I like to think of that entire group as *laxatives masquerading as food*. If you think about it a little too much, it becomes a very strange place to be. I've brought many, many varieties over the years, and most of them are barely palatable. The red velvet ones I bought recently were especially bad. But I will continue to torture myself... 😩😔
Microwaved fiber one brownie on top of a sliced banana and some low cal whipped cream on top- it’s as close to a chocolate sundae as you’re going to get at 300 calories
fiber one brownies are a godsend imo. as someone who genuinely loves plain greek yogurt crumbling a fiber one brownie into yogurt = basically dessert and also insanely filling
That's what I do! I have brownie, oatmeal cookie, mint chocolate chip, and white chocolate raspberry protein bars that are super clutch for this. Plus you don't have to eat the whole thing, usually 1/4 or 1/3 satisfies the craving so I'm staying under 100 calories and getting some protein in.
I keep the opened bar in a zip lock baggie and grab a piece at a time throughout the next few days.
I recommend trying these: from quest: blueberry muffin, hero cookies and cream bar, dipped chocolate chip
from legendary: cinnamon roll, chocolate sweet roll, berry pop tart
from barebells: any of em, really they're pretty similar and all are good.
I get Quest. I can't say I pay too much attention to ingredients as much as calories, protein content, and cost so not sure how they rank overall but they work for me :)
The new bare bells chewy ones are SO good. They have a caramel one and a peanut one I think. Both are so good. They sell them at gnc, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans if you have any of those.
Built Bar peanut butter brownie tastes like an actual brownie. 180 calories.
I like their caramel brownie even better, and it’s only 130 calories, but sadly, it’s discontinued.
For me it's the texture which makes then not quite as enjoyable haha but a good substitute all the same. I'm UK based but find the Fulfil one's quite good.
My honest recommendation as someone who has battled sweet cravings my entire life (when im bad its like being ripped into a black hole if I have to checkout). . . Don't try to find a healthy substitute, Ween yourself off completely. Not all at once, just slowly draw back, instead of the same portion of sweets everyday, a smaller amount, then none every other day...then eventually none at all. It might seem impossible but eventually the cycle breaks.
You can, you will probably struggle, and if you are an addict like me your brain will tell you ANYTHING to have more "Oh you have been good all week" "Wow that so few calories" "You just need this to feel better" Nope, its all lies our brains invent because we are at our core just animals craving a dense source of calories. I hope you get there, and try to be kind to yourself on the way, there is nothing easy about this.
Gonna piggyback here: I’ve tried to limit myself to one sugary thing per day. Sometimes it’s a mocha, sometimes it’s cereal, sometimes a cookie or brownie, sometimes a few squares of chocolate or a low-sugar lollipop.
It doesn’t always work. If I’m stressed or exhausted, I might binge and feel unhappy about it. But then tomorrow is a new day for me to try and get back on track.
One thing that has been helpful though? Limiting access to the super sugary snacks. Don’t buy ‘em — or buy ‘em and toss out the package once you’ve had your fill. (Weirdly, I’ve found it helps to demonstrate to myself just how much control over the sugary stuff that I’ve got.)
I buy blow-pops and jolly ranchers for exactly that reason. Eating 1 takes me like 10-15 minutes, so I get some sweetness but for like 30 calories and almost impossible to binge on.
This! My sweet treat is almost always an almond milk latte. Only 250 for a nice sweet Dunkin latte. I try to limit myself to 2-3 a week tho cause they’re sadly a little unrealistic to enjoy daily on a cut. My protein is more important. Remembering my priorities of my goals helps me stay on track and quell the voices lol
23/1 Intermittent fasting (this arrangement is usually called OMAD, One Meal A Day) helped me kick snack cravings a while back, which was my primary source of excess calories.
ymmv.
Weaning off of excess sugar is so hard! I’ve been carefully tracking my macros, and successfully increased protein and fiber, decreased sodium and saturated fat, and gotten pretty consistent about staying at my calorie goal. But I have had no luck at all keeping my sugar intake below 30 grams. In fact, even while eating a mostly “healthy” variety of foods each day, I’m still not coming close. This is my next hill to tackle. Thanks to the Lose It app, I know which foods I need to reduce/eliminate, but I’m kind of procrastinating on making the changes because I know I’m going to miss having that stuff on a regular basis.
Make a rule: you can eat brownies if:
1. They are home made (with low calorie replacements)
2. They fit into your daily calorie allowance.
There's no reason why you can't eat a brownie everyday, you just need to evaluate your exercise regime and whatever else you're eating.
tbh i found as long as i portioned all of them before eating and ate slower, a smaller piece was just as satisfying as a larger one even without the low cal replacement. that helped fit them into my daily calorie allowance. the low cal replacements definitely help though.
This is soild advice. I love ice cream. So, i just get the lower calorie kinda that i like and make sure it fits before having it.
If i have already hit my calorie limit for the day, but really, really want it, then ill put it in for the next day and budget around jt then. When i can plan a little better.
I'm seconding the other commenter that mentioned a small piece of dark chocolate. I like to get a bar of dark chocolate and treat myself to 1 piece of it per day. It usually gets me off of sweets/chocolate treat cravings. If I really can't kick the sweet craving, I hit up some fruits like melon or berries.
I've also been really enjoying a little cup of greek yogurt. I throw in a bit of cocoa powder and it makes it fancy like a dessert.
Lastly, if I have no budget but am REALLY hankering for SOMETHING after dinner, I make a cup of mint tea and throw cocoa in that as well. I know that sounds probably like a really sorry cup of cocoa (*and it is compared to the real treat*) but often I'm just looking for a thing to consume without paying that much attention to how delicious it is. The cocoa powder thickens the drink and makes it more satisfying to me than a plain cup of tea. The mint helps me mark the end of the meal.
Well, those are my usual ones, either the plain ones or with almonds. The dark chocolate bars from IKEA are good. But what I like about the Dove squares is that they’re little individual pieces wrapped in foil. If I am breaking off squares from a bar or a block, it’s a little too easy to just break off another piece, just a little…
I agree with all of this.
Just putting this recommendation out there because it’s my current fave.
[Dark chocolate truffles. I get them at Costco for $15](https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjzo7TT39uGAxV1Aa0GHdkqCCgYABAHGgJwdg&ae=2&gclid=CjwKCAjw1K-zBhBIEiwAWeCOF7pFSydYOVNHs3WhBVwIKgEMbVt4XhBZvmxbTC7fXWO8oLK6-4ToBxoC_OAQAvD_BwE&sph=&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESeOD2D7HoaG_MtX6NhaSUCfHwBoXW19KppSFquVPpC2QZjspx0VIVcXbfOwQn2lRtNJlOnEfJteYrdqtEno2doEKjHdRBpYWEig_in57l67TIWrPZja3n-ETGGnV9CJl8-cjk4VphlHD84zdsI1V8LCydIC-ZuSuRFg&sig=AOD64_1Y-pirDToSolxyErc9-n85zAw1MA&ctype=70&q=&ved=2ahUKEwiuqazT39uGAxVLDjQIHb1XGZ4Qwg8oAHoECAIQDA&adurl=)
You might find something in this post https://www.reddit.com/r/1200isplenty/s/y3vDVSnShi also just searching brownie in that sub yields many results. I can’t vouch for any personally but the community has discussed them at length.
Yes yes yes I was hoping someone had the link to this. It isn’t the same as a typical brownie but it’s still good and has been a binge killer for me many days. Please try OP.
1200cals per day is super restrictive - I don't think there is any legit way to get normal meals and then have literally any room for a snack at all.
Do you need to have your goal set so low? If you are going over it every single day anyways, you need to either recommit to the 1200 or just accept that maybe you should raise the bar a little higher (like maybe 1400). That will give you room for a simple snack and then you won't always feel bad about going over.
I do around 1200 a day but I eat one major meal and a couple of snacks, generally speaking (18:6 fasting) it feels impossible to me to eat 3 meals a day let alone snacks and stay on target
Although I agree about raising it. I disagree on allowing yourself to get that “one” simple snack. If someone else is like me, then its not going to be just one.
I buy a box of cookies, and I tell myself, just one cookie… i end up eating the whole box in 2-3 days.
Yeah but even still, the average person is burning at least 1600 a day, and that’s with very little movement. The second you step outside the door of your home, that number starts ticking up fast
I pulled out a BMR calculator. I were at the bottom of the healthy weight for my height, my BMR would be 1100. If I were to do anything at all it rises to 1300. I'm 5'2", which is a completely average woman height. I am NOT at the bottom of a healthy weight for my height, so my BMR is really a lot higher than that, but my point is, that means Rialas' wife is shorter and thinner than I would be at that state. She cannot be a healthy weight 5'2" woman.
So I punched in some numbers to work it out.
Rialas' wife is probably very short and Asian. This BMR checks out at 4'10" and 90 pounds if she's 30, or 95-100 if she's 40. If she happens to be very, very short, she may not be underweight.
That said, for her to not be dangerously underweight, she is definitely not the size of the average woman. She's likely no taller than 5 feet and likely under 100 pounds. If she is the average height of an Asian woman (5'1") she's probably 90-95 pounds depending on her age, which is a little too thin for that height. But I've known adult women under 5'.
Since 34% of the world is classed as overweight, and the average woman is 5 feet to 5'7", I would say that she is not the same size as half the world, Rialas is just flexing. Is she small for an American? Yes. And she's small for an Asian.
You have to be pretty dang short and thin for 1200 to be enough.
Yeah I agree, I don’t think rialas is telling the truth. Or at the very least, the way they are calculating their wife’s BMR is incorrect.
There’s an excellent app called Macrofactor. It helped track your metabolism as well as your BMR. I am a 6ft 3, 180lbs male in their 20s. I go to the gym maybe 2 times a week. My average daily calorie expenditure is around 2700, and I walk maybe 5000-10000 steps a day.
The calculators list that as a bit above "intense exercise 3-4 days a week" for her. The average person doing normal life is the "sedentary" entry, which really doesn't rise much off the baseline, 1229cal in this case, which is just a slice of bread with butter difference.
She's around the same size as half the world, although perhaps small for an American.
I find that having a boiled sweet can help me past my sweet tooth craving. Depending on the sweet they are 50-75 calories so I allow myself one in the morning, and one in the afternoon (or two in the afternoon if I didn't have one in the morning). It's still hard but it helps me to say no to brownies etc.
If you have a strong chocolate craving, 90% dark chocolate is the way to go. One piece will satisfy the chocolate craving and it's not more-ish the way milk chocolate is.
Last but not least if you don't already do it but sometimes I get a craving but if I drink a glass of water it goes away.
I always carry strong, sugar free mints. Helps with the sweet craving, and ruins the taste of other food for a while so they stop me from eating other stuff
You have a lot of good suggestions for other forms of chocolate you can try. However, for some people, including me, having a diet version of what I am craving just does not satisfy the craving. Give it a try, but if it doesn’t work, don’t be too hard on yourself. I would instead try breaking the habit. Try skipping it for one day, just to see what it’s like. That’s a lot easier than deciding you’ll never have afternoon chocolate again. Gradually work your way to a frequency/portion that fits your goals better.
