How to beat sugar addiction?
tanny684
Posts: 196 Member
I'm finding it really hard to get off sugar. Any advice? X
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Replies
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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.7 -
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."7 -
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/2 -
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BreezeDoveal 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.3 -
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.0 -
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!)3 -
BreezeDoveal 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.3 -
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.2 -
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
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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.2 -
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 addicted persons, not "alcoholics" which is not a DSM-5 diagnosis - I believe it originated with AA) 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?
Addictions (and wanting to eat sugar isn't one) are not about associations, they're about the neurological system getting programmed to need a particular substance for normal functioning. The dependent person needs the substance to function normally, and at some point in the development of the addiction they no longer get a high, the substance of choice just restores them to feeling normal.
By the way, withdrawal from heroin won't kill you (though you may wish you were dead). Withdrawal from alcohol can and does kill people. "Withdrawal" from sugar doesn't have any effect other than making you wish you had a candy bar.6 -
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"??0 -
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".0 -
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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.2 -
You experts will argue over anything, it's actually fascinating.1
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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
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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.0 -
OK I'm not sure how to say this, without just coming out and saying
I honestly think you need to stop externalising your weight issues ..stop being a "victim" of things you "can't control" and take responsibility for how much food you stuff in your mouth
I say this trying to help: it's not the excuses that are keeping you fat, it's not "the boyfriend", it's not an "addiction", it's eating too much and moving too little (despite being a nurse)
So I thought on your last thread you decided to take control...do that
If you can't moderate, eliminate16 -
The "Trick" that helped me is frozen fruit for dessert.0
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Clementines are sweet.0
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The "Trick" that helped me is frozen fruit for dessert.queenliz99 wrote: »Clementines are sweet.
So replacing sugar with sugar
OP You know why that works...because the "sugar" you are "addicted" to is mixed with fat and carbs to create cheap, highly calorific, highly palatable foods...may as well say you are addicted to fats
Really all you need to do is judge the calorie content and replace with something lower calorie ..it's the calories you need to monitor not the sugar ..,an easy way to do it is to avoid highly palatable highly calorific foods which are the hardest to moderate for a while4 -
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
My mother has diabetes so I should know this. Actually, I don't
But I think those numbers for hypoglycaemia are for diabetics, and don't apply to healthy individuals. You're not supposed to "treat" low blood sugar like diabetics do. Have fruit and sugared tea if you want it. Just try to eat normally. Don't stress with blood sugar (checking it out for curiosity, that's fine, though).
You are not going to "wean off" sugar, because sugar is part of normal human food. You can benefit from reducing added sugar (because that's "empty" calories - no particular nutritional value besides the calories) if you need to lose weight. But cutting it completely out will mean that you'll have to cook ALL your food yourself from scratch, and NEVER be able to eat a readymeal or at a restaurant, and sugar is neither a poison nor an allergen, so it seems like major overkill.
You say you feel like sugar is an addiction. You eat a lot of candy and chocolate. Well, it tastes good, I guess most people like the taste. But do you have an addiction? Or is it just a bad habit? Do you forgo meals and eat candy instead, to an extent that your health is at risk? What happens when you don't have any candy? How do you react to the idea of replacing some of the candy with real food? If your reaction is like this (and it only escalates after this), I think you can call yourself addicted and some therapy would be in order; if not, you just have to work on your habits, get in a better meal structure, adjust your environment.1 -
The "Trick" that helped me is frozen fruit for dessert.queenliz99 wrote: »Clementines are sweet.
So replacing sugar with sugar
OP You know why that works...because the "sugar" you are "addicted" to is mixed with fat and carbs to create cheap, highly calorific, highly palatable foods...may as well say you are addicted to fats
Really all you need to do is judge the calorie content and replace with something lower calorie ..it's the calories you need to monitor not the sugar ..,an easy way to do it is to avoid highly palatable highly calorific foods which are the hardest to moderate for a while
Don't know it till you try it - I kicked heroin by subbing in opiate abuse. Werkz 4 me0 -
Go ultra low carb for 10 days, all carbs are converted to glucose, except fiber of course.1
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That's like telling a smoker to smoke a carton of cigarettes at one sitting to quit. High failure rate.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.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Lol, lots of drug users do drugs at home. Yes even one's with kids. So I guess they should never go home?BreezeDoveal 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?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition 1
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