Sugar addicts first post-its a mental game for me

try2again

bonniescheddar wrote: »

This is my first post. Junk food is all I think about all day long every day. Im a sugar addict (chocolate mostly). I have never met someone with cravings like mine. I have about 35 extra pounds and 100% of it is in my stomach. Therefore normal clothes dont fit me. Im on day 6 now of a new diet and can use some advice on how not to keep falling off the wagon. The mental aspect is most important- maybe positive affirmations, maybe advice from other sugar or food addicts?

I'm wondering if you might not want to put the weight loss on the back burner until you've achieved a more balanced diet. If you are drastically changing your diet AND your calories at the same time, that sounds like a lot of stress, and at the moment it sounds like achieving better dietary balance would be more beneficial to you, mentally and physically. I recently read an article on cultivating good habits and/or eliminating bad ones and I think the principles it mentioned were excellent: 1) Don't try to change everything at once. 2) Set up your environment for success (i.e., no Oreos in the closet). 3) Take a long-range view. We will backslide at times, but need to shake it off and keep looking ahead. Wish you the best!

try2again

And BTW, I like my sweets and junk food, so I'm not suggesting abstinence, just improving the ratio of nutritious to non-nutritious food for a while without having to worry about calories.

kommodevaran

Bonnie, is it that you dislike food? Only junk has taste? I used to feel that way. I thought to myself - eating vegetables, sticking to meals, that's not a life for me, I'd rather be overweight. But that's the "addiction" talking. Are you not even a little bit ambivalent? Knowing deep down, that although the junk tastes good, it doesn't really do anything good for you? There is no right way to do a wrong thing. You are eating mainly junk as before, but now also too few calories. You body is screaming for sustenance. You don't have to log your food. You don't have to eat vegetables. You don't have to do anything - but if you want to overcome the "addiction", you have to stop the abuse. You need to remove yourself from the substance. And you need an alternative that is better, or else you'll relapse. Is there any food you like? Anything, if you could choose anything on the planet? Treat yourself. No matter what changes you implement, your life will be better than what you are going through now. Food has great taste, you just can't sense it because you are so used to junk. Try?

kommodevaran

What you are saying about us already eating pretty healthy when we started, isn't necessarily correct. Fall 2013, when I decided I needed to lose weight and get in better eating habits and start moving, I ate and reasoned just as you do now. But I was fed up and had decided to change, and so I did. I started by having breakfast and lunch every day - a set menu of "dry oatmeal and milk, fruit and veg for breakfast, 2 crispbread, milk, fruit and veg for lunch", and aiming to make dinner "most days". Exercise? Goal was to walk for 20 to 30 minutes every day. And I threw out all the trigger foods.

This is not about being perfect, in fact, to get a better life, we have to let go of perfectionism. Trying to be perfect is a stumbling block for good health.

Eating 6 packets of cookies isn't "not denying yourself", that's outright self harm. You think you are comforting yourself, it's your go-to coping mechanism, but it isn't helping you. Crying can in fact be better, and crying for three hours isn't dangerous to your health; eating the way you are now, is. Also, can you tell us which items are the 1-2 servings of junk? All the food I remember from your diary was 1/3 banana and what appeared to be single slices of turkey breast.

Sarcasm? Mocking? Take a round around the forums and you'll see both sarcasm and lots of harsh fun. In this thread, all of us, even I, have been atypically patient and friendly. We ARE supportive. What we don't do, is cheer for harmful behavior. You are hurting your health by eating too little food and too few calories. Maybe you just aren't ready to change yet. That is OK. You are ready when you are ready. Nobody can force you to be ready.

MyriiStorm

The title of your thread says it all - "it's a mental game for me." Part of you wants to eat better, lose weight and improve your health. Another part of you wants the Oreos. None of us can reconcile those two parts for you; only you can do that. You may need to seek outside help (coaching or counseling) to deal with the junk food addiction, but again, you are the only one who can seek help and commit to it.

We can cheer you on as you embark on the journey (and I think cutting way back on the junk food already is awesome!), and encourage you to get back on the wagon when you fall off (as we all do at times), but you are the one who has to take the steps along the path. I hope you will decide that you are well worth the effort.

