Question:
What can I do about my sweet tooth?
I still have a terrible sweet tooth. I was told the surgery would take care of this. Help!!! — maryhh99 (posted on September 2, 2008)
September 2, 2008
I feel you here. I was never told the surgery would cure my sweet tooth
though. But for me, I have the 100 calorie snack packs around or I'll have
just one square of a hershey bar and that will do it for me. On a
healthier note, I also eat grapes or peaches or plums, any fruit to get
that sweet craving taken care of. It works for me and doesn't affect my
weight loss, I'm down 121 lbs in 10 months and that's with one month not
losing a pound right after surgery, so 121 lbs in 9 months is doing pretty
good. I hope this helps.
— PAWLLA L.
September 2, 2008
Surgery is a tool towards wt loss. True, most patients cannot tolerate very
much sugar after surgery. But this is not 100% of people. I had RNY almost
28 months ago, and I can tolerate sugar with no problems. This where the
first few months of following protocol is so very important. Following
protocol from your surgeon helps to establish healthy eating habits. The
surgery does most of the work for wt loss during the first 6 months or so.
Past that time, YOU have to do the work. You have to establish mental
control over your eating habits for long term success. If you continue to
follow your surgeon's guidelines, you'll continue to lose wt. If you let
your "seet tooth" take over, your wt loss results will not be
optimum. You may want to attend support meetings every month to understand
this better. You'll hear of other post ops and their eating issues, and how
they've resolved them. DAVE
— Dave Chambers
September 2, 2008
There's no info in your profile. What kind of surgery did you have done?
— GaryLGreen
September 2, 2008
WOW! Your doctor told you that surgery would cure your sweet tooth? Thats
nuts! Hormones and everything can make you crave food. Don't worry girl.
You are doing great. I had the lap band but I still feel like we all are
food addicts and will always fight temptation. If you had the rny , there
is alot of great patients here with tons of information. None of us are
alike but may have similarities. Just take it all in and use what works for
you but..HEY , you are still human. We will always have wants and desires.
Dont beat yourself up about it. Keep up the good work.
— trbccowan
September 2, 2008
Since my surgery I enjoy sweets specially chocolate. To control the
craving and the insanity when the "sweet tooth/craving" creep on
me I take one pill called "chromium picolinate" It is a mineral
you can buy at any drug store even at target and the supermarkets.
Apparently it helps control the craving and also balance the blood sugar in
my body. It works for me. Maybe you can try it.
Good Luck
— Dani96
September 2, 2008
WHEN I CRAVE SOMETHING SWEET I EAT SUGER FREE PUDDING OR FUDGESICLES. THIS
HELPS ME.
— cecilie
September 2, 2008
sugar free pudding may be a good option for you. No nutritional value but
it is sweet. Also carbsmart makes a fudgebar that has 3g of sugar and is
low on carbs. Hope that helps!!
LVSissy08
— LVSissy08
September 2, 2008
For me personally, I consider myself to be a real sugar-addict as much as
any alcoholic. I find if I eat sugar/carbs, even a little, I want
more...... I find myself craving carbs/sugar if I eat carbs/sugar. For me,
what works it to stay away from them, don't eat them, break the viscious
cycle of eating/craving. When I abstain from eating carb/sugar I find I
don't crave them nearly as much. When I feel hungry I eat some low-fat
cheese, some tuna, veggies, etc...
— Gina S.
September 2, 2008
You must find alternative ways to control these cravings with substitutes
that are complex sugars, such as fruit and SF versions of new snacks...You
must make that choice 9 1/2 times out of 10. It helps me to remember that
sugar carbs are almost nothing but pure fat when translated by the body.
