Hi Guys, Yossif Here. Do you struggle with trying to cut down on the delicious yet fattening foods? Well today I have a guest post from Sophia Perry all about Tips for controlling your dessert intake and helping you to keep your weight down. Take it away, Sophia!
Tips for controlling your dessert intake!
Having a sweet tooth is much harder than some people think. How are you supposed to stop yourself from devouring your ninth Oreo in the last 20 minutes when all you can do is think about it? Well, as it turns out, there are a few proven ways of controlling your dessert intake. Whether you are trying to cut down on sugar in order to successfully lose weight or simply because you think enough is enough, take a look at these tips that are guaranteed to help you out – if you are determined, of course. If you are not, you are already setting yourself up for failure.
Simply refrain from keeping desserts in your home
And problem solved, right? Not so fast! Unless you are living alone, there will always be someone who will buy a bar of chocolate or a bag of M&Ms. After all, you can’t expect everyone to give up on these delicious desserts just because you have to cut back on them. And cut back is the optimal word, as you are probably not trying to cut them out completely.
How can you resist when they are right in front of you?
If you are a parent, it will be very easy to decide and control which groceries will be kept inside the house. And if you live with roommates, you are already aware that the situation will be a bit more complicated. You can always ask your roommates to keep their sweets out of your sight. Because if your sweet tooth strikes at night (which is usually the case), and there is nothing in your vicinity to eat, you will probably just resist the urge and go to bed. We can all agree that the same scenario is not very likely to happen if you see ice cream right at your fingertips.
I suggest you drink a glass of water, hydrate your body, and simply go to bed. If you successfully resist sweets for even one day, you will be able to declare a huge victory!
Controlling your dessert intake will be a lot easier if you don’t go shopping when you are hungry
Definitely think of this as the golden rule of shopping for groceries in general. You cannot think rationally when you are hungry. That’s why you will be prone to buying junk food and food of no nutritional value. And let’s face it – desserts rarely contain any of the nutrients we need for a normal, healthy life. If you are hungry when you go grocery shopping, you will not only buy more food – you will also opt for unhealthy choices.
Believe it or not, a whole study has been done on this topic. The results showed that those who went shopping between 4-7 PM, just before dinnertime, were more likely to buy unhealthy food. On the other hand, those who did their grocery shopping between 1 and 4 PM, just after lunch, made much better choices. Of course, you don’t have to rush to the store as soon as you swallow the last bite of the meal. But it’s also not recommended to let yourself feel hunger before going shopping. That’s a recipe for disaster.
Nothing good ever came out of shopping when hungry.
You will need a lot of sleep
There doesn’t seem to be a segment of our lives that isn’t poorly affected by the lack of sleep. Trying to stay focused on an important exam? Get plenty of sleep! Relocating and attempting to pack your gear like a pro? Don’t let your sleep suffer. Trying to control your dessert intake? Once again, get 6-8 hours of quality, uninterrupted sleep. This advice is amongst the best tips for controlling your dessert intake in general.
Are you struggling to see the connection between sugar intake and the lack of sleep? Well, according to a study which was performed on 23 healthy adults, when sleep-deprived, the participants were more likely to choose high-calorie and sweet food as opposed to when they got a good night’s sleep.
So if you are trying to control your sugar intake, it is strongly advisable for you to go to bed early. That means that, even though tea and coffee have a lot of benefits, they should not be consumed after 6 PM. It will give your body enough time to work off the caffeine rush and help you get ready for sleep by 11 PM.
Substitute desserts for another sugary goodness
It’s completely understandable that nothing will taste as sweet as Liquorice or Twizzlers. But if you must eat something sweet, the least you can do is make a good choice. Devouring a whole bag of candy or three slices of cake will give you instant satisfaction, but it will also come with a lot of regrets. The following items that are about to be listed here will be healthy choices, will taste sweet, and won’t have you ingest hundreds of calories in one sitting.
- Greek yoghurt with cinnamon
- Fresh fruit like strawberries
- Dates
- Dark chocolate
Give yourself a break from time to time – especially if you follow the protocol.
Dark chocolate seems to be everyone’s favorite choice when it comes to controlling dessert intake. It’s most likely because dark chocolate is still chocolate and sweet – it just has fewer sweeteners. And that’s the whole point! You can still satisfy your cravings, even when you opt for healthier choices! You just need the willpower to choose well!
Read the labels and you will stay away from sugar for good
Here’s a little trick to remember the next time you go grocery shopping. When you are holding a bag of your favorite candy or dessert, simply turn it over and read the label. Do you want to know what you will see? You will notice loads of sugar, little to no proteins, and zero fiber. And that’s certainly not something you want to see when you take a look at the nutritional value. So if you have made controlling your dessert intake one of your main goals, it’s a great idea to take a closer look at the labels. They will tell you everything you need to know.
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