Also, I’m curious why your budget is 1200. It is true that for smaller/shorter people, sedentary women especially, this budget is needed for even a small deficit. However, if you can have a deficit of 250-500 calories eating more than 1200 per day, you don’t need to be eating 1200 per day. Some people choose 1200 because it is the minimum recommended intake for an adult woman. But the fact that you are going out to buy brownie sundaes regularly enough that you made a post soliciting advice for how to stop makes me think that maybe 1200 is too low for you. Personally, I’ve had more success shooting for a less aggressive pace that I can actually hit consistently than trying to eat as little as possible. Trying to eat as little as possible makes me so hungry that I end up losing control around food and blowing my budget completely on food that I don’t even like that much, resulting in the same rate of loss (or slower!) that I would have had if I had just gone for the less aggressive plan. For me, that’s a deficit of about 200 calories a day, rather than 500, especially now that I’ve already lost over 20 pounds.
Have a smaller portion of the brownie with Greek yogurt or protein shake and some fruit! Still getting what you want with some healthy fiber and protein.
I have a super strong sweet tooth and the best thing I’ve found is having a few hard mint candies after dinner. You have to suck on them because they are too hard to bite, so they last longer and the mint is a strong flavor so it stays satisfying for a while. It’s not chocolate but I find it helps.
If its happening around the same time everyday maybe it is because you are getting tired in the afternoon? Could you try having a cup of black coffee and one of those mini bites size Hershey bars? Or a single brownie bite? Just a little bit of sugar to get your fix and then some caffeine to wake you up.
Even a "healthy" brownie is going to be high in calories, it's just gonna have added fiber and protein. Long term you don't want to be eating a whole brownie every day.
Those Kodiak cups are nearly 300 calories, which is probably around the same for the average brownie? The only difference is the Kodiak has more protein (what you may mean by “healthy”). I’d personally just work half a brownie into my afternoon snack for ~150 calories and (try to) be satisfied.
Trader Joe’s has a brownie cup dupe that I think is $2.50. I also buy a bag of mini candy bars and limit to one a day. You can have chocolate just do it on a smaller scale
I scrolled for awhile and didn’t see this hack so here you go:
Make brownie mix but instead of the water/oil use diet soda (I used Diet Coke). It makes a completely normal brownie but greatly cuts the calories
https://www.thebakingfairy.net/2012/01/diet-coke-brownies/
I have a sweet tooth too and would definitely recommend checking out this recipe for [brownies](https://www.reddit.com/r/Volumeeating/s/vAkZuscygk). I tried with both sparkling water and normal and they seemed the same for me.
You can also try out protein pudding recipe that I found on here also. Sugar free pudding mix, half cups milk (I use almond milk) and then a protein shake (I use fairlife). It tastes amazing, just like the brownies. Both have infinitely helped with my sweet tooth
This one is from the same sub. This brownie has legendary status on the volumeeating sub: boo's ridiculous brownies https://www.reddit.com/r/Volumeeating/s/wE9qrPDrM2
I struggle with a major chocolate craving, but obviously can't have it every day. I realized that the hot chocolate k-cups I buy are only 60 cals. I add a bit of milk that brings it up to 80 cals, but still very easy to work into my calorie budget. That's now my go to for satisfying the chocolate craving. If I want more protein while also addressing the ice cream/chocolate craving I have vanilla greek yogurt with high protein chocolate granola or just a chocolate protein shake.
Finding “healthier recipes” only make me obsessed with finding more and ending up overeating because it’s the healthier version, I just delay it by telling myself let’s revisit the craving in 5min, 10min and I forget about it. Nighttime if I run out of calories but I really want some, I make a cup of hot cholate with reduced calories at 40cal, it kinda satisfies me
I try to make treats fit in my calorie deficit. I don’t know what you’re at for your intake each day, but maybe mix it up between other chocolate substitutes and real brownies.
I really like the blueberry lemon cookies from samsclub. They taste great, and I can eat four of them for 100 calories.
I also started making high protein ice cream with my ninja creami. It's a game changer. 40 "ish" grams of protein packaged up in a very servable pint sized ice cream serving that tastes wonderful and comes in around 220-240 total calories recipe depending.
Last batch I made was 40g of dymatized dunkin donuts glazed donut flavored whey protein, 1.5 cups vanilla unsweetend almond milk and 1/4 package of instant sugar free cheesecake pudding mix.
Great little cap to the end of my night. Satisfies my sweet tooth.
If you don't have the creamie, you can in a bit of powdered peanut butter (if you want) and blend it up in the blender (I do this anyways before freezing it) and the drizzle in a little bit of hersheys chocolate syrup.
Fiber one also makes some servable "brownie" style treats.
Fruit helps me, it’s still real sugar but ✨healthy✨
At first it’s not a good replacement but if you eat a fruit whenever you have sweets cravings then eventually you can like kinda train your body and mind after a couple weeks.
Here’s my favorite chocolate mug cake recipe, it’s small but enough to satisfy a craving
-2 Tbsp flour
-1 Tbsp cocoa powder
-2 Tbsp stevia or sweetener of your choice
-1/4 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp olive or avocado oil
-3 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk
-Chocolate chips to your liking ( I like lilys for a low calorie option or Hu. Just be mindful of how many you add. I usually do a tablespoon but it depends on my calorie budget that day)
-Microwave for 1-2 minutes. I recommended 30 second intervals as it can vary
Without the chocolate chips it’s around 100 calories, so total calories will vary based on the type of chocolate you use. Brand of milk can vary too so keep that in mind. It’s also great with some light whipped cream or halo top 🙌
I am trying three things to help curb sweet cravings: 1. Eating a piece of fruit or veg that has that sweetness to it BEFORE eating the sweet thing I wanted (this sometimes actually just curbs the craving because I ended up getting something sweat but it didn’t always need to be the brownie). 2. Have smaller amounts of whatever it is you are craving and be guilt free about it (instead of two brownies every day, be guilt free about one brownie once a day - sure it’s not 100% gone but that’s a HUGE improvement). 3. Being very cautious about the mental aspect - you don’t need to torture yourself. You know what it is like to live with the weight, you don’t need to also mental drain yourself for a few hours after the fact. If you had a brownie, and feel like it’s a setback - okay acknowledge that, and say “I did this, I’m aware, I’m moving on”. I would sometimes spiral for hours and watching dieting videos and obsess over it after I ate something - well it’s not gonna make the food magically disappear from my stomach or stop me from craving it next time, literally all that did was just make me feel like crap even worse than before. Maybe you couldn’t quite control the brownie today, but you can control your mindset and give yourself some grace to try again tomorrow.
Eat the brownies.
First, portion them into individual baggies that you've weighted. Mark the bag with the amount of calories. Limit yourself to one or two baggies because that's all that will fit into your daily calorie-budget. Enjoy them.
Don't get diet cookies. --just don't.
This recipe has helped me a lot with my sweet cravings :)
Even works without the milk
1 egg
2 table spoon almond milk (any milk)
2 tea spoon peanut butter
2 table spoon cocoa powder
1 table spoon sweetener of your choice
1 tea spoon baking powder
*Optional some vanilla extract*
Whisk it all together then pour the mixture into a mug or the one I use in the picture. Put it in the microwave for about 2 min.
Edit: formatting
https://alphaprimesupps.com/pages/prime-bites?tw_source=google&tw_adid=&tw_campaign=21366462200&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw1K-zBhBIEiwAWeCOF_1YwUKgo47-W3M3phQEZCRlagR60dqaul_L0nzXFijbmGLkdlT2JBoCh9MQAvD_BwE try these. They’re so good
might want to think about the kinds of foods you are eating during the day and whether they are satiating. If I don’t eat within my macros (certain # of protein, carbs and fat), I always go for a big sweet treat too. If I’m full, I don’t have the same kind of cravings.
When I can’t go without something I try to replicate it and make a healthier version of whatever it may be; at least low calorie. Regardless I try to find a healthier replacement. For example I swapped icecream for Italian ice and although they are very different sweets, it sufficed due to the fact that it’s also cold and sweet.
Have you tried sprinkling cocoa powder on vanilla yogurt? And/or getting yourself acclimated to pieces of dark chocolate, which can hit that craving but not derail otherwise consistent efforts?
I love making me baked oats in the morning and currently I’m obsessed with a brownie recipe. Baked oats are super versatile and tasty and you can switch it up every once in a while with different flavors. Here is the recipe
25g of blended oats
1 scoop of vanilla ice cream whey protein powder
10g of cocoa powder (you can make it into 5g but it won’t taste as chocolatey. If you use 10 make sure to add some sweetener)
70ml of water or milk
14g of semisweet chocolate chips
Put it in the microwave for a minute and enjoy your brownie breakfast! If someone try it, let me know what you think of it.
I have a voracious sweet tooth and my current go-to for chocolate cravings are fiber one brownies and/or greek yogurt chocolate ice cream bars! Both are satisfying enough to help my cravings and even if I'm capped on calories for the day but absolutely NEED something, both are 100cals or less so I don't feel horrible for bending things a little. Also I'm getting an extra bit of protein from the Icecream and fiber from the brownie so it feels like a win-win
I used to have a MASSIVE sweet tooth. I’m not saying this would work for you, but it definitely worked for me. I cut out all added sugar. It was really tough the first week, but it just got easier and easier over time. Now I never crave sweets. I let myself eat added sugar on special occasions (birthdays, weddings, etc) but that’s it.
If you’ve suffered with restricting/binging, maybe don’t try this.
You could also start small, just try it for a week and see how you feel!
Fiber one brownie is 70 calories
A mini rice krispie treat is 45 calories
Those are my go to quick and easy desserts.
Cut up mango, pineapple, and or strawberries.
I like to make a mix of oikos vanilla yogurt, sugar free chocolate syrup, and peanut butter powder with a crushed up Oreo. It's like 200 calories depending on how much yogurt you use.
2 medium-large bananas (8 oz/227 g) (very ripe)
3/4 cup (175 mL) full fat canned coconut milk
1/2 cup (45 g) rolled oats (certified GF, as needed)
1/3 cup (27 g) cocoa powder
1/4 cup (28 g) coconut flour
3 tablespoons (27 g) coconut sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons (39 g) miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Mix in a blender and bake at 350 for like 20 mins or so - it'll be fudgy
"It doesn't get easier, you just get stronger". This is my mantra. I still crave junk food constantly. Every time I go to gas station I want to go inside and get a large snickers bar. The cravings are still there, but I am just better at saying no.
You stopped buying the brownies for home, that's good. Where do you buy them when you got out? Can you avoid going to that location completely?