It goes into the mouth....then into the blood...gives you a rush...then a
low...and as soon as the low begins, you want another high...It is soooooo
much like a drug...only rather than leave your body, what you don't
exercise off, you store as fat. That is why carbs (especially sugar) are
such a no-no after WLS. RNYers (MOST) are carb sensitive and can't eat
sugar without pain and dumping. I can handle quite a bit of sugar before
it "hurts"...and I found this out because I AM NOT PERFECT and
pushed the limits of sugar more than once or twice. I can eat anything
really...and my appetite shocks me at times. I do not buy sweets...Plain
and simple. If I have them in my house, I am not strong enough to stay
away from them...a little turns into too many. For sugar I make all kinds
of things with protein powder and SF jello and puddings....SF cool whip,
Fruits and nuts. You can make fruit smoothies with ice and protien powder,
top with SF coolwhip! My family loves them with strawberries... If I am
really in a mood...I will get some NSA skinny cow icecream sandwiches. I
love the SF Vit C Drops (Like hard candies) From Halls Defense. They are
like orange hard candies, and at least I get some Vit C! I do the same with
the Zinc lozenges! But you have to limit these things as they are vits and
you can over do that! SF gum helps me a lot too. SF cookies (love the
wafers) are okay too when I just gotta have that sweet taste in my
mouth...Still I try to stay away from them because they offer me NO
nutrition and I will buy fruits over any other sweet most of the time (They
offer me nutrition and antioxidants and a slew of vitamins and
minerals)...and I try my best daily to eat to LIVE and not live to eat.
I've eaten some sugar over the last 4.5 yrs PO...but it has lost it appeal
to me to eat wasted useless calories...unless I do for a little taste once
in a blue moon. You MUST learn to control your sweet tooth. That is
something the surgery cannot help you with...That is up to you. So
remember WHY you had the surgery and grab a handful of blueberries or a
plum or apples and vanilla yogurt, strawberries and cheesecake flavored SF
instant pudding...cottage cheese and NSA canned peaches and whip cream and
a cherry on top! Have a little square of dark chocolate once in a
while...NOT an entire bar...Dark chocolate has low carbs and sugar. Shave
it on top of vanilla pudding or SF hot chocolate with a dash of
cinnamon...SEE???We can do this SF! It's not that hard, but you have to
work at it and learn the habit of saying NO to real sugar. I don't miss it
at all, unless i see frosted cupcakes...I don't know what it is about
them....But I have to run passed them if i see them! I never even liked
cupcakes before surgery! LOL And whatever you do...stay away from bread
and pasta...They are made with flour which again translate in your body as
FAT! Remember cakes and cookies are made from the same thing and a little
sugar too. You can do this!
— .Anita R.
September 2, 2008
I add some sf hot coco mix to my oatmeal and it tastes like the no-bake
oatmeal cookies. This serves to purposes- it helps with the taste of plain
oatmeal and I feel like I get to eat something sinful.
— ntssmith
September 3, 2008
I don't know why you were told that the surgery would take of the sweet
tooth, unless I am the one exception. I am 7 months post op and the last
couple of months have been very trying on my sweet tooth. I had no problems
with cravings or hunger in the first few months but it is totally different
now. I have the same cravings now that I did before surgery. However, it is
a little easier to control now that I have lost almost 100 lb and feel
soooo much better about myself. I don;t want to be back where I was before
surgery. Just be careful with the cravings. It can grab a a hold of you
again. I have realized that for myself, that when I started the early
cravings for sweets that I thought, "well I can have a little piece of
candy or this cookie and then I won't eat anymore." However, it went
from there until I started making myself sick. I have vowed to stay away
from sweets unless it is a holiday or something. I don't mean to scare you,
I just want to let you know what you could experience later. Maybe you
will be one of the "lucky" ones and sweets will make you sick
which will make you not want them anyway. I am not lucky and can tolerate
ANYTHING except icecream. Good luck to you and just be careful. God Bless!!
— Sillyguts
September 3, 2008
Sugar free candy... eat too much and you get gas/diarrhea--a great
motivation to limit your consumption.
— mrsidknee
September 5, 2008
Hi, Mary! I'm pre-op. I've been taking Chromium Picolinate for
years---recently about 200-400 mcg per day. I have to admit that I've been
able to move away from simple carbs more easily, so this supplement really
does tame my sweet tooth. I don't binge on sweets anymore. I can go all
day without wanting anything sweet. Then dinner time comes and I still
crave a sweet dessert after a meal. My suggestion is to substitute with
something sugarfree. Get your sweet fix with as little sugar as possible.
Hot cereal, like cream of wheat, sweetened with powder packets of sugar
free cocoa works for me. Sometimes even just a couple packets of sugar
free cocoa in water with a cracker on the side satisfies. Don't feel
deprived. Let yourself have something, just control what and how much.
— AlmaRene
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