Sugar addiction....

horsetrainer46

I believe I know what you're talking about, and yes there are actually some of us who do have a real addiