How do you cut your craving for sugar??
Replies
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Wow, ok you definitely can be addicted to sugar, and if you find yourself constantly craving it, then I suggest that you largely cut it out for a short time, then train yourself to enjoy in small amounts. I did this.
Cut all sugary foods from your diet for at least two weeks, three or four may be better, but two minimum. If you have been eating a lot of sugar you will feel withdrawal symptoms. They are partially physical and partially mental. You have to deal with both side. During this time, have nothing sweeter than an apple, and only something along those lines once or twice a day. It will be hard but you can do it!
After the withdrawal symptoms fade, and they will, you can try many techniques to keep your sugar intake reasonable, without reverting to over-consumption. Some people cannot handle occasional treats, as they immediately spark the urge to overindulge. These people must unfortunately remain as sugar free as possible for either a really long time or life. This, I feel, is not the case, however for most people.
My method of no depriving myself all the things I love is to allow a once a week guilt free dessert of whatever I want. I log the calories and such, but do not worry myself with fitting it into my macros or calorie goals for the day. The trick is to keep the portions reasonable. Not TINY, just reasonable. My latest go to dessert has been half of a (huge) muffin from Costco (the double chocolate and blueberry are may favourites) and half a cup of ice cream or gelato with it. I warm the muffin in the oven and lean it against the ice cream... omg it is just heavenly! It comes out to be around 400 calories typically. No big deal once a week! I am losing weight without a problem and I really look forward to my weekly treat. I could just as easily have some pudding, or cheesecake, or whatever I want! Just have one portion of whatever your vice is and eat it slowly. Savor every single mouthful.
Some people prefer a daily treat, such as one cookie, brownie, large spoonful of ice cream, etc... if going for daily treat, I recommend keeping it down to no more than 100 cals per day, and do try to keep them within your macros.
Bottom line is there are a lot of ways to do this, you may have to experiment and figure out what works for you, but the first step should be withdrawal. Feel what it is like not to be sugared up for a little while, and then you can try to maintain that wonderful feeling while still enjoying everything you love.0 -
eatingforspawn wrote: »Wow, ok you definitely can be addicted to sugar, and if you find yourself constantly craving it, then I suggest that you largely cut it out for a short time, then train yourself to enjoy in small amounts. I did this.
Cut all sugary foods from your diet for at least two weeks, three or four may be better, but two minimum. If you have been eating a lot of sugar you will feel withdrawal symptoms. They are partially physical and partially mental. You have to deal with both side. During this time, have nothing sweeter than an apple, and only something along those lines once or twice a day. It will be hard but you can do it!
After the withdrawal symptoms fade, and they will, you can try many techniques to keep your sugar intake reasonable, without reverting to over-consumption. Some people cannot handle occasional treats, as they immediately spark the urge to overindulge. These people must unfortunately remain as sugar free as possible for either a really long time or life. This, I feel, is not the case, however for most people.
My method of no depriving myself all the things I love is to allow a once a week guilt free dessert of whatever I want. I log the calories and such, but do not worry myself with fitting it into my macros or calorie goals for the day. The trick is to keep the portions reasonable. Not TINY, just reasonable. My latest go to dessert has been half of a (huge) muffin from Costco (the double chocolate and blueberry are may favourites) and half a cup of ice cream or gelato with it. I warm the muffin in the oven and lean it against the ice cream... omg it is just heavenly! It comes out to be around 400 calories typically. No big deal once a week! I am losing weight without a problem and I really look forward to my weekly treat. I could just as easily have some pudding, or cheesecake, or whatever I want! Just have one portion of whatever your vice is and eat it slowly. Savor every single mouthful.
Some people prefer a daily treat, such as one cookie, brownie, large spoonful of ice cream, etc... if going for daily treat, I recommend keeping it down to no more than 100 cals per day, and do try to keep them within your macros.
Bottom line is there are a lot of ways to do this, you may have to experiment and figure out what works for you, but the first step should be withdrawal. Feel what it is like not to be sugared up for a little while, and then you can try to maintain that wonderful feeling while still enjoying everything you love.