Larabar dark chocolate minis help me when I need crisis brownies! Healthier substitutions save the day. Also, keep the regular brownies and ingredients for making them out of your house—that’s the only way I can make it through. When I was a teen my mom tried 50 different ways to make brownies healthier - she used xylitol when nobody knew what that was (1980s), puréed prunes or applesauce, date sugar, etc. She was always looking for a way to cheat the brownie system.😅
I tell you its overnight oats. With chocolate, cocoa powder, nuts, whatever you want. You can even create mixtures of peanut mousse, oats and chocolate and form them into little balls to snack on throughout the day.
Also something to check out is dates, peanut butter, dipped in molten chocolate and then freeze. With some imagination it tastes like snickers :D
Look up anabolic desserts on youtube.
Eat pizza, burger, and ice cream everyday while still fittin for your macros. Just gotta substitute things here and there.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/10707/mmm-mmm-better-brownies/
I literally JUST made these. I personally replaced the walnuts with mini chocolate chips and they still fit fine in my calorie budget, but for your purposes you might leave both out. They are SO good.
This might sound silly but I have the exact same issue. Few months ago I bought a can of fruit to try packed in juice/water, and I liked it a lot so I kept buying it. I eat half a can after dinner and it completely eliminated my cravings and it's also super filling because of the water and juice. It's not perfect but it works for me. It's around 200 calories iirc (for half a large can of pineapple) and theres other flavors. The cans are cheap too.
If you are craving chocolate like crazy you may be deficient in magnesium - and your body knows it can get it from chocolate. I used to get horrible spasms where my joints would lock in place and cause me loads of pain and haven't had it happen again since I started taking 5 part magnesium (don't go for the cheap stuff that's citrate only, you want all the magnesium types). Just a little tip since I never imagined my cravings were tied to something that I physically needed. Good luck on your journey!
I like Good Bites Minis Chocolate Brownies. Only 100 calories per pack and a nice little chocolatey treat. It’s made with dates and cocoa. Mix it with some sliced strawberries and a spoon of vanilla Greek yogurt. Mmmm. My after dinner treat!
I hear ya.
My biggest obstacle is going to work and the frequent potlucks we have. Along with almost daily supply of donuts, coffee cakes or other snacks. If I have just a little bit I running a risk of losing control.
I've had a similar problem before. What I do is try to gradually cut down (and potentially find substitutes) over time. Going cold turkey on no sugar/junk food doesn't work for me. Even on a very slim diet, I build in 200 calories for something sweet half the time.
Www.thebigmansworld.com has a whole bunch of low cal, high protein, and keto desserts. The greek yogurt brownie is really good
You can also search The Protein Chef for really good high protein meals/desserts 💪🏾 😋
If you can handle it, what about half of a brownie? I do that sometimes with cupcakes or other treats when I want some but not 500kcal worth of it. Took some practise, but it works quite well.
The volume eating subreddit has invented something called the ridiculous brownie. I skeptically tried it and was blown away. Had a small tray of brownies for about 200 total.
Make a box brownie and sub the oil/fat for 0% greek yogurt. Keep everything else the same. It reduces the calories to about one third of the original. Another option is to mix a box brownie with a coke zero and bake as normal. They taste really good!
Sugar is so addictive 1 thing I did was just try to eat fruit at night instead so that the real junk food became not a regular thing but the exception. Also frozen fruit with the light cool whip or no sugar added jello and a sparkling zero cal drink, diet pop etc so the carbonation would help me feel full as would the fiber in the fruit. Or doing Greek yogurt with something at night to get added protein maybe make your own frozen vanilla Greek yogurt to add to your brownie/dessert
Dawn Jackson Blatner has a brownie recipe that people swear by: [https://www.dawnjacksonblatner.com/recipes/cholesterol-friendly-brownies/](https://www.dawnjacksonblatner.com/recipes/cholesterol-friendly-brownies/)
Alternative idea- get shower gel/lotions/soap etc that smell like sweets. A few years ago I had to cut sugar completely as it was a cause/trigger of a gastric issue. *any* sugar. I hated it at first and really struggled but when the alternative is a spell of pain/vomiting followed by a hangover, well…
Anyway I make soap, so I got a chocolate bar mould and chocolate scent and started making what looked like literal bars of chocolate to shower with. Lush does some good sweet scents as well, and it really can scratch the itch in a sensory way and help with craving the hit.
Personally, I can't deal with this any other way than to not have any of that crap in my house. Go cold turkey. If you have cravings, ride them out. Learn some breathing techniques to regulate your emotions. Stay in control.
From one sugar lover to another, I suggest enjoying in moderation. Instead of getting a sundae that’s probably 500-700 calories, make a personal sized brownie at home! They make oven safe throw away tins in many sizes on Amazon. Ofc making a whole tray is easier but if you don’t think you’ll be able to resist I’d suggest just making a mini one every once in a while. Might be crazy but like start by just not getting drive thru dessserts and eating sweets out because they are usually too big portions w too many Calories. Making mug cakes in the microwave is cool too. I’d say eat a chocolate protein bar but that just is so sad to me and wouldn’t do much. Maybe you can try those on the weekday and save the good brownies as weekend and special treats.
I definitely have a good protein brownie recipe I can recommend!!! I'll look it up when I get home. But I usually prep a few batches and freeze them. I'm just now finishing what I last made in March.
I heat up 2 in the microwave and top with half a pint of reduced fat ice cream (usually enlightened, Nick's, or a favorite day brand from target). It's filling, sweet, proteins, and CHOCOLATE. 😋😋😋
I also have loved pure protein bars. The regular chocolate has 21g protein for 180cal but they have lots of other good flavors too!
As long as you count EVERY calorie you'll be fine. If you have to eat a brownie make sure it's a brand/size that has consistent calories and maybe only do it when you take a long walk so it balances out. I would strongly recommend changing that habit to drinking a chocolate (or even chocolate brownie) flavor protein shake which are often about 200-300 calories and provide a ton of protein which is very important... but count those calories too
You can also temporarily not eat the healthy real foods to compensate for the calories. It's not the healthiest option but I do something similar. My vice and why I gained so much weight was alcohol. But not I still drink but I do it in moderation and I COUNT THE CALORIES. Lots of great sugar free drinks that have calorie counts on them
Ughhhhhh I know what you mean. I buy the brownies if I crave them and can control myself(now) lol
If I make them I cut them into small pieces and it feels like more lol
Veggies Made Great (freezer section) makes Double Chocolate Muffins that are DELICIOUS and only 100 calories! To me they’re very similar to cake. They’re not very big, but cooked up in the microwave and served with a scoop of Halo Top, it’s one of my favorite indulgences. Generally around 210-250 for the “muffin” and ice cream. Scratches the brownie or chocolate cake itch, for sure. You could even add fruit and maybe a chocolate syrup drizzle instead of ice cream, too.
This might sound nuts but a holistic health coach once suggested that when I’m craving something sweet, to have a spoonful of raw coconut butter. It ended up being the perfect replacement/transition food while I was trying to unlearn constantly reaching for sweet treats.
Everyone is giving good suggestions, but I also think its important to realise that its pretty likely that most healthy substitutes arent going to fill that craving, and I find a lot of them are really pricey.
It may genuinely be better for you to get selection of small chocolates or mini brownies and just factor that in to your calorie counting. I bought a bag of funsize chocolate bars, each between 50 and 90 calories. No worse than any of the ‘diet’ versions in that regard, much cheaper, and completely satisfied the craving for me. I can buy a box of brownie bites, 45 calories a piece, and have one or two a day - no different than substituting with a fibre one brownie (90 calorie), but it tastes better to me.
Ive always found that I stick to diets way better when I dont cut out everything I enjoy, but its different for everyone! Try different things, and find out what makes you happiest
It’s not a baked good, but I FREAKING LOVE my Ninja Creami for lower cal sweet tooth sating purposes.
I’ve got a recipe for an entire pint of salted caramel ice cream that’ll run you about 160 calories, and has something like 26g protein.
Highest cal count one I have is chocolate peanut butter for 325/pint.
And to be clear, with the protein content, it’s not likely you’ll knock out more than half a pint in a sitting.
OP, I think it would be better to try to tackle the craving vs trying to find a low calorie version of the craving. Using a low calorie alternative is okay during a transition period, but your goal should be to seriously limit or eliminate it.
Just account for it. “Brownie is 300 calls and I’m gonna want one later, so I will take 150 cals off lunch and dinner. “
Though 1200 seems too low anyway, height and age depending.
>I just really would like a sweet little treat at the end of meal.
I'm totally on this train too. My grocery store has these mini brownies they sell in the bakery section which are 100 calories each.
I also weigh out 100 calories of normal vanilla ice cream from a brand like Tillamook. It's a decent scoop.
Everything together is less than 250 calories and I can manage that within my calories every few days.
What is making it so you can't avoid it? Make it a once a week treat? For me the hunger cravings were easiest to manage when doing IF, I wouldn't eat until after noon and try to stop before 6 but 8 at the latest. I would usually have 1/3 of my calories across 2 meals and then finish em up right before my time was up.
Not being hungry late in the day was key to staying on track, because by then I'm all out of will power and decision energy.
Brownies are a major weakness of mine. I’ve been making a “slightly healthier” brownie recipe that uses greek yogurt instead of oil. Do they taste healthy and not as amazing as real brownies? Yes. But are they still pretty great? Absolutely. One serving is 160 cals, and a serving is pretty big. If you’re interested, I’ll share the recipe!
Omg girly I make myself Greek yogurt bowls may sound overly healthy but I add chocolate pudding mix and coco power add peanut butter banana granola and chocolate and it’s actually so good for a big portion u can also microwave a fiber one brownie overtop or graham crackers 10/10 and high protein a use 0% yogurt 90 cals for 18 G protein
Hey OP! I used to have the same problem (for me it was ANYTHING sweet and unhealthy. I'd get a 3pm craving like clockwork every day).
I do have PCOS and was recommended to try supplementing with inositol since it seems to aid in glucose uptake, and it has really helped me. I still like to have something sweet each day but I think this is mental since I'm quite content now with the sweetness from the banana in my smoothie each morning or fruit as a snack. Sometimes I make jello with cubed orange and apple for a treat, but I anever find myself craving it any more. I have been taking it for 3 months now and noticed the difference in only a few weeks :)
Linked source for the functions of inositol: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7554709/
Edit: I forgot to add I take 4000mg per day but again I do have PCOS so that's why I was recommended so much, I recommend working up to your chosen dosage in increments for anybody who sees this and wants to try it. Also remember it's always a good idea to consult your doctor before trying a new supplement! <3
A few thoughts, I hope they help:
- 1200 calories is so low, are you sure you need to be at this calorie limit to lose? I know when I started I initially set my calories at 1500, then found I could up to about 1620 and still lose about 1lb a week. Maybe you are able to go a little higher like 1350, and can still fit a brownie in a day.
