Sugar addiction
Replies
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cushman5279 wrote: »cushman5279 wrote: »Carlos_421 wrote: »cushman5279 wrote: »Carlos_421 wrote: »cushman5279 wrote: »How about general food addiction vs. simply a sugar addiction. It all comes down to food and maybe if you educate yourself on the science and/or biology behind it, you'll have a better understanding and will be better prepared to eliminate it.
Food addiction is essentially no different than drug addiction. Certain foods, especially those whose calories are absorbed very rapidly, signal the reward centers of the brain, causing dopamine to be released as these foods are eaten. The trouble-causing foods include:
•Processed/refined foods, especially sweets
•High-fat foods or other high-calorie foods, such as fried food
•Excessive salt
•Higher-fat animal products
Although dopamine is involved in many processes in the body, it also gives you a feeling of euphoria or a “high.” Just as addictive drugs, that can give you a “high,” the euphoria of dopamine is short-lived and can be followed by a “low” that causes depression, lack of pleasure, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating.
In addition to the effects addictive foods have on brain neurotransmitters, the build-up of metabolic wastes from eating unhealthful foods also complicates and contributes to addictive overeating. This is because withdrawal discomfort from metabolic toxins occurs in the non-feeding, non-digestive state, driving unhealthful eaters to eat too frequently to quell ill feelings, particularly fatigue, headache, and stomach cramping.
It is physically painful to stop smoking, drinking, and eating unhealthy foods. The feelings of shakiness, nausea, headaches, stomach cramping, fatigue, and uneasiness that make people feel they have to eat something are the result of detoxification symptoms from eating unhealthful food.
To conquer food addiction permanently, you must avoid highly flavored and calorically concentrated processed foods. You need to flood the body with high-nutrient foods to normalize detoxification channels.
When we experience this variety of neurologic and metabolic side effects from eating unhealthy foods, it can create unfavorable symptoms, such as:
•Anxiety
•Impaired emotions and thoughts
•Impulsiveness
•Aggression
•Compulsiveness
•Lack of self-control
Food addiction fuels our nation’s health care crisis and obesity epidemic. The answer to keeping our natural potential for food addiction under control is to eat more natural, whole plant foods. Adopting a Nutritarian diet-style allows for a comfortable, and satisfied feeling, yet avoids the extreme “highs” and “lows” of low-micronutrient eating. This allows us to enjoy our food when we eat it, and then later have the ability to enjoy other parts of our lives, without being distracted by the effects of food addiction and its associated ill feelings.
Low-nutrient, high-glycemic foods are also associated with depressed mood, making life more difficult for the food addict. Abstaining from unhealthy, addictive foods is hard at first, but doing so brings tremendous benefits.
So you're saying there is french fry or mac & cheese (neither of which is inherent "unhealthy") withdrawal?
No, she's not saying that. The quack she plagiarized is though.
First of all, if you bothered to actually read, and not just skim responses, you would see that clearly I did not plagiarize and was quick to respond with regard to forgetting to add the source. Second, just because one has an opinion that's different from yours does not make them a quack. People who are strong, intelligent and caring have an open mind and tend to lift one another up, not bring each other down. I am glad I know which side of that fence you're on. Have a glorious day
You're response was not there when I was typing mine so I offer my apologies.
But yes, he's a quack.
Different opinions make individuals. Different facts make quacks.
No problem.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
But they are not entitled to their own facts.
What the actual F does this even mean? Like, why would even put this here? It has no bearing what so ever on the original post or conversation that followed... really? I can't even....
Fact: earth is round. If you were claiming the earth is flat, you would be wrong, because FACTS aren't opinion based.
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Usually the "sugar withdrawals 'cos addiction" associated with cutting soda and sugar is actually withdrawal from caffeine. But that's not as trendy to demonise. So sugar is blamed instead.6
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just focus on what you want more. Lose weight or have sugar. That works for me. Sweet and simple..1
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Diet soda can actually cause you to gain weight...just fyi. Studies on this...This is why i eat healthy carbs including white potatoes and bananas. Sugar cravings could be cause by a deficiency etc. I have never been a huge chocolate person but i love my peppermint candy. lol. I really at this point dont crave sugar anymore...I have been without it for so long. I would request your doc do a complete blood draw and check for mineral and vitamin deficiency. Just some thoughts.1
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one more thing about the diet soda...I actually have been eating super healthy for about 5 years now. Every once in a while I would get a diet soda...I stopped because I noticed weight gain immediately...that was terrible to get off.1
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NikkiiBaby68 wrote: »Diet soda can actually cause you to gain weight...just fyi. Studies on this...This is why i eat healthy carbs including white potatoes and bananas. Sugar cravings could be cause by a deficiency etc. I have never been a huge chocolate person but i love my peppermint candy. lol. I really at this point dont crave sugar anymore...I have been without it for so long. I would request your doc do a complete blood draw and check for mineral and vitamin deficiency. Just some thoughts.
