sugar addiction
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Did someone send a message to have all the trolls post in the 'sugar addiction' thread?-1
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sugar junkie here too. i'm trying to stay away from it. it is real, just like a drug.0
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TheVirgoddess wrote: »seamonster1203 wrote: »Whats the name of that condition where the addict denies the addictiveness of his or her substance?
So people that have been through actual addiction and claim sugar isn't the same, are actually addicted to sugar, but are obviously too dumb or blind to admit it?
You're a real gem.
What? No! lol0 -
seamonster1203 wrote: »FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »slimbettie wrote: »Never been an addict of anything myself. But I have heard that being an addict is like having a love affair...it is the first thing you think of when you wake up and the last thing when you go to sleep....
Yeah… when a person is addicted to drugs or alcohol.
Applies to all addictions.
"Denial is a core symptom of codependency and addiction. We have a distorted relationship to reality — often acting against our best interests. Addicts and codependents use denial to continue addictive behavior."
There is a reason you care if OP wants to give up sugar or not. Something you're hooked on is being questioned and that offends you.
Yeah I care because it is a very well-known theory that when a person gives something up, they are more likely to binge on it… which is why most are advising the OP to not give up sugar, but instead learn moderation.0 -
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Yeah I care because it is a very well-known theory that when a person gives something up, they are more likely to binge on it… which is why most are advising the OP to not give up sugar, but instead learn moderation. [/quote]
could not agree more.
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"Denial is a core symptom of codependency and addiction. We have a distorted relationship to reality — often acting against our best interests. Addicts and codependents use denial to continue addictive behavior."
[/quote]
Denial is not considered a core symptom of addiction. At least not by researchers or treatment providers. It's not that it doesn't exist, but is not a core symptom, or even criteria for addiction.0 -
seamonster1203 wrote: »slimbettie wrote: »This topic caught my eye, because i am currently on Day 2 of a 10 Day "no sugar" challenge.... just for me, and not permanent, I love my sugar tooooooo much!!! But rather this than gaining back 10kg before I hit the breaks. It is hard, I must be honest. But going cold turkey for me, just to bring things back into perspective is key. No sugar for me, means anything that has added sugar like cookies, chocolate, ice cream etc. Had to do something, because every day I would have 3 tinkies (twinkies), ice cream, cookies with my coffee. Things got waaaaay out of hand.
Good luck. Be strong. You will find a balance.
so you are eating zero bread, vegetables, etc, because, sugar right?
Vegetables have added sugar? Thank you, I was so wrong thinking carbs in veggies come from Fiber.
It is probably impossible to eat a healthy diet without any sugar. Carbs in veggies come from starch (potatoes 25 g starch in 1 small), sugar (carrot 2.4 g in 1 small) and fiber (spinach 2.2 g in 3 cups, 2/3 of carbs). That's why low-carbers avoid starchy vegetables, some ending up with fewer than 30-50 g of non-fiber carbs a day. Limiting sugars to those that are naturally occurring (and in small amounts, like the 0.4 grams in 3 cups of spinach) can retrain the tastebuds, so that the dieter feels less desire for calorie-dense foods, and is more satisfied with low-calorie foods.
Completely eliminating sugar may not be a realistic or healthy goal, but limiting added sugars is achievable. This may not be desirable for athletes or recompers - they need energy for their workouts and to replenish their stores - but people who are focused on losing fat may find they have better dietary adherance and satisfaction when they chose more foods that are nutrient dense and fewer that are calorie-dense but nutrient poor. Reduction, not elimination, but still effective.0 -
Hi Jen, This is NOT in your head and unless a person has experienced it they can't know how it feels. Have you been tested for Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (- PCOS- for short -) or other insuline resistant conditions? My daughter had terrible food cravings until she went on a doctor prescribed low-carb diet. When she ate carbs her pancreas secreted 10 x the amount of needed insulin and this extra insulin in her blood was begging to be fed. More carb heavy food only increased the cravings. Carbs of course are not only in sugar they include bread, flour, pasta, rice, starchy vegetables and fruit. An experienced dietician or even better a naturopath could also help you choose which foods would help you. Good luck.0
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OP - unless you are rummaging through a dumpster to get your sugar fix or eating spoons of sugar out of a bowl, you are not addicted to sugar. Do you have some self control issues with certain foods, perhaps...
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My suggestion - create a calorie deficit, try to eat the foods that you like (yes, I mean some ice cream, cookies, etc), get a food scale and weigh log measure everything that you eat. Foods are not "good" or "bad" they are just food that your body uses for energy (or for tissue repair, muscle growth, to maintain bones, to prevent cancer or disease, or to protect vision, the cardiovascular system, the nervous system, the brain....) Try to make better choices (based on what?) and maintain your calorie deficit.
you can lose 50 pounds and eat sugar...
Italics in above mine.
As someone who has gone through the garbage can to eat sugary treats, yes - sugar activates reward pathways similar to how drugs do. Individual responses to addictive substances vary, however. Some people are more likely to become alcoholic, some are more vulnerable to opiate addiction, and sugar addiction varies from person to person. None deserve judgement. Blame does not help anyone manage their weight.
