Any tips on overcoming sugar addiction? I'm going crazy
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angelalp19 wrote: »I've had a sweet tooth for as long as I can remember and when I was younger my family always had ice cream and soda and cookies around the house. In high school and the beginning of college, I realized how bad it all was and started trying to eat healthier/lose weight. Now it's all turned into healthy eating alternating with binging which is testing my sanity and making me gain weight.
I'll have a super successful day with low sugar and fresh food and feel great. Then the next day I end up binging on chocolate, cereal, anything I can get my hands on. Any time I'm sad or nervous it's become an instant reaction. It feels like a genuine addiction. I know that it'll make me feel sick and shaky when the sugar crash comes, but I do it over and over again. I tried a sugar cleanse once and after 3 days felt miserable and ended up binging all day. If I thought it would work I might try again but it makes me nervous. Has anyone had any success with a cleanse? Gradual decreasing? I just don't know what to do.
It sounds like you are in a binge and restrict cycle. Focusing on black and white thinking -- being "good" and avoiding "bad" stuff vs. being "bad" (and once you are "bad" might as well go nuts and start over later) is really counterproductive when that's the case (or at all, IMO).
Maybe focus on positive things, instead of avoiding foods. For example, think about what a good overall diet would be, getting enough protein and vegetables and all that, what eating pattern you want to try (3 meals, mixture of meals and snacks, whatever), and how many calories are appropriate (without assuming that lower is always better). Within that healthy diet, including some sweets that you enjoy but are perhaps less likely to binge on (or eat them in a context where you will not, and remind yourself you can have more tomorrow).
What I found when I changed my diet (I cut out snacking) is that at first I missed eating when I was used to eating and would combat my desire to just eat something by eat raw veg or the like, but after not too long the habit was gone. Eating plenty of foods kept me from feeling out of control. I was mindful of why I wanted to eat when it was for reasons other than hunger (I journaled about what was going on and reminded myself of how soon my next meal was or went and worked out). It got much easier.
I find that if I let myself eat sweet stuff to self-sooth or in snacking throughout the day I will likely overeat easily (I don't binge and I don't do the good/bad food thing, but focus on a healthy overall diet). But if I eat a little something after a meal (I prefer after dinner), I am not tempted to overeat at all.0 -
IMO it's an addiction, and as you taper off of it, the cravings will fade. Your brain gets rewards when you eat certain foods, in this case, sweets. And yes, the brain wants that reward. Also, manufacturers will intentionally put chemicals into the food (MSG, anyone?) to make you crave it. For me, desire for a bottle of real sugar "Mexican Coke" will be the strongest the day after I've had a bottle. It's hard for me to have this as my weekly reward, because it really comes back in a huge craving. And when I want it, I am badly distracted by the want of it. So, I have to cut it out entirely. It's not worth it. I watched the movie That Sugar Film on Netflix. I recommend it. Full disclosure, for 20+ years I've thought lowfat is a shill, being as the nice folks in western Europe eat a balance of foods (i.e. you can't buy milk in Germany that is less than 6% and yogurt has fat in it and delicious and doesn't leave you starving an hour later) and have far healthier weights than we do.0
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I'm going to recommend a book, "The Power of Habit" by Duhigg, to give you some ideas on how to dig deeper in understanding why you love sweets so much. I think you can find a way to make peace with the foods you love.
http://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit/
I will second the recommendation for this book.0 -
angelalp19 wrote: »I can't thank all of you enough. I woke up this morning feeling awful about yesterday and I was nervous about today going the same way. I reached out on here pretty desperate but I wasn't expecting to get such incredible advice and support. This was just what I needed. I'm so excited to use this advice and remind myself to keep moving forward. I'm determined to make today a good day and stay on track. I don't want to let everyone down when they're taking their time to help me. The MFP community is amazing. Thank you all again.
OP I'm glad you found some helpful hints. I think there were a lot of good suggestions offered here, including pre-planning your day, trying to include more filling foods over all, not demonizing a particular food thus giving it power over you, looking for alternatives to some of the sweets you crave, etc.
I also find it refreshing that an OP had an open mind to the advice offered instead of just wanting validation. Good luck - keep posting!0 -
I'm going to recommend a book, "The Power of Habit" by Duhigg, to give you some ideas on how to dig deeper in understanding why you love sweets so much. I think you can find a way to make peace with the foods you love.
http://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit/
+1 great book0 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
Curb not curve.vnessievaz91 wrote: »A spoon full of coconut oil each day will curve ur sugar cravings and help you burn fat!