Withdrawal symptoms .. wow LOL..0 -
lgramberg15 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »lgramberg15 wrote: »Everytime I crave it?? ^
Save room in your day for a dessert. My diary is open. You will see a dessert in there every. single. night. Why do you need to cut the craving?
I'm having a very hard time losing weight and I think it might be due to how much sugar I eat
nope...
if you are not losing you are not in a calorie deficit..
eat less = lose weight
sugar consumption does not affect that, unless eating sugar puts you in a surplus0 -
lgramberg15 wrote: »herrspoons wrote: »I do it by keeping my hand out of the cookie jar.
Sugar isn't addictive in humans. Sorry, no strong evidence to support that theory exists.
Actually there's been studies suggesting that sugar releases dopamine in the brain, and that when you have too much of it, you have a need for the dopamine release more often
pretty sure those were rodent studies..0 -
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CherokeeBabe wrote: »I crave too. To some extent, it comes down to self-control. For me, sometimes I keep a candy bar in the fridge. Just one. And because it's only one, I try to save it for when it 'feels right'. Like for example on my night off, when I can really enjoy it, or while I'm playing my favorite video game with friends. Something like that. I make it something I don't want to gobble down and then feel like I should have waited. I can put off eating that candy bar for 4-5 days some weeks without feeling like I'm trying too hard. I'm not the greatest at portion control when I have tons of sweets around, so it works for me.
That's a great idea! When I wanted to re-integrate healthy treats after losing 12lbs, I binged on all of it until I decided to throw it all out before I finished the whole stack... But this sounds like it could work for me too! Thanks ♥0 -
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lgramberg15 wrote: »LyndseyLovesToLift wrote: »It seems like being honest is the same thing as being mean, so at the risk of sounding like a jerk, let's keep it simple:
1. You are not "addicted" to sugar. People like to throw around the word "addiction" where it doesn't belong, using it as an excuse for doing things they shouldn't be doing, like overeating. You like sugar, and I'd say a lot of us do. Regardless, you certainly do not have an addiction to sugar. Period.
2. As stated, sugar does not have more calories than other foods. Sugar is a carb, carbs contain 4 calories per gram. In other words, sugar contains the same amount of calories as any other carb or protein. Fats contain the most calories, at 9 per gram.
3. There's no reason to count sugar. As I said, sugar is a carb. If you're at or under your daily carb goal, there's absolutely no problem eating sugary foods. And if you choose not to count macros, then anything that fits into your daily calorie goal is fair game.
4. It's not that hard to work a sweet treat or dessert into your day. I'm at maintenance, but even when I was losing I had chocolate every single night for dessert. Every night. I plan to start another cut in a couple of weeks where my calorie goal will be lower than before, and I've still managed to pre-log dessert every night that fits into my macros. And I don't have to starve all day to have it, either.
5. Eating sweets will not stop you from losing weight. It has already been said, but weight loss is calories in vs. calories out. You can use those calories however you please.
Therefore, there's no reaosn to "cut" your craving for sugar. Satisfy that craving by eating something sweet. That doesn't have to be a whole bag of chocolate. Now, if your real question is, "what are some sweet foods I can eat that won't break the calorie bank," then here are a few low-calorie sweets that are pretty tasty and should easily fit into your calorie goal...
- Ice cream with no sugar added - 80-120 cals per serving
- Sugar free popsicles (or fudgesicles if you're craving chocolate) - 10-50 cals
- Fiber One products, like the brownie or chocolate chip cookie - 90 cals
- Vita Tops products - 100ish cals per serving
- Chocolate almond milk or reduced fat chocolate milk - 80-150 cals per cup
- Quest bars - 170-220 cals
- Fruit - calorie content varies
- Peanut butter - 170-200 calories per serving
I usually go for chocolate - not low fat or sugar free "chocolate," but real milk chocolate. A Hershey bar is 210 calories and 5 pieces of the Hershey Bliss chocolates adds up to about 170ish calories.
If you absolutely can't fit it in and are having a sugar craving...I don't know, down a packet of Splenda.
It wasn't a fact about honesty or being mean, I just don't like being treated as if someone is better than me..same as most people.
