Sugar addict! Oh my gosh I'm a sugar addict!

mistyloveslife

I have been on MFP for a long time. A looooonnnnngggggg time... I had an account before the wonderful App. Last year I had lost over 20 pounds and was kicking butt until I fell and broke my foot at a mud run. 5 months non walking, surgery and 3 months of physical therapy allowed me every excuse I needed to gain it all back and more. Anyway, I am back at it and walking further everyday. After a week of logging and being careful I noticed this time is different. This time I am not losing weight. Week one yielded zero results. I was concerned and frustrated because after all, week one is usually a good week! Your body is in shock right? Well.... I noticed a big problem. I was over on Carbs and Sugar every single day! Not by just a little either. I KILLED IT! And worse, I craved sugar so bad by Friday that I would have walked barefoot across a bed of nails and rolled in hot coals to get it.

So who else is a sugar addict? How are you dealing with it? What are your substitutions? And for the love of all things tasty, what do you do for breakfast?

Phoenix_Down

I'm going to leave this here.

http://www.fitnessbaddies.com/your-problem-with-sugar-is-the-problem-with-sugar/

and for the record, I love sugar. I've just learned to balance it into my day. Going over on carbs and sugar (sugar is a carb) won't make you gain weight. Being in a calorie surplus does that.

Eta: this is a great link to get you started

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

PowerfulHunt

Hm are you just looking for a breakfast that is low in sugar? Try eggs, bacon, cheese, nuts, or lox.

Gogo_Zowie

Hi Misty!
Same thing here, I've been on and off MFP so often it's like a love and hate relationship!
I'm a sugar addict too, but lately I tried to target what I really love in sweets and well, I'm lucky, it was only chocolate that I was craving for.

Like Phoenix said, I learn to balance it.

Also considered watching the documentary: Fed up. It actually give a good input about how bad sugar is for your body.

I don't like candies or jellies. So each time I have a craving for a cookie or brownie, I switch for tea (one of my friend offered me «dessert tea» for my birdthday and they work pretty well. Also try brushing your teeth right after your meal or drink water with lime or lemon in it.

Also, I just recently start eating Kaki fruit when I have a crazy surgar craving after a meal. It does the job.

Everything is a question of discipline and balance :-)
(sorry for my bad english, it's not my mother tongue)

ndj1979

in...because I always am..

OP here is my cliff notes to your post.

1. you are not a sugar addict
2. being over on carbs and sugar will not make you gain weight, unless you are over on calories.
3. You are not losing weight because you are overeating.
4. you can eat carbs and sugar and lose weight.

in again...for the dumpster fire to come...

blktngldhrt

Were you over on calories? Do you weigh your food? Have you been drinking enough water?

Unless you have a medical condition, sugar is not the problem.

You can sit all day and still lose weight as long as you're eating at a deficit.

blktngldhrt

Gogo_Zowie wrote: »

Hi Misty!
Same thing here, I've been on and off MFP so often it's like a love and hate relationship!
I'm a sugar addict too, but lately I tried to target what I really love in sweets and well, I'm lucky, it was only chocolate that I was craving for.

Like Phoenix said, I learn to balance it.

Also considered watching the documentary: Fed up. It actually give a good input about how bad sugar is for your body.

I don't like candies or jellies. So each time I have a craving for a cookie or brownie, I switch for tea (one of my friend offered me «dessert tea» for my birdthday and they work pretty well. Also try brushing your teeth right after your meal or drink water with lime or lemon in it.

Also, I just recently start eating Kaki fruit when I have a crazy surgar craving after a meal. It does the job.

Everything is a question of discipline and balance :-)
(sorry for my bad english, it's not my mother tongue)

Kaki fruit does the job when you're craving sugar because it has over 20g of sugar per one fruit..depending on size of said fruit, of course.

MelonFlower

Personally, I have insulin resistance due to a medical condition, so I don't do well with sugar when there's no fiber, fat or protein to slow absorption. I can't definitively say that a sugar calorie makes me gain or lose weight any more so than any other calorie, but since cutting it from my diet, I've been losing weight when previously I was unsuccessful.

I also just hate that I feel emotionally out of whack when I eat it... but that's me.

