I'm addicted

mags080611

I'm realizing more and more that ive become addicted to sugar. I crave it and I cant fight the cravings. The struggle is real. Am I the only one?? Any advice is appreciated

littlebabekitty

I overcame my addiction by detoxing. I did dr oz 3 day smoothie detox it resets your taste buds. Drink lots of spring water and i replaced sugar with raw agave nectar. No proccessed stuff with sugar. Just natural sweets like date,s, prunes, fruits, and agave nectar or date sugar when necesarry. I no longer am addicted to refined sugar. Good luck

inertiastrength

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mph323

fascha wrote: »

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ditto

amusedmonkey

fascha wrote: »

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Seconded.

P.S: agave nectar is mostly sugar

sanddive

I agree with rodsteph777. Replace with more natural sweets, and you start to really enjoy them and won't miss the pure sugary stuff. For drinks, after drinking regular water for a few days you'll miss the sugar water drinks a lot less and you'll start thinking, damn, I want some water and it tastes great going down. It also helps a lot to avoid temptation - don't watch TV, eat before you buy groceries.

I also believe that we crave "sugar" because our bodies want more, sometimes because we lack the proper nutrition. I always tell people something I heard in a TED talk - our digestive system has as many neurons as a cat brain, and the job of these neurons is to tell us when we are "full", meaning did we get enough nutrients? Of course those neurons are also trying to figure out if we ate something bad for us. Anyway, if we didn't get enough nutrients we just feel we need to eat more and this is part of the sugar addiction, since it's forever trying to fill the void with nothing.

WinoGelato

OP a lot of people struggle with cravings for all sorts of foods. The thing is, sugar itself isn't physically addictive, and there isn't any difference in how your body processes sugar from fruit and other natural sugars and how it processes refined sugars in things like cookies, ice cream, etc (which by the way have about half their calories from fat). You can't "detox" from it, certainly not by continuing to eat foods with sugar in them.

That said, there are lots of people here who have learned how to control their cravings through either cutting out trigger foods (temporarily or permanently) or learning how to moderate your sugar consumption. If you could maybe share more details of what you are struggling with: is it a certain food or beverage? Is it at a certain time of day? In certain emotional scenarios (stress? Boredom? Anxiety?)... people might be able to help you with specific advice of how to work through those issues and get to a point where you feel more in control.

JaydedMiss

either cut it out or fit it in. personally i find giving in to my cravings nightly help i save up calories and am extra active in the day to burn the calories for what i want. knowing i get it i just need to be patient helps me a ton. sugar "addiction" is mental, Dont need to cut it out just learn to manage it and use whatever tactic works, Id highly recomend mine. something happens mentally when you know you get something delicious, just not yet.

L1zardQueen

You like sugar, I do too! But sugar has no addictive qualities. If you can't moderate eating sugar, don't buy it. There are certain foods I can not moderate, fig newtons and nuts. I just don't buy them.

Blitzia

I try to get my sweet tooth fix from low calorie things (sugar free pudding - finally found a brand I like, halo top ice cream, low cal yogurt, etc.) It mostly works, though I do struggle with the fact that sometimes eating sweets make me want more sweets, so it's just about finding balance.

Other people go with more abstaining. If you think this might work, try things like having a piece of sugar free gum or zero calorie sweet beverage (diet soda or tea.) For some people, this is enough to temporarily satisfy a sweet craving.

My favorite advice for cravings in general is to differentiate between a craving and true hunger. If you want a cookie, ask yourself if you'd be willing to have a plate of vegetables instead. If the plate of vegetables (or some other savory dish that you enjoy well enough) doesn't sound appealing, then it's just a craving. You can try to make these cravings fit into your calorie goal, or work on finding ways to distract yourself or satisfy it with low/no calorie alternatives.

And if it's any comfort, you are definitely not alone! Most people have to find a strategy for dealing with their sweet tooth.

endlessfall16

WinoGelato wrote: »

sugar itself isn't physically addictive, and there isn't any difference in how your body processes sugar from fruit and other natural sugars and how it processes refined sugars in things like cookies, ice cream, etc

Not so sure I agree with this with my experience. I'm hypersensitive and could feel immediate high, almost like caffeine for others, after consuming things like doughnuts, ice cream.

When I really crave sweet, I instinctively go for chocolate, ice cream instead of natural fruits (apple, orange, banana, grape), which we always keep abundant on the kitchen countertop.

When people talk about "addictive" I suspect they think of alcohol and drug. But I think fast dissolving sugar does stimulate the brain to create a sort of addiction, a high.

That said, there are lots of people here who have learned how to control their cravings through either cutting out trigger foods (temporarily or permanently) or learning how to moderate your sugar consumption.

Agreed. Fortunately cutting out sugar added stuff like coke, ice cream is not very hard or healthwise detrimental. I still eat ice cream, donut for my mental health.

Good luck, OP.

amusedmonkey

I get euphoria eating nuts, and I immensely enjoy the taste that I don't want it to stop so I keep going back. Before weight loss I used to buy a kilo (a bit more than 2 pounds) of nuts and munch on them all day until they're gone. I'm very weak willed around them and exhibit addiction-like anxieties (no, nuts aren't really addictive). My solution was to simply not have them in the house and to get my "fix" when needed mostly from "nut things" like a single serving of nuts in oatmeal or walnuts in carrot cake, or pistachio ice cream, because a "handful" on its own often leaves me feeling empty and wanting. I do sometimes budget for larger quantities in advance, but it's rare.

