Need help quitting sugar

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  • Jolinia
    Jolinia Posts: 846 Member
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    Acg67 wrote: »
    Jolinia wrote: »
    herrspoons wrote: »
    The problem isn't sugar. It's you.

    Learn moderation or expect to yo yo diet for the rest of your life.

    Proof? If I never eat sugar again and stay low carb (because I will eat a whole loaf of bread in a sitting), I see no reason that I'd gain weight back. Of course that requires the willpower to stay low carb, but I see lots of people on here advocating that self-control thing, so I'd think they'd be cheering abstinence as well as cheering moderation. It comes down to the same thing. Lifestyle change vs diet.

    Can't not eat sugar and be low carb, you'd have to be zero carb.

    Technically there may be sugar in meat, too. Some bizarre article I read mentions that humans don't have a natural sugar found in the flesh of other animals. Time to go cannibal?

    Anyway, I'm not stressed about sugar from fruit and veg. This Summer I will eat the heck out of some fresh tomatoes and probably be fine if I stay under 30g carbs. I plan to find out. It's when I get out of ketosis that I get ravenous. This of course doesn't happen to everyone. I freely admit I'm an outlier, but since I have to live with my appetite, I have to find a life-long coping strategy.
  • Jolinia
    Jolinia Posts: 846 Member
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    herrspoons wrote: »
    Jolinia wrote: »
    herrspoons wrote: »
    The problem isn't sugar. It's you.

    Learn moderation or expect to yo yo diet for the rest of your life.

    Proof? If I never eat sugar again and stay low carb (because I will eat a whole loaf of bread in a sitting), I see no reason that I'd gain weight back. Of course that requires the willpower to stay low carb, but I see lots of people on here advocating that self-control thing, so I'd think they'd be cheering abstinence as well as cheering moderation. It comes down to the same thing. Lifestyle change vs diet.

    Because the majority of people who tried Atkins' diet failed.

    The majority of people who count calories fail, too.
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    edited February 2015
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    I have found that if I make sure my macros are met (protein, fats, fiber, iron, my vitamins, etc.) I am less likely to crave sugar and want to binge...because I am eating more nutritionally dense foods that satisfy my body.

    If I find myself craving something like a sweet treat (cookies, candy) I tell myself I can have it after I drink some water - I may make myself drink 2 waters. :P Sometimes, I no longer want it or I've fogotten about it, lol.

    Or I tell myself that I can have it as long as I can also fit in my meals and meet my macros without going over. Or even if I go over a little (100 cals or so) it's not the end of the world.

    I have to decide how much I want to meet my goal. Do I want it more than I want to stuff myself with nonsensical food and feel like crap, then berate myself and get all defeated?

    Or do I want to say to that food, "I own you, you don't own me. This much, and not a gram more, and I will enjoy every bit..while staying on course."

    The attitude of "who cares, I messed up anyway" is what got me back here - I was originally 204 or 206 lbs in 2004. I went to Weight Watchers, and I lost about 40 lbs...I was about 25-30 lbs from my goal at that point. I then became sloppy -I was so close to goal, close enough to really feel good about myself - and I let myself be "unbridled" a few times. I didn't have just 1 Krispy Kreme donut, I didn't even have just 2. I had 4 in one day. Then I said oh, who cares, today is screwed. I'll get back on board....Monday (since it was Thursday or whatever, the week was shot, right?) Then Monday came and I never even thought about it. Then weeks went by. Then pounds came back. I refused to get on the scale because i didn't want to know the truth.

    Then someone posted a horrible picture of me on Facebook. OMG, I had to see how much that cow weighed...244 lbs.

    I lost about 20 lbs last year. Then went on vacation. Then forgot ...then was like, oh screw it, I messed up, I'll get back on the wagon ...next week, next month, whatever....again, just that attitude !! Horrible!

    Now if I mess up I simply say "Ok this afternoon is over. Dinner will be back on track."

    This is probably way too long, sorry...but that kind of "throw in the towel" thinking SUCKS you back into a dark hole and don't let it!!!!!

  • ntinkham88
    ntinkham88 Posts: 130 Member
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    TopazMermaid wrote: »
    how do you like PiYo? That's my "reward" for when I lose a certain number of pounds (I think 30? I'll have to check) is buying the BeachBody PiYo DVDs. Funfunfun. :)

    I absolutely loved PiYo! Chalene is a very positive trainer, the workouts weren't super long, they were easy to follow, and even had nice background music.

    Thanks for your words of wisdom. This message board is really helping me! :)
  • ntinkham88
    ntinkham88 Posts: 130 Member
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    wizzybeth wrote: »

    This is probably way too long, sorry...but that kind of "throw in the towel" thinking SUCKS you back into a dark hole and don't let it!!!!!