Maybe I should have worded my post better, I'm not going on crazy binges of sugar. And I'm not craving it every single moment of the day. I feel like at the end of the day wanting pieces of chocolate is preventing me from losing weight, and that's my issue. I'm more asking how I can strengthen my will power, which you pretty much answered.
in your OP you said you are addicted to sugar but now you say you do not crave it...so you are not addicted to sugar right?0 -
I really struggled with this - I have started taking 2 Cinnamon tablets every morning and one in the late afternoon. Maybe it is just my mind playing tricks on me but I swear it works. I read about it here - http://news.health.com/2014/11/21/health-benefits-of-cinnamon/ and here http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/12/30/255778250/cinnamon-can-help-lower-blood-sugar-but-one-variety-may-be-best0
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lgramberg15 wrote: »neanderthin wrote: »Maybe uncalled for but he's right, sugar doesn't magically have more calories than any other carb source.
Not what I meant, I'm saying that instead of eating healthy fats and vegetables in my calorie intake, eating sugar lessens the amount of food I can eat in the day. I would rather eat 1500 calories in vegetables and fruit than waste 300 on sugary food. Catch my drift now?
I totally get what you are saying. BUT, if you are craving sugar, then maybe you really do want to waste a few calories on sugary foods. You could have a skinny cow or WW ice cream treat for 150 calories, for example, and still leave room for plenty of other healthier foods.0 -
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sniff peppermint oil, chew gum, drink lots of water0
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eatingforspawn wrote: »Wow, ok you definitely can be addicted to sugar, and if you find yourself constantly craving it, then I suggest that you largely cut it out for a short time, then train yourself to enjoy in small amounts. I did this.
Cut all sugary foods from your diet for at least two weeks, three or four may be better, but two minimum. If you have been eating a lot of sugar you will feel withdrawal symptoms. They are partially physical and partially mental. You have to deal with both side. During this time, have nothing sweeter than an apple, and only something along those lines once or twice a day. It will be hard but you can do it!
After the withdrawal symptoms fade, and they will, you can try many techniques to keep your sugar intake reasonable, without reverting to over-consumption. Some people cannot handle occasional treats, as they immediately spark the urge to overindulge. These people must unfortunately remain as sugar free as possible for either a really long time or life. This, I feel, is not the case, however for most people.
My method of no depriving myself all the things I love is to allow a once a week guilt free dessert of whatever I want. I log the calories and such, but do not worry myself with fitting it into my macros or calorie goals for the day. The trick is to keep the portions reasonable. Not TINY, just reasonable. My latest go to dessert has been half of a (huge) muffin from Costco (the double chocolate and blueberry are may favourites) and half a cup of ice cream or gelato with it. I warm the muffin in the oven and lean it against the ice cream... omg it is just heavenly! It comes out to be around 400 calories typically. No big deal once a week! I am losing weight without a problem and I really look forward to my weekly treat. I could just as easily have some pudding, or cheesecake, or whatever I want! Just have one portion of whatever your vice is and eat it slowly. Savor every single mouthful.
Some people prefer a daily treat, such as one cookie, brownie, large spoonful of ice cream, etc... if going for daily treat, I recommend keeping it down to no more than 100 cals per day, and do try to keep them within your macros.
Bottom line is there are a lot of ways to do this, you may have to experiment and figure out what works for you, but the first step should be withdrawal. Feel what it is like not to be sugared up for a little while, and then you can try to maintain that wonderful feeling while still enjoying everything you love.
wait so sugar addicts should restrict sugar for a month and then re-introduce to cure addiction?
so a crack head can eliminate crack for a month and then start smoking it again on a limited basis and they are cured???0 -
wait so sugar addicts should restrict sugar for a month and then re-introduce to cure addiction?
so a crack head can eliminate crack for a month and then start smoking it again on a limited basis and they are cured???
Yes (about the sugar, not the crack). Not everyone can handle it, as I mentioned, but people can break the habit of over-consumption and then train themselves to consume reasonably. Once an addict, always an addict is not true. It is possible to become addicted again though if you let it get out of hand. It takes a certain amount of self control. The thing about sugar addicts is, they like sugary foods. For most people, if you tell them they can NEVER have what they love most ever again, then they will never stick to it. And keep in mind we are talking about food here, not crack. Sugar is fine in certain amounts. Crack is not fine in any amount. Physical addiction to sugar is a real thing. It comes from over-consumption. It starts a chain of event that make a person crave it and feel like crap if they do not have it. There is also the mental component which often comes with a physical addiction but can also be independent of one.
