"Addicted" to sugar

lemurcat12

DavidC1857 wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Wheelhouse15 wrote: »

Is it really sweets or is it the combination of sugar, fat and salt that you really crave? Most people who claim that it's sugar don't realize that's it's not the sugar so much at the combination of the three. Cakes, chocolate, pastries, breads, all seem to be "addictive" while pure sugar and fruit seem to get a lot less love. In the 80's and 90's they would have said it was the fat and salt that was the problem.

Exactly.

So why is it that a bag of candy (you name it. Gum drops, spice drops are one of my favorites. Jelly beans. Those candy orange slices. Hard candies. Or even a bag of marshmallows), aren't going to survive more than a few hours in my presences. None of those have salts or fats.

They taste good to you, presumably? Don't ask me why, as they aren't my thing in the least.

Do you buy and eat bags of sugar? Go insane with the bananas?

It's a damn label. Who really cares if it's not being applied properly according to the purists of MFP. If it helps people to reach their goals by limiting their intake of it, why is that such a problem?

I think the view of those of us who object to the label is that it's likely to be more harmful than helpful. Saying "I can't" and giving yourself an excuse to binge if you happen to give into temptation and pop a jelly bean in your mouth probably doesn't help. Focusing on the surrounding reasons--which could simply be eating out of a big bowl or bag or habits that you have developed--for the problems with moderation are more likely to be helpful. Saying "I'm addicted" in this context is almost always used as an excuse, even though we'd never allow it to be an excuse for someone who truly is addicted (i.e., no one says it's okay that Bill got drunk, can't help it, he's an alcoholic).

Most significantly, it bothers me because comparing the "struggle" with sugar to what someone on meth (or whatever) faces is so clueless. And people even go so far as to say that being a "sugar addict" is a greater hardship and tragedy than being addicted to heroin or booze, since you can't stop eating food (although you can stop eating your trigger foods if that's what you want to do).

mwyvr

jellytot3 wrote: »

My favourite combinations are a banana still in its skin but slit down the middle, peanut butter inside then a protein bar stuffed into it... Pop in oven or under the grill so the bar melts...

Myself I prefer to break up that combo into three different snacks... I might have only one or two components per day depending on my activity level. Taken as one dessert that could add up to ~390 calories in one go for a "treat" depending on how much and what type of peanut butter used.

I find breaking up big chunks of calories like this into smaller components gives me much more flexibility in taking in only what I need to satisfy both my physical needs for the day and those very rare emotional wants.

When I decided to get serious about weight and fitness last fall the first thing I eliminated from my regular daily diet were desserts. I like desserts as much as the next person (I'm a sucker for a well made crème brûlée) but desserts are a treat and by definition a treat is something that isn't necessary for survival.

Mostly I'll just reach for 50 calorie crisp apple and be even more satisfied.

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

Given all the hubbub that's going on amongst the MFP posters today about the definition of the word addicted, I am cracking up that OP put the word in quotations.

lemurcat12

OP may just have been using it casually (that's what I assumed when I answered initially). Personally, I don't much care if people do, as that IS normal colloquial speech. I just object when we get into claims about sugar being JUST LIKE crack or whatever the drug du jour is.

terar21

We aren't addicted to foods. We are just creatures of habit. You reach for something long enough and you develop a pattern. You just get used to something being there in certain situations and it becomes instinct. Not an addiction.

Sweets were never my issues. I just had a major issue with snacking and sodas at the work. If I walked by it, I felt like I needed to grab it and eat it. If someone annoyed me on a conference call, I went to the fridge and grabbed a can of coke. You just develop patterns. Cut the pattern and association you have with it. I wake up every Saturday morning and smile "chipotle day!" Im not addicted to chipotle. I've just had my Saturday chipotle for so long that it's my pattern. Not a problem for me so I enjoy this habit. I plan to keep it.

If you really can't stop and it's causing major dietary issues, cut the pattern. Stop indulging in the things you lack the self control with for a few weeks. After a few weeks, eat it. You'll stop the habit and be able to enjoy it in moderation. It's just a will power issue of breaking a habit.

Trust me. You aren't addicted to sugar.