Eating habits need an overhaul...HELP!!

I am a sweets fan as well and I broke the cycle through eating 6 small meals a day.  For the snacks I started off with using protein bars or cliff bars.  I found the cliff bars are usually sweet enough that i satisfy my sweet craving will being better than cookies or cake.  The same goes for protein bars, I like the harvest variety power bars.  I keep a couple of boxes of these in my desk, that way I am always ready to fight off cravings.  I have also found that eating sweet fruits are good at beating back my cravings as well.

Also make sure to track your foods that you eat.  I find it is easier to say no when you have to put it down in your food log later.

Good luck 

I call what you described "Food Hangover"

Awesme for you Training for your first tri !!!!!!!!!

I am a sweet-aholic myself, other than that my eating is generally healthy just eat too  much of everything, so I joined weight watchers, just recently, to help me lose my extra pounds and get control of my eating.  

I need that weekly accountability, support, encouragement  that they provide.

If you bite it write it, keep a food journal, it is a pain at first but helps. 

Sweets, it is just a matter of willpower, making healthier choices,and allowing yourself small treats so you do not feel deprived.

Do not give up and say "well I just blew it and ate too much (candy, junk etc.) just move on and make a better choice for your next meal, snack. 

I pre-plan out what I will eat for the day and pack that for the day. Yes it takes time, but that way I am never caught having to make a bad food choice I will regret.





 

For sweet cravings I kill it with fruit, the trick for me is to eat before I get hungry, if I wait too long chances are I will overeat. Most of the time I will include some cottage cheese, or a scoop of protien, or lowfat cheese,yogurt,etc. so that I'm not hungry a half hour later.

I read somewhere that dieters are either abstainers or moderators.  I fall into the abstainer group - if I eat just one chocolate bit, then I eat the whole bag.  So get the junk out of your house, and only stock the good stuff.  Then force yourself to have a protein-ish snack before you get too hungry.

It is always easier to give advice than to follow it...

I would recommend cutting out high fructuse corn syrup and artificial sweetners.  My wife and I did that after spending a couple weeks in Europe on vacation (where they eat a lot more unprocessed food than us).  I still get some HFCS when eating out to eat, but almost zero at home.  That has completely changed my perception of sweet.  I find Snickers, Costco muffins, and a host of other products way too sweet today.  If we bake at home, we generally cut back on the sugar (unless it's from Cooking Light).  I attribute the need for less sweet on cutting back on the low level of sugar (HFCS) in almost every processed food we eat.  Start reading the ingredient list and you'll be amazed at how many products are sweetened for the average American.

I know you said you're tracking your food.  When I need a course correction (couple times a year), I use fitday.com.  You can publish your food journal to the world and then encourage people to keep you on track.  I find it so much easier to eat well when I'm inputting it into fitday.  And don't cheat!

X on eating several small meals a day and drinking lots of water.