Some people disagree with me, but I think it is wisest to eliminate sweet items from our diet in the beginning stages of the diet. Sugars are perhaps the most dangerous item we have to face in maintenance. Bringing those cravings and desires under control should be an early and consistent effort. Merely indulging in anything that tastes sweet, even if it does only contain minimal or no sugar, simply reinforces the desire and the intent to have sweets. I feel that in the early stages of the plan, we need to put our efforts into training ourselves out of the need for sweets.

Remember, maintenance is going to be a lot more difficult than the diet itself. And maintenance is where most people fail miserably.

Good Luck!