How to beat sugar addiction?

tanny684
tanny684 Posts: 196 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm finding it really hard to get off sugar. Any advice? X
«134

Replies

  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
    Like with any other addiction, you have two main options:

    Cold turkey (and suffer through the withdrawal).
    Slowly ramping down the addiction.

    Like with any habit, it’s far easier to build a new habit in place of an old one than just trying to get rid of the old habit.

    https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2013/06/17/everything-you-need-to-know-about-sugar/
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
    BreezeDoveal wrote: »
    elphie754 wrote: »
    BreezeDoveal wrote: »
    Addiction is about mental associations.
    A lot of drug users relapse when they're near the place they started or frequently did drugs. Alcoholics find bars very tempting.

    So I think the thing to do is find a place you don't like and eat as much sugary foods there as possible. You'll associate it with that, and since you don't like that place, you won't go there to fulful your cravings.

    Uh no. You clearly have no knowledge of actual addictions.

    So drug users avoid relapse by hanging out where they did drugs?

    No, they avoid relapse by not doing drugs that are highly physically addictive, which are probably in the places they once did drugs.
  • ouryve
    ouryve Posts: 572 Member
    Not eating it worked for me. Not obsessively checking every little sauce and dressing for the stuff but avoiding the usual suspects, rather than having a small biscuit or just a few bites of cheesecake.

    My taste buds soon adjusted. It's not an addiction in the bad withdrawal symptoms sense. Yes, the sugar hit is nice (and far more enjoyable as a very occasional thing) but most of it is psychological.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    tanny684 wrote: »
    I'm finding it really hard to get off sugar. Any advice? X

    There are many methods that work for different people, none work for all.

    Cold turkey - Just tough it out and give it up. After a while you may find that your old favorites taste too sweet.

    Buy single portions only - fun size candy bars, single serving ice cream, etc.

    Only eat sugary snacks that also have a good bit of fiber and/or protein - sweetened nuts, whole grain cookies, granola, etc. These are more filling.

    Don't keep it in the house - not always an option if you don't live alone.

    Ask a family member to hide sweets and only allow you a agreed upon ration per day. (just don't hurt them when they refuse to give you more!)
  • ouryve
    ouryve Posts: 572 Member
    BreezeDoveal wrote: »
    elphie754 wrote: »
    BreezeDoveal wrote: »
    Addiction is about mental associations.
    A lot of drug users relapse when they're near the place they started or frequently did drugs. Alcoholics find bars very tempting.

    So I think the thing to do is find a place you don't like and eat as much sugary foods there as possible. You'll associate it with that, and since you don't like that place, you won't go there to fulful your cravings.

    Uh no. You clearly have no knowledge of actual addictions.

    So drug users avoid relapse by hanging out where they did drugs?

    They usually do drugs where they can get hold of them. Nothing like minimising the very real pain of overcoming a physical addiction.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    extra_medium wrote: »
    You're not addicted to it, you just like how it tastes. Just like everyone.

    Is eating a reasonable amount of sugar and staying within your calorie goals off the table at this point? Unless there is some medical reason you shouldn't worry about getting "off sugar."

    This^

    There's a reason there are no 12 step programs or rehab facilities for people who eat sugar. It's a craving.

    You have two choices eliminate ADDED sugar forever (because even fruits, veggies, grains, and dairy contain sugar) or you can try to manage it. Whatever you choose, this will need to be a lifestyle change to keep the weight you lose from creeping back up.

    I choose management. My sugar management is this - I allow myself a treat every day. My calories are not so low that I can't fit this in. Dial back your weekly weight loss goal a bit if your calories are super low. Then I keep only individual portion things in the house. I can have a 100 calorie pack of cookies, or 2 Ghiradelli chocolate squares, or 1 ice cream bar....something small that hits the spot. If you find that ice cream (or whatever) is just something you can't keep in the house....make it a point to go out for ice cream once a week.
  • beccaellena
    beccaellena Posts: 21 Member
    edited August 2016
    I beat it by reading a book that my grandpa gave me... it's kind of expensive though ($50). It's called "Eat this, lose that" by Dr. Kota Reddy and it has a lot of helpful pictures and diagrams and explains the science behind nutrition and the effects of sugar and starch on our bodies in a simple way. I knew some of it but after reading how much better I would feel after stopping the sugar consumption I felt more willpower when making the choice to eat something healthy and nutrient dense instead of a dessert etc. Before I started my new lifestyle I was eating half gallons of ice cream, whole bags of Reese's cups, etc you get the picture. I would stop by convenience stores and buy chocolate bars and bags of donuts and eat them in the car so my boyfriend, roommates, and family wouldn't see me doing it. I can tell you it was really hard the first week and I wasn't sure how I'd be able to eat "healthy" but now that I'm seeing and feeling the results it keeps getting easier.

