Cutting out Sugar and Sweets Need Help

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  • blktngldhrt
    blktngldhrt Posts: 1,053 Member
    edited December 2014
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    ana3067 wrote: »
    To try stop the comment cycle and because it seems to be bothering you, I have reactive hypoglycemia.

    If you're not familiar, my pancreas overreacts to all carbs that enter my body. I eat carbs, produce too much insulin, my sugar drops, and I feel like crap. Oh, when I exercise (or simply move around too much), I also produce too much insulin. It's been this way for 12 years now. Within the 12 years, various things have helped but only when I lowered my carbs dramatically (and went 5% carbs..but please don't make this about keto) did the need for frequent meals and stopping in the middle of a workout to eat stop. I was also able to forego the acarbose, a prescription carb blocker, I had been taking.

    Reactive hypoglycemia also causes a bad psychological relationship with carbs in addition to the bad physical relationship. If I eat sweets..or other high carb foods, my sugar drops and I feel awful. If I eat more sweets, I feel immediately better. I mean, the change is immediate..food down my throat immediate. When your sugar is low all the time you feel you need to eat sugar all the time. The cravings are ridiculous and are only reinforced by the fact that eating does make you feel better.

    I also can't drink alcohol either..because i can't..not because I think I'll binge.

    I assume OP doesn't have rh. Most people with it give that information initially when asking questions about sugar or exercise. Plus, there aren't that many of us.

    I ate one sour patch kid yesterday. That's the kind of moderation I have to stick to..which, in my opinion, it's better to do without.

    Why do my circumstances matter to you so much? Why was it important that I share that personal information with someone I don't know on command?

    I found your need to get to the root of my problems with sugar rude. Maybe if someone says they know they have to cut out sweets means just that: they know they can't have them.

    You could have prevented this entire exchange then by simply saying "I have hypoglycemia, so I have medical reasons that prevent me from eating as much sweets as I would like to."

    To simply say "I know that I can't" doesn't allow anyone to infer how you know. They could assume that your knowledge is based on entirely psychological reasons and not at all on medical reasons.

    And the importance of sharing information about one's experiences on a forum that is basically all about sharing experiences is so that others who have similar problems or similar experiences can a) find others they can connect with and share their stories with and garner support, b) so that people can better tailor their advice.

    So again with my analogy of seeking advice from a therapist, if I go in and say "I have PTSD" then I will be provided one approach to treatment. If I go in and say "I have OCD" then treatment will be much different than the PTSD treatment. If I simply go in and say "I have problems" then how can someone provide me with tailored advice or help? So many people here will off the bat say whether there are medical issues occurring while they are trying to lose weight - diabetes, PCOS, weight loss surgery, depression, EDs, etc. Without providing this information, it's much harder to determine why they demonstrate a certain line of reasoning/thought process. Vague answers result in vague and ultimately broad interpretations.

    No. You could have prevented the entire exchange by not insisting I give an entire forum my reason for cutting out sweets. I didn't want to tell you and I didn't have to tell you. I don't owe anyone on here an explanation..and definitely don't need to tell anyone my medical problems. I only did so to prove a point.

    That's exactly what I said. People who do have medical issues usually mention that information in the OP when asking for dietary advice. Since the op did not include that she was cutting sweets for a medical reason and just mentioned weight loss..we are to assume there is no medical reason and go from there; hence my lack of need to explain my own personal reasons.

  • cwlsr
    cwlsr Posts: 71 Member
    edited December 2014
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    I will keep it short! Over time we all get our fixes in different forms with sugar being one for some folks. The only way to overcome any obsessive behavior is to stop what ever it is and form new habits. This requires some mental pain for sixty to ninety days. If you develop a well rounded health plan that will include the right amounts of sleep,nutritious food, exercise, mental rest, water and develop a positive attitude you will over come this addiction to sugar. MFP provides all the tools necessary to accomplish this; you just need the will power and personal strength to do it. You are half way there since you recognize the problem. The best to you in your effort to overcome.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    OP: you may find that after you recalibrate (by taking a couple of weeks of no sweets), you can easily control your sweet tooth. If that's you, awesome! All the better.

    Also, I find that if my "sweet treat" is a small piece of dark dark chocolate (like 1/3 of a candy bar) I don't feel the need to eat more. It hits the spot perfectly.

    Good luck finding what works for you, and ignore the folks who demand that you MUST eat junk food and sweets (it's a rather odd form of pressure, that in the real world would definitely be deemed socially unacceptable, but for some reason is A-OK on this "fitness" website).

    LOL and the restrict whole food group makes sense too …

    If OP is already losing weight eating sugar then what is the point of cutting it out?

    Well, captain, she wants to reduce her intake of sweets. It's not a dangerous, unhealthy thing to do, so I offered her my thoughts on it. As did you.

    ps: "sweets" isn't really a "food group".

    when did I say sweets is a food group????

    not reading again I see…

    did you lose your reading glasses?
    hokay.... what "food group" were you referring to then cap?
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    It's like a white knight convention up in here.
  • laurajagreen
    laurajagreen Posts: 2 Member
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    I am the same, very sweet tooth, i try preparing things and having them in the fridge so you can grab them quickly when craving a sugar hit, my faves are: sugar free jelly, light angel delight, options hot chocolate
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    dbmata wrote: »
    I replaced sugar with maple syrup.

    LOL!!! :D

    Got to love the sugar is evil and going to kill ya threads!! Pretty close to a Bingo now!! *while eating chocolate peanut butter poptart, mmmmmmmm!!* ;):p

    Lost 121 pounds!!


  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    Soda ----> Diet soda.

    If you don't have room in your calorie allotment for a sweet, eat fruit… i.e. strawberries with light cool whip.

    However, if you are one of those people who binges and cannot control themselves around sweets, avoid it all together for the time being until you are able to learn self-control.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    OdesAngel wrote: »
    It's like a white knight convention up in here.
    Yep.....and it's the same ones every time.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    OP: you may find that after you recalibrate (by taking a couple of weeks of no sweets), you can easily control your sweet tooth. If that's you, awesome! All the better.

    Also, I find that if my "sweet treat" is a small piece of dark dark chocolate (like 1/3 of a candy bar) I don't feel the need to eat more. It hits the spot perfectly.

    Good luck finding what works for you, and ignore the folks who demand that you MUST eat junk food and sweets (it's a rather odd form of pressure, that in the real world would definitely be deemed socially unacceptable, but for some reason is A-OK on this "fitness" website).

    LOL and the restrict whole food group makes sense too …

    If OP is already losing weight eating sugar then what is the point of cutting it out?

    Well, captain, she wants to reduce her intake of sweets. It's not a dangerous, unhealthy thing to do, so I offered her my thoughts on it. As did you.

    ps: "sweets" isn't really a "food group".

    when did I say sweets is a food group????

    not reading again I see…

    did you lose your reading glasses?
    hokay.... what "food group" were you referring to then cap?

    when you pass reading comprehension we can discuss it some more...
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    OP: you may find that after you recalibrate (by taking a couple of weeks of no sweets), you can easily control your sweet tooth. If that's you, awesome! All the better.

    Also, I find that if my "sweet treat" is a small piece of dark dark chocolate (like 1/3 of a candy bar) I don't feel the need to eat more. It hits the spot perfectly.

    Good luck finding what works for you, and ignore the folks who demand that you MUST eat junk food and sweets (it's a rather odd form of pressure, that in the real world would definitely be deemed socially unacceptable, but for some reason is A-OK on this "fitness" website).

    LOL and the restrict whole food group makes sense too …

    If OP is already losing weight eating sugar then what is the point of cutting it out?

    Well, captain, she wants to reduce her intake of sweets. It's not a dangerous, unhealthy thing to do, so I offered her my thoughts on it. As did you.

    ps: "sweets" isn't really a "food group".

    when did I say sweets is a food group????

    not reading again I see…

    did you lose your reading glasses?
    hokay.... what "food group" were you referring to then cap?

    when you pass reading comprehension we can discuss it some more...
    lol
  • blktngldhrt
    blktngldhrt Posts: 1,053 Member
    edited December 2014
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    Serah87 wrote: »
    dbmata wrote: »
    I replaced sugar with maple syrup.

    LOL!!! :D

    Got to love the sugar is evil and going to kill ya threads!! Pretty close to a Bingo now!! *while eating chocolate peanut butter poptart, mmmmmmmm!!* ;):p

    Lost 121 pounds!!


    Who said sugar is evil? I must've missed that post.

    It royally messes me up and even I would never say it's evil.

    ETA: awesome job losing 121. You look amazing.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Serah87 wrote: »
    dbmata wrote: »
    I replaced sugar with maple syrup.

    LOL!!! :D

    Got to love the sugar is evil and going to kill ya threads!! Pretty close to a Bingo now!! *while eating chocolate peanut butter poptart, mmmmmmmm!!* ;):p

    Lost 121 pounds!!