I don't think it changes fat burning, but yes, fat helps with satiety.
For some. It doesn't help me one bit, and a spoonful of oil (or even oil on veg, although I do that for taste) is particularly unlikely to be calories that help me feel satisfied (except to the extent it makes the meal more tasty, of course -- a spoonful of oil seems extremely unpleasant to me).
On the other hand, protein does help me with satiety, as does fiber and volume (i.e., lots of veg).
People are different, so if satiety is actually the issue, then experimenting is always good.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »I'm going to recommend a book, "The Power of Habit" by Duhigg, to give you some ideas on how to dig deeper in understanding why you love sweets so much. I think you can find a way to make peace with the foods you love.
http://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit/
I will second the recommendation for this book.
I third it!0 -
I know sugar addiction is not a real thing. I am with you on the fact that it feels real though.
I was the kid who was constantly caught in the pantry literally licking my hands and dipping them into the sugar bag. When I was a kid it was cheap. We were poor and sugar filled our diets. Oatmeal topped with tons of brown sugar for breakfast, hommemade cookies for snacks, biscuits and sausage or fried bread and baked beans or macaroni and cheese for lunch, supper often contained our servings of veg and lean protein but fruit was scarce, and baked goods were way cheaper to make ourselves. I have had a challenging few years getting away from all the added sugars because once I start, I am a goner. Recently figuring out gluten is the cause of my migraines has helped. I truly cannot have much in the way of added sugars unless I make/bake/drive out of our small community to find it on the shelves elsewhere.
Anyway, I have found that there are substitutions for me. I am very satisfied now with a higher fat diet. I add coconut oil to a lot of things I eat, make the higher fat dairy choices, and generally make a concious effort to choose fats and protein over sugar. I still eat carbs, I am talking about added sugar here, but an average day for me has approx 100 carb grams and 50-60gm sugar now. If those numbers go any higher I have cravings through the roof that result in a binge. Feel free to add me and check out my diary. It may help give you some ideas. I eat a lot of eggs, cottage cheese, veggies, canned tuna, roasted meats, etc. but I make sure there is fat and protein in every meal and I have helped myself tremendously. Far from the woman who would have given anything for slices of white bread spread with marshmallow fluff and Nutella.0 -
Yep good points. FIBER is a big one for me. Low fiber carbs leaving me wanting more. High fiber carbs satisfy.lemurcat12 wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
Curb not curve.vnessievaz91 wrote: »A spoon full of coconut oil each day will curve ur sugar cravings and help you burn fat!
I don't think it changes fat burning, but yes, fat helps with satiety.
For some. It doesn't help me one bit, and a spoonful of oil (or even oil on veg, although I do that for taste) is particularly unlikely to be calories that help me feel satisfied (except to the extent it makes the meal more tasty, of course -- a spoonful of oil seems extremely unpleasant to me).
On the other hand, protein does help me with satiety, as does fiber and volume (i.e., lots of veg).
People are different, so if satiety is actually the issue, then experimenting is always good.0 -
angelalp19 wrote: »...Any time I'm sad or nervous it's become an instant reaction. It feels like a genuine addiction.
Try a therapist, this sounds like you're beating yourself up a lot or that you're using food to mask anxiety - whatever the case it sounds to me as if you're needlessly setting yourself up to fail over and over again and that's a whole separate problem. Good luck!0 -
The first step in overcoming sugar addiction is admitting there is no such thing as sugar addiction....0
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I find that I crave less when I keep fat at a higher level. I also let myself have sweets regularly, and I have less of an issue with going nuts. Also, make sure you are getting enough sleep. Nothing makes me crave crazy carbs and sugar more than being tired.0
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I'm the opposite of you in that I crave salt, not sugar.
Typically I used to eat a lot of very fatty salty foods (fries, potato chips, salami etc). My worst habit was a large bag of chips every evening before bed. Because the chips had become such a habit, I don't buy them anymore.
Now I still eat lots of salty foods but I'll do things like add a couple of chopped olives to my scrambled eggs or tuna. Or have some popcorn for a snack. After a couple of weeks without my bedtime chips, I stopped craving them.
I think if you incorporate sweets into your diet, but in lower calorie ways (2 squares of dark chocolate or even try some sugar-free treats like chocolate pudding) and completely avoid the trigger foods that become bad habits, you will do just fine.0 -
I have also hd a sugar addiction, complete with the shakes, etc. I am a lot older than you. But I have lost 119 pounds and controlled my sugar addiction on MFP over the last 16 months. I suggest you continue to track everything you consume. That for me works as a mental leash to keep me reined in. Also, I have not eliminated sugar and other "fast carbs", but I do try to substitute the "slow carbs". Such as sweet potatoes instead of white, whole grains instead of white flour, etc. When I eat carbs I always try to combine them with protein and/or healthy fats to slow dow how fast they are converted to sugar in your body. That is a trick I learned from a dietician. Most days I have a treat after dinner. I look forward to that and save my calories for it. My favorite treats are Skinny Cow Truffel ice cream bars when at home and a Fiber One 90 calorie bar and/or frozen yogurt at work (I work night, so I eat dinner there). As others have said, getting the high carb/sugary snacks out of your environment is best, but not always possible when you are not the one in control of the environment.
For me, this is a bigger mental game than anything. As soon as I say that I "can't" eat something I will crave it. So, nothing is off limits for me. If I want it that badly I will have it. If it is high carb I will also eat some protein or healthy fats, count it all and move on. No guilt if counted. However, I do stop and ask myselfif it is really worth the calories, and most of the time, it is not. Occasionally, it is. This is all about a lifestyle change for me and sometimes life throws potato chips your way!0 -
Sugar addiction is a thing.
Back in 2002, after a family member was diagnosed as hypoglycemic, I realized that sugar was really making me sick, too. I would crave a sweet, eat it, and crash. When I was a teenager my doctor thought that I had some sort of immune deficiency because I would get complications from diseases/problems that normal people shake easily. That cleared up the instant I laid off the sugar.
Getting off sugar took about a month. It was hard, hard, hard. I quit cold turkey and had horrible cravings. I started reading labels and learned to really cook. I learned to balance protein, fat and carbs. A happy result was that I got away from all of the nasty processed stuff that was popular in the 80s, like margarine, and started cooking with butter, fresh herbs, good spices, etc. I made friends with the cute old guy at the butcher shop and he helped me find nice, lean cuts of meat that fit into my student budget, so I could have nice dinners that felt special even without dessert.
After all these years, I STILL have a hard time with sugar. I want it every hour of every day. You've heard the stereotype about alcoholics: Once they start drinking, they can't stop? That's me with sweets. Once I start, I won't stop unless I want to puke, or it is gone. I do better since I got married and have someone in the house with me for reality checks. If my husband and I decide that we want ice cream, we go out for it, or buy a pint to split. We buy single cookies at the grocery store, so I can't eat a whole bag. It is more expensive per serving, but this way I get an occasional, reasonable treat. I'm up to the point where I can have something marginally sweet, like granola, for breakfast, but only because it also has fat, protein and fiber, I weigh it first, and my husband is eating the same, reasonable portion. It's all about having that portion control built right in.
Good luck!0 -
angelalp19 wrote: »Thank you all. I need logical reminders to cut through my bad habits and perfectionism sometimes. You're right - having sweets isn't bad and at this point cutting them out isn't realistic at all. I think I might try planning a healthy (or even not-so-healthy) dessert for the end of the day so I have something to look forward to. Lfred12 - I love love love that idea. I think I'll have that tonight if it fits into my calories.
As for crack and heroin, that's a solid back-up plan.
Don't knock it til you try it, right? What's the worst that could happen?
Candied heroin?
Honestly, i make room every night for something. I have been making almond milk with ghirardelli baking chocolate powder and a tablespoon of sugar in it for homemade lactose-free hot chocolate...around 100 calories, takes awhile to drink, tames the sweet tooth. Outshine frozen fruit bars are around 50-60 calories and sooo good too.