But if you want to talk about drugs and other well known addictive things, and perhaps argue that an addict is always an addict, I can at least offer my anecdotal experience of quitting smoking. I smoked for 10 years and was utterly addicted. I guess you can choose not to believe me about that but that would just be argumentative, really. Anyway, I quite 8 years ago and can tell you right now, that I am no longer addicted. Not smoking is not an effort for me whatsoever. I find it disgusting and the smell makes me feel sick. I won't do it because it is vile, but I could smoke a cigarette right now and never want another one. Ever.
And if you are arguing that sugar is not addictive because you have never become addicted, then I can offer my factoid that I have never been addicted to alcohol. I have consumed it, sometimes a few times a week for months at a time. But not drinking is not an issue for me, whereas other people are prone to become addicted after much less consumption than I had.
Everyone's brain reacts to chemicals differently. Everyone has a different spectrum of emotions and addictability. that is why I stressed the importance of finding her own way to deal with it.
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Some of you people don't seem to understand what addiction is. How about this. There are FOOD addicts. People who are simply addicted to eating... ANYTHING. Forget about specifics foods like sugar. They cannot stop themselves from eating. This addiction, however, can be overcome. And the way to do it is certainly not to tell the person that they can never eat again. People can continue to eat, reasonably and overcome their general addiction to food. So are you saying that there is no one in the world who is addicted to food? If so, you need to go do some learning.0
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I stopped placing sweets in a bad/unhealthy category and placed all food including sugary stuff in the same category..."food".
Once I stopped seeing it as something "bad" or "forbidden" I stopped craving it. Bowl of cookies is on my counter. It bothers me about as much as the milk in the fridge.
Try to see it in the same light as you would any snack between meals. It's helped me a lot with eating it in moderation.
This^^
Eating a Reese's peanut butter egg!!
Not addiction, just no self control. Start out with a little bit in the house and work on it from there.0 -
herrspoons wrote: »I do it by keeping my hand out of the cookie jar.
Sugar isn't addictive in humans. Sorry, no strong evidence to support that theory exists.
How exactly does keeping your hand out of the cookie jar reduce cravings?0 -
arditarose wrote: »No advice. I just ate a whole chocolate peanut butter bar. It fit into my day. I could have had half if it wouldn't. No reason to be so worried about sugar.
How exactly does eating a whole chocolate peanut butter bar that fits into your day cut down on cravings?0 -
I make iced herbal tea.0
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I stopped placing sweets in a bad/unhealthy category and placed all food including sugary stuff in the same category..."food".
Once I stopped seeing it as something "bad" or "forbidden" I stopped craving it. Bowl of cookies is on my counter. It bothers me about as much as the milk in the fridge.
Try to see it in the same light as you would any snack between meals. It's helped me a lot with eating it in moderation.
I don't understand this at all. Just giving something a label made you crave it? You felt you had to eat it just because you weren't supposed to? Like a small child told not touch the hot stove? Fascinating.0 -
herrspoons wrote: »I do it by keeping my hand out of the cookie jar.
Sugar isn't addictive in humans. Sorry, no strong evidence to support that theory exists.
Humans who are prone to addictive behaviors can become addicted to almost anything that brings pleasure. Sex is not addictive and yet there are sex addicts. Dangerous behavior is not addictive and yet an adrenaline junkie will risk their lives for the fun of it. Endorphins are addictive and humans are prone to repeat behaviors that easily give us those endorphins even if those behaviors are counter productive. Not all people react to an endorphin producing substance the same. Not everyone will become addicted to alcohol or even drugs by incorporating it into their routine but many do. Not everyone becomes addicted to the comfort brought by sugar but some do. Diets that encourage them to eat sugar are like AA encouraging a few drinks a week. Everyone is different but a great number of people who are very overweight are there because they have developed an addiction to food endorphins and to the rituals around eating. Most diet plans do not work for these people long term because they don't aim at changing the base behavior of depending on food for pleasure.
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herrspoons wrote: »I do it by keeping my hand out of the cookie jar.