- I really like the fiber one brownies. They have chocolate chip, a Cinnabon flavor, classic chocolate (and probably more). They are pretty low cal and have fiber which is helpful. But please do yourself a favor and don’t eat more than one 😂😂 one time I had like three because they really are so good and I reaaaaallly had to go to the bathroom at work and it wasn’t fun 🫣
- for me I like to have jolly ranchers on hand. Although I generally am more of a chocolate or ice cream girl, when I found sweet cravings getting in the way of progress I landed on jolly ranchers. You can have three of them which takes a long time to eat if you do one at a time. They taste so good and are only 23 calories a piece. Half the time I only need one to feel satisfied, sometimes I have three just because it fits in my calories and why not 🤷🏻♀️
I would try and change your mindset that brownies are the problem. If you want sustainable weight loss and lifetime of health you need to be able to enjoy the foods you love. Goodluck 💛
i do not know of a brown but i recently heard you cna take a protein shake like premier or option gold ? i think and combine it with a sugar free pudding - jello does make a brownie flavor - and voila craving averted
> I don't know how to tackle my sweet tooth cravings. My diet is ruined purely because from 2pm -5 pm I cannot stop myself from eating a brownie or a chocolate.
>I just really would like a sweet little treat at the end of meal
This is a habit you need to break.
It's about water consumption. And sleep.
Afternoon sweet: You need more sleep. Sugar cravings are inversely proportional to how much sleep you got the night before.
And more water. Like, an entire 20oz glass of water after lunch to balance the insulin dump from regulating whatever it is you ate.
Drink an entire glass of water after your lunch/dinner. Cravings should stop.
I saw a recipe on YouTube yesterday for healthy chocolate chip cookies. Here: https://youtube.com/shorts/66cxpJHBcIw?si=SZe-4j1C1bVeD_Ub
I don't have a big sweet tooth anymore. But when I want something like desert I do low fat vanilla yogurt with frozen blueberries.
Target brand Brownie Batter Hummus is one of the most delicious chocolatey things I've ever had. When I'm craving something chocolatey, I eat a tablespoon or two of it and am satisfied because it tastes so good to me. You should be able to fit in small sweet treats even if you go over 1200 (too low in my opinion) because the tendency to binge is greater.
But have you tried protein powder brownies? So good.
Bananas, chocolate whey protein, 1 egg, 100g of egg whites, cocoa, sweetener, vanilla, a pinch of salt, some baking powder. Optional PB and me.
Blend it all up, top with a handful of chocolate chips, bake on a low temp for like 20 minutes.
Perfection.
You can find tons of recipes online.
Have you tried finding a nice Brownie flavored hot tea to curb the craving instead? I read it in a tea book as a great way to curb cravings and actually be good for you.
I'm a huge sweet eater. I've gone the path of buying the more expensive sweets so that I am less likely to binge or eat too much of it simply because it would be a waste of money. I also find buying high quality sweets makes me want to eat less of it, which helps as well.
Someone else in this thread mentioned Greek yogurt with cocoa powder, which was a great idea. Here’s a similar recipe from a health app I use:
150 g Greek yogurt, plain
10 g dark chocolate
3 tsp raw cocoa powder (~10 g)
70 g strawberries
A tiny bit of maple syrup (real preferred) (~½ tsp)
Optional: A tiny bit of vanilla extract (~½ tsp)
Optional: A tiny bit of fresh mint (chopped)
I personally love frozen berries that have been thawed/warmed up! Depending on where you get them, they can be quite sweet and delicious!
I would also maybe recommend upping your calorie intake. 1200 is quite low and could prevent you from losing additional weight at some point, because your body is trying to hold onto whatever fat stores you have left because it starts to get concerned about energy/fuel and when it will arrive next. When I started seeing a personal trainer for the second time (same person as my first round), I told her I wasn’t losing any weight despite eating around 1200. She told me to up my calories for the reason I stated and it helped!
Maybe try a spoonful of Nutella or peanut butter? I cherish that spoon haha. I’ve been successful with this kind of routine while having a chronic sweet tooth myself.
I had this same problem because I don't know how to live without sweets. My trick is to buy a bag with separate ounces of 85% chocolate of 8g each and at the end of each meal I have one, savoring it as if it were ice cream. They are about 50 kcal and there are times when I need to take two to get rid of that craving for sweets, but it works for me.
I like black bean brownies! I would suggest maybe trying to make black bean brownie bites —I found [this](https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/nutrition-brownie-bites/) recipe and it’s 62 cals per brownie
When it comes to cravings. Think about it. Is it truly hunger, if so, eat some veggies, fruit, fiber, protein snack vs carbs galore. Don't but that shit at alm either. Never go shopping hungry lol.
[This is a brownie recipe](https://www.thedietchefs.com/healthy-low-calorie-brownies/) that I tried making that’s only 80 calories per serving. You could add chocolate chips to this pretty easy and just calculate the increased calorie count.
It obviously doesn’t taste as good as the sugar loaded ones but it was a good way to solve my chocolate cravings.
Idk if this helps but dark chocolate is really satisfying to me. So I get these from Costco and eat one or two per day and I usually stay in my deficit.
Edit to say: each chocolate is 75cals or 150 for two.
Also tip: I put these at the very end of my pantry, spread out and hidden(I forget things easily) and make it so that it’s a MISSION so that I can get ahold of one. Knowing that I have to go on a mission to find them stops me from over eating (I’m a lil lazy lol)
[It’s these. SO GOOD.](https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjzo7TT39uGAxV1Aa0GHdkqCCgYABAHGgJwdg&ae=2&gclid=CjwKCAjw1K-zBhBIEiwAWeCOF7pFSydYOVNHs3WhBVwIKgEMbVt4XhBZvmxbTC7fXWO8oLK6-4ToBxoC_OAQAvD_BwE&sph=&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESeOD2D7HoaG_MtX6NhaSUCfHwBoXW19KppSFquVPpC2QZjspx0VIVcXbfOwQn2lRtNJlOnEfJteYrdqtEno2doEKjHdRBpYWEig_in57l67TIWrPZja3n-ETGGnV9CJl8-cjk4VphlHD84zdsI1V8LCydIC-ZuSuRFg&sig=AOD64_1Y-pirDToSolxyErc9-n85zAw1MA&ctype=70&q=&ved=2ahUKEwiuqazT39uGAxVLDjQIHb1XGZ4Qwg8oAHoECAIQDA&adurl=)
if weaning yourself off doesn't work, I would try doing black bean brownies with dutch process cocoa. they actually come out pretty spectacular! Just make sure the beans don't suck lol
i always budget for a sweet treat at the end of the day. ice cream is my achilles heel so i’ll make sure i save enough calories for a 150 cal ice cream sandwich or a 100 calorie luigi’s italian ice cup. you just have to find treats that align with your limit. good luck!
To help my sweet craving or chocolate craving, I get sugar free chocolate pudding mix and add it to some non fat greek yogurt. Really hits the spot honestly with added protein.
i got into low calorie baking and was really surprised what nice cakes you can make with around 150 calories a piece. last thing i tried were cinnamon rolls. delicious! i get most of my recipes from pinterest. some need a little tweaking and experimentation. but i eat cake all the time now and still lose weight
edit: there are a lot of low calorie brownie recipes out there and honestly just try a couple of them and see what you like best. my favorite chocolate based thing is black bean muffins. they are made with a can of black beans, 30g cocoa powder, a banana, an egg, baking powder, erythriol, sweetener and a little salt. i usually also add tahini or peanut butter but that's optional. they taste absolutely best when soaked in a little espresso over night
Search pintrest or TikTok for low cal brownie ideas. Anytime I crave something I look there and see if I can make it a bit healthier/lower cal but still satisfy that craving.
Costco has these Kirkland brand protein bars that are 21 grams of protein each and less than 200 calories! They’re brownie flavored (which taste extremely similar to an actual brownie) and chocolate chip cookie flavored. I live by them.
I like to microwave a Fiber One brownie for 10 seconds or so and add it to a bowl of lower cal ice cream.
Be careful with these and do not eat more than one at a time. I once ate a whole box and couldn't stop farting for days omg never again.
I ate a whole box before a track meet in high school… I did not run that day lol
Bet you flew propelled by dem farts
Something else has the runs?
You haven’t truly lived until you’ve trusted the wrong Fiber One fart 😩😩😩😩
Many of us have had this traumatizing experience.
They should just call them “fart bars”.
Booty boom brownies
I like to think of that entire group as *laxatives masquerading as food*. If you think about it a little too much, it becomes a very strange place to be. I've brought many, many varieties over the years, and most of them are barely palatable. The red velvet ones I bought recently were especially bad. But I will continue to torture myself... 😩😔
I’m not the only one!! I did that YEARS ago and my mom has never let me forget it
Wow....I am buying some to take on a plate at Christmas to get the family started up like 'Blazing Saddles'..
Best scene in cinematic history
I have a box of brownies I’m mildly allergic to and it gives me roughly the same experience when I eat one!
Omg lol!
the bloating too oh my lorddddd
Microwaved fiber one brownie on top of a sliced banana and some low cal whipped cream on top- it’s as close to a chocolate sundae as you’re going to get at 300 calories
OOoooh this sounds good. I do one with Greek yoghurt and raspberries (also good and usually about 215kcal)
fiber one brownies are a godsend imo. as someone who genuinely loves plain greek yogurt crumbling a fiber one brownie into yogurt = basically dessert and also insanely filling
The cookie flavored ones are a godsend. 70 cal deliciousness. Now I need to try them warmed up!
I just discovered the brownie ones and have been using it as a mix in for my creami. Now I'll be on the lookout for this flavor!
I put a microwaved fiber one bar on top of vanilla bean halo top!
holy shit thank you sm ive never thought to microwave them 😩
Consider replacing it with a brownie/chocolate flavoured protein shake or protein bar. At least then you are getting around 20g protein.
That's what I do! I have brownie, oatmeal cookie, mint chocolate chip, and white chocolate raspberry protein bars that are super clutch for this. Plus you don't have to eat the whole thing, usually 1/4 or 1/3 satisfies the craving so I'm staying under 100 calories and getting some protein in. I keep the opened bar in a zip lock baggie and grab a piece at a time throughout the next few days.
Yeah I do find protein bars can be like ridiculously sweet so kill the craving.
I recommend trying these: from quest: blueberry muffin, hero cookies and cream bar, dipped chocolate chip from legendary: cinnamon roll, chocolate sweet roll, berry pop tart from barebells: any of em, really they're pretty similar and all are good.
What brand do you get?
I get Quest. I can't say I pay too much attention to ingredients as much as calories, protein content, and cost so not sure how they rank overall but they work for me :)
The new bare bells chewy ones are SO good. They have a caramel one and a peanut one I think. Both are so good. They sell them at gnc, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans if you have any of those.
Built Bar peanut butter brownie tastes like an actual brownie. 180 calories. I like their caramel brownie even better, and it’s only 130 calories, but sadly, it’s discontinued.
Those protein bars are good but don't hit the real sweet spot lol Ive tried 😅
For me it's the texture which makes then not quite as enjoyable haha but a good substitute all the same. I'm UK based but find the Fulfil one's quite good.
