Help! I am a sugar AND carb-aholic!!

Alluminati

IsaackGMOON wrote: »

fearlessleader104 wrote: »

I'm a sleep addict. Everyday I sleep

Damn man.. you got it hard..

..he got the 'itis

lemurcat12

thedomesticmum wrote: »

I know how bad it is but I am totally addicted to sugar and sweets! I try to only have one indulgence a day (3-6 squares of chocolate, etc) but whenever I have cravings that's the first place I go and the same with carbs. I literally gag by the end of my salads if I don't have a carb to go with it....
Has anyone had success cutting sugar and/or bad carbs from their life and what tips do you have?

To try to focus on the problem, and not the language choice (although I think it actually makes the problem worse to think of it as an addiction when it's not), this is what comes to mind:

If you are telling yourself that eating particular foods is "bad" and "ruins you diet" or the like, I think you are setting yourself up for failure, because that often creates a dynamic of all or nothing, where if you screw up at all, well, might as well go nuts, since it's already ruined for the day. Or, similarly, where you feel like a bad and worthless person for blowing it, so if you are an emotional eater you tend to eat more (or have a lot more pressure to do so).

So first I think you need to adopt a more self-forgiving attitude. It's NOT bad to like sugar and sweets, but normal. It's also pretty human to struggle with this at first and to have emotional eating tendencies. I certainly did (and do).

I did not find it useful to think of "cutting sugar" from my life or to think in terms of "bad carbs," but I cut down on both sugar and carbs and have focused more on nutrient dense foods while reducing calories.

What I did was, first, to understand what in my diet was a problem and what this was related to. Some things were easy to fix, like have a real breakfast, rather than a bagel that would leave me hungry in a couple of hours and set up to crash and spike my blood sugar all day long (and I don't even have blood sugar issues if I eat normally). Or cook dinner most nights instead of being unprepared and working late and using it as an excuse for Indian take out. Or don't eat every sweet that appears in my office as if that were a sign from God that I was intended to eat it.

Others were more challenging, as they related to temptations or habits, and required some understanding of what was going on. For example, I am prone to habitual eating (from having done it in the past) or emotional eating under certain stresses, so I try to be aware of them and use the consciousness to avoid it or be prepared so I can avoid the temptation (if I am working late I will bring some sort of healthy food so I don't go eat cookies because I'm hungry and tired). If there's a place (like in front of the TV) that you are in a habit of eating, maybe try not to have your usual food choice available so easily for a while or do something else instead when tempted--eat something else or choose a different activity. Also, be aware that when you are tired or stressed your will power will be weaker and try to protect yourself at those times.

I cut out sugary treats for a couple of weeks to teach myself I didn't need them, and that helped me do moderation, but that's going to be individual. After that I told myself I could eat a dessert after dinner when I had the calories, but only if it fit. But I also told myself that it was always available tomorrow, so no need to go crazy tonight. And, for me, I found that it was pretty easy to limit sweets IF I focused on first getting in the protein and veggies I needed and not eating between meals as a practice. At first I just wanted to munch (did carrots and such) and soon enough that feeling went away.

It's really about understanding your own triggers and habits and not being too hard on yourself, as shaming yourself generally is counterproductive. Hope that helps some.

lemurcat12

emily_stew wrote: »

Do you...even know what gluten is or does?

Isn't it, like, just BAD?! Must be in those white foods.

girlviernes

lemurcat12 wrote: »

thedomesticmum wrote: »

I know how bad it is but I am totally addicted to sugar and sweets! I try to only have one indulgence a day (3-6 squares of chocolate, etc) but whenever I have cravings that's the first place I go and the same with carbs. I literally gag by the end of my salads if I don't have a carb to go with it....
Has anyone had success cutting sugar and/or bad carbs from their life and what tips do you have?

To try to focus on the problem, and not the language choice (although I think it actually makes the problem worse to think of it as an addiction when it's not), this is what comes to mind:

If you are telling yourself that eating particular foods is "bad" and "ruins you diet" or the like, I think you are setting yourself up for failure, because that often creates a dynamic of all or nothing, where if you screw up at all, well, might as well go nuts, since it's already ruined for the day. Or, similarly, where you feel like a bad and worthless person for blowing it, so if you are an emotional eater you tend to eat more (or have a lot more pressure to do so).

So first I think you need to adopt a more self-forgiving attitude. It's NOT bad to like sugar and sweets, but normal. It's also pretty human to struggle with this at first and to have emotional eating tendencies. I certainly did (and do).

I did not find it useful to think of "cutting sugar" from my life or to think in terms of "bad carbs," but I cut down on both sugar and carbs and have focused more on nutrient dense foods while reducing calories.

What I did was, first, to understand what in my diet was a problem and what this was related to. Some things were easy to fix, like have a real breakfast, rather than a bagel that would leave me hungry in a couple of hours and set up to crash and spike my blood sugar all day long (and I don't even have blood sugar issues if I eat normally). Or cook dinner most nights instead of being unprepared and working late and using it as an excuse for Indian take out. Or don't eat every sweet that appears in my office as if that were a sign from God that I was intended to eat it.

Others were more challenging, as they related to temptations or habits, and required some understanding of what was going on. For example, I am prone to habitual eating (from having done it in the past) or emotional eating under certain stresses, so I try to be aware of them and use the consciousness to avoid it or be prepared so I can avoid the temptation (if I am working late I will bring some sort of healthy food so I don't go eat cookies because I'm hungry and tired). If there's a place (like in front of the TV) that you are in a habit of eating, maybe try not to have your usual food choice available so easily for a while or do something else instead when tempted--eat something else or choose a different activity. Also, be aware that when you are tired or stressed your will power will be weaker and try to protect yourself at those times.