Sugar isn't addictive in humans. Sorry, no strong evidence to support that theory exists.
Humans who are prone to addictive behaviors can become addicted to almost anything that brings pleasure. Sex is not addictive and yet there are sex addicts. Dangerous behavior is not addictive and yet an adrenaline junkie will risk their lives for the fun of it. Endorphins are addictive and humans are prone to repeat behaviors that easily give us those endorphins even if those behaviors are counter productive. Not all people react to an endorphin producing substance the same. Not everyone will become addicted to alcohol or even drugs by incorporating it into their routine but many do. Not everyone becomes addicted to the comfort brought by sugar but some do. Diets that encourage them to eat sugar are like AA encouraging a few drinks a week. Everyone is different but a great number of people who are very overweight are there because they have developed an addiction to food endorphins and to the rituals around eating. Most diet plans do not work for these people long term because they don't aim at changing the base behavior of depending on food for pleasure.
Good example. I guess sex addicts are never allowed to have sex again. Poor sods.0 -
Ugh, I'm so sick of people trying to defend this addiction nonsense with "sugar causes dopamine release." You know what else causes dopamine release? Scary movies, that thing where you almost stumble then don't, nipple clamps, being around large animals, getting a birdie when playing disk golf, rock climbing, shopping for rock climbing gear, looking at porn, reading a political op-ed, and scrolling through forums where people constantly claim to be addicted to things that aren't addictive substances.0
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arditarose wrote: »970Mikaela1 wrote: »lgramberg15 wrote: »Everytime I crave it?? ^
Peanut butter is an excellent dessert. So is cookie butter.
I've never tried cookie butter. It sounds so appealing to me. What's it like?
mmm mmm good. the biscof cookie butter I think is a little less sweet than the speculoos cookie butter from trader joes. You can get the speculoos in a ben and jerrys flavor which is fabulous.
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herrspoons wrote: »herrspoons wrote: »I do it by keeping my hand out of the cookie jar.
Sugar isn't addictive in humans. Sorry, no strong evidence to support that theory exists.
Humans who are prone to addictive behaviors can become addicted to almost anything that brings pleasure. Sex is not addictive and yet there are sex addicts. Dangerous behavior is not addictive and yet an adrenaline junkie will risk their lives for the fun of it. Endorphins are addictive and humans are prone to repeat behaviors that easily give us those endorphins even if those behaviors are counter productive. Not all people react to an endorphin producing substance the same. Not everyone will become addicted to alcohol or even drugs by incorporating it into their routine but many do. Not everyone becomes addicted to the comfort brought by sugar but some do. Diets that encourage them to eat sugar are like AA encouraging a few drinks a week. Everyone is different but a great number of people who are very overweight are there because they have developed an addiction to food endorphins and to the rituals around eating. Most diet plans do not work for these people long term because they don't aim at changing the base behavior of depending on food for pleasure.
Nope. Again, look at the definitions in DSM 5.
A lot of people use pseudo addiction as an excuse and form of external validation though.
So, before DSM V was released and we had only DMS IV, was Autism Spectrum Disorder not a real thing?0 -
Alright this is like arguing with flat Earthers. Let's just ignore the people trying to convince us that food cannot be addictive and focus on the advice. OP have sugar cravings. They are real. How does she prevent them? that is the only thing we need to talk about here.
As I said before, my advice is to abstain for a short time, and then when you no longer feel strong physical or mental urges for it, if you feel like you can handle it, reintroduce your favourite things in moderation.0 -
In order to curtail one's cravings for sugar and stop the tailspin into addiction, one needs to follow this very lengthy process of detox and cleanse. Please write down this one weird tick... this is the secret that the sugar addiction industry doesn't want you to know!
1) Don't eat it.0 -
arditarose wrote: »No advice. I just ate a whole chocolate peanut butter bar. It fit into my day. I could have had half if it wouldn't. No reason to be so worried about sugar.
How exactly does eating a whole chocolate peanut butter bar that fits into your day cut down on cravings?
to cut my sugar craving down I just ate a box of Girl scout cookies. Not craving sugar anymore. and i believe it will fit into my day. maybe. lol now Im out of girl scout cookies.
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