    I want to add I know people like TeaBea who can successfully manage sugar consumption with small treats. Unfortunately I'm not to that point yet so I'm opting to avoid all sugars, including fruit. I ate a bite of a cupcake one day and the cravings for sugar were too bad the rest of the day
    :(
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    TeaBea wrote: »
    extra_medium wrote: »
    You're not addicted to it, you just like how it tastes. Just like everyone.

    Is eating a reasonable amount of sugar and staying within your calorie goals off the table at this point? Unless there is some medical reason you shouldn't worry about getting "off sugar."

    This^

    There's a reason there are no 12 step programs or rehab facilities for people who eat sugar. It's a craving.

    You have two choices eliminate ADDED sugar forever (because even fruits, veggies, grains, and dairy contain sugar) or you can try to manage it. Whatever you choose, this will need to be a lifestyle change to keep the weight you lose from creeping back up.

    I choose management. My sugar management is this - I allow myself a treat every day. My calories are not so low that I can't fit this in. Dial back your weekly weight loss goal a bit if your calories are super low. Then I keep only individual portion things in the house. I can have a 100 calorie pack of cookies, or 2 Ghiradelli chocolate squares, or 1 ice cream bar....something small that hits the spot. If you find that ice cream (or whatever) is just something you can't keep in the house....make it a point to go out for ice cream once a week.

    This is good advice but whatever method you try now doesn't have to be the method you use forever. You can change methods and still be successful. The secret is to keep trying until you find something that works best for you. If it stops working, change again.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    vingogly wrote: »
    BreezeDoveal wrote: »
    Addiction is about mental associations.
    A lot of drug users relapse when they're near the place they started or frequently did drugs. Alcoholics find bars very tempting.

    That depends on whether an alcohol dependent person (what us mental health professionals call "alcoholics" which is not a DSM-5 diagnosis) did his/her drinking in bars or not. And you can't make blanket statement about what "alcoholics" are like because different people are, well, different.
    So I think the thing to do is find a place you don't like and eat as much sugary foods there as possible. You'll associate it with that, and since you don't like that place, you won't go there to fulful your cravings.

    So your advice to an alcohol-addicted person would be: "So I think the thing to do is find a place you don't like and drink as many alcoholic beverages there as possible. You'll associate it with that, and since you don't like that place, you won't go there to fulful your cravings."

    See a problem with this?

    Do you see a problem with this as a response for someone who is asking for advice because they are "finding it really hard to get off sugar"??
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    edited August 2016
    TeaBea wrote: »
    You have two choices eliminate ADDED sugar forever (because even fruits, veggies, grains, and dairy contain sugar) or you can try to manage it. Whatever you choose, this will need to be a lifestyle change to keep the weight you lose from creeping back up.

    I choose management. My sugar management is this - I allow myself a treat every day. My calories are not so low that I can't fit this in. Dial back your weekly weight loss goal a bit if your calories are super low. Then I keep only individual portion things in the house. I can have a 100 calorie pack of cookies, or 2 Ghiradelli chocolate squares, or 1 ice cream bar....something small that hits the spot. If you find that ice cream (or whatever) is just something you can't keep in the house....make it a point to go out for ice cream once a week.

    I went through a period where I didn't use any sugary products at all. That helped me train my palate to like the natural sweetness in foods. I eat a lower amount of sugar in general now but sometimes I'll have half a Ghirardelli chocolate bar or a bowl of high-fat high-sugar ice cream (my weakness) on the weekend. I'll go out for these things as you said -- there's a great ice cream place a couple of blocks from my house and that's where I'll go for my "fix".
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    tanny684 wrote: »
    I'm finding it really hard to get off sugar. Any advice? X

    To answer this in a meaningful way we have to know more. What are you finding difficult about it? When are you overeating sugary foods? For me what helped was simply not snacking and having one planned dessert (sometimes ice cream or something sweet, sometimes nuts and/or fruit, sometimes cheese, if calories are high for the day I might skip it). Since I eat well for meals not snacking (and making this my new habit) kept me from feeling tempted by all the stuff available all day I might otherwise mindlessly eat.