    Who said sugar is evil? I guess I missed those posts too.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    ana3067 wrote: »
    Kalikel wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Honestly I would not cut them out, just factor them into your calorie allotment for the day.

    Yep. I always try to make room for some ice cream in my calories.

    Third. Unless there are medical reasons for cutting out sweets (diabetes namely) then there is no reason to not eat them. Know your goals, log what you are interested in eating, and if it fits your goals then eat it. If it doesn't then change the serving until it does, or just eat it tomorrow.

    If I didn't HAVE to give up sweets, I wouldn't have.

    But why you you believe you have to give them up? Is the reason due to a medical condition? Or do you just think that eating sweets = gain weight/not lose weight? Is this OP's reasoning as well?

    Because sweets don't cause or hinder weight loss; caloric surplus hinders weight loss, and caloric deficit causes weight loss. I've been eating sweets since before I started losing weight, I binged on sweets frequently too. Chocolate was my vice. Now? I know my caloric goals and I have no problem logging x amount of chocolate and just eating that. I ate chocolat etonight and sure, I'd be down for eating more, but I have no problem with not eating more of it because I know it doesn't fit my goals for today.

    So again, unless there are medical reasons, there is no 'have to' for cutting out any foods. I don't eat gluten, but this is because if I do eat it I have very bad digestive symptoms. So for me it's a "have to" situation. But eating the GF alternatives doesn't cause issues, so I eat those. Any food can be worked into one's diet and caloric goals if the person enjoys the food. I have had the "i can't eat this because I'll get fat" mindset, didn't work. Also had the "I can just exercise this off" mindset. That was back when I thought exercise = weight loss, though.

    I can't eat sweets. I would eat them, in moderation, if I could.

    But WHY do you think you cannot eat sweets? Is it because you have a medical condition? Or is it because you simply don't think that you can eat them within your caloric needs? If you are successfully able to eat every other type of food within your caloric goals then there is no real reason that you cannot try eating sweets within your goals. I went from eating 3-4 boxes of chocolate in a sitting to eating a few pieces, and the only difference is that I now actually understand my caloric goals and I don't put limits on anything (i.e. I don't say "I can only eat chips on special occasions/once a month/etc"). Where I once used to hate myself and feel guilty for eating chocolate because I would binge on it, I now can log two pieces without blinking an eye and just... eat it. I just enjoy food now. So there is no "can't" with food unless there are medical reasons behind this reasoning. It's really just about developing a healthy relationship with food, which will ideally enable you to enjoy food in moderation without resorting to binging.

    I know I can't..which is why I stated that I had to stop eating sweets. I know the difference between have to and choose to.

    I guess I needed to say "this" or "I agree" with the post I had quoted before posting the comment that lead to you questioning my reasons for knowing (not thinking..) I'm not able to do something.

    How do you know you can't though? You so far haven't given any reasons, which leads me to believe that it's more that you FEAR you can't eat sweets in moderation. Do you feel guilty when you eat sweets? Do you feel bad about yourself? I've been there. I felt ashamed because I almost always binged. I'd tell myself "just one piece" and then that turned into "just one bar" and then within the span of an hour I'd consumed 3-4 large chocolate bars. Or on saturdays, I work in retail and I used to buy an armful of chocoalte and eat it all on my shift. I wasn't even hungry. It was a combo of binging and a bad relationship with food that made me feel like *kitten* about myself. Once I got rid of the bad relationship with food and simply realized that no food will stop or prevent weight loss, I had no trouble working sweets into my daily caloric intake goals. If I don't have room for a whole candy bar, I will log and eat half. Or I'll have a small piece instead of the actual amount i'd like and I'll still be satisfied.

    Why do I need to give you a reason?
    You don't.
    +1 ana's posts are rather off putting, but perhaps she's still working through those food demons.
    (perhaps she's a budding undergrad psych major lol)

    I've tackled my food demons about 6 months ago actually. The only food demons I have now are when I have to decide whether I want to eat a donut or a muffin.

    And to throw around attempted insulting remarks regarding my educational vocation is quite childish. Yes, I am graduating with my pscyhology and art history degree next term, and afterwards my plan is to embark on an occupational therapy graduate degree. Does my educational and job interest somehow make my advice, opinions, and presence lesser than someone with a mathematics degree? Would someone with a fine arts degree also be looked down on in the same manner? It is quite sad for someone to look down on others because of their education.

    Oh god! I had no idea you were a psych major. lol too funny.
    And no, I don't "look down at psych majors". I simply think you're a tad too "know it all".
    A tad too "sure" YOU know what's best for folks. As others have said. And yes, it's a common joke, to guess someone who's playing armchair analyst on the web is an undergrad psych major.

    Not sure why math would be better, but okay.

    I'll let you read the replies of the woman you were badgering and let it go at that.

    ps: I always sucked at math. :drinker:
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    ana3067 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    OP: you may find that after you recalibrate (by taking a couple of weeks of no sweets), you can easily control your sweet tooth. If that's you, awesome! All the better.

    Also, I find that if my "sweet treat" is a small piece of dark dark chocolate (like 1/3 of a candy bar) I don't feel the need to eat more. It hits the spot perfectly.

    Good luck finding what works for you, and ignore the folks who demand that you MUST eat junk food and sweets (it's a rather odd form of pressure, that in the real world would definitely be deemed socially unacceptable, but for some reason is A-OK on this "fitness" website).

    LOL and the restrict whole food group makes sense too …

    If OP is already losing weight eating sugar then what is the point of cutting it out?

    Well, captain, she wants to reduce her intake of sweets. It's not a dangerous, unhealthy thing to do, so I offered her my thoughts on it. As did you.

    ps: "sweets" isn't really a "food group".

    Yes, but WHY does she want to reduce the intake? Based on her OP, it seems that she wants to reduce the intake because she thinks that it's the only way she will successfully lose weight. She did not make any mention of other reasons for cutting down on sweets, such as headaches or nausea or constipation or cavities or whatever. Simply "I've lost 8lbs but I need to lose another 65, how can I cut back on sweets."

    So it's very informative to let OP know that if she enjoys eating these things, and they have clearly not stopped her from losing weight, then she can still eat them exactly as she does now.

    Perhaps. Just perhaps, she has several goals. Only one of which is a number on a scale....
    Just maybe. Who knows. Do YOU? For EVERY SINGLE POSTER ON MYFITNESSPAL? Wait. Are you.... PSYCHic too?????
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    OP: you may find that after you recalibrate (by taking a couple of weeks of no sweets), you can easily control your sweet tooth. If that's you, awesome! All the better.

    Also, I find that if my "sweet treat" is a small piece of dark dark chocolate (like 1/3 of a candy bar) I don't feel the need to eat more. It hits the spot perfectly.

    Good luck finding what works for you, and ignore the folks who demand that you MUST eat junk food and sweets (it's a rather odd form of pressure, that in the real world would definitely be deemed socially unacceptable, but for some reason is A-OK on this "fitness" website).

    LOL and the restrict whole food group makes sense too …

    If OP is already losing weight eating sugar then what is the point of cutting it out?

    Well, captain, she wants to reduce her intake of sweets. It's not a dangerous, unhealthy thing to do, so I offered her my thoughts on it. As did you.

    ps: "sweets" isn't really a "food group".

    when did I say sweets is a food group????

    not reading again I see…

    did you lose your reading glasses?
    hokay.... what "food group" were you referring to then cap?

    when you pass reading comprehension we can discuss it some more...

    Perhaps you are the one who needs to brush up on your reading comp considering you said: "LOL and the restrict whole food group makes sense too …"
  • glistug
    glistug Posts: 5 Member
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    I too have a sweet tooth, I struggle with quitting sweets altogether. The best little treat I have found is Jello Sugar Free pudding.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    Serah87 wrote: »
    dbmata wrote: »
    I replaced sugar with maple syrup.

    LOL!!! :D

    Got to love the sugar is evil and going to kill ya threads!! Pretty close to a Bingo now!! *while eating chocolate peanut butter poptart, mmmmmmmm!!* ;):p

    Lost 121 pounds!!


    Who said sugar is evil? I must've missed that post.
    It didn't happen. It's just an excuse to name-call.

  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Did we really have to do this entire thread again? Wasn't the last one enough?
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Serah87 wrote: »
    dbmata wrote: »
    I replaced sugar with maple syrup.

    LOL!!! :D

    Got to love the sugar is evil and going to kill ya threads!! Pretty close to a Bingo now!! *while eating chocolate peanut butter poptart, mmmmmmmm!!* ;):p

    Lost 121 pounds!!


    Who said sugar is evil? I must've missed that post.

    It royally messes me up and even I would never say it's evil.

    Didn't happen, I don't think.

    At some point all the sugar threads merge together, which is what probably explains it.
  • blktngldhrt
    blktngldhrt Posts: 1,053 Member
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    tigersword wrote: »
    Did we really have to do this entire thread again? Wasn't the last one enough?

    Never!