As the OP is asking for help overcoming sugar addiction, not to be advised on the state of her willpower, this is my perspective:- Make sure you are hitting your macro and micronutrient goals. Dairy cravings have destroyed several of my diets - pica is a thing, eating smart works better than willpower
- Especially be sure you are getting enough protein. Try for .8g per kg of body weight. MFP recommendations may be too low. Protein will help you feel more satisfied, and may help you to feel fuller longer.
- Don't set yourself up for failure. I eat before I take my kids to the food court. It's easier to say no to ice cream if I'm already full.
- Don't try for too high a deficit and eat back some of your exercise calories
- Make sure to get enough sleep
- Consiously try to change bad habits and eliminate mindless munching. Or, replace go-to snacks with something lower calorie (i.e. celery and carrot sticks instead of a bag of M&Ms)
- Exercise. When the cravings hit, take a walk instead of eating. Intense exercise can help lower hunger. It may also retrain taste to prefer lower-calorie foods.
- Some people mistake hunger for thirst. Try having a glass of water before indulging.
- Eating meals at regular times may help with cravings
- Cravings can be hormonal. Sometimes you just have to ride it out for a few days, and then things get better.
- Chose to include sweets, but just one at the end of the day. Have them come packaged in in single servings (i.e. one pudding cup, not a bag of cookies).
- If it
Try one change, give it a while (21 days for a new habit) to see if it works, then try another. Eventually you will find out what works for you. Good luck
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seamonster1203 wrote: »slimbettie wrote: »This topic caught my eye, because i am currently on Day 2 of a 10 Day "no sugar" challenge.... just for me, and not permanent, I love my sugar tooooooo much!!! But rather this than gaining back 10kg before I hit the breaks. It is hard, I must be honest. But going cold turkey for me, just to bring things back into perspective is key. No sugar for me, means anything that has added sugar like cookies, chocolate, ice cream etc. Had to do something, because every day I would have 3 tinkies (twinkies), ice cream, cookies with my coffee. Things got waaaaay out of hand.
Good luck. Be strong. You will find a balance.
so you are eating zero bread, vegetables, etc, because, sugar right?
Vegetables have added sugar? Thank you, I was so wrong thinking carbs in veggies come from Fiber.
carbs convert to sugar….
so if poster is going 100% no sugar carbs would need to be zero.
Also, not all carbs convert to sugar. Non-soluble fiber doesn't, and soluble fiber converts in an unreliable ratio, often 2-1 at best. Fructose sometimes turns straight into fat.0 -
tigersword wrote: »Sugar has effects on the nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental areas of the brain, which are involved with addiction. There are increasing studies suggesting that sugar, and a sugar-fat combination has similar effects on the brain to opiates, like morphine, heroin, etc. in terms of dopamine binding, increased tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, etc.
People don't get as high or drunk on sugar as they do on other substances like cocaine or heroin, but it probably is addictive, like nicotine or anything else.
Wouldn't it make more sense to assume that cocaine and heroin have similar effects on the brain as eating sugar, rather than assuming that the food that humans have been eating for the past several hundred thousand years has suddenly decided to mimic manufactured drugs?
The reason I phrased it like that is that the evidence on sugar as a potentially addictive substance is new, and the evidence on those other substances being addictive has been around for a while.
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TheVirgoddess wrote: »Sugar has effects on the nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental areas of the brain, which are involved with addiction. There are increasing studies suggesting that sugar, and a sugar-fat combination has similar effects on the brain to opiates, like morphine, heroin, etc. in terms of dopamine binding, increased tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, etc.
People don't get as high or drunk on sugar as they do on other substances like cocaine or heroin, but it probably is addictive, like nicotine or anything else.
Okay, given that information.
Wouldn't someone who drank 5-6 sodas a day go through some withdraw symptoms after dropping down to half a soda a day?
Because that's exactly what I did, and I felt nothing (and I'm a former smoker, I know).
If sugar were addictive - we all eat it, so why isn't everyone addicted?
It is not true that everyone who has an addiction, or is dependent on a substance will go through withdrawal. I have seen severe alcoholics stop drinking abruptly and not go through any withdrawal symptoms, and I have seen folks with smaller habits go through severe withdrawal. When it comes to alcohol, for example, the withdrawal phenomenon is potentiated when someone goes through repeated withdrawal, and with age.
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seamonster1203 wrote: »seamonster1203 wrote: »If one bite of sugar/carbs sends you on a binge, then you are part of the 50% of humans who are carb sensitive. Your insulin response is different. I suggest you research the term insulin response.
I've never heard that 50% of humans are carb sensitive. Do you have a source for that? I'm genuinely curious.
Hh yea lots of emerging research. The sugar debate is in full rage right now among researchers. Just look around you cant miss it.
Did a search and couldn't find one peer reviewed article. Not even in the two nursing journals I'm subscribed to. I must be missing something. If you have a source I'd like to read it.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15987666
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seamonster1203 wrote: »seamonster1203 wrote: »If one bite of sugar/carbs sends you on a binge, then you are part of the 50% of humans who are carb sensitive. Your insulin response is different. I suggest you research the term insulin response.