No , diet soda does not make you gain weight. It has zero calories.7 -
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hayleyf6051 wrote: »Hi,
I'm a massive sugar addict. I can't go several hours without sugar or diet soda. I want to get some control back. Any ideas? Is cold turkey best?
your not addicted to sugar because sugar is not an addictive substance.4 -
crzycatlady1 wrote: »Jabbarwocky wrote: »Just remember that artificial sweeteners tend to cause the same reactions in the body as sugar does, then, when there isn't any sugar it freaks out and craves more. This is coming from another sugar addict btw. Sugar is one of the things I'm tracking on MFP because I need to get that monkey off my back before it kills me. About to have to start medications for being pre-diabetic and I have NO desire to live my life like that. Personally, I've found that when I have a craving its best to have something small and sweet. If you wait, the craving only gets worse and that's when a binge is possible. I've been known to eat a full half pound bag of M&M's or a half gallon of ice cream within a day or two. Do what you can control.
Source please.
Google is your friend, but here's a good link to get you started:
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/artificial-sweeteners/
From Harvard, School of Public Health. Here's a clip of the article.
The findings in the first paragraph are based on research. Everything else listed there does not cite any sort of research and is most likely speculation.0 -
hayleyf6051 wrote: »Thank you all! Your replies are so helpful. I didn't mean to start the soda debate. My main craving is sugar in sweets/chocolate. Will get a plan of action together!
do you also have the same cravings for bread, fruit, and vegetables?2 -
NikkiiBaby68 wrote: »Diet soda can actually cause you to gain weight...just fyi. Studies on this...This is why i eat healthy carbs including white potatoes and bananas. Sugar cravings could be cause by a deficiency etc. I have never been a huge chocolate person but i love my peppermint candy. lol. I really at this point dont crave sugar anymore...I have been without it for so long. I would request your doc do a complete blood draw and check for mineral and vitamin deficiency. Just some thoughts.
no, diet soda in a calorie deficit does not make you gain weight..3 -
I mean maybe if you drank a lot of it, then didn't pee there'd be water retention. I don't recall ever seeing a study that could clearly point out that diet soda (and not diet soda and diet) caused weight gain/belly fat gain.NikkiiBaby68 wrote: »one more thing about the diet soda...I actually have been eating super healthy for about 5 years now. Every once in a while I would get a diet soda...I stopped because I noticed weight gain immediately...that was terrible to get off.3 -
NikkiiBaby68 wrote: »Diet soda can actually cause you to gain weight...just fyi. Studies on this...This is why i eat healthy carbs including white potatoes and bananas. Sugar cravings could be cause by a deficiency etc. I have never been a huge chocolate person but i love my peppermint candy. lol. I really at this point dont crave sugar anymore...I have been without it for so long. I would request your doc do a complete blood draw and check for mineral and vitamin deficiency. Just some thoughts.
I'm not aware of any studies showing that diet soda causes weight gain when one isn't consuming excess calories. Which studies are you referring to?2 -
I had to completely eliminate all sugar for quite a while, keep it right out of the house. Coffee tasted like *kitten* for a month but i got used to it and now i hate sugar in my coffee, and even buy my coconut and almond milks unsweetened as my tastes have changed. It takes 3 to 4 weeks to effect change so it becomes more habit so give yourself the time to "detox" as it is a slow process but can be done, im a former sugar and chocolate addict and have completely turned around now.0
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I had to completely eliminate all sugar for quite a while, keep it right out of the house. Coffee tasted like *kitten* for a month but i got used to it and now i hate sugar in my coffee, and even buy my coconut and almond milks unsweetened as my tastes have changed. It takes 3 to 4 weeks to effect change so it becomes more habit so give yourself the time to "detox" as it is a slow process but can be done, im a former sugar and chocolate addict and have completely turned around now.
sugar is not toxic so why would you think you have to detox from it?
so you don't eat fruit and vegetables anymore because sugar addiction?3 -
hayleyf6051 wrote: »Hi,
I'm a massive sugar addict. I can't go several hours without sugar or diet soda. I want to get some control back. Any ideas? Is cold turkey best?