I cut out sugary treats for a couple of weeks to teach myself I didn't need them, and that helped me do moderation, but that's going to be individual. After that I told myself I could eat a dessert after dinner when I had the calories, but only if it fit. But I also told myself that it was always available tomorrow, so no need to go crazy tonight. And, for me, I found that it was pretty easy to limit sweets IF I focused on first getting in the protein and veggies I needed and not eating between meals as a practice. At first I just wanted to munch (did carrots and such) and soon enough that feeling went away.

It's really about understanding your own triggers and habits and not being too hard on yourself, as shaming yourself generally is counterproductive. Hope that helps some.

This post is amazing. I hope you repost it as its own thread or as a blog post, because this is pure gold.

lemurcat12

Blush. Thanks!

amusedmonkey

I'm addicted to tomatoes, I mean seriously addicted. I need to have at least 2 pounds of tomatoes a day, which I munch on like apples. Honestly, I wouldn't call any of this an addiction. Being "addicted" to carbs comes down to a few basic things: evolution (seeking quick energy), habit, and preferences.

If someone likes meat a lot and would eat it at every chance they get, why isn't "protein addiction" the first thing people cry out? Just a thought.

amusedmonkey

I have a tip that worked for me successfully. When I have insane cravings for something, I only let myself have it after a very filling meal. Lots of soup, salad, and protein will make you feel really full and even if you decide to indulge, you won't be able to over-indulge because you are physically too full.

amusedmonkey

MrM27 wrote: »

amusedmonkey wrote: »

I'm addicted to tomatoes, I mean seriously addicted. I need to have at least 2 pounds of tomatoes a day, which I munch on like apples. Honestly, I wouldn't call any of this an addiction. Being "addicted" to carbs comes down to a few basic things: evolution (seeking quick energy), habit, and preferences.

If someone likes meat a lot and would eat it at every chance they get, why isn't "protein addiction" the first thing people cry out? Just a thought.

Serious question. Do you really eat that many tomatoes a day?

Yes, seriously. I snack on them whenever I pass by the kitchen. It was my favorite snack as a kid, and still is.

rcottonrph1

Cravings for chocolate often signal a magnesium deficiency. Perhaps a magnesium supplement would help.

trina1049

I'm addicted to random internet people.

royaldrea

I have a slight issue with using the word "addiction" to describe one's relationship with sugar and carbs. This is because I feel that most people are not addicted to sugar and carbs at all. If they were, they would scarf down bananas and apples and oranges (as they contain sugar) without being able to stop themselves. This rarely happens. They would remove all cake from the house, but helplessly pour table sugar down their throats. *ETA - They would also eat plain flour. (I know of nobody who claims to be addicted to sugar *and carbs, who actually eats plain table sugar *and flour. Nobody. This is what a true sugar addict would do. Alcoholics, on the other hand, will sometimes drink rubbing alcohol, and perfume, in order to get their fix. Heroin and cocaine addicts will sell their children to get high. I don't think the self-proclaimed sugar addict would even consider lending a shifty-looking neighbour a moderately tolerated pet for a week, in a world where table sugar was outlawed).

I do believe that people compulsively eat delicious foods. Sugar and carbs are delicious, and fatty food. You don't love chocolate because it has sugar in it, you love it because it is delicious. Same with cakes, and bacon, and cheeseburgers.

Whether persons can be addicted to delicious foods is not something I'm qualified to discuss. I do feel that you can have an addictive relationship with food, or sex, or gambling. (My definition of addiction is a dependence on a thing which goes past gratification and into the ream of compulsion and self-harm - eg where you have sex even when you don't want to, when you know it's dangerous or unsafe, when you can't stop yourself even when you try. Or when you stuff food down your throat compulsively when you don't want it, past the point of discomfort and pain, even when you try to stop yourself.)

Now on to you - you may legitimately be addicted (using my wonderful definition, of course) to good tasting food. It is likely that you're not, and that you have an issue with moderation and self-control. While cutting out all sugars and carbs may help you with weight loss in the short term, this isn't really a good long term goal. I would recommend that you work on moderation and self-control instead - learn to say no when you want to say yes, or accept smaller portions, or indulge on certain things less than you do currently. Do what other persons in this thread have suggested. These are practices that will be useful if you plan to modify your eating habits for the long run.

Good luck to you!

*Edits

Lasmartchika

rcottonrph1 wrote: »

Cravings for chocolate often signal a magnesium deficiency. Perhaps a magnesium supplement would help.

I'd rather have the chocolate than a pill. Thank you very much.

Sued0nim

Chocolate tacos?

Sued0nim

Good god, that's a thing

imjimenez2011

elphie754 wrote: »

thedomesticmum wrote: »

I know how bad it is but I am totally addicted to sugar and sweets! I try to only have one indulgence a day (3-6 squares of chocolate, etc) but whenever I have cravings that's the first place I go and the same with carbs. I literally gag by the end of my salads if I don't have a carb to go with it....
Has anyone had success cutting sugar and/or bad carbs from their life and what tips do you have?

No you are not. I really wish people would stop misusing the word addiction.

Sugar and the sugar in carbs activate the same sensors in the brain that drugs do, so sugar addiction is real. The dependency is real. Check out this article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/

imjimenez2011

Serah87 wrote: »

Maridar wrote: »

I feel terrible, same addiction. I had a shortbread cookie and tootsie rolls for breakfast, coffee with splenda... overdid suger by 18 grams or points in the Food count, feeling very guilty...:( Walked for 45 min and have abour 360 cal left to eat but that sugar I think just cancels everything...

So you had a cookie, some tootsie rolls and coffee and only 360 calories left for the day?? I sure hope I read that wrong, if not YOU NEED TO EAT MORE!!!