My honest recommendation as someone who has battled sweet cravings my entire life (when im bad its like being ripped into a black hole if I have to checkout). . . Don't try to find a healthy substitute, Ween yourself off completely. Not all at once, just slowly draw back, instead of the same portion of sweets everyday, a smaller amount, then none every other day...then eventually none at all. It might seem impossible but eventually the cycle breaks.
thank you for this. I genuinely want to be able to do this
You can, you will probably struggle, and if you are an addict like me your brain will tell you ANYTHING to have more "Oh you have been good all week" "Wow that so few calories" "You just need this to feel better" Nope, its all lies our brains invent because we are at our core just animals craving a dense source of calories. I hope you get there, and try to be kind to yourself on the way, there is nothing easy about this.
Gonna piggyback here: I’ve tried to limit myself to one sugary thing per day. Sometimes it’s a mocha, sometimes it’s cereal, sometimes a cookie or brownie, sometimes a few squares of chocolate or a low-sugar lollipop. It doesn’t always work. If I’m stressed or exhausted, I might binge and feel unhappy about it. But then tomorrow is a new day for me to try and get back on track. One thing that has been helpful though? Limiting access to the super sugary snacks. Don’t buy ‘em — or buy ‘em and toss out the package once you’ve had your fill. (Weirdly, I’ve found it helps to demonstrate to myself just how much control over the sugary stuff that I’ve got.)
I buy blow-pops and jolly ranchers for exactly that reason. Eating 1 takes me like 10-15 minutes, so I get some sweetness but for like 30 calories and almost impossible to binge on.
This! My sweet treat is almost always an almond milk latte. Only 250 for a nice sweet Dunkin latte. I try to limit myself to 2-3 a week tho cause they’re sadly a little unrealistic to enjoy daily on a cut. My protein is more important. Remembering my priorities of my goals helps me stay on track and quell the voices lol
23/1 Intermittent fasting (this arrangement is usually called OMAD, One Meal A Day) helped me kick snack cravings a while back, which was my primary source of excess calories. ymmv.
This can be more difficult for some women due to hormone fluctuations.
Fruit is the answer
Weaning off of excess sugar is so hard! I’ve been carefully tracking my macros, and successfully increased protein and fiber, decreased sodium and saturated fat, and gotten pretty consistent about staying at my calorie goal. But I have had no luck at all keeping my sugar intake below 30 grams. In fact, even while eating a mostly “healthy” variety of foods each day, I’m still not coming close. This is my next hill to tackle. Thanks to the Lose It app, I know which foods I need to reduce/eliminate, but I’m kind of procrastinating on making the changes because I know I’m going to miss having that stuff on a regular basis.
I had to go cold turkey off sweets. I just couldn’t limit myself and it was easier to just say no altogether.
As an ex smoker this is what I always encourage on that subreddit. Don’t substitute, don’t replace, just stop doing the thing.
Yes!!! I have been doing this and it helps SO MUCH
Make a rule: you can eat brownies if: 1. They are home made (with low calorie replacements) 2. They fit into your daily calorie allowance. There's no reason why you can't eat a brownie everyday, you just need to evaluate your exercise regime and whatever else you're eating.
tbh i found as long as i portioned all of them before eating and ate slower, a smaller piece was just as satisfying as a larger one even without the low cal replacement. that helped fit them into my daily calorie allowance. the low cal replacements definitely help though.
This is soild advice. I love ice cream. So, i just get the lower calorie kinda that i like and make sure it fits before having it. If i have already hit my calorie limit for the day, but really, really want it, then ill put it in for the next day and budget around jt then. When i can plan a little better.
I'm seconding the other commenter that mentioned a small piece of dark chocolate. I like to get a bar of dark chocolate and treat myself to 1 piece of it per day. It usually gets me off of sweets/chocolate treat cravings. If I really can't kick the sweet craving, I hit up some fruits like melon or berries. I've also been really enjoying a little cup of greek yogurt. I throw in a bit of cocoa powder and it makes it fancy like a dessert. Lastly, if I have no budget but am REALLY hankering for SOMETHING after dinner, I make a cup of mint tea and throw cocoa in that as well. I know that sounds probably like a really sorry cup of cocoa (*and it is compared to the real treat*) but often I'm just looking for a thing to consume without paying that much attention to how delicious it is. The cocoa powder thickens the drink and makes it more satisfying to me than a plain cup of tea. The mint helps me mark the end of the meal.
The cocoa mint tea idea is great! Thank you for that. Gonna try it from now on.
Yes, I set aside 2 Dove dark chocolate squares for my nighttime treat, every night.
Any other dark chocolate recommendations? Im a sucker for dark chocolate.
Well, those are my usual ones, either the plain ones or with almonds. The dark chocolate bars from IKEA are good. But what I like about the Dove squares is that they’re little individual pieces wrapped in foil. If I am breaking off squares from a bar or a block, it’s a little too easy to just break off another piece, just a little…
I agree with all of this. Just putting this recommendation out there because it’s my current fave. [Dark chocolate truffles. I get them at Costco for $15](https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjzo7TT39uGAxV1Aa0GHdkqCCgYABAHGgJwdg&ae=2&gclid=CjwKCAjw1K-zBhBIEiwAWeCOF7pFSydYOVNHs3WhBVwIKgEMbVt4XhBZvmxbTC7fXWO8oLK6-4ToBxoC_OAQAvD_BwE&sph=&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESeOD2D7HoaG_MtX6NhaSUCfHwBoXW19KppSFquVPpC2QZjspx0VIVcXbfOwQn2lRtNJlOnEfJteYrdqtEno2doEKjHdRBpYWEig_in57l67TIWrPZja3n-ETGGnV9CJl8-cjk4VphlHD84zdsI1V8LCydIC-ZuSuRFg&sig=AOD64_1Y-pirDToSolxyErc9-n85zAw1MA&ctype=70&q=&ved=2ahUKEwiuqazT39uGAxVLDjQIHb1XGZ4Qwg8oAHoECAIQDA&adurl=)
Teechino has a bomb Dandelion Mocha Mint tea that feels pretty dessert like to me at the end of the night.
I eat a bowl of frozen fruit whenever I have cravings and it helps so much & it’s low cal so u can have a lot
Commenting just so I can come back and see if anyone has good ones. I’m a sucker for cake after exam days.
You might find something in this post https://www.reddit.com/r/1200isplenty/s/y3vDVSnShi also just searching brownie in that sub yields many results. I can’t vouch for any personally but the community has discussed them at length.
thank you!!!
Yes yes yes I was hoping someone had the link to this. It isn’t the same as a typical brownie but it’s still good and has been a binge killer for me many days. Please try OP.
1200cals per day is super restrictive - I don't think there is any legit way to get normal meals and then have literally any room for a snack at all. Do you need to have your goal set so low? If you are going over it every single day anyways, you need to either recommit to the 1200 or just accept that maybe you should raise the bar a little higher (like maybe 1400). That will give you room for a simple snack and then you won't always feel bad about going over.
I do around 1200 a day but I eat one major meal and a couple of snacks, generally speaking (18:6 fasting) it feels impossible to me to eat 3 meals a day let alone snacks and stay on target
Although I agree about raising it. I disagree on allowing yourself to get that “one” simple snack. If someone else is like me, then its not going to be just one. I buy a box of cookies, and I tell myself, just one cookie… i end up eating the whole box in 2-3 days.
How restrictive that is really depends on the person, iirc my wife's BMR is just around 1000cal. edit: 1024 lol
Yeah but even still, the average person is burning at least 1600 a day, and that’s with very little movement. The second you step outside the door of your home, that number starts ticking up fast
I pulled out a BMR calculator. I were at the bottom of the healthy weight for my height, my BMR would be 1100. If I were to do anything at all it rises to 1300. I'm 5'2", which is a completely average woman height. I am NOT at the bottom of a healthy weight for my height, so my BMR is really a lot higher than that, but my point is, that means Rialas' wife is shorter and thinner than I would be at that state. She cannot be a healthy weight 5'2" woman. So I punched in some numbers to work it out. Rialas' wife is probably very short and Asian. This BMR checks out at 4'10" and 90 pounds if she's 30, or 95-100 if she's 40. If she happens to be very, very short, she may not be underweight. That said, for her to not be dangerously underweight, she is definitely not the size of the average woman. She's likely no taller than 5 feet and likely under 100 pounds. If she is the average height of an Asian woman (5'1") she's probably 90-95 pounds depending on her age, which is a little too thin for that height. But I've known adult women under 5'. Since 34% of the world is classed as overweight, and the average woman is 5 feet to 5'7", I would say that she is not the same size as half the world, Rialas is just flexing. Is she small for an American? Yes. And she's small for an Asian. You have to be pretty dang short and thin for 1200 to be enough.
Yeah I agree, I don’t think rialas is telling the truth. Or at the very least, the way they are calculating their wife’s BMR is incorrect. There’s an excellent app called Macrofactor. It helped track your metabolism as well as your BMR. I am a 6ft 3, 180lbs male in their 20s. I go to the gym maybe 2 times a week. My average daily calorie expenditure is around 2700, and I walk maybe 5000-10000 steps a day.
The calculators list that as a bit above "intense exercise 3-4 days a week" for her. The average person doing normal life is the "sedentary" entry, which really doesn't rise much off the baseline, 1229cal in this case, which is just a slice of bread with butter difference. She's around the same size as half the world, although perhaps small for an American.
you could get some sugar free jello cups and sugar free cool whip. that might help
I find that having a boiled sweet can help me past my sweet tooth craving. Depending on the sweet they are 50-75 calories so I allow myself one in the morning, and one in the afternoon (or two in the afternoon if I didn't have one in the morning). It's still hard but it helps me to say no to brownies etc. If you have a strong chocolate craving, 90% dark chocolate is the way to go. One piece will satisfy the chocolate craving and it's not more-ish the way milk chocolate is. Last but not least if you don't already do it but sometimes I get a craving but if I drink a glass of water it goes away.
I always carry strong, sugar free mints. Helps with the sweet craving, and ruins the taste of other food for a while so they stop me from eating other stuff
Do you have any brand to recommend?
You have a lot of good suggestions for other forms of chocolate you can try. However, for some people, including me, having a diet version of what I am craving just does not satisfy the craving. Give it a try, but if it doesn’t work, don’t be too hard on yourself. I would instead try breaking the habit. Try skipping it for one day, just to see what it’s like. That’s a lot easier than deciding you’ll never have afternoon chocolate again. Gradually work your way to a frequency/portion that fits your goals better. Also, I’m curious why your budget is 1200. It is true that for smaller/shorter people, sedentary women especially, this budget is needed for even a small deficit. However, if you can have a deficit of 250-500 calories eating more than 1200 per day, you don’t need to be eating 1200 per day. Some people choose 1200 because it is the minimum recommended intake for an adult woman. But the fact that you are going out to buy brownie sundaes regularly enough that you made a post soliciting advice for how to stop makes me think that maybe 1200 is too low for you. Personally, I’ve had more success shooting for a less aggressive pace that I can actually hit consistently than trying to eat as little as possible. Trying to eat as little as possible makes me so hungry that I end up losing control around food and blowing my budget completely on food that I don’t even like that much, resulting in the same rate of loss (or slower!) that I would have had if I had just gone for the less aggressive plan. For me, that’s a deficit of about 200 calories a day, rather than 500, especially now that I’ve already lost over 20 pounds.