Hayley, there is not a thing wrong with wanting to cut back on certain things, whether it be treats, or meat or even broccoli! Just remember that weight loss is the result of a calorie deficit and not food type. Food type is about what you believe is best for you to keep that calorie deficit. In other words, if eating too many treats is standing in your way of creating that calorie deficit, just consume less. Diet soda has no calories, so whether or not you want to cut back is about preference and not calories in/calories out.
That said, have you tried to pre-plan your day to include those foods you love, and then sticking to the plan?
For example, I love my chocolate. Right now, I am in love with chocolate caramel candy bars with sea salt. When calories allow, I plan my chocolate in. On days when I don't see to have calories for a full serving, I can have a half of a serving, or even a fourth. There is always flexibility!
Good luck. 3 -
Just found this article and thought it was interesting. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/ I must admit, at this point I'm beginning to wonder if its the artificial sweetener as much as the person.
" Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain. The San Antonio Heart Study examined 3,682 adults over a seven- to eight-year period in the 1980s [18]. When matched for initial body mass index (BMI), gender, ethnicity, and diet, drinkers of artificially sweetened beverages consistently had higher BMIs at the follow-up, with dose dependence on the amount of consumption. Average BMI gain was +1.01 kg/m2 for control and 1.78 kg/m2 for people in the third quartile for artificially sweetened beverage consumption."
This is from the link above and if you think about it, those who are choosing artificial sweeteners are trying to lose weight. They are trying to lead healthier lives compared to those with lower BMI's who, presumably, are already doing so. Obviously not an earth shattering truth but at least food for thought.0 -
Jabbarwocky wrote: »Just remember that artificial sweeteners tend to cause the same reactions in the body as sugar does, then, when there isn't any sugar it freaks out and craves more. This is coming from another sugar addict btw. Sugar is one of the things I'm tracking on MFP because I need to get that monkey off my back before it kills me. About to have to start medications for being pre-diabetic and I have NO desire to live my life like that. Personally, I've found that when I have a craving its best to have something small and sweet. If you wait, the craving only gets worse and that's when a binge is possible. I've been known to eat a full half pound bag of M&M's or a half gallon of ice cream within a day or two. Do what you can control.
This is misinformation.
Diabetes is not caused by sugar, but sugar does affect diabetes.
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Jabbarwocky wrote: »Just found this article and thought it was interesting. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/ I must admit, at this point I'm beginning to wonder if its the artificial sweetener as much as the person.
" Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain. The San Antonio Heart Study examined 3,682 adults over a seven- to eight-year period in the 1980s [18]. When matched for initial body mass index (BMI), gender, ethnicity, and diet, drinkers of artificially sweetened beverages consistently had higher BMIs at the follow-up, with dose dependence on the amount of consumption. Average BMI gain was +1.01 kg/m2 for control and 1.78 kg/m2 for people in the third quartile for artificially sweetened beverage consumption."
This is from the link above and if you think about it, those who are choosing artificial sweeteners are trying to lose weight. They are trying to lead healthier lives compared to those with lower BMI's who, presumably, are already doing so. Obviously not an earth shattering truth but at least food for thought.
Run an experiment on yourself. Drink artificial sweetener and eat in a 500 calorie deficit and see if you lose weight. I am 99.99% sure that you will.
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Jabbarwocky wrote: »Just found this article and thought it was interesting. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/ I must admit, at this point I'm beginning to wonder if its the artificial sweetener as much as the person.
" Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain. The San Antonio Heart Study examined 3,682 adults over a seven- to eight-year period in the 1980s [18]. When matched for initial body mass index (BMI), gender, ethnicity, and diet, drinkers of artificially sweetened beverages consistently had higher BMIs at the follow-up, with dose dependence on the amount of consumption. Average BMI gain was +1.01 kg/m2 for control and 1.78 kg/m2 for people in the third quartile for artificially sweetened beverage consumption."
This is from the link above and if you think about it, those who are choosing artificial sweeteners are trying to lose weight. They are trying to lead healthier lives compared to those with lower BMI's who, presumably, are already doing so. Obviously not an earth shattering truth but at least food for thought.