Alishia6606

I saw something on Pinterest a while back and I can't remember all the facts on it. But it was a list of foods to eat based on what you're craving. Maybe Google can help out there?

llaurenmarie

Might be worth it to add--

Until I severely cut my sugar consumption, I had wildly unreasonable mood swings and depression.. triggering binges and vice versa. It's a vicious cycle.

Chrissypa69

I am new here too but have the same problem with WANTING (not actually doing so) to eat, not just sweets, but ANYTHING! I have been on and off diets since I had my first child 28 years ago. What I have done recently was to put shelves in my laundry room and put EVERYTHING in there that I have problems eating and then I put a new door handle on that locks and gave the key to my family and it gets locked every evening. My snacks are laid on the table for the day and once they are gone that is it. I know that is going to the extreme but I cannot eliminate the things from the house that my family eats so my solution was to lock them away so I can't get to them. I don't have any problem during the day because I work and am only at home at lunch time and don't feel the urge to binge. My hardest time is in the evening. Alot of people don't understand and say just don't eat it. I have an eating disorder just like someone else has a tobacco or drug habit and it is extremely hard to change this, so saying "just don't eat it" just makes me mad and doesn't help! Make changes in your house for your benefit. That is the only way I can do it. It sounds to me like you are doing much better! It's important you make small changes and not try to do it all at once. I'm talking from experience here! If I try to just cut everything out all at once I'm done for! And I believe that you can eat anything in moderation. But measuring is extremely important too! What you think looks like a serving can be alot more than one. Good Luck! HTH!

P.S.There is no way I would have bought all those oreos unless they could be locked away! That is just asking for trouble. For me anyway!

Nads36

Well for me I have small packs of popcorn raging from 76 cals to 95cals (yoghurt coated taste like white chocolate) and that does the trick...takes a while to eat unlike a chocolate bar...can scoff one of them in one sitting! lol - Good luck fellow sugar addicts...not easy dealing with these cravings!

Nads36

Oh and if I am desperate I have a packet of sugar free sweets - especially the hard boiled ones...tricks the brain into thinking you are having a proper sugar fix...just be careful not too have too many in one go - may cause laxative effects!

Nads36

What I meant was I don't have the whole pack in one go I was meant to type I have a packet in my handbag!

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llaurenmarie

BreezeDoveal wrote: »

As an addiction, maybe you could borrow strategies from quitting smoking.
Like similar to using gum, you could try sandwiching celery between two twinkies to acclimate yourself to it.
Similar to the patch, you could do a while of being on slimfast or soylent liquid foods to separate the physical and mental parts of the addiction.

Subbing in chemically processed liquids will not teach anyone anything about balancing their nutrition, or get them used to eating whole, natural foods.

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leejoyce31

I think Bonnie left this thread a while ago.

kshama2001

bonniescheddar wrote: »

This is my first post. Junk food is all I think about all day long every day. Im a sugar addict (chocolate mostly). I have never met someone with cravings like mine. I have about 35 extra pounds and 100% of it is in my stomach. Therefore normal clothes dont fit me. Im on day 6 now of a new diet and can use some advice on how not to keep falling off the wagon. The mental aspect is most important- maybe positive affirmations, maybe advice from other sugar or food addicts?

When I do the following, I don't have cravings:

1. Get sufficient sleep
2. Exercise regularly - when I get the happy hormones from exercise, I'm not prone to seeking them from food.
3. Get sufficient protein in relationship to carbs. I'm not low carb, but reducing carbs and upping protein worked for cravings for me. See also http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html
4. Eat moderate amounts of fruit. This makes me less interested in higher calorie sweets.
5. Take a magnesium supplement. This can be especially helpful for women premenstrually.
6. Save foods like chocolate for after dinner, in small amounts
7. Stay hydrated

Return2Fit

kshama2001 wrote: »

bonniescheddar wrote: »

This is my first post. Junk food is all I think about all day long every day. Im a sugar addict (chocolate mostly). I have never met someone with cravings like mine. I have about 35 extra pounds and 100% of it is in my stomach. Therefore normal clothes dont fit me. Im on day 6 now of a new diet and can use some advice on how not to keep falling off the wagon. The mental aspect is most important- maybe positive affirmations, maybe advice from other sugar or food addicts?