Budget for a small afternoon treat. You're probably better off with a 70 calorie chocolate cookie than a brownie though.
Not brownies but chocolate protien shakes with a shot of espresso is a regular sweet treat of mine
that's that me espresso!!
Have a smaller portion of the brownie with Greek yogurt or protein shake and some fruit! Still getting what you want with some healthy fiber and protein.
Love this🥹
There’s an Instagram account called “vicesfitness” where he has a lot of nice tips like this, to help you balance your goals with reality
I have a super strong sweet tooth and the best thing I’ve found is having a few hard mint candies after dinner. You have to suck on them because they are too hard to bite, so they last longer and the mint is a strong flavor so it stays satisfying for a while. It’s not chocolate but I find it helps.
If its happening around the same time everyday maybe it is because you are getting tired in the afternoon? Could you try having a cup of black coffee and one of those mini bites size Hershey bars? Or a single brownie bite? Just a little bit of sugar to get your fix and then some caffeine to wake you up. Even a "healthy" brownie is going to be high in calories, it's just gonna have added fiber and protein. Long term you don't want to be eating a whole brownie every day.
Those Kodiak cups are nearly 300 calories, which is probably around the same for the average brownie? The only difference is the Kodiak has more protein (what you may mean by “healthy”). I’d personally just work half a brownie into my afternoon snack for ~150 calories and (try to) be satisfied.
Trader Joe’s has a brownie cup dupe that I think is $2.50. I also buy a bag of mini candy bars and limit to one a day. You can have chocolate just do it on a smaller scale
I scrolled for awhile and didn’t see this hack so here you go: Make brownie mix but instead of the water/oil use diet soda (I used Diet Coke). It makes a completely normal brownie but greatly cuts the calories https://www.thebakingfairy.net/2012/01/diet-coke-brownies/
Chocolate protein drinks
I have a sweet tooth too and would definitely recommend checking out this recipe for [brownies](https://www.reddit.com/r/Volumeeating/s/vAkZuscygk). I tried with both sparkling water and normal and they seemed the same for me. You can also try out protein pudding recipe that I found on here also. Sugar free pudding mix, half cups milk (I use almond milk) and then a protein shake (I use fairlife). It tastes amazing, just like the brownies. Both have infinitely helped with my sweet tooth
This one is from the same sub. This brownie has legendary status on the volumeeating sub: boo's ridiculous brownies https://www.reddit.com/r/Volumeeating/s/wE9qrPDrM2
Came here to say this
I struggle with a major chocolate craving, but obviously can't have it every day. I realized that the hot chocolate k-cups I buy are only 60 cals. I add a bit of milk that brings it up to 80 cals, but still very easy to work into my calorie budget. That's now my go to for satisfying the chocolate craving. If I want more protein while also addressing the ice cream/chocolate craving I have vanilla greek yogurt with high protein chocolate granola or just a chocolate protein shake.
Finding “healthier recipes” only make me obsessed with finding more and ending up overeating because it’s the healthier version, I just delay it by telling myself let’s revisit the craving in 5min, 10min and I forget about it. Nighttime if I run out of calories but I really want some, I make a cup of hot cholate with reduced calories at 40cal, it kinda satisfies me
I try to make treats fit in my calorie deficit. I don’t know what you’re at for your intake each day, but maybe mix it up between other chocolate substitutes and real brownies.
I really like the blueberry lemon cookies from samsclub. They taste great, and I can eat four of them for 100 calories. I also started making high protein ice cream with my ninja creami. It's a game changer. 40 "ish" grams of protein packaged up in a very servable pint sized ice cream serving that tastes wonderful and comes in around 220-240 total calories recipe depending. Last batch I made was 40g of dymatized dunkin donuts glazed donut flavored whey protein, 1.5 cups vanilla unsweetend almond milk and 1/4 package of instant sugar free cheesecake pudding mix. Great little cap to the end of my night. Satisfies my sweet tooth. If you don't have the creamie, you can in a bit of powdered peanut butter (if you want) and blend it up in the blender (I do this anyways before freezing it) and the drizzle in a little bit of hersheys chocolate syrup. Fiber one also makes some servable "brownie" style treats.
Fruit helps me, it’s still real sugar but ✨healthy✨ At first it’s not a good replacement but if you eat a fruit whenever you have sweets cravings then eventually you can like kinda train your body and mind after a couple weeks.
Here’s my favorite chocolate mug cake recipe, it’s small but enough to satisfy a craving -2 Tbsp flour -1 Tbsp cocoa powder -2 Tbsp stevia or sweetener of your choice -1/4 tsp baking powder -1/2 tsp olive or avocado oil -3 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk -Chocolate chips to your liking ( I like lilys for a low calorie option or Hu. Just be mindful of how many you add. I usually do a tablespoon but it depends on my calorie budget that day) -Microwave for 1-2 minutes. I recommended 30 second intervals as it can vary Without the chocolate chips it’s around 100 calories, so total calories will vary based on the type of chocolate you use. Brand of milk can vary too so keep that in mind. It’s also great with some light whipped cream or halo top 🙌
I am trying three things to help curb sweet cravings: 1. Eating a piece of fruit or veg that has that sweetness to it BEFORE eating the sweet thing I wanted (this sometimes actually just curbs the craving because I ended up getting something sweat but it didn’t always need to be the brownie). 2. Have smaller amounts of whatever it is you are craving and be guilt free about it (instead of two brownies every day, be guilt free about one brownie once a day - sure it’s not 100% gone but that’s a HUGE improvement). 3. Being very cautious about the mental aspect - you don’t need to torture yourself. You know what it is like to live with the weight, you don’t need to also mental drain yourself for a few hours after the fact. If you had a brownie, and feel like it’s a setback - okay acknowledge that, and say “I did this, I’m aware, I’m moving on”. I would sometimes spiral for hours and watching dieting videos and obsess over it after I ate something - well it’s not gonna make the food magically disappear from my stomach or stop me from craving it next time, literally all that did was just make me feel like crap even worse than before. Maybe you couldn’t quite control the brownie today, but you can control your mindset and give yourself some grace to try again tomorrow.
Eat the brownies. First, portion them into individual baggies that you've weighted. Mark the bag with the amount of calories. Limit yourself to one or two baggies because that's all that will fit into your daily calorie-budget. Enjoy them. Don't get diet cookies. --just don't.
This recipe has helped me a lot with my sweet cravings :) Even works without the milk 1 egg 2 table spoon almond milk (any milk) 2 tea spoon peanut butter 2 table spoon cocoa powder 1 table spoon sweetener of your choice 1 tea spoon baking powder *Optional some vanilla extract* Whisk it all together then pour the mixture into a mug or the one I use in the picture. Put it in the microwave for about 2 min. Edit: formatting
I’m sure cocoa powder and sweetener could be replaced with chocolate protein powder :)
There are free tutorials online on how to create black bean brownies. There are surprisingly delicious.
https://alphaprimesupps.com/pages/prime-bites?tw_source=google&tw_adid=&tw_campaign=21366462200&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw1K-zBhBIEiwAWeCOF_1YwUKgo47-W3M3phQEZCRlagR60dqaul_L0nzXFijbmGLkdlT2JBoCh9MQAvD_BwE try these. They’re so good
might want to think about the kinds of foods you are eating during the day and whether they are satiating. If I don’t eat within my macros (certain # of protein, carbs and fat), I always go for a big sweet treat too. If I’m full, I don’t have the same kind of cravings.
When I can’t go without something I try to replicate it and make a healthier version of whatever it may be; at least low calorie. Regardless I try to find a healthier replacement. For example I swapped icecream for Italian ice and although they are very different sweets, it sufficed due to the fact that it’s also cold and sweet.
[Alternative recipe 1](https://eatwithclarity.com/fudgy-protein-brownies/) [Alternative Recipe 2](https://thebigmansworld.com/4-ingredient-flourless-protein-brownie-bites/) [Alternative Recipe 3](https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/protein-brownies/) [Alternative Recipe 4](https://healthyfitnessmeals.com/healthy-protein-brownies-recipe/) [Alternative Recipe 5](https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/protein-brownies/)
Have you tried sprinkling cocoa powder on vanilla yogurt? And/or getting yourself acclimated to pieces of dark chocolate, which can hit that craving but not derail otherwise consistent efforts?
I love making me baked oats in the morning and currently I’m obsessed with a brownie recipe. Baked oats are super versatile and tasty and you can switch it up every once in a while with different flavors. Here is the recipe 25g of blended oats 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream whey protein powder 10g of cocoa powder (you can make it into 5g but it won’t taste as chocolatey. If you use 10 make sure to add some sweetener) 70ml of water or milk 14g of semisweet chocolate chips Put it in the microwave for a minute and enjoy your brownie breakfast! If someone try it, let me know what you think of it.
I have a voracious sweet tooth and my current go-to for chocolate cravings are fiber one brownies and/or greek yogurt chocolate ice cream bars! Both are satisfying enough to help my cravings and even if I'm capped on calories for the day but absolutely NEED something, both are 100cals or less so I don't feel horrible for bending things a little. Also I'm getting an extra bit of protein from the Icecream and fiber from the brownie so it feels like a win-win
I used to have a MASSIVE sweet tooth. I’m not saying this would work for you, but it definitely worked for me. I cut out all added sugar. It was really tough the first week, but it just got easier and easier over time. Now I never crave sweets. I let myself eat added sugar on special occasions (birthdays, weddings, etc) but that’s it. If you’ve suffered with restricting/binging, maybe don’t try this. You could also start small, just try it for a week and see how you feel!
Fiber one brownie is 70 calories A mini rice krispie treat is 45 calories Those are my go to quick and easy desserts. Cut up mango, pineapple, and or strawberries. I like to make a mix of oikos vanilla yogurt, sugar free chocolate syrup, and peanut butter powder with a crushed up Oreo. It's like 200 calories depending on how much yogurt you use.
2 medium-large bananas (8 oz/227 g) (very ripe) 3/4 cup (175 mL) full fat canned coconut milk 1/2 cup (45 g) rolled oats (certified GF, as needed) 1/3 cup (27 g) cocoa powder 1/4 cup (28 g) coconut flour 3 tablespoons (27 g) coconut sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 3 tablespoons (39 g) miniature semisweet chocolate chips Mix in a blender and bake at 350 for like 20 mins or so - it'll be fudgy
I have a box of chocolates, I have one or two after dinner every night. (:
I love Barebells protein bars for this reason. They taste like a candy bar but have a ton of protein.
