How to beat sugar addiction?
Replies
-
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
I've never tested my blood glucose levels but it used to frequently feel to me as though I had low blood sugar. If a meal was delayed, I was often shaky and even frenzied feeling. I consumed sweets often at that time. I don't feel that way anymore. I credit getting enough protein every day (I was getting very little back then), and keeping my sugar levels close to the recommended daily limit.
I read once that pre-diabetes can start with mild hypoglycaemia, due to overproducing insulin. I don't know if this is an accepted notion or not, and haven't bothered checking given that my problems are gone now.
0 -
goldthistime 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
I've never tested my blood glucose levels but it used to frequently feel to me as though I had low blood sugar. If a meal was delayed, I was often shaky and even frenzied feeling. I consumed sweets often at that time. I don't feel that way anymore. I credit getting enough protein every day (I was getting very little back then), and keeping my sugar levels close to the recommended daily limit.
I read once that pre-diabetes can start with mild hypoglycaemia, due to overproducing insulin. I don't know if this is an accepted notion or not, and haven't bothered checking given that my problems are gone now.
Argh, thanks that has scared me enough to not want chocolate for breakfast
. Both sides of my family suffer with type 2 diabetes so with my risks I really shouldn't be living on sugar. Gonna try and fill up on proper food first and then leave the cravings till last!
Thankyou again for your advice everyone you guys are amazing x
1 -
I'll share my personal experience with you OP. Doing keto for 2 months seems to have really helped with sugar cravings. I'm reintroducing carbs currently. And suddenly everything I used to find not sweet enough (like bananas) are now suddenly too sweet.
Perhaps try doing keto or very low carb for a month, and then slowly reintroduce carbs and sugar in moderation. I still can't keep candy in the house. But I find that if I buy myself a single serving, I'm satisfied with it now, where I didn't use to be pre-keto.0 -
BreezeDoveal wrote: »goldthistime 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
I've never tested my blood glucose levels but it used to frequently feel to me as though I had low blood sugar. If a meal was delayed, I was often shaky and even frenzied feeling. I consumed sweets often at that time. I don't feel that way anymore. I credit getting enough protein every day (I was getting very little back then), and keeping my sugar levels close to the recommended daily limit.
I read once that pre-diabetes can start with mild hypoglycaemia, due to overproducing insulin. I don't know if this is an accepted notion or not, and haven't bothered checking given that my problems are gone now.
Argh, thanks that has scared me enough to not want chocolate for breakfast. Both sides of my family suffer with type 2 diabetes so with my risks I really shouldn't be living on sugar. Gonna try and fill up on proper food first and then leave the cravings till last!
Thankyou again for your advice everyone you guys are amazing x
I've read that losing 10% of your body weight is all but guaranteed to reverse early diabetes and insulin resistance.
Since you're not diabetic now, you should gain 15-20% now, and then when you start developing it, losing 10% would just require you to eat how you do now, which will be easy.
Thank you for your tireless service to these boards.2 -
BreezeDoveal wrote: »goldthistime 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
I've never tested my blood glucose levels but it used to frequently feel to me as though I had low blood sugar. If a meal was delayed, I was often shaky and even frenzied feeling. I consumed sweets often at that time. I don't feel that way anymore. I credit getting enough protein every day (I was getting very little back then), and keeping my sugar levels close to the recommended daily limit.
I read once that pre-diabetes can start with mild hypoglycaemia, due to overproducing insulin. I don't know if this is an accepted notion or not, and haven't bothered checking given that my problems are gone now.
Argh, thanks that has scared me enough to not want chocolate for breakfast. Both sides of my family suffer with type 2 diabetes so with my risks I really shouldn't be living on sugar. Gonna try and fill up on proper food first and then leave the cravings till last!
Thankyou again for your advice everyone you guys are amazing x
I've read that losing 10% of your body weight is all but guaranteed to reverse early diabetes and insulin resistance.
Since you're not diabetic now, you should gain 15-20% now, and then when you start developing it, losing 10% would just require you to eat how you do now, which will be easy.
1 -
BreezeDoveal wrote: »
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21132088BreezeDoveal 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.
Most relapse isn't about withdrawal.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2889613/
Never said it was. Hard not to relapse when you go hang out the same place as your still addicted friends, though.0 -
Just count your calories AND work out. When you have to do 30 minutes of extra cardio everyday only because you decided to have a small portion of dessert(because you want to remain within the recommended calorie limit), you eventually realise that the taste is not worth it.0
-
My nephew is an addict, he's in state prison for commiting crimes to supply drugs for his disease. How many sugar addicts are incarcerated?0
-
beccaellena wrote: »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
I also have Dr. Reddy's book and actually made an appointment with him. DEF recommend. He changes your thought processes and thoroughly educates you.0 -
I personally feel there is something in the concept of food addiction.
But rather than wading into those waters, let me just say that what has helped me is to cook more of my own food, to get my sugar in fruits and vegetables whenever possible, and that when I do indulge, I do it with something really really good.0 -
goldthistime 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
I've never tested my blood glucose levels but it used to frequently feel to me as though I had low blood sugar. If a meal was delayed, I was often shaky and even frenzied feeling. I consumed sweets often at that time. I don't feel that way anymore. I credit getting enough protein every day (I was getting very little back then), and keeping my sugar levels close to the recommended daily limit.
I had this problem as well, I was actually mildly hypoglycemic in symptoms (as in, if I got shaky and didn't eat anything, I WOULD pass out) for a long time but I think it was because my diet was awful in general. Definitely not enough protein and rarely vegetables or fruit or anything. I did eat a lot of candy and chocolate and I know that didn't help at all. I did register pre-diabetic at my checkup at the doctor that year and that definitely scared me into eating better.
But like you, once I cleaned up my diet some, added in a lot more protein and veggies, and started eating more balanced meals, I rarely have a problem with it anymore. And this year at the checkup, I was in completely normal range, not pre-diabetic anymore.
OP, also I would say, don't start the morning off with a ton of chocolate, that won't help anything and will probably leave you feeling a lot more hungry later. Find something balanced and satisfying that you like to eat that has plenty of protein and fiber to keep you full.lemurcat12 wrote: »I often dieting don't eat meals so I can eat sweets.
If you want to stop overeating sweets/feeling out of control around them, I'd start by stopping this. Plan out your day with balanced healthy meals. Leave a little room for something sweet, but make sure most of the day is more satiating kinds of foods. Getting in filling and satisfying foods make it a lot easier not to overdo. If I just ate sweets all day, I'd definitely overdo, since I'd be consistently hungry/unsatisfied. Main time when I used to overdo sweets is when I was stuck at work (where there are lots of sweets and chips and microwave popcorn, not much else) and would skip dinner and know I'd be stuck there until late and then just go overboard since I was hungry and kind of down.
Fruit is a great idea if you are craving that sweet taste between meals (or have some with meals), but I really think this is the answer from what you've said.
Definitely agree!! When I switched to more filling and satisfying foods with pre-planned balanced healthy meals (and quit skipping meals as much), I didn't want to eat all the chocolate anymore (or at least, it's rare), because I just wasn't hungry and it didn't sound good. Also in a pinch if I just want something sweet at the end of a meal or between them and there isn't fruit around, I chew a piece of gum. Satisfies the craving without adding a ton of calories.
Edited to try to clarify who I was addressing with what.0 -
If you have used antibiotics at any time in your life, along with the microbes you were trying to eliminate bacteria which helps you digest your food and support your immune system become collateral damage. The least helpful bacteria become dominant making it more difficult for the more helpful ones to survive. The things the least helpful bacteria like most is sugar. This can drive your sweet tooth.
In some people their endocrine system is less able to deal with all the 21st Century foods we, many are compelled to eat. With the help of a nutritionist, I am regaining my health. One of the things I have needed to do is eliminate foods with added sugar from my diet. Doing this has reduced pressure on my endocrine system and I have lost my sweet tooth and many many lbs. It may not suit everyone. 30 and more years ago I'd have found it difficult, back then sugar was good and all fat was bad, science is now disproving that one.
I found and use a range of prebiotics which help replace the microbes I'd lost to many courses of antibiotics, and microbes my 20th century diet cost me, as well as those which its just helpful to have. Immunologists are realising just how much microbes do to to keep our immune system working. My immune system was so very compromised that I could not enjoy life: because of others perfumes and laundry residues. I'd double up in coughing fits so I could not go shopping, to concerts, sometimes go in the garden without being ill, sometimes I'd need to sleep it all off, it was frightful. In a year so very much has changed. I have started to enjoy life again.
Do what is right for you, we are all different, but make sure you are not kidding yourself, my body took years to go wrong getting it back is taking time too.0 -
I feel like sugar is an addiction.
That's because you are paying attention to how your body feels, and you are not an idiot, IMHO.
I'm sorry that so many here seem to believe that it's just a craving. That's not only dismissive and kind of insulting, it ignores current research, as well. Because there IS scientific evidence that indicates folks CAN develop an addiction to sugar, potentially.
There have been studies about this because preemies actually respond to the taste of sugar (not intravenous, but specifically the taste) as though they were given analgesics. There are studies that show women, but not men, are able to tolerate higher levels of pain if they have sugar. And animal studies have shown that animals look like they can develop an addiction to sugar to the point that they have symptoms of withdrawal like you would see in someone addicted to morphine or nicotine.
Or in other words, you feeling like this is immensely hard, like an addiction, is in all probability NOT just you, just in your head, just you not being able to 'cope' with some little 'craving.' It CAN be an addiction.
That said - I had this. My mom had this. When I would try to go off sugar, I would dream of it, think of the taste of it nearly every minute of the day, and my whole body and mind felt terrible until I could get another 'hit' of sugar. The only way I managed to get it taken care of was to go cold turkey, drop it ALL, and stay that way. Took me 2-3 weeks to get over it. And since then, a few times I've thought - hey, just one little piece of candy wouldn't hurt, now that I don't eat sugar anymore. And literally, that starts it all over again, immediately, and I have to go the 2-3 weeks of misery to get off of it again.
I have met some who just slowly lower their sugar intake, and after some discussion, it seems to me that they do NOT have a sugar addiction, based on how they experience it, and the fact that they can eat a little sugar here and there, and it doesn't trigger that overwhelming need to have more of the taste. Maybe they would LIKE more, but it's not some huge, physical push, you know?
* just one of the studies, if you wish to look, done on rats.
'Evidence that intermittent, excessive sugar intake causes endogenous opioid dependence.'
"The goal was to determine whether withdrawal from sugar can cause signs of opioid dependence."
Results: "Repeated, excessive intake of sugar created a state in which an opioid antagonist caused behavioral and neurochemical signs of opioid withdrawal. The indices of anxiety and DA/ACh imbalance were qualitatively similar to withdrawal from morphine or nicotine, suggesting that the rats had become sugar-dependent."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/120553240
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 392.9K Introduce Yourself
- 43.7K Getting Started
- 260.1K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.8K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 415 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.9K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.6K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.5K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions