after lunch and dinner, so I keep either peanut m&m's or snackwells chocolate chip cookies (the tiny ones) and have one or 2. It seems to do the trick!

Kim

[ChefChris]

Thank you so much for all of your insights what a variety of approaches!

hhcowgirl, I am envious that you have found a way to have sweets not even be an issue for you! I usually try for balance in having a little something here and there, but then it seems like I go on a tear and I am always looking for ways to fit it in, if I never had it, like you, it would probably be easier to avoid.(not to suggest what you do is easy!)

I grew up having dessert always being offered, whereas my husband did not have it offered all the time(like cindyluwho) and it is interesting because he is able to enjoy dessert occassionally but doesn't focus on it like I do.

I think portions are the key (like weight watchers emphasizes). What I find is that chocolate is such a trigger for me that it is hard for me to each just a few miniature chocolates etc. I should probably have other types of desserts available that don't have such a hold on me so I could fit them in my diet in reasonable quanities. For example today my daughter and I made the puffed up choc chip cookies while it was snowing (it was so fun), but instead of having just one or two I want MORE because they are chocolate if they were oatmeal raisin I bet I could stop at one. I know I am rambling, but I am frustrated at my lack of control when it comes to chocolate. I eat a very healthy, low fat, lots of fruits and vegetables etc. diet the rest of the time, so it seems odd to me that I don't feel in control of this one aspect. I know chocolate is a common pitfall for a lot of people. I read somewhere that if something is a trigger food you are better off avoiding it.

emilycat, we have a lot in common, I love oatmeal, I have it almost every morning for breakfast, Special Dark is one of my favorite types of chocolate and I love Moosewood's and Mollie Katzen's cookbooks too.(I've seen you post on those before!)

cindyluwho, I am with you on the frustration of hydrogenated oils, they are everywhere, you really have to either buy health food store baked goods or make your own to avoid it!

SusieO, thanks for your suggestions for low point items. I need to do a better job of planning my day and fitting the treat in and then that is it and leave it at that, rather than mid day have a choc craving and blow my points on too many cookies that I didn't plan for and still need to eat regular meals the rest of the day. Congratulations on maintaining your weight loss, very inspiring.

Kwormann and Pmmahan, you have the balance thing down pat. That is what I am striving for, thanks for the suggestions.

It is amazing how exercise can play a role in all of this, when I am consistent with it I lose the strong desire for sweets, so the answer of course is... exercise more frequently!

Chris

[Natasha]

I have a sweet tooth. Sweets definitely fit in - every day, and usually after every meal. It might be a small piece of chocolate, a small spoon of peanut butter (at home), or a cookie. I love baking cookies for friends and colleagues, or having small chocolates around for them. I don t go for big desserts anymore; it s too much of a good thing! A little bit hits the spot and usually satiates me. So my sweet tooth has abated somewhat since I was a kid...but it s still there!

[lindrusso]

I wish I could get to the point where a little bit hits the spot. I also have to eat something sweet every day, but I don't keep much around the house, so I usually can't do too much damage! I never cut them out completely, but when I'm really watching what I eat, I cut down on the sweets quite a bit. I find that Werther's hard toffee candies are great for satisfying a sweet tooth.

[Kerri]

I love sweets. I am also one of those people who has to have something sweet after dinner. Lately, I have found that I can reduce the amount of sweets I eat at night by coupling it with a cup of decaffinated fruit hot tea with sweet and low. The tea is sweet enough to satisfy me and it also fills me up a bit so I am not as hungry. I have been counting calories, and found I can include that extra something if I am careful the rest of the day. It is worth it to me.

Hhcowgirl - I DO NOT envy you. Perhaps cutting sweets out in itself is a good thing, but that with everything else I have read about you on this board leads me to believe you do not live a healthy lifestyle. I am sorry, I think about you all the time and I just go to the point where I felt like I need to say something. I know now I have the option of erasing everything I have written, but I don't think I can. Anyways, flame me if you want, but I do wish you the best.