My downfall is totally brownies, though. So those fiber one brownies are generally perfect for me lol0 -
You don't have to totally cut sweets. You just have to make room for it. I find that if I tell myself I can't have something I think about it all the time and that is all I want. I will not give up my sweet coffee in the mornings, and I try to have something else sweet everyday. Some of my favorites are the Fiber One brownies. The chocolate brownies are good and the lemon bar and coffee cake flavors are something I always keep in my house and at my office. I also love the Chobani Flips. Key lime is my favorite. There are a few things I can not have in my house. Ice cream is one. I can go out for ice cream, but I cannot buy it to store in the freezer. The same with cookies. I can have an occasional cookie, but I can't keep a bag of cookies or a dozen homemade cookies in the pantry. I just started on mfp the last week of September and so far I am 1/3 of the way to my goal of loosing 60 pounds even with eating the occasional sweet. I find that as I loose weight it gets easier to resist some things because I don't want to waste calories on things that don't fill me up (like soda), but I don't deny myself anything that I really want. There are certain times of the month that I am going to eat chocolate and that is ok.0
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I was in a similar situation years ago, and what ended up working for me was to completely ignore the advice of "It's not how much you eat, it's what you eat". I count calories, but I don't pay attention much to what I eat. I eat whatever type of food I want, and that's going to include a brownie later today. I am presently overweight, but I have used this method to lose 60 lbs and 40 lbs on separate occasions. My new challenge is going to be keeping the weight off. Sugar is bad for you, but so is everything in life. You will also find that a lot of sugar is not very filling. You can't drink pop because you'll end up eating a 1/4 of your calories without even satisfying your hunger. Right now I have a bag of gummy bears that I have taken one or two from at the end of the day. I know it's okay because I'm normally 400-500 calories under my goal. So it kind of flips the perspective a little bit.0
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titianknitter wrote: »Sugar addiction is a thing.
Back in 2002, after a family member was diagnosed as hypoglycemic, I realized that sugar was really making me sick, too. I would crave a sweet, eat it, and crash. When I was a teenager my doctor thought that I had some sort of immune deficiency because I would get complications from diseases/problems that normal people shake easily. That cleared up the instant I laid off the sugar.
Getting off sugar took about a month. It was hard, hard, hard. I quit cold turkey and had horrible cravings. I started reading labels and learned to really cook. I learned to balance protein, fat and carbs. A happy result was that I got away from all of the nasty processed stuff that was popular in the 80s, like margarine, and started cooking with butter, fresh herbs, good spices, etc. I made friends with the cute old guy at the butcher shop and he helped me find nice, lean cuts of meat that fit into my student budget, so I could have nice dinners that felt special even without dessert.
After all these years, I STILL have a hard time with sugar. I want it every hour of every day. You've heard the stereotype about alcoholics: Once they start drinking, they can't stop? That's me with sweets. Once I start, I won't stop unless I want to puke, or it is gone. I do better since I got married and have someone in the house with me for reality checks. If my husband and I decide that we want ice cream, we go out for it, or buy a pint to split. We buy single cookies at the grocery store, so I can't eat a whole bag. It is more expensive per serving, but this way I get an occasional, reasonable treat. I'm up to the point where I can have something marginally sweet, like granola, for breakfast, but only because it also has fat, protein and fiber, I weigh it first, and my husband is eating the same, reasonable portion. It's all about having that portion control built right in.
Good luck!
The plausability of sugar addiction is still highly debated but we do have a good discussion on the topic in this thread
Regardless of the scientific outcome, we all have to find a solution to address the problem. Some people prefer elimination (low carb/keto diets) or reduction and some prefer moderation (IIFYM). Personally, i crave salty and meats more than I do sugar. That could be because I incorporate treats into my diet quite regularly. But ultimately before I eat my treats I ensure I address my nutritional needs. Meaning, I tend to eat a higher protein diet (my goal is ~.8g per lb of body weight), 30-50g of fiber, and get most of my calories from nutrient dense sources (fruits, veggies, whole grain, nuts, unsaturated fats (oils/fish), and proteins). This, in combination with exercise, is helping me work towards my goal.
If you do find that including a treat is beneficial, I would personally recommend keeping calories to around 10% of the total to leave enough room for other nutrients.
edit: because English is hard.0 -
I've gone through cycles of this. What helps me is replacing those junk sugars with better sugars. Instead of cookies, I eat vegan cookie dough bites, delicious and MUCH healthier!, instead of ice cream, I run frozen bananas in the food processor to make banana swirl ice cream.
There are also loads of smoothie recipes that make for great dessert substitutions. Once you've kicked the bad sugar habit, you can gradually reduce your good sugar habit to just a once a day treat/ every other day treat.
Restricting 100% is just not living life, and setting yourself up for relapses.
Hope you strike a balance soon!0 -
Another thing you could try: My cravings for excessive amounts of ultra-sweet snacks dropped significantly after I consciously started trying to eat at least 3 whole fruit servings every day.
I *am* a believer in fitting any food one likes into one's calorie goal, but because mainstream sweets (candy, cake, cookies, etc.) aren't very nutrient dense, it is helpful to one's overall nutrition to eat less of them. That's where the whole fruit comes in: Good fiber, good nutrition, and some satisfying sweet flavor.