When I do the following, I don't have cravings:

1. Get sufficient sleep
2. Exercise regularly - when I get the happy hormones from exercise, I'm not prone to seeking them from food.
3. Get sufficient protein in relationship to carbs. I'm not low carb, but reducing carbs and upping protein worked for cravings for me. See also http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html
4. Eat moderate amounts of fruit. This makes me less interested in higher calorie sweets.
5. Take a magnesium supplement. This can be especially helpful for women premenstrually.
6. Save foods like chocolate for after dinner, in small amounts
7. Stay hydrated

^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^
I can totally relate to the so called "sugar addiction".
There probably is no such thing, but it sure felt like it when I began this journey. And even today I can't indulge certain foods without triggering cravings that could lead to me blowing my day's effort over a cookie binge.

It's just not worth it...

kshama2001

bonniescheddar wrote: »

I think asking me to be even better is so unrealistic. I want to be congratulated for the amazing change. and my original question was how do I deal with the mental aspect to not fall off the wagon and go right back to eating nothing but 100% junk all the time. I feel triggered right now- like if people tell me Im not doing good enough by having 1-2 servings of junk, well then I might as well just go back to eating all junk and nothing but junk, 100% if my current diet is not good enough for people. I thought I was doing so good. And basically yes I am in a coma practically cause I have been basically bedridden for many years now. I feel very hurt that you are saying that what I am doing is not good enough. I lost 6 pounds in 7 days but its not good enough. I cut out like 19 servings of junk food and started eating turkey on wheat and apples and bananas and almonds but that isnt good enough? Well I guess Ill just go finish all those 6 remaining packages of oreos I have. Bye.

bonniescheddar wrote: »

kommodevaran wrote: »

But you aren't doing amazing, you are having cravings like hell. And that is because you are still eating predominantly junk. 1/2 ounce of meat is not enough protein. Half a serving of fruit is not enough to provide the vitamins you need. Juice is not food, you could as well drink soda.

You don't lose 6 pounds of fat in 7 days. You can lose 1-2 pounds in a week. You weigh less now because you are eating smaller amounts of food than usual. If you choose to try the plan I suggested, be aware that you initially will weigh a bit more because the food weighs more, but your weight will not continue to rise, it will drop. Maybe you will get more energy too.

I get that this wasn't the answer you expected. But no affirmations in the world can help you unless you improve your diet, massively. The mental aspect lies in that you are afraid of change. I can understand that. But this eating plan is realistic and doable. It's a perfectly normal diet. Basic foods you can buy everywhere, no elaborate preparations necessary. You are not going to suffer. You will have to go out of your comfort zone. But it's either that or continue to struggle badly. Your current diet is extreme. You will not be able to continue that way of eating. You will fall off the wagon - although I can't really see any wagon.

REALLY? CAUSE THE BIGGEST CRAVING I HAD ALL WEEK WAS AFTER YOU WROTE YOUT HURTFUL AND CRITICAL REMARKS. IT MADE ME WANT TO GO ON A BINGE AND EAT EVERYTHING IN SITE. YOU ARE NOT HELPING. YOU ARE ONLY HURTING.

Cognitive behavioral therapy techniques helped me stop medicating with food and alcohol. Sometimes people avoid therapy because they think it will be years and years about talking about your childhood. That's Freudian, not CBT

While you get the ball rolling on that, you can check out this book on CBT for overeating. It was available in my library system, so maybe yours too.

The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person

Can thinking and eating like a thin person be learned, similar to learning to drive or use a computer? Beck (Cognitive Therapy for Challenging Problems) contends so, based on decades of work with patients who have lost pounds and maintained weight through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Beck's six-week program adapts CBT, a therapeutic system developed by Beck's father, Aaron, in the 1960s, to specific challenges faced by yo-yo dieters, including negative thinking, bargaining, emotional eating, bingeing, and eating out. Beck counsels readers day-by-day, introducing new elements (creating advantage response cards, choosing a diet, enlisting a diet coach, making a weight-loss graph) progressively and offering tools to help readers stay focused (writing exercises, to-do lists, ways to counter negative thoughts). There are no eating plans, calorie counts, recipes or exercises; according to Beck, any healthy diet will work if readers learn to think differently about eating and food. Beck's book is like an extended therapy session with a diet coach. (Apr.)