I think in general people will say "All things in moderation."

mistyloveslife

Okay. First let me say I am not here for anyone's entertainment. So with that out of the way, I will say this. I was not over on my calories on any single day. And yes I measure. On a scale that measures grams and ounces. And it's not broken or low on batteries and yes it's turned on and working properly. I've been at this long enough to know that something is off and it's not my calorie intake. Literally everything I've ate the last 2 weeks has been sugar loaded. Since I didn't have any weight loss in the first week and being the heaviest I've ever been, I went back and looked and noticed that literally every single day I was more than double (sometimes triple) my sugar intake. I'm not here to be made fun of or bullied by the people looking to pick on someone. I was just asking how others deal with the sugar cravings. I'm not one of those "the scale hasn't moved for a week so I'm quitting" people. Or one of those people who think they can exercise for a couple days and lose 5 pounds. I know that 1-2 pounds a week is healthy. I know that you have to eat at a calorie deficit to lose weight. I know that you are supposed to eat balanced meals with protein and higher fiber foods. I also know that I CRAVE sugar like someone craves cigarettes. So, I am asking those who aren't here to just pick on someone, WHAT DO YOU DO TO FILL THE SUGAR CRAVINGS? What are good breakfast substitutes other than rolled oats.

mistyloveslife

I would also like to thank those who've responded with legitimate answers. I know that I need to up the fiber intake and water. I'm working on that this week. I was just hoping for some low sugar alternatives or ideas on how others cut the cravings. Especially for breakfast. My fruit/oatmeal has 32g! I appreciate the responses. Thanks so much!

blktngldhrt

mistyloveslife wrote: »

Okay. First let me say I am not here for anyone's entertainment. So with that out of the way, I will say this. I was not over on my calories on any single day. And yes I measure. On a scale that measures grams and ounces. And it's not broken or low on batteries and yes it's turned on and working properly. I've been at this long enough to know that something is off and it's not my calorie intake. Literally everything I've ate the last 2 weeks has been sugar loaded. Since I didn't have any weight loss in the first week and being the heaviest I've ever been, I went back and looked and noticed that literally every single day I was more than double (sometimes triple) my sugar intake. I'm not here to be made fun of or bullied by the people looking to pick on someone. I was just asking how others deal with the sugar cravings. I'm not one of those "the scale hasn't moved for a week so I'm quitting" people. Or one of those people who think they can exercise for a couple days and lose 5 pounds. I know that 1-2 pounds a week is healthy. I know that you have to eat at a calorie deficit to lose weight. I know that you are supposed to eat balanced meals with protein and higher fiber foods. I also know that I CRAVE sugar like someone craves cigarettes. So, I am asking those who aren't here to just pick on someone, WHAT DO YOU DO TO FILL THE SUGAR CRAVINGS? What are good breakfast substitutes other than rolled oats.

I've found that replacing carb macros with fat is helpful.

For breakfast I have eggs and bacon with coffee and cream or chia pudding (30g chia seeds with 1 Cup unsweetened almond milk and flavored with Stevia, cinnamon, pure vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice..i prefer my chia seeds be ground).

My diary is open for low sugar meal ideas.

So_Much_Fab

What did you do right the first time that you're unable to do this time? Also, you need to give yourself more time than a week for results...more like 4-6 weeks.

mistyloveslife

blktngldhrt wrote: »

mistyloveslife wrote: »

Okay. First let me say I am not here for anyone's entertainment. So with that out of the way, I will say this. I was not over on my calories on any single day. And yes I measure. On a scale that measures grams and ounces. And it's not broken or low on batteries and yes it's turned on and working properly. I've been at this long enough to know that something is off and it's not my calorie intake. Literally everything I've ate the last 2 weeks has been sugar loaded. Since I didn't have any weight loss in the first week and being the heaviest I've ever been, I went back and looked and noticed that literally every single day I was more than double (sometimes triple) my sugar intake. I'm not here to be made fun of or bullied by the people looking to pick on someone. I was just asking how others deal with the sugar cravings. I'm not one of those "the scale hasn't moved for a week so I'm quitting" people. Or one of those people who think they can exercise for a couple days and lose 5 pounds. I know that 1-2 pounds a week is healthy. I know that you have to eat at a calorie deficit to lose weight. I know that you are supposed to eat balanced meals with protein and higher fiber foods. I also know that I CRAVE sugar like someone craves cigarettes. So, I am asking those who aren't here to just pick on someone, WHAT DO YOU DO TO FILL THE SUGAR CRAVINGS? What are good breakfast substitutes other than rolled oats.