I've never heard that 50% of humans are carb sensitive. Do you have a source for that? I'm genuinely curious.
Hh yea lots of emerging research. The sugar debate is in full rage right now among researchers. Just look around you cant miss it.
Did a search and couldn't find one peer reviewed article. Not even in the two nursing journals I'm subscribed to. I must be missing something. If you have a source I'd like to read it.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15987666
Article is ten years old and a study done on rats.
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seamonster1203 wrote: »seamonster1203 wrote: »If one bite of sugar/carbs sends you on a binge, then you are part of the 50% of humans who are carb sensitive. Your insulin response is different. I suggest you research the term insulin response.
I've never heard that 50% of humans are carb sensitive. Do you have a source for that? I'm genuinely curious.
Hh yea lots of emerging research. The sugar debate is in full rage right now among researchers. Just look around you cant miss it.
Did a search and couldn't find one peer reviewed article. Not even in the two nursing journals I'm subscribed to. I must be missing something. If you have a source I'd like to read it.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15987666
Another study that used lab rats… Not valuable.0 -
FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »seamonster1203 wrote: »seamonster1203 wrote: »If one bite of sugar/carbs sends you on a binge, then you are part of the 50% of humans who are carb sensitive. Your insulin response is different. I suggest you research the term insulin response.
I've never heard that 50% of humans are carb sensitive. Do you have a source for that? I'm genuinely curious.
Hh yea lots of emerging research. The sugar debate is in full rage right now among researchers. Just look around you cant miss it.
Did a search and couldn't find one peer reviewed article. Not even in the two nursing journals I'm subscribed to. I must be missing something. If you have a source I'd like to read it.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15987666
Another study that used lab rats… Not valuable.
not to mention it's ten years old 0 -
FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »seamonster1203 wrote: »seamonster1203 wrote: »If one bite of sugar/carbs sends you on a binge, then you are part of the 50% of humans who are carb sensitive. Your insulin response is different. I suggest you research the term insulin response.
I've never heard that 50% of humans are carb sensitive. Do you have a source for that? I'm genuinely curious.
Hh yea lots of emerging research. The sugar debate is in full rage right now among researchers. Just look around you cant miss it.
Did a search and couldn't find one peer reviewed article. Not even in the two nursing journals I'm subscribed to. I must be missing something. If you have a source I'd like to read it.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15987666
Another study that used lab rats… Not valuable.
not to mention it's ten years old
Agreed! My nursing professors wouldn't accept any sources that were older than 5 years as well. Maybe other individuals were taught differently because they weren't nursing students but for nursing, sources need to be up-to-date!0 -
FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »seamonster1203 wrote: »seamonster1203 wrote: »If one bite of sugar/carbs sends you on a binge, then you are part of the 50% of humans who are carb sensitive. Your insulin response is different. I suggest you research the term insulin response.
I've never heard that 50% of humans are carb sensitive. Do you have a source for that? I'm genuinely curious.
Hh yea lots of emerging research. The sugar debate is in full rage right now among researchers. Just look around you cant miss it.
Did a search and couldn't find one peer reviewed article. Not even in the two nursing journals I'm subscribed to. I must be missing something. If you have a source I'd like to read it.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15987666
Another study that used lab rats… Not valuable.
not to mention it's ten years old
Agreed! My nursing professors wouldn't accept any sources that were older than 5 years as well.
Mine as well
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Whether or not one thinks sugar "addiction" is a real thing or not, it can be a helpful framework for folks who want to stop overusing it and are confused by their inability to do so.
Most of the rehab units where I have worked have not allowed sugary drinks or chocolate milk, because they are overused by the folks trying to recover from opiate, cocaine, or alcohol dependence.
Yes, sex, and love, and affection, and jumping out of planes, fun hobbies, action movies, drugs, sugar, porn, gambling, petting a dog-they all stimulate the pleasure center of the brain.
The question is the degree of stimulation, and how messed up a person's life becomes as a result.
The debate on this thread is very similar to the debate I hear among addicts' family members about addiction. People who have never experienced addiction cannot relate to it, and often assume it is merely a "willpower" or "behavior" problem, rather than a complex neuro-socio-behavior-ological reflex, or if they have experienced addiction, they assume that everyone will experience exactly what they did. The variability of experience is massive.0 -
Neither the fact that an article is 10 years old or that it is done on rats diminishes it's validity one bit. Most of what we know about neuroscience and cognitive affective basis of behavior are based on animal model studies. When it comes to the dopaminergic reward pathway rat brains are quite similar.
I used to help do nucleus basalis and basal ganglia lesions on rats in undergrad... well.. longer ago than I would care to admit.
That being said two articles by the same three authors is showing that this is something that has been proposed and discussed. They have some data points that are hardly surprising and there is certainly room for disagreeing with their interpretation of those data points. The reward pathway is how we learn. It rewards things that are pleasurable and that have survival value such as mating or eating sugars... something that for most of human history was relatively hard to come by and provided an advantage both physically and cognitively.0
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