* Splurging while you’re on a diet is the best
* When you’re craving sweets, consider these alternatives instead
* Quantity is everything when you go to reward yourself with a dessert
When you’re on a diet it is always best to stay away from sweets that have a high sugar content because sugar will just turn to fat if you’re not actively working to burn it off as soon as you consume it. But as we all know, remaining committed to this is much harder to to do than you think.
In my opinion, it is best to create a reward system for yourself and your dessert consumption. Tell yourself that you get to eat one small dessert once a week on Friday and you’ll see how much easier it is to control these urges throughout the week. It’s such a relief knowing that you only have to make it until the end of the week in order to get your sugar fix.
Waiting for that dessert once a week will take a lot of patience and that’s half the battle; the other half is making sure that this dessert you’re going to splurge on is not the worst possible thing for you. It’s easy to find a slightly healthier version of your favorite dessert online, you just have to search for it. Or, create your own sweet treats that satisfy your cravings without throwing you off your health kick.
I swear by these three sweet treats that fare on the healthier side of desserts. That way you can have your dessert once a week, still look amazing and stay motivated towards your dieting goals.
1. Chocolate Chia Protein Pudding
Who doesn’t love a good pudding? This dessert is easy to make and has few ingredients in it. The best thing is that it is extremely easy to modify, so you can put what you want in it rather than always having to make it strictly chocolate.
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The main ingredients that you’ll want to keep consistent each time you make this is the protein powder, the chia seeds and the milk. You can choose what type of milk to use, but if you want to keep your treat the healthiest we recommend using almond milk or coconut milk. Find your favorite recipe online for all the ingredient ratios and preparation steps. This low calorie dessert once a week will keep your body on point as well as your mind sane.
2. Peanut Butter Power Bites
If you’re a peanut butter lover, then these will be the best healthy treat you could ask for. These ping-pong ball-sized bites have few ingredients and they require zero baking. You just add all the ingredients into a bowl, mix them up, set the bowl in the fridge for a half hour or so and then roll them into the bites and they’ll hold their shape.
With such a simple recipe, you can imagine how many variations there are out there. For the peanut butter bites I like, use peanut butter, shredded coconut, vanilla extract, honey, oats and chia or flax seeds. I like them best with the peanut butter base, but if you’re allergic to peanuts then you can always use almond butter. These are a great energy boosting treat and an ideal pre workout snack that you could grab on-the-go and eat daily.
3. Protein Popsicles
This genius idea has barely been touched on by big fitness or dessert brands. Protein popsicles are at the intersection of two demographics who aren’t typically associated with one another. Fit people still like delicious treats just like everyone else, but once you know what 300 calories feels like on a treadmill, a 300 calorie sugar-filled treat doesn’t sound so great anymore.
These protein popsicles have the same nutritional value as your everyday protein shake because that’s all it is. It’s just frozen. For your next workout, make your protein shake before you go to the gym and just pour it into an ice tray. Let it sit for half an hour in the freezer and then poke your tooth picks or popsicle sticks in depending on what type of mold your using. Go to the gym and when you get home, you’ll have your frozen protein popsicles ready to enjoy.
For a sweeter “once a week” type of treat, feel free to throw your milk, protein powder, some fruit, yogurt, or maybe even some ice cream into the blender and use that instead to pour your molds. With this one, it’s easy to be as healthy as you want with it or add all your guilty pleasures to. You decide what’s right for your diet regiment.