I've found that replacing carb macros with fat is helpful.

For breakfast I have eggs and bacon with coffee and cream or chia pudding (30g chia seeds with 1 Cup unsweetened almond milk and flavored with Stevia, cinnamon, pure vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice..i prefer my chia seeds be ground).

My diary is open for low sugar meal ideas.

Thank you so much for this! I will check it out! I appreciate the help! I've always been a grab and go gal but as I get older I'm learning quickly I need to plan better!

Gogo_Zowie

Hi Misty, look at my post above :-)

Also for breakfast I used to love Nutella and pancake (I'm from Canada so we have REAL maple syrup ahah!) but yeah, it was hard.

I started having my coffee with milk (no sugar)
I have natural yogurt and add fruits to it.

Or toast with my homemade sugarless apple butter.
Natural oatmeal with a little bit of maple syrup. (the real one!)

You should go on Pinterest and look for recipe for sugar craving, it's pretty good :-)
Also, I do my own energy bites and apple butter (so I control the amount of sugar in it)

Avoid processed food and cook!Cook! Cook! You have control of what goes in your food :-)

blktngldhrt

mistyloveslife wrote: »

blktngldhrt wrote: »

mistyloveslife wrote: »

Okay. First let me say I am not here for anyone's entertainment. So with that out of the way, I will say this. I was not over on my calories on any single day. And yes I measure. On a scale that measures grams and ounces. And it's not broken or low on batteries and yes it's turned on and working properly. I've been at this long enough to know that something is off and it's not my calorie intake. Literally everything I've ate the last 2 weeks has been sugar loaded. Since I didn't have any weight loss in the first week and being the heaviest I've ever been, I went back and looked and noticed that literally every single day I was more than double (sometimes triple) my sugar intake. I'm not here to be made fun of or bullied by the people looking to pick on someone. I was just asking how others deal with the sugar cravings. I'm not one of those "the scale hasn't moved for a week so I'm quitting" people. Or one of those people who think they can exercise for a couple days and lose 5 pounds. I know that 1-2 pounds a week is healthy. I know that you have to eat at a calorie deficit to lose weight. I know that you are supposed to eat balanced meals with protein and higher fiber foods. I also know that I CRAVE sugar like someone craves cigarettes. So, I am asking those who aren't here to just pick on someone, WHAT DO YOU DO TO FILL THE SUGAR CRAVINGS? What are good breakfast substitutes other than rolled oats.

I've found that replacing carb macros with fat is helpful.

For breakfast I have eggs and bacon with coffee and cream or chia pudding (30g chia seeds with 1 Cup unsweetened almond milk and flavored with Stevia, cinnamon, pure vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice..i prefer my chia seeds be ground).

My diary is open for low sugar meal ideas.

Thank you so much for this! I will check it out! I appreciate the help! I've always been a grab and go gal but as I get older I'm learning quickly I need to plan better!

You're welcome.

Not everyone likes it..but chia pudding is made the night before. So, that's a plus.

cutethang1

I am addicted to sugary anything. I am insulin resistant so it does interfere with my results. The only thing that worked for me was to cut down little by little, until my taste buds just didn't care for it as much, and I only wanted to have sweet treats once in a while. I am back on this sugary addiction since being pregnant. After speaking to my endo he advised that it is an addiction so I know what I have to do. Is there anyway that you may have become insulin resistant? My endo advises this is what is making this time around so difficult. Of course this is just me and to each their own.

AllOutof_Bubblegum

mistyloveslife wrote: »

I was not over on my calories on any single day.

Then there's no problem. I crave peanut butter and frequently blow my fat goals. So what? As long as you're working on it and staying below your cal goal, stay cool, it's no sweat.

skylark94

I crave sugar too. Not because I'm addicted to it, but because it makes things taste better. I will consume 50-150 grams per day. It has in no way hindered my weight loss.

