How to battle sugar addiction

crystalham30

Curious if anyone has any suggestions on battling sugar addiction? I have tried several times i can do it for a few days but then I fall off the wagon and have a full out binge.

ninerbuff

There is no battle because it's not an addiction.

And there's no reason to completely cut it out (unless you have a health issue like diabetes). How about eating LESS of it to start. I mean you're not eating teaspoons of sugar from a bin are you? It's likely foods that have it laced with added sugar. So eat less of them. If it's gummy bears, instead of a full serving, eat half and stop.

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

V4kerker

Out of Sight out of Mind. For starters if it's in the house get rid of it.

tweety0429

This is what i did instead of using sugar in my tea i am using natural wild honey.
and instead of candy i am eating dates, prunes or other fruits and my sweet craving would stop

ninerbuff

tweety0429 wrote: »

This is what i did instead of using sugar in my tea i am using natural wild honey.
and instead of candy i am eating dates, prunes or other fruits and my sweet craving would stop

It's still sugar. More nutrients involved with the fruits, but still it's laden with sugar. And honey is a concentrated form of sugar.

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

livingleanlivingclean

tweety0429 wrote: »

This is what i did instead of using sugar in my tea i am using natural wild honey.
and instead of candy i am eating dates, prunes or other fruits and my sweet craving would stop

Sugar = glucose + fructose for sweetness
Honey = glucose + fructose for sweetness. (yes, minimal amounts of other things... But still sugar)

Pandakins1969

i have to be the biggest sugar junkie going and i knew i was going to find breaking the habit really hard , because it is a habit not an addiction. I think it came to the point when i was only going to lose the weight when i wanted weight loss more than the piece of cake in my hand. Cake won a few times basically through sheer laziness..i wanted the weight loss but didnt want to have to do anything about it. This time weight loss won. I've found it easier to quit the sugary junk because i actually WANT to be fit and healthy more than i want that cake.

livingleanlivingclean

Pandakins1969 wrote: »

i have to be the biggest sugar junkie going and i knew i was going to find breaking the habit really hard , because it is a habit not an addiction. I think it came to the point when i was only going to lose the weight when i wanted weight loss more than the piece of cake in my hand. Cake won a few times basically through sheer laziness..i wanted the weight loss but didnt want to have to do anything about it. This time weight loss won. I've found it easier to quit the sugary junk because i actually WANT to be fit and healthy more than i want that cake.

The thing is, cake is more than sugar. It's got plenty of fat, and some protein. Other sources of carbs. Most things people eat when they say they're "addicted to sugar" are a mix of a variety of things...

godsgrl33

I can totally relate. Following to get some tips.

Pandakins1969

The thing is, cake is more than sugar. It's got plenty of fat, and some protein. Other sources of carbs. Most things people eat when they say they're "addicted to sugar" are a mix of a variety of things... [/quote]

oh trust me mine was more than cake i used that as an example. I would stuff myself on cake, sweets, biscuits, chocolate, loads of jam on toast...anything that tasted sweet. I'd go to the supermarket each evening when all of the bakery goods were reduced and buy pack after pack and eat most myself with a bag of sweets to help it along. Lunch was always some kind of pasty or pie from a Bakery but i wasnt happy until i'd had some sticky sweet iced donut or two after...even if i was full and mostly i was but i ate for the taste not for an empty belly.

livingleanlivingclean

Pandakins1969 wrote: »

The thing is, cake is more than sugar. It's got plenty of fat, and some protein. Other sources of carbs. Most things people eat when they say they're "addicted to sugar" are a mix of a variety of things...

oh trust me mine was more than cake i used that as an example. I would stuff myself on cake, sweets, biscuits, chocolate, loads of jam on toast...anything that tasted sweet. I'd go to the supermarket each evening when all of the bakery goods were reduced and buy pack after pack and eat most myself with a bag of sweets to help it along. Lunch was always some kind of pasty or pie from a Bakery but i wasnt happy until i'd had some sticky sweet iced donut or two after...even if i was full and mostly i was but i ate for the taste not for an empty belly.

[/quote]

Everything you've described, with the exception of the bags of sweets, and jam on toast (if it was butterless) , has a lot of fat too...

godsgrl33

I think some people can do the portion control with sweets, but for me, I think I have to pretty much cut it out, unless it's a special occasion.

inertiastrength

If you have a "bad" or "good" food mentality your problem is psychological and not physiological. You are not addicted to sugar, but you *may* have an eating disorder. Have you considered seeing a therapist to work through the psychological aspects etc?

yayamom3

One thing that made a HUGE difference in my sugar cravings is taking probiotics. For years, I thought about and craved sweets all day every day. Now, I rarely think about them. And when I do choose to eat something sweet (like cookies, ice cream, pie, etc.), I'm able to eat one serving and be completely satisfied.

robthephotog

ninerbuff wrote: »

There is no battle because it's not an addiction.