I put berries on my oatmeal in the morning, and often have an apple with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter for a light lunch or heavy snack. Grapefruit is tasty & filling, too, for me. Tangerines are good. There are lots of options!0 -
I have known for years I can eat a piece of chocolate on it's own, ,and I'll be fine, I eat a slice of cake and I can easily eat the entire cake.
I am currently doing the Whole30 plan which focuses on finding allergens in your diet. A friend did it last year and it helped her immensely. Anyway, for the first time I feel like I am in control and appreciating whole foods for whole food. I am still eating sugar in the forms of whole fruits, but I am not craving sugar. Yes, I still wanted the donuts in the grocery store, but out of habit, not need. The reason FOR ME is the fact I have eliminated all grains. I won't be doing this forever, but now that I have the facts, I can work with my own body.
I'd continue tracking your foods, and see if you can find a trigger that sets you off.0 -
Sorry to not respond to all of this sooner. Yesterday was a busy (but good) day. I just want to say again how grateful I am for every single post here. As an update, I stuck to my plan yesterday and didn't lose control. I baked an apple with cinnamon for my snack last night and it was filling and delicious. It fit perfectly into my nutrients and calorie count as well.
And today I'm off to a good start as well. My goal for today is to focus on getting enough protein and healthy fats. I'm also going to eat my exercise calories as recommended.
Later on tonight I'm going to spend some time making a list of all of the advice from this discussion then I'll be able to use it later on when things get tough. I'll also post it as a summary for anyone who also might want it.
Thank you again to everybody who helped me yesterday when I was feeling lost. It means so so much to have a community like this behind me. I hope I can support others in the same way.0 -
One treat that I love, is fruit topped with coolwhip. Something you might enjoy too.0
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Another thing you could try: My cravings for excessive amounts of ultra-sweet snacks dropped significantly after I consciously started trying to eat at least 3 whole fruit servings every day.
I *am* a believer in fitting any food one likes into one's calorie goal, but because mainstream sweets (candy, cake, cookies, etc.) aren't very nutrient dense, it is helpful to one's overall nutrition to eat less of them. That's where the whole fruit comes in: Good fiber, good nutrition, and some satisfying sweet flavor.
I put berries on my oatmeal in the morning, and often have an apple with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter for a light lunch or heavy snack. Grapefruit is tasty & filling, too, for me. Tangerines are good. There are lots of options!
I like this idea. For me it was similar just focusing on filling my diet with what I needed (protein, vegetables, some fruit). I tend to eat fruit more seasonally, although at least one serving a day even in winter, but focusing on positive steps (not simply not doing something) and creating satisfying meals made me less likely to want to eat other things in a non-moderate way.
My sister takes fruit out and sets it on the counter or brings it to work with her (berries, usually, or clementines currently). I used to think this was just because she loved fruit, but she told me that it's because if she felt like eating something she'd eat it instead of something else. (She's never been overweight, not for this specific reason, but she tends to have lots of sensible habits.)0 -
Random tip: Avoid artificial sweeteners. If you lay off the white sugar/HFCS/processed crap, your palate will (eventually) reset and things like fruits, vegetables, and even milk will be plenty sweet.0
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I have three squares of milk chocolate every day, throughout the day when i am feeling that craving.... rather than just munching them down in an instant, i like to nibble at them and let them melt, and really focus on enjoying what i've got rather than binging on larger amounts of it.
If you take 5 min to eat a whole chocolate bar and i take 5 min to eat one square, who tasted the chocolate for longer?
I'd also look at increasing carb intake if your current intake is very low, since some of what you're actually craving is energy rather than sugar, and look at replacing simple carbs like those provided by refined flours etc, with more complex carbs, that will take time to digest and keep you full for longer. Barley is one of my favorites.0 -
I never get why people claim that fruit, veg, and the like stop tasting sweet. That never happened to me, even when I drank lots of diet coke. I also continued to prefer coffee black like God intended. (Just joking about the God part.)0
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lemurcat12 wrote: »I never get why people claim that fruit, veg, and the like stop tasting sweet. That never happened to me, even when I drank lots of diet coke. I also continued to prefer coffee black like God intended. (Just joking about the God part.)
Maybe they are eating the wrong fruit. I love me some fruit: kiwi, pomegranate, bananas, apples, pineapple, watermelon and so much more. I drink two diet dews daily and fruit still is awesome. Most days i do it together.0
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