    Haha I love your story because that's exactly how I feel. Thank you so much for sharing!
  • ntinkham88
    ntinkham88 Posts: 130 Member
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    dollydemise wrote: »
    I read this article in Marie Claire January 2015 entitled "All of Me". There was a particular part towards the end of the article that the author mentioned how she put so much power in food. She said her nutritionist suggested to have her "plate her treat, sit at a table, and eat it as slowly as she could, so all senses were engaged." She said how she made it into a special occasion for herself, and it helped her get over her binge issue with sweets. Not sure if you are going through something similar, but this article gave me good insight.

    Thanks for the link, I'll definitely have to check it out. I do find myself eating super fast so that could be part of my problem!

  • ntinkham88
    ntinkham88 Posts: 130 Member
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    vivmom2014 wrote: »
    Change "cheat" to "treat"; eat something sweet - enjoy! Then exercise! Repeat. :D

    I LOVE this! I feel like I have to print it out, frame it and hang it on my wall!

  • MirandaDeCrane
    MirandaDeCrane Posts: 78 Member
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    I agree with someone above...I do best when I cut it cold turkey. If I sneak it in little bits, I crave it constantly. I quit sugar for a church fast and didn't crave it once! When I started eating it again, I wanted it constantly!
  • ntinkham88
    ntinkham88 Posts: 130 Member
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    Thank you all for your input. Looks like I have some experimenting to do to find out what works for me but I already feel a million times better having your support. It's nice knowing that other people are going through the same struggles!
  • Blueseraphchaos
    Blueseraphchaos Posts: 843 Member
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    I cut it out entirely for a bit, then reintroduced it and figured out how to make it work in the context of my everyday life. But you pretty much have to figure out what works for you. If you feel like cutting it out entirely will help, go for it. It's your life, after all. You'll get a ton of conflicting replies on here (and sometimes some downright nasty ones) anytime you ask a question like this, so it's probably better to just do what you feel is best.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    Jolinia wrote: »
    herrspoons wrote: »
    The problem isn't sugar. It's you.

    Learn moderation or expect to yo yo diet for the rest of your life.

    Proof? If I never eat sugar again and stay low carb (because I will eat a whole loaf of bread in a sitting), I see no reason that I'd gain weight back. Of course that requires the willpower to stay low carb, but I see lots of people on here advocating that self-control thing, so I'd think they'd be cheering abstinence as well as cheering moderation. It comes down to the same thing. Lifestyle change vs diet.

    I generally like you, so please take this in the spirit in which it is intended (good-willed)... so many of your posts show past behavior on your part demonstrating a distinct LACK of willpower. I always see you saying how you have no self-control and would eat a whole loaf of bread, handfuls and handfuls of raisins, thousands of calories of sweet potatoes.

    If you lacked willpower with that... even to the point where you caved low-carbing and just ate brown sugar by the spoonful... how on earth do you expect to ever STAY low-carb?



  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    Maybe you should stop having a cheat meal once a week and instead just eat food that you want to eat every day within your calories. If this means having a single day that is way sugar-heavy, so be it.
  • Jolinia
    Jolinia Posts: 846 Member
    edited February 2015
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    mamapeach910 wrote: »
    Jolinia wrote: »
    herrspoons wrote: »
    The problem isn't sugar. It's you.

    Learn moderation or expect to yo yo diet for the rest of your life.

    Proof? If I never eat sugar again and stay low carb (because I will eat a whole loaf of bread in a sitting), I see no reason that I'd gain weight back. Of course that requires the willpower to stay low carb, but I see lots of people on here advocating that self-control thing, so I'd think they'd be cheering abstinence as well as cheering moderation. It comes down to the same thing. Lifestyle change vs diet.

    I generally like you, so please take this in the spirit in which it is intended (good-willed)... so many of your posts show past behavior on your part demonstrating a distinct LACK of willpower. I always see you saying how you have no self-control and would eat a whole loaf of bread, handfuls and handfuls of raisins, thousands of calories of sweet potatoes.

    If you lacked willpower with that... even to the point where you caved low-carbing and just ate brown sugar by the spoonful... how on earth do you expect to ever STAY low-carb?



    I see where you are coming from, but I choose to exert my willpower before I eat the foods that kick off the cravings because I hate being annoyed by my own brain (enough people in the outer world are annoying, I don't need to be one of them!) and I seem to feel better emotionally and physically overall on a low carb diet.

    If something else works for someone else, great. But I have to do what works for me.

    Edit: The brown sugar was after going off low carb for a wine-soaked birthday celebration at my vegan sister's house. And sadly for her, I won't be going off low carb next time I'm up there and might even skip so much as a glass of wine. She won't be pleased, but priorities.

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