And there's no reason to completely cut it out (unless you have a health issue like diabetes). How about eating LESS of it to start. I mean you're not eating teaspoons of sugar from a bin are you? It's likely foods that have it laced with added sugar. So eat less of them. If it's gummy bears, instead of a full serving, eat half and stop.

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

Wrong. Anything can be an addiction if we are consuming it too often. Sugar is still part of our body's chemical energy process. If you are used to the high of having sugar everyday, you'll still feel like a big turd by restricting it the next day.

My best advice is to slow down how much of it you eat. Regardless where it's coming from. Dont go cold turkey. Just cut back. Maybe use a cup or bowl for portion control? Or predetermined amounts in bags is great.

3rdof7sisters

This topic comes up...........every..............single...........day. Some days multiple times.
If you can not moderate sweets, and include in your daily calorie budget, do what you have to so you are not tempted by it. The same with any food you can not control yourself from overeating. Sugar is not evil, no food is. Moderation, portion control and not eating over calorie allotment. To lose weight, eat less than your body burns. To maintain, eat @ what your body burns. Simple, but not easy.

It is really important for each of us to find what will work for us as individuals long term. Losing is a part of this, but knowing what it will take to maintain our weight loss long term is key to keeping the weight off. The failure rate for keeping the weight off for over 5 years is over 80%, so a very high percentage of us, need to find the answer that will help us keep the weight off, hopefully forever.

megzchica23

As mentioned before, don't cut it out just eat less. I always look for things that no added sugar. I don't drink sugary drinks. I like to have sugar free popsicles, 30 calories. I also like to have greek yogurt with yummy flavors which are a nice treat but my less sugar. You could also try sugar free pudding or jello. I have learned it is much easier to stick to a diet if you have alternative treats then just cutting them out. I really enjoy the dannon light and fit peanut butter delight greek yogurt. it has a tiny bit of peanut butter crunchy things and dark chocolate pieces in it, so it feels like having a candy bar but better for you and less calories and a lot less sugar.

vegmebuff

I think there are those that when it comes to 'sugar' it's all or nothing. Moderation just doesn't work. Several years ago I completely cut it out (as in added sugar).

I remember having a piece of banana several weeks into my new plan, it tasted like candy to me. Perhaps you'll get your sweet fix eventually from sweet potatoes, fruit, etc., as it did for me.

The craving for it was gone after several days.

Everyone is different - moderation or not. You'll have to discover what works best for you.
Good luck:)

farmgirl1677

Sweets are my downfall also. I just love the taste of anything sweet. My daughter on the other hand hardly eats sweets at all. She doesn't like ther flavor. I think all people have different taste buds, and some of us like the sweet way to much lol. Anyway, I am giving up one thing at a time. I tried going cold turkey and I failed every time. So, first I gave up soda, and decided after one month of no soda I would add another item to get rid of. It's going to be candy bars next, along with the soda, and so on. I have found that since I gave up soda my sugar cravings have not been as bad. I also try my best to stay under 1500 calories a day. I just log everything and try to incorporate healthier choices. Good luck to you!

lemurcat12

crystalham30 wrote: »

Curious if anyone has any suggestions on battling sugar addiction? I have tried several times i can do it for a few days but then I fall off the wagon and have a full out binge.

First, avoid the discussion about whether it's an addiction, it doesn't matter and is a hot button on MFP. ;-)

Second, I think specifics matter -- presumably you feel out of control with sugar (sugary treats? sweets? particular sweets? -- it's worth being specific about this too). When do you tend to overeat them? Is it in a particular place, tempting situation, when stuff is happening (emotional eating), a habit? (bored at work go grab some candy?), a usual time of eating (while watching TV), what?

Related to this, do you have a structure in place for your eating in general or are you just eating as it strikes you but trying to eat less? (For most of us, that kind of thing just doesn't work, you need a plan or structure, such as that provided by MFP.)

Other things also help (related to the structure): eating a balanced diet with enough protein, maybe controlling eating times (what worked for me was not snacking except one after dinner dessert), getting enough sleep, having stress control options in place (like exercise), learning to separate hunger and a desire to eat for other reasons.

But the first thing to do is really to break it down and think about when you tend to overeat sugary things and what's going on.

I cut out added sugar for a while, but have found that for the most part I do better and have no issues if I let myself have a dessert in my day which is sometimes sugar related (I often have a serving of ice cream or some good chocolate after dinner), sometimes not (I also like good cheese), and sometimes a sugary thing I've never had an issue with (like fruit). Knowing I can have more tomorrow if I want tends to help me not overeat when I do eat something, because it's not my last chance to have something off limits.

hkincaid87

Those saying that its not an addiction are wrong. Its been shown in studies that sugar lights up our pleasure receptors in our brain the same way cocaine and other illicit drugs do. It causes a rush of serotonin and dopamine that makes us feel good. I can absolutely be an addiction.