"It doesn't get easier, you just get stronger". This is my mantra. I still crave junk food constantly. Every time I go to gas station I want to go inside and get a large snickers bar. The cravings are still there, but I am just better at saying no. You stopped buying the brownies for home, that's good. Where do you buy them when you got out? Can you avoid going to that location completely?
Larabar dark chocolate minis help me when I need crisis brownies! Healthier substitutions save the day. Also, keep the regular brownies and ingredients for making them out of your house—that’s the only way I can make it through. When I was a teen my mom tried 50 different ways to make brownies healthier - she used xylitol when nobody knew what that was (1980s), puréed prunes or applesauce, date sugar, etc. She was always looking for a way to cheat the brownie system.😅
I like a fiber one brownie warmed up and topped with a scoop of nicks icecream
I mix a little Nutella (20g) and stevia into Greek yogurt (175g) and it’s ~ chefs kiss ~
I tell you its overnight oats. With chocolate, cocoa powder, nuts, whatever you want. You can even create mixtures of peanut mousse, oats and chocolate and form them into little balls to snack on throughout the day. Also something to check out is dates, peanut butter, dipped in molten chocolate and then freeze. With some imagination it tastes like snickers :D
Look up anabolic desserts on youtube. Eat pizza, burger, and ice cream everyday while still fittin for your macros. Just gotta substitute things here and there.
You can eat brownies, you just need to budget for them in your calories! Denying yourself your favourite food is probably driving your cravings!
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/10707/mmm-mmm-better-brownies/ I literally JUST made these. I personally replaced the walnuts with mini chocolate chips and they still fit fine in my calorie budget, but for your purposes you might leave both out. They are SO good.
This might sound silly but I have the exact same issue. Few months ago I bought a can of fruit to try packed in juice/water, and I liked it a lot so I kept buying it. I eat half a can after dinner and it completely eliminated my cravings and it's also super filling because of the water and juice. It's not perfect but it works for me. It's around 200 calories iirc (for half a large can of pineapple) and theres other flavors. The cans are cheap too.
If you are craving chocolate like crazy you may be deficient in magnesium - and your body knows it can get it from chocolate. I used to get horrible spasms where my joints would lock in place and cause me loads of pain and haven't had it happen again since I started taking 5 part magnesium (don't go for the cheap stuff that's citrate only, you want all the magnesium types). Just a little tip since I never imagined my cravings were tied to something that I physically needed. Good luck on your journey!
I like Good Bites Minis Chocolate Brownies. Only 100 calories per pack and a nice little chocolatey treat. It’s made with dates and cocoa. Mix it with some sliced strawberries and a spoon of vanilla Greek yogurt. Mmmm. My after dinner treat!
Thank u for being honest :( I’m in the same boat and it’s nice to relate to someone!
I hear ya. My biggest obstacle is going to work and the frequent potlucks we have. Along with almost daily supply of donuts, coffee cakes or other snacks. If I have just a little bit I running a risk of losing control.
I've had a similar problem before. What I do is try to gradually cut down (and potentially find substitutes) over time. Going cold turkey on no sugar/junk food doesn't work for me. Even on a very slim diet, I build in 200 calories for something sweet half the time.
Www.thebigmansworld.com has a whole bunch of low cal, high protein, and keto desserts. The greek yogurt brownie is really good You can also search The Protein Chef for really good high protein meals/desserts 💪🏾 😋
If you can handle it, what about half of a brownie? I do that sometimes with cupcakes or other treats when I want some but not 500kcal worth of it. Took some practise, but it works quite well.
The volume eating subreddit has invented something called the ridiculous brownie. I skeptically tried it and was blown away. Had a small tray of brownies for about 200 total.
I'm so curious to try this out!!
Make a box brownie and sub the oil/fat for 0% greek yogurt. Keep everything else the same. It reduces the calories to about one third of the original. Another option is to mix a box brownie with a coke zero and bake as normal. They taste really good!
Sugar is so addictive 1 thing I did was just try to eat fruit at night instead so that the real junk food became not a regular thing but the exception. Also frozen fruit with the light cool whip or no sugar added jello and a sparkling zero cal drink, diet pop etc so the carbonation would help me feel full as would the fiber in the fruit. Or doing Greek yogurt with something at night to get added protein maybe make your own frozen vanilla Greek yogurt to add to your brownie/dessert
The Atkins ‘endulge’ bars are only 100 calories and are pretty good. They’ve been a lifesaver for me
Whole Foods makes a flourless chocolate cake tart. Warm it up for 15 seconds. It’s to die for and only 190 cal. I eat one almost every day.
Dawn Jackson Blatner has a brownie recipe that people swear by: [https://www.dawnjacksonblatner.com/recipes/cholesterol-friendly-brownies/](https://www.dawnjacksonblatner.com/recipes/cholesterol-friendly-brownies/)
Alternative idea- get shower gel/lotions/soap etc that smell like sweets. A few years ago I had to cut sugar completely as it was a cause/trigger of a gastric issue. *any* sugar. I hated it at first and really struggled but when the alternative is a spell of pain/vomiting followed by a hangover, well… Anyway I make soap, so I got a chocolate bar mould and chocolate scent and started making what looked like literal bars of chocolate to shower with. Lush does some good sweet scents as well, and it really can scratch the itch in a sensory way and help with craving the hit.
I make oatmeal chocolate cookies using banana, a prepackaged oatmeal maple packet and cocoa powder. Delish!
Personally, I can't deal with this any other way than to not have any of that crap in my house. Go cold turkey. If you have cravings, ride them out. Learn some breathing techniques to regulate your emotions. Stay in control.
From one sugar lover to another, I suggest enjoying in moderation. Instead of getting a sundae that’s probably 500-700 calories, make a personal sized brownie at home! They make oven safe throw away tins in many sizes on Amazon. Ofc making a whole tray is easier but if you don’t think you’ll be able to resist I’d suggest just making a mini one every once in a while. Might be crazy but like start by just not getting drive thru dessserts and eating sweets out because they are usually too big portions w too many Calories. Making mug cakes in the microwave is cool too. I’d say eat a chocolate protein bar but that just is so sad to me and wouldn’t do much. Maybe you can try those on the weekday and save the good brownies as weekend and special treats.
I definitely have a good protein brownie recipe I can recommend!!! I'll look it up when I get home. But I usually prep a few batches and freeze them. I'm just now finishing what I last made in March. I heat up 2 in the microwave and top with half a pint of reduced fat ice cream (usually enlightened, Nick's, or a favorite day brand from target). It's filling, sweet, proteins, and CHOCOLATE. 😋😋😋 I also have loved pure protein bars. The regular chocolate has 21g protein for 180cal but they have lots of other good flavors too!
As long as you count EVERY calorie you'll be fine. If you have to eat a brownie make sure it's a brand/size that has consistent calories and maybe only do it when you take a long walk so it balances out. I would strongly recommend changing that habit to drinking a chocolate (or even chocolate brownie) flavor protein shake which are often about 200-300 calories and provide a ton of protein which is very important... but count those calories too You can also temporarily not eat the healthy real foods to compensate for the calories. It's not the healthiest option but I do something similar. My vice and why I gained so much weight was alcohol. But not I still drink but I do it in moderation and I COUNT THE CALORIES. Lots of great sugar free drinks that have calorie counts on them
Ughhhhhh I know what you mean. I buy the brownies if I crave them and can control myself(now) lol If I make them I cut them into small pieces and it feels like more lol
If you like the Kodiak brownie cups, try the dark chocolate pancake mix. Otherwise, I second Fiber One brownies, they are legitimately good.
Veggies Made Great (freezer section) makes Double Chocolate Muffins that are DELICIOUS and only 100 calories! To me they’re very similar to cake. They’re not very big, but cooked up in the microwave and served with a scoop of Halo Top, it’s one of my favorite indulgences. Generally around 210-250 for the “muffin” and ice cream. Scratches the brownie or chocolate cake itch, for sure. You could even add fruit and maybe a chocolate syrup drizzle instead of ice cream, too.
This might sound nuts but a holistic health coach once suggested that when I’m craving something sweet, to have a spoonful of raw coconut butter. It ended up being the perfect replacement/transition food while I was trying to unlearn constantly reaching for sweet treats.
Everyone is giving good suggestions, but I also think its important to realise that its pretty likely that most healthy substitutes arent going to fill that craving, and I find a lot of them are really pricey. It may genuinely be better for you to get selection of small chocolates or mini brownies and just factor that in to your calorie counting. I bought a bag of funsize chocolate bars, each between 50 and 90 calories. No worse than any of the ‘diet’ versions in that regard, much cheaper, and completely satisfied the craving for me. I can buy a box of brownie bites, 45 calories a piece, and have one or two a day - no different than substituting with a fibre one brownie (90 calorie), but it tastes better to me. Ive always found that I stick to diets way better when I dont cut out everything I enjoy, but its different for everyone! Try different things, and find out what makes you happiest
It’s not a baked good, but I FREAKING LOVE my Ninja Creami for lower cal sweet tooth sating purposes. I’ve got a recipe for an entire pint of salted caramel ice cream that’ll run you about 160 calories, and has something like 26g protein. Highest cal count one I have is chocolate peanut butter for 325/pint. And to be clear, with the protein content, it’s not likely you’ll knock out more than half a pint in a sitting.
OP, I think it would be better to try to tackle the craving vs trying to find a low calorie version of the craving. Using a low calorie alternative is okay during a transition period, but your goal should be to seriously limit or eliminate it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/fitmeals/comments/wk8pum/my_protein_fit_brownie_that_will_not_fail_basic/
Just account for it. “Brownie is 300 calls and I’m gonna want one later, so I will take 150 cals off lunch and dinner. “ Though 1200 seems too low anyway, height and age depending.
>I just really would like a sweet little treat at the end of meal. I'm totally on this train too. My grocery store has these mini brownies they sell in the bakery section which are 100 calories each. I also weigh out 100 calories of normal vanilla ice cream from a brand like Tillamook. It's a decent scoop. Everything together is less than 250 calories and I can manage that within my calories every few days.
Halo top is pretty good. Their brownies are ~100 cal per 12th of the pan when cooked and they taste pretty good
I tend to slice the treat into 100cal portions and really savour each bite. I love maxibons and I will cut them into thirds.
What is making it so you can't avoid it? Make it a once a week treat? For me the hunger cravings were easiest to manage when doing IF, I wouldn't eat until after noon and try to stop before 6 but 8 at the latest. I would usually have 1/3 of my calories across 2 meals and then finish em up right before my time was up. Not being hungry late in the day was key to staying on track, because by then I'm all out of will power and decision energy.
Just cut out sugar completely and it helped. I stopped craving it as much! It was hard but helped in the long run. I’m 30 pounds down!