    If you find your willpower low at the end of the day and you eat stuff at home, maybe don't have it at your house. If it's a reaction to getting too hungry maybe increase overall calories or make your diet more satiating (more protein and fiber often helps). Make sure you are enjoying what you eat. Stuff like that.
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
    You experts will argue over anything, it's actually fascinating.
  • tanny684
    tanny684 Posts: 196 Member
    extra_medium wrote: »
    You're not addicted to it, you just like how it tastes. Just like everyone.

    Is eating a reasonable amount of sugar and staying within your calorie goals off the table at this point? Unless there is some medical reason you shouldn't worry about getting "off sugar."
    extra_medium wrote: »
    You're not addicted to it, you just like how it tastes. Just like everyone.

    Is eating a reasonable amount of sugar and staying within your calorie goals off the table at this point? Unless there is some medical reason you shouldn't worry about getting "off sugar."

    Thankyou for all the replies. I'm sorry I can't reply to each comment personally as typing this quickly on my phone. I wanted to add.... I feel like sugar is an addiction. I start the day with candy or chocolate and then eat tons of it throughout the rest of the day. My blood sugar is usually around 3.5-4. I know this is normal. I've been to my doctor for query an insulinoma but my doctor seems to think my blood sugar is just low baseline as I'm asymptomatic. I only started checking my blood glucose out of curiosity. One time for example it was 2.9mmol. I don't know what that is in dl. But in the UK in hospitals at least a BM of less than 4mmol is classed as hypoglycaemia. When my bm was 2.9 I ate a banana and drank some tea with milk and three sugars. Half an hour later it rose to 3.8.

    It's a chicken and egg situation, I don't know if I eat sugar because my blood glucose is low or if my high sugar intake is causing rebound hypoglycaemia from the huge insulin spikes when I eat so much crap.


    I've no idea how to wean off it
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    edited August 2016
    tanny684 wrote: »
    extra_medium wrote: »
    You're not addicted to it, you just like how it tastes. Just like everyone.

    Is eating a reasonable amount of sugar and staying within your calorie goals off the table at this point? Unless there is some medical reason you shouldn't worry about getting "off sugar."
    extra_medium wrote: »
    You're not addicted to it, you just like how it tastes. Just like everyone.

    Is eating a reasonable amount of sugar and staying within your calorie goals off the table at this point? Unless there is some medical reason you shouldn't worry about getting "off sugar."

    Thankyou for all the replies. I'm sorry I can't reply to each comment personally as typing this quickly on my phone. I wanted to add.... I feel like sugar is an addiction. I start the day with candy or chocolate and then eat tons of it throughout the rest of the day. My blood sugar is usually around 3.5-4. I know this is normal. I've been to my doctor for query an insulinoma but my doctor seems to think my blood sugar is just low baseline as I'm asymptomatic. I only started checking my blood glucose out of curiosity. One time for example it was 2.9mmol. I don't know what that is in dl. But in the UK in hospitals at least a BM of less than 4mmol is classed as hypoglycaemia. When my bm was 2.9 I ate a banana and drank some tea with milk and three sugars. Half an hour later it rose to 3.8.

    It's a chicken and egg situation, I don't know if I eat sugar because my blood glucose is low or if my high sugar intake is causing rebound hypoglycaemia from the huge insulin spikes when I eat so much crap.


    I've no idea how to wean off it

    Stop buying and eating candy and chocolate. It may not be easy, but it's literally that simple.

    Make sure you're eating a nutritious and varied diet that includes other carbohydrate sources (fruits, veg, grains, dairy, etc.) and maybe drink a cup of coffee if you start getting headaches (since chocolate contains some caffeine). You're not going to have an adverse effects of stopping eating candy and chocolate all day, except maybe that you'll be cranky in the short term.
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
    The "Trick" that helped me is frozen fruit for dessert.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Clementines are sweet.

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