[hhcowgirl]

Kerri,
Your words do not offend me at all, I have a lot of friends who would agree with you. One thing that I neglected to point out, though, is that I really have never had a craving for sweets, if I ever crave something fattening, it is good, old-fashioned home-cooking, so to speak, like cheese grits or something (I know, I know, sounds gross to you non-southerners, I'm sure). However, I do think you have definitely pre-judged my diet and do not know enough about it to definitively label it as "not a healthy lifestyle." If you could view my diet as a whole, I am certain there is no way anyone could deem it unhealthy--for example, I am so, so careful to get at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies daily, I consume adequate levels of fat, and exercise almost daily (but not fanatically). So perhaps before you jump at the chance to criticize, you should request more information. I simply am not a fan of sweets (I, too, grew up in a family where we rarely had desserts) and am choosy about what goes into my mouth. I do not, as your post implies, have a distorted body image or "issues" about eating at all--I merely enjoy being slim and place that priority near the top of my list. And, in spite of your message, I remain proud of it.

[phantomcg]

Well, I guess I'm "odd man out" here. I very, very seldom crave sweets. I think that most of it comes from my upbringing. We were also a family that did not eat desserts. I love to bake, but I rarely eat the results. Of course the people at work love it when I bake because I always bring in treats. I'm not saying that I don't like sweets or baked goods, it's just that there are other things I would rather have. Even as a child when we would go to Ponderosa or Old Country Buffet or any of those places, I would skip dessert and have another helping of salad or a vegetable.

Cheryl

[pammy]

Chef Chris,

I am also following the WW point system. You can have something sweet with lunch and dinner. I love lemon flavored yogurt, it tastes like lemon chiffon pie to me, so that is usually my lunch time dessert. And after dinner, depending on what I had to eat during the day, and the points I have left over, I have a mini-Peppermint Patty (really satisfies a sweet tooth), or 1/2 C. frozen yogurt with fruit, or hot chocolate, or a biscotti (Stella D'Oro almond biscotti are 2 points) with tea. I have also used the apple crisp recipes in the CL October 2000 issue several times and have substituted pears for the apples. Very good, and one serving is three points. And usually once a week, I have half of a real dessert when eating out at a restaurant or at a Sunday family gathering. It is not decadent, but it is enough to satisfy my sweet tooth, and I will certainly be able to wear my size 6 capri pants this summer with confidence (imagining that is the best protection against going on a chocolate binge).

[Laura]

How do sweets fit into my lifestyle? All too well thank you very much. Actually I go in spurts. But I am definitely on a sweet binge right now. It doesn't help that the grocery store had a 2 for 1 on Dreyers Light (Edy's in the East) bought mint chocolate chip and chocolate chip cookie dough, for my kids, don't ya know http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif. Yeah right! I also have had a virus for the past two weeks that gives me intermittent bouts with vertigo. Unfortunately, it doesn't make me want to stop eating, just exercising. I am seeming to get the upper hand so I am going to the gym now to ride the bike for 45 mintues. (Darn treadmill broken again, and it's misting and foggy and about 35 degrees outside.)

[Gina O]

I often have cravings for sweets and have a couple ways of satisfying them... one is the lemon or orange flavored prunes. I really like them and they a very sweet. The other is mini marshmallows... you have to wait for the April issue of CL to hear more on that subject! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

I lost 60 lbs by thinking about every single bite of food I put in my mouth. No exercise, just 8 months of constant committment to losing weight. When I craved something, I would eat it whether it be sweets or Big Mac's. I just didn't eat all of it, and was more careful the rest of the day or the next day. Gina

[beccathebaker]

Well, sweets play a pretty large part in my life lately, as I am recovering from cancer and have been significantly underweight for five years now. I had been trying with so much effort to gain weight eating "healthy fats" (I am a nutritionist and try to practice what I preach), but the weight just was not coming on. SO, I have begun eating more ice cream, peanut butter and sweet breads to put on the pounds. Hasn't done much yet but it's not been too long. My favorite ice cream of the moment is Edy's limited edition girl scout peanut butter Tagalong! It is so great! I also love chocolate pudding made with silk soymilk-you would never know that you were getting soy in your diet with this tasty treat!

[Jessica]

I do know a few people who just do not care for sweets, so it does exist.
I am not one of them. I have a terrible sweet tooth, and occasional blame it on crunchy 70s parents who did not let us have sweets all that often http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif Carob still makes me cringe.
Some days I just have peppermint tea and that works, and some days the chocolate wins. I guess I would rather have the sweets and not be super-slim. If I think it is getting out of hand, I will go up to a month with no desserts to sort of detox and drop a couple pounds. I don't think I could do it forever, though, unless I was diagnosed with diabetes or something.
And emilycat, you are right. Sorbet rules, although I prefer the Haagen Dazs lemon or chocolate.