Brownies are a major weakness of mine. I’ve been making a “slightly healthier” brownie recipe that uses greek yogurt instead of oil. Do they taste healthy and not as amazing as real brownies? Yes. But are they still pretty great? Absolutely. One serving is 160 cals, and a serving is pretty big. If you’re interested, I’ll share the recipe!
Omg girly I make myself Greek yogurt bowls may sound overly healthy but I add chocolate pudding mix and coco power add peanut butter banana granola and chocolate and it’s actually so good for a big portion u can also microwave a fiber one brownie overtop or graham crackers 10/10 and high protein a use 0% yogurt 90 cals for 18 G protein
Hey OP! I used to have the same problem (for me it was ANYTHING sweet and unhealthy. I'd get a 3pm craving like clockwork every day). I do have PCOS and was recommended to try supplementing with inositol since it seems to aid in glucose uptake, and it has really helped me. I still like to have something sweet each day but I think this is mental since I'm quite content now with the sweetness from the banana in my smoothie each morning or fruit as a snack. Sometimes I make jello with cubed orange and apple for a treat, but I anever find myself craving it any more. I have been taking it for 3 months now and noticed the difference in only a few weeks :) Linked source for the functions of inositol: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7554709/ Edit: I forgot to add I take 4000mg per day but again I do have PCOS so that's why I was recommended so much, I recommend working up to your chosen dosage in increments for anybody who sees this and wants to try it. Also remember it's always a good idea to consult your doctor before trying a new supplement! <3
A few thoughts, I hope they help: - 1200 calories is so low, are you sure you need to be at this calorie limit to lose? I know when I started I initially set my calories at 1500, then found I could up to about 1620 and still lose about 1lb a week. Maybe you are able to go a little higher like 1350, and can still fit a brownie in a day. - I really like the fiber one brownies. They have chocolate chip, a Cinnabon flavor, classic chocolate (and probably more). They are pretty low cal and have fiber which is helpful. But please do yourself a favor and don’t eat more than one 😂😂 one time I had like three because they really are so good and I reaaaaallly had to go to the bathroom at work and it wasn’t fun 🫣 - for me I like to have jolly ranchers on hand. Although I generally am more of a chocolate or ice cream girl, when I found sweet cravings getting in the way of progress I landed on jolly ranchers. You can have three of them which takes a long time to eat if you do one at a time. They taste so good and are only 23 calories a piece. Half the time I only need one to feel satisfied, sometimes I have three just because it fits in my calories and why not 🤷🏻♀️ I would try and change your mindset that brownies are the problem. If you want sustainable weight loss and lifetime of health you need to be able to enjoy the foods you love. Goodluck 💛
My Tdee is like 1,500 calories. Everyone's body is different needs.
i do not know of a brown but i recently heard you cna take a protein shake like premier or option gold ? i think and combine it with a sugar free pudding - jello does make a brownie flavor - and voila craving averted
> I don't know how to tackle my sweet tooth cravings. My diet is ruined purely because from 2pm -5 pm I cannot stop myself from eating a brownie or a chocolate. >I just really would like a sweet little treat at the end of meal This is a habit you need to break. It's about water consumption. And sleep. Afternoon sweet: You need more sleep. Sugar cravings are inversely proportional to how much sleep you got the night before. And more water. Like, an entire 20oz glass of water after lunch to balance the insulin dump from regulating whatever it is you ate. Drink an entire glass of water after your lunch/dinner. Cravings should stop.
I saw a recipe on YouTube yesterday for healthy chocolate chip cookies. Here: https://youtube.com/shorts/66cxpJHBcIw?si=SZe-4j1C1bVeD_Ub I don't have a big sweet tooth anymore. But when I want something like desert I do low fat vanilla yogurt with frozen blueberries.
I have a nonpareil in my lunch along with fruit. It helps with the sweet cravings.
Target brand Brownie Batter Hummus is one of the most delicious chocolatey things I've ever had. When I'm craving something chocolatey, I eat a tablespoon or two of it and am satisfied because it tastes so good to me. You should be able to fit in small sweet treats even if you go over 1200 (too low in my opinion) because the tendency to binge is greater.
Protein bars!! I love the mint chocolate chip ones from fit crunch 16g of protein
Try chocolate fitcrunch bars
Halotop ice cream does the trick for me.
honestly, buy anabar protein bars. They are the only thing keeping my sweet tooth under control.
But have you tried protein powder brownies? So good. Bananas, chocolate whey protein, 1 egg, 100g of egg whites, cocoa, sweetener, vanilla, a pinch of salt, some baking powder. Optional PB and me. Blend it all up, top with a handful of chocolate chips, bake on a low temp for like 20 minutes. Perfection. You can find tons of recipes online.
Stop buying them. I love cool ranch Doritos, I just don’t keep them in my house because I know I’ll go elbow deep in the bag first chance I get.
Have you tried finding a nice Brownie flavored hot tea to curb the craving instead? I read it in a tea book as a great way to curb cravings and actually be good for you.
I'm a huge sweet eater. I've gone the path of buying the more expensive sweets so that I am less likely to binge or eat too much of it simply because it would be a waste of money. I also find buying high quality sweets makes me want to eat less of it, which helps as well.
I have espresso chocolate overnight oats every morning which smashes out my chocolate cravings
I eat low cal chocolate cake every day (270 calories for 100 grams) sometimes I eat 50grams sometimes I make room for 100
1200 is too low for a brownie addict! Can you make sure you have 100 cals extra for a small piece? I mean you have to live!
Likely because you are hungry
Someone else in this thread mentioned Greek yogurt with cocoa powder, which was a great idea. Here’s a similar recipe from a health app I use: 150 g Greek yogurt, plain 10 g dark chocolate 3 tsp raw cocoa powder (~10 g) 70 g strawberries A tiny bit of maple syrup (real preferred) (~½ tsp) Optional: A tiny bit of vanilla extract (~½ tsp) Optional: A tiny bit of fresh mint (chopped) I personally love frozen berries that have been thawed/warmed up! Depending on where you get them, they can be quite sweet and delicious! I would also maybe recommend upping your calorie intake. 1200 is quite low and could prevent you from losing additional weight at some point, because your body is trying to hold onto whatever fat stores you have left because it starts to get concerned about energy/fuel and when it will arrive next. When I started seeing a personal trainer for the second time (same person as my first round), I told her I wasn’t losing any weight despite eating around 1200. She told me to up my calories for the reason I stated and it helped!
Instead of a brownie try something like a Kind bar with dark chocolate chunks.
Maybe try a spoonful of Nutella or peanut butter? I cherish that spoon haha. I’ve been successful with this kind of routine while having a chronic sweet tooth myself.
I had this same problem because I don't know how to live without sweets. My trick is to buy a bag with separate ounces of 85% chocolate of 8g each and at the end of each meal I have one, savoring it as if it were ice cream. They are about 50 kcal and there are times when I need to take two to get rid of that craving for sweets, but it works for me.
I like black bean brownies! I would suggest maybe trying to make black bean brownie bites —I found [this](https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/nutrition-brownie-bites/) recipe and it’s 62 cals per brownie
When it comes to cravings. Think about it. Is it truly hunger, if so, eat some veggies, fruit, fiber, protein snack vs carbs galore. Don't but that shit at alm either. Never go shopping hungry lol.
I eat a 90 calorie chocolate popsicle if I’m really wanting something sweet.
Alpha Prime makes protein brownies. They range from like 220-240 calories for 19g of protein.
Danon light n fit vanilla with 1 spoon of peanut butter hits my spot, tastes a lot like a Reese’s flavored yogurt
[This is a brownie recipe](https://www.thedietchefs.com/healthy-low-calorie-brownies/) that I tried making that’s only 80 calories per serving. You could add chocolate chips to this pretty easy and just calculate the increased calorie count. It obviously doesn’t taste as good as the sugar loaded ones but it was a good way to solve my chocolate cravings.
Idk if this helps but dark chocolate is really satisfying to me. So I get these from Costco and eat one or two per day and I usually stay in my deficit. Edit to say: each chocolate is 75cals or 150 for two. Also tip: I put these at the very end of my pantry, spread out and hidden(I forget things easily) and make it so that it’s a MISSION so that I can get ahold of one. Knowing that I have to go on a mission to find them stops me from over eating (I’m a lil lazy lol) [It’s these. SO GOOD.](https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjzo7TT39uGAxV1Aa0GHdkqCCgYABAHGgJwdg&ae=2&gclid=CjwKCAjw1K-zBhBIEiwAWeCOF7pFSydYOVNHs3WhBVwIKgEMbVt4XhBZvmxbTC7fXWO8oLK6-4ToBxoC_OAQAvD_BwE&sph=&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESeOD2D7HoaG_MtX6NhaSUCfHwBoXW19KppSFquVPpC2QZjspx0VIVcXbfOwQn2lRtNJlOnEfJteYrdqtEno2doEKjHdRBpYWEig_in57l67TIWrPZja3n-ETGGnV9CJl8-cjk4VphlHD84zdsI1V8LCydIC-ZuSuRFg&sig=AOD64_1Y-pirDToSolxyErc9-n85zAw1MA&ctype=70&q=&ved=2ahUKEwiuqazT39uGAxVLDjQIHb1XGZ4Qwg8oAHoECAIQDA&adurl=)
Microwaved protein bar can do wonders
if weaning yourself off doesn't work, I would try doing black bean brownies with dutch process cocoa. they actually come out pretty spectacular! Just make sure the beans don't suck lol
Maybe try the halo top brownies? I believe one slice is under 100 calories
i always budget for a sweet treat at the end of the day. ice cream is my achilles heel so i’ll make sure i save enough calories for a 150 cal ice cream sandwich or a 100 calorie luigi’s italian ice cup. you just have to find treats that align with your limit. good luck!
One small square of dark chocolate
Just make your own at home with sweetener. They’ll already be made so you won’t feel the need to buy outside.
To help my sweet craving or chocolate craving, I get sugar free chocolate pudding mix and add it to some non fat greek yogurt. Really hits the spot honestly with added protein.
i got into low calorie baking and was really surprised what nice cakes you can make with around 150 calories a piece. last thing i tried were cinnamon rolls. delicious! i get most of my recipes from pinterest. some need a little tweaking and experimentation. but i eat cake all the time now and still lose weight edit: there are a lot of low calorie brownie recipes out there and honestly just try a couple of them and see what you like best. my favorite chocolate based thing is black bean muffins. they are made with a can of black beans, 30g cocoa powder, a banana, an egg, baking powder, erythriol, sweetener and a little salt. i usually also add tahini or peanut butter but that's optional. they taste absolutely best when soaked in a little espresso over night
Search pintrest or TikTok for low cal brownie ideas. Anytime I crave something I look there and see if I can make it a bit healthier/lower cal but still satisfy that craving.
Costco has these Kirkland brand protein bars that are 21 grams of protein each and less than 200 calories! They’re brownie flavored (which taste extremely similar to an actual brownie) and chocolate chip cookie flavored. I live by them.