Your sweet tooth has got you into lots of trouble over the years. All those diets you’ve abandoned for a slice of cake, all the extra calories you took in ‘just to have a taste of something sweet’ before bed.

Where has it got you?

It’s got you into trousers that are another size larger. Got you into your doctor’s office for another lecture. Got you into a body that you no longer enjoy.

Yes, sweet treats sure are tempting, but the life-long repercussions far outweigh the momentary pleasure.

To help you conquer your sweet tooth, we’ve identified the 5 sweet traps you should avoid.

Sweet Trap #1: Sweets & Chocolate
Nothing gets refined sugar circulating through your body quicker than a fistful of sweets & chocolate —and if you’re in the habit of eating sweets & chocolate daily then your body will crave it.

Sweets & chocolate have virtually no nutritional value, other than caloric energy, and will quickly end up stored on your body in the form of unwanted, annoying fat.

Try This: Swap for a handful of unsalted nuts, a few pieces of unsweetened, dried fruit, or a small square of very dark chocolate (at least 72% cocoa content).

Sweet Trap #2: Baked Goods
Cake, cookies, biscuits, pastries and donuts are popular vehicles for sugar consumption. While these may not be as tasty as sweets & chocolate, the combination of refined sugar and white flour will spike your blood sugar just the same.

Very much like sweets, regularly eating baked goods may become a habit. Break yourself of this and you’ll find the number on your scale going down rather than up.

Try This: Put down the cake and reach for a piece of fresh fruit. Fruit is nature’s sweet, and is every bit as blissful as a slice of cake. t.

Sweet Trap #3: Ice Cream
Nothing makes you feel as happy and carefree as a bowl of creamy ice cream…until that ice cream makes its permanent home on your waist. Again, ice cream has few nutritional benefits.

Try This: Let’s face it, cold, creamy and sweet makes a delicious combination. Create a healthy protein-packed ‘ice cream’ with the recipe below.

Here’s what you need for Strawberry ‘ice cream’
• 20 organic strawberries
• 2 cups non-fat Greek yogurt

1. Wash and hull the strawberries. Mix in a blender until smooth
2. Add yogurt and blend well
3. Pour into an ice cream maker and run until yogurt is frozen and creamy

Sweet Trap #4: Fizzy Drinks
One can of fizzy drink contains the equivalent of 10 packets of sugar. That’s more sugar than you should consume in a week.

Fizzy drinks are something that you get into the habit of drinking, and do without thinking. The good news is that a habit can be broken and then replaced with something healthier.

Try This: Take fizzy drinks out of your diet completely. There are plenty of other drinks available to you.

Sweet Trap #5: Blended Drinks
Smoothies, blended coffee drinks and milkshakes are all tempting treats, especially in hot summer months. Don’t give in to the temptation.

These items are even more deadly than most treats since they are consumed through a straw and don’t make you feel full. Let me assure you that even though you don’t feel full, like you would after a piece of cake, you’re still taking in a boatload of sugary calories.

Try This: Make your own healthy blended drinks at home by using natural sweeteners such as fruit. Take the ice cream recipe above, add non-fat milk and mix in the blender for a high protein milkshake.

Eliminating refined sugar from your diet will do so much for your health, as well as your weight.

A great thing to remember is that once you’ve fallen out of the habit of eating sugar, your body will no longer crave it.

Eating healthy is half of the battle when it comes to fitness, well-being and weight loss.

About David & Carol Petersen

David & Carol Petersen run Results by Design Personal Training - a personal training gym in Clapham at 292 Battersea Park Road SW11 - Call 020 3551 6739 today to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation session and discover how we can help you or complete the blue form on the right hand side of our blog and we will call you. We provide one to one personal triaining, group personal training, classes as well as bespoke healthy eating plans and more. We help our clients lose body fat, tone and sculpt their body and look great outside while feeling great inside.