OP, experiment with different strategies. See what would work for you better. You could buy your choice of sweets in single servings often, buy them in slightly larger quantities less often, or cut them out altogether. Don't keep them around in the house to needlessly torture yourself, or if you must, keep versions you aren't inclined to overeat (dark chocolate, maybe?). I'm way more likely to overeat salted and plain nuts than sweetened, so I don't mind chocolate covered almonds in the house.

Christine_72

I wish fruit satisfied my sweet craving, why wouldn't it? It's full of sugar. But alas, i could eat a pound of fruit and still have that craving for chocolate, or whatever it was i wanted to begin with.

If it truly was a sugar "addiction", then anything that contained sugar would quell it.

endlessfall16

amusedmonkey wrote: »

keep versions you aren't inclined to overeat (dark chocolate, maybe?).

But why would you keep such thing in the first place?


Speaking of nuts, I only eat them to deal with hunger during my fast-like time. They are my diet food. That's my reason of keeping them around.

amusedmonkey

endlessfall16 wrote: »

amusedmonkey wrote: »

keep versions you aren't inclined to overeat (dark chocolate, maybe?).

But why would you keep such thing in the first place?


Speaking of nuts, I only eat them to deal with hunger during my fast-like time. They are my diet food. That's my reason of keeping them around.

Because presenting several options for people to try and see what works for them is not a bad thing. Some people do well away from their trigger foods, other people do worse and keep thinking about their trigger food if it's not around or they can't have it. Nuts do squat for my hunger, sadly. The only reason I eat them is because I like them (A LOT), and that's a good enough reason to keep them around if I were able to moderate them.

endlessfall16

amusedmonkey wrote: »

endlessfall16 wrote: »

amusedmonkey wrote: »

keep versions you aren't inclined to overeat (dark chocolate, maybe?).

But why would you keep such thing in the first place?


Speaking of nuts, I only eat them to deal with hunger during my fast-like time. They are my diet food. That's my reason of keeping them around.

Because presenting several options for people to try and see what works for them is not a bad thing. Some people do well away from their trigger foods, other people do worse and keep thinking about their trigger food if it's not around or they can't have it. Nuts do squat for my hunger, sadly. The only reason I eat them is because I like them (A LOT), and that's a good enough reason to keep them around if I were able to moderate them.

No, I am just confused why you would keep dark chocolate around if you didn't like them?

L1zardQueen

amusedmonkey wrote: »

endlessfall16 wrote: »

amusedmonkey wrote: »

keep versions you aren't inclined to overeat (dark chocolate, maybe?).

But why would you keep such thing in the first place?


Speaking of nuts, I only eat them to deal with hunger during my fast-like time. They are my diet food. That's my reason of keeping them around.

Because presenting several options for people to try and see what works for them is not a bad thing. Some people do well away from their trigger foods, other people do worse and keep thinking about their trigger food if it's not around or they can't have it. Nuts do squat for my hunger, sadly. The only reason I eat them is because I like them (A LOT), and that's a good enough reason to keep them around if I were able to moderate them.

I'm with you! I would go through 2 pounds of raw almonds a month. I have done this several times. Don't get me started on Jordan almonds. Yum

amusedmonkey

endlessfall16 wrote: »

amusedmonkey wrote: »

endlessfall16 wrote: »

amusedmonkey wrote: »

keep versions you aren't inclined to overeat (dark chocolate, maybe?).

But why would you keep such thing in the first place?


Speaking of nuts, I only eat them to deal with hunger during my fast-like time. They are my diet food. That's my reason of keeping them around.

Because presenting several options for people to try and see what works for them is not a bad thing. Some people do well away from their trigger foods, other people do worse and keep thinking about their trigger food if it's not around or they can't have it. Nuts do squat for my hunger, sadly. The only reason I eat them is because I like them (A LOT), and that's a good enough reason to keep them around if I were able to moderate them.

No, I am just confused why you would keep dark chocolate around if you didn't like them?

Oh I get what you mean. Yeah, I don't waste calories on foods I don't like either and I totally agree with you on this one. It's not about not liking. I mean, I like chocolate covered almonds. I'm just less inclined to overeat them. A small serving scratches the itch perfectly, but a small serving of plain nuts would not. I've heard many people here state that dark chocolate has a richness to it that it satisfies their cravings without having to eat a lot of it.

CynthiasChoice

mags080611 wrote: »

I'm realizing more and more that ive become addicted to sugar. I crave it and I cant fight the cravings. The struggle is real. Am I the only one?? Any advice is appreciated

Realizing you have a problem with sugar is a good first step. Feeling that you "can't fight the cravings" is a terrible, hopeless feeling. I have been there and know how frustrating it is. No - you're not the only one!

Eating dessert-type foods can suddenly spike your blood sugar for a short period. Then it comes crashing back down, making you want to find your next sugar fix.

The way to interrupt this process is by eating more protein, which keeps your blood sugar steady for a long time, and healthy fats, which keep you satisfied for a long time. Increasing your fiber intake also helps: whole grains, whole fruit and veggies (not juice), legumes etc. When you fill up on protein, healthy fat and veggies, your body will stop craving sugar. Drinking enough water is also key. You may hear your body tell you it needs sugar when what it really needs is better hydration.

Try starting your day with plain Greek yogurt and a little fruit, not a muffin. Or a veggie omelet instead of toast and jam. You'll be setting yourself up for success if your morning meal is low in carbs and high in protein.

After a few high protein days, you won't be thinking about sugar nearly as much and you'll feel so good about your renewed sense of self control. Good luck!