If you want to cut back on sugars, great. Just don't blame the sugar for making you fat. It take a lot more than just sugar to pack on the pounds or prevent loss.

seric2000

Misty, you are certainly not alone in your sugar-loving boat! I try to cut back as often as I can. I have had success with a cup of hot tea and a teaspoon of honey at night in place of desert. Here's what I really like for breakfast in the morning: I toast 2 of those wheat Eggo waffles with sugar free strawberry jelly on top. It's low on sugar and with the sugar free jelly it's really good and a huge improvement on syrup.

mistyloveslife

Calm yourselves. I never said sugar made me not lose! I said after not losing I evaluated my diary and noticed I have a sugar intake problem. Not that sugar WAS the problem. Notice I also didn't blame my broken foot for my couch potato 2014 either. I just want to cut the sugar. Gogo_zowie I'll check out the fed up documentary you mentioned earlier. Ahhh Pancakes and real syrup... The stuff dreams are made of!

chudak

Hi Misty! I have a similar problem and I found subsituting a few snacks made all the difference. Before I was having granola for breakfast with some fruit and milk, and now I'm having eggs and vegetables (heated up in the microwave!) and that cuts down on all that sugar from that meal. And instead of my 10 AM snack being a granola bar, I'm having a low sugar protein bar instead. I love love LOVE to bake, and I'm finding that if I'm making cookies and cut half the sugar that's supposed to go in, I don't miss it at all (however, this doesn't work with peanut butter cookies...). If you drink coffee, could you drink plain back coffee and maybe have a little something sweet with it instead?

I find that if I have something sugary for breakfast I'll make bad diet choices all day. Perhaps you're the same? Good luck!

- Crystal

iheartinsanity

Look up the fighter diet. It's really disciplined but the results are incredible. I still haven't been able to cut fruit (I ONLY have it once-2x a week though and it's usually low on the glycemic index), or greek yogurt. Otherwise I'm good on it. I feel better once I increased my fat, and protein and lowered my carbs. It's taken time but it's worth it.

mistyloveslife

seric2000 wrote: »

Misty, you are certainly not alone in your sugar-loving boat! I try to cut back as often as I can. I have had success with a cup of hot tea and a teaspoon of honey at night in place of desert. Here's what I really like for breakfast in the morning: I toast 2 of those wheat Eggo waffles with sugar free strawberry jelly on top. It's low on sugar and with the sugar free jelly it's really good and a huge improvement on syrup.

Now this sounds wonderful! Thank you!

TR0berts

Butt-ton of carbs? Two weeks?

You're retaining water.

lemurcat12

mistyloveslife wrote: »

Okay. First let me say I am not here for anyone's entertainment. So with that out of the way, I will say this. I was not over on my calories on any single day.

If you aren't losing, there are a few possibilities:

(1) It's one week, fluctuations could be hiding any loss. (This is my vote.)

(2) Your estimate of the calories you need is too high. (Probably not, especially if you are going by MFP, but this sometimes happens, especially if people are adding back exercising and using MFP's sometimes inflated numbers for that.)

(3) Your logging is inaccurate. I understand you are weighing, but there are other sources of possible error, in particular in the choice of entries to use.

Because if you are actually eating at a deficit for you, you are eventually going to lose (not necessarily so that it shows up between one week and the next, however). Eating more carbs or more sugar might well make a difference as to how easily you are able to sustain your deficit (whether you end up going over) and, depending on what you eat, could be things that are harder to count, but if the calories are at a deficit it's not going to stop you from losing, so that's not the issue.

I went back and looked and noticed that literally every single day I was more than double (sometimes triple) my sugar intake.

Like I said, this isn't going to prevent you from losing and if it's due to, say, fruit, you might not even mind this, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to lower your sugar intake if you want. It can make creating a deficit easier.

What are good breakfast substitutes other than rolled oats.

Eggs--I eat a vegetable omelet. Plain yogurt with some fruit and nuts (although that will have plenty of sugar). I can't tell if you are giving up on oatmeal, but oatmeal doesn't have sugar unless you add it. Also, you don't need special breakfast food--I sometimes just have leftovers from dinner or a salad with some protein or some raw veggies and smoked salmon.

