Urge Buddy

Quit sugar

How to get past a sugar craving

A sugar craving is often about a moment or a feeling, not hunger. Here is what to do when one hits, and how Urge Buddy gives you something else to do.

Updated November 4, 2026 · 2 min read

On this page
  1. Why sugar cravings hit
  2. What to do when you want something sweet
  3. How Urge Buddy helps
  4. Questions

The short answer

A sugar craving is often about a moment or a feeling, like the afternoon slump, boredom or the end of dinner, more than hunger. Give it a few minutes: drink water, brush your teeth, step outside or eat something crunchy. Urge Buddy is an iPhone app that gives you a 1 to 5 minute task the moment you tap it.

Why sugar cravings hit

Cravings tend to follow habits: the same time of day, the same place, the same feeling. Tired, stressed and bored are the usual ones. If you are actually hungry, eat a proper meal; the cravings worth outlasting are the ones that show up right after you’ve eaten, or every day at 3 pm.

What to do when you want something sweet

  • Brush your teeth. A fresh mouth makes sweets less tempting.
  • Drink a glass of water or make a cup of tea.
  • Eat something crunchy that isn’t sweet: an apple, carrots, a few nuts.
  • Move. A short walk or the stairs help with the afternoon slump.
  • Wait five minutes. If you still want it after, have a small amount, slowly.

How Urge Buddy helps

  1. Tap your buddy the moment the urge hits. From the app, or say “I’m craving” to Siri, or set it on the Action Button.
  2. Say where you are and how you feel. At home, out but private, or out in public; stressed, anxious, bored, lonely or low.
  3. Do the task. Your buddy picks something that takes 1 to 5 minutes and fits the moment: no squats on the bus, something calming when you’re anxious.
  4. Say how you feel now. Better counts as an urge beaten, and that count only goes up, even if you slip.

In Urge Buddy, choose Something else as your habit. Every craving you get past counts as an urge beaten.

Urge Buddy

When an urge hits, tap your buddy and get something quick to do until it passes. For iPhone, with a 3-day free trial.

Download Urge Buddy on the App Store

Questions

How do I stop a sugar craving fast?

Brush your teeth, drink a glass of water, or eat something crunchy that isn’t sweet, then do something else for five minutes. Many cravings fade in that time.

Does Urge Buddy work for sugar?

Yes. Choose Something else as your habit. When a craving hits, tap your buddy for a 1 to 5 minute task, and each craving you get past is counted.

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