I wonder if people who are trying to lose weight switch to diet soda because it's pounded into us that soda with sugar causes weight gain. So they switch to diet without changing anything else, and continue to gain unless all their calorie surplus was in the soda. That would be one way to account for correlation.3 -
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NikkiiBaby68 wrote: »Diet soda can actually cause you to gain weight...just fyi. Studies on this...This is why i eat healthy carbs including white potatoes and bananas. Sugar cravings could be cause by a deficiency etc. I have never been a huge chocolate person but i love my peppermint candy. lol. I really at this point dont crave sugar anymore...I have been without it for so long. I would request your doc do a complete blood draw and check for mineral and vitamin deficiency. Just some thoughts.
I've dropped close to 40 lbs in 4 months having at least a litre of diet soda daily. Just saying.2 -
estherdragonbat wrote: »
Me too. Had two meringue treat things yesterday. Still pretty sure the 61.5lbs will still be lost tomorrow.2 -
hayleyf6051 wrote: »Hi,
I'm a massive sugar addict. I can't go several hours without sugar or diet soda. I want to get some control back. Any ideas? Is cold turkey best?
YES! Cut out sugar in ALL forms, including fruit. Also stay away from artificial sweeteners. No more bread, pasta, rice, potato corn ect. Protein, Fat, Green Veggies. And PLENTY of water. You will have the low carb 'flu' for a few days. After that you will not miss sugar at all.
Good luck!1 -
jpcampbell74 wrote: »hayleyf6051 wrote: »Hi,
I'm a massive sugar addict. I can't go several hours without sugar or diet soda. I want to get some control back. Any ideas? Is cold turkey best?
YES! Cut out sugar in ALL forms, including fruit. Also stay away from artificial sweeteners. No more bread, pasta, rice, potato corn ect. Protein, Fat, Green Veggies. And PLENTY of water. You will have the low carb 'flu' for a few days. After that you will not miss sugar at all.
Good luck!
Good lord no. 61.5lbs down and I eat all those things.8 -
jpcampbell74 wrote: »hayleyf6051 wrote: »Hi,
I'm a massive sugar addict. I can't go several hours without sugar or diet soda. I want to get some control back. Any ideas? Is cold turkey best?
YES! Cut out sugar in ALL forms, including fruit. Also stay away from artificial sweeteners. No more bread, pasta, rice, potato corn ect. Protein, Fat, Green Veggies. And PLENTY of water. You will have the low carb 'flu' for a few days. After that you will not miss sugar at all.
Good luck!
this is just wrong. No fruit and vegetables? Where are you going to get nutrients from? I eat sugar, carbs, fruits, vegetables, ice cream, oreos, etc, and I have lost 50 pounds, maintain 15% body fat, and have no health issues...5 -
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Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »Jabbarwocky wrote: »Just found this article and thought it was interesting. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/ I must admit, at this point I'm beginning to wonder if its the artificial sweetener as much as the person.
" Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain. The San Antonio Heart Study examined 3,682 adults over a seven- to eight-year period in the 1980s [18]. When matched for initial body mass index (BMI), gender, ethnicity, and diet, drinkers of artificially sweetened beverages consistently had higher BMIs at the follow-up, with dose dependence on the amount of consumption. Average BMI gain was +1.01 kg/m2 for control and 1.78 kg/m2 for people in the third quartile for artificially sweetened beverage consumption."
This is from the link above and if you think about it, those who are choosing artificial sweeteners are trying to lose weight. They are trying to lead healthier lives compared to those with lower BMI's who, presumably, are already doing so. Obviously not an earth shattering truth but at least food for thought.
The clipped out piece you have pasted does not give us any indicators of what these people were also consuming outside of the soda. On a page back i made a post about me at 252 pounds ordering 3 double big mac meals... i know from context that a lot of people might of thought i was being sarcastic but i actually used to order 3 double big mac meals, large fries with each and 2 chocolate shakes and then order a large diet soda... The diet soda was not the reason my BMI was up in the 40's.. It was the calories i was consuming, that one meal.. and that wouldn't of been all i ate that day was probably a good 5000 calories.
If diet drinks do have a correlation with weight gain, my hunch is that it's because of a "health halo" effect that encourages those who drink it to eat more other stuff because "I'm being good, I deserve it".5
This discussion has been closed.
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