For me (although this is not the case for everyone), eating more protein and fat and less carbs as a percentage (which also means less sugar) tends to keep me fuller for the rest of the day. That might help some with cravings.

I also think cravings are something that are normal when you start a new way of eating, since you aren't eating as much or at the same times you used to. I struggled with that at first and found that if I just ignored them when not at a meal time or had some raw veggies, they eventually went away. Meals aren't so far apart that it's any huge burden to wait until lunch or dinner. I often find it helpful to include a bit of something sweet at the end of a meal (usually dinner), since if I eat it in the context of other foods I'm less likely to want to overeat, and yet if I know I can have it later I'm less likely to think about it at other times or have a hard time resisting M&Ms at my office or whatever. Oh, and also making sure that I am having decent-sized filling meals with plenty of protein and fat also. (And I agree with those who said fiber--I try to have vegetables at all meals.)

But part of this is just figuring out what works for you.

AllOutof_Bubblegum

mistyloveslife wrote: »

Calm yourselves. Seriously. I never said sugar made me not lose! I said after not losing I evaluated my diary and noticed I have a sugar intake problem. Not that sugar WAS the problem. Notice I also didn't blame my broken foot for my couch potato 2014 for it either. I just want to cut the sugar. Gogo_zowie I'll check out the fed up documentary you mentioned earlier. Ahhh Pancakes and real syrup... The stuff dreams are made of!

Nobody here in this thread doesn't sound calm. Except maybe yourself, OP. Perhaps take your own advice? Not everybody is going to say what you want to hear, it doesn't automatically mean anyone's attacking you.

jenmcdav

I also love sweets-- and carbs. I feel your pain.

two breakfasts I like are:
whole wheat english muffin with natural peanut butter (and sometimes maybe add sliced banana if you want something sweeter) (also, I make my own peanut butter just by grinding up peanuts in my food processor for like 5 minutes. no added sugar then!)

PB&J smoothie: 1/4 cup uncooked quick oats ground in blender, 1/4 cup frozen blueberries, 6-8 frozen strawberries, 1 tbs natural PB, 1/2 cup skim milk.

I'm trying a new pumpkin spice smoothie tomorrow and will let you know how it is!

i also have a breakfast sandwich maker from Hamilton Beach. Totally not needed for making breakfast sandwiches, but it sort of cooks itself in 5 minutes and I can do other things like make my coffee and gather my lunch while I use it, so I like it. It's not a sweet option, but once you get used to it, you may start to like savory things just as well.

gemini246

I have actually cut my sugar intake a lot. Sugar is like a drug, the more u eat of it the more u want it. I go COLD TURKEY! I don't use it in my coffee, tea, cereal, oatmeal, etc. I try to not add it to anything. I grew up with my mom adding it to pretty much everything from Greens to spaghetti. I figure I'm getting enough sugar in my regular foods so I don't wanna go over. Plus I'm doing my best to cut out the sugar loaded carbs that I love Tastykake, Dunkin Donuts doughnuts, cranberry orange muffins, danishes, homemade peach cobbler and cheesecake were my go to. So cutting those types of food out (I know I'll have a muffin soon, but trying my best to stay away) helps me curb my addiction to sugar. I also have diabetes traits so its healthier.

Can't really think of a substitution for sugar because many of the artificial sweeteners aren't great for you. I would suggest trying a different snack although if cold turkey doesn't work. For example trail mix and not the one with dried fruit and candy. Or spinach dip. or yogurt. or drinking tea instead.

hope you get to where you are going

tephanies1234

Fruit, Nutella on something, French Toast, Sweet breads, cookies, tea with sugar, etc. If I crave it, I eat it in a small/portioned out amounts. You can friend me if you want to look at my food diary and compare sugar levels because I don't keep track of that and how much sugar I eat. I also don't have any insulin issues to worry about.

jgnatca

The fancy coffee places have those sugar-free syrups. Switch to those for your fancies.

MarziPanda95

Don't watch Fed Up, seriously. It's a stupid 'documentary' made with broscience for scaremongering.