Crushing Sugar Addiction

sierratx

Ugh, such a problem for me as well! I'm 20 days in not having added sugars (oh the candy!! I was eating an astonishing amount of candy!) I didn't get crazy with the restrictions on potatoes, bread etc the first week but by now have given those up and cut fruit as well. It took about 2 weeks to be able to not have to tell myself I just had to get through the next 10 minutes without sugar, let me tell you Christmas was rough! I however went to the dr 3 weeks ago for a checkup and had not been on a scale in awhile. I was shocked at how much weight had crept on and knew that sugar was mostly to blame. I lost 13 lbs in the first 2 weeks by only cutting added sugar, which is just crazy. I feel great through, the shaking between meals stopped, I'm less tired, my skin looks better and my clothes fit better! I've decided to keep working to loose some more weight but I just feel so great from getting from under the stupid sugar cravings. Awesome job on 5 days, the worst is really behind you, it gets easier every day!!!

schibsted750

When you have a sugar craving, eat a piece of fruit. There's sugar in fruit and yes, eating too much fruit is not ideal, but fruit is loaded with lots of other good stuff, so it's one hell of a lot better than eating the equivalent amount of sugar from donuts or something. I've never dealt with this issue personally but I would think that over time, substituting fruit for processed sugar will shift your taste over to healthier and healthier food, and after a certain period of transition it will be a lot easier to begin cutting down on your intake.

As for the ongoing discussion about whether sugar is addictive -- it's fine to say that people are cherrypicking evidence to support one arbitrary conclusion or the other, which is probably true, but it's worth pointing out that there's a lot of expert disagreement on this subject, with lots of experts asserting that it is. We saw a brain scan study a few months ago showing that the neural response of rats to Oreos is almost indistinguishable from their response to crack cocaine.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/18/rats-find-oreos-as-addictive-as-cocaine-an-unusual-college-research-project/

You can always argue about the significance of a study, but any way you cut it, this is a really disturbing finding.

lemurcat12

I'd say if you are craving sugar, look at your overall diet. I don't think cravings are normal and don't really have them myself. Do you eat a satisfying balanced diet with enough protein and calories? If not, fix that. Are you craving a dessert? If so, fit it in, nothing wrong with having sweets in moderation. Are you just generally craving sweet (which seems really uncommon, to be honest)? Sure, then, eat fruit, which is sweet and good for you. Probably you will want less over time. If logging, log the calories, as fruit can add up.

As for the addiction thing, it's silly. People like food, no shock, and fat scores as high as sugar.

Confuzzled4ever

"WinoGelato wrote: »

If you have medical reasons to restrict sugars, that is different than labeling sugar as "addicting". Sugar is not addictive, just like no type of food is addictive. What many people find is that they have difficulty moderating their intake of certain foods, but when probing deeper, it turns out that it isn't the chemical substances of sugar that are the problem, it is highly palatable foods like baked goods or ice cream that people have difficulty controlling their intake arou well.

Pretty sure that's what addiction is...

addiction
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
ad·dic·tion (ə-dĭk′shən)
n.
1.
a. Physiological or psychological dependence, as on a substance: a drug used in the treatment of heroin addiction.
b. An instance of this: a person with a sex addiction.
2.
a. The condition of being habitually occupied with or involved in something: My addiction to comic books disappeared when graphic novels came out.
b. The condition of using something on a regular or dependent basis: fossil fuel addiction.
c. An instance of one of these conditions: had an addiction to fast cars.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ad•dic•tion (əˈdɪk ʃən)

n.
dependence on or commitment to a habit, practice, or habit-forming substance to the extent that its cessation causes trauma.
[1595–1605; < Latin]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ad·dic·tion (ə-dĭk′shən)
1. A physical or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, such as drugs or alcohol.
2. A habitual or compulsive involvement in an activity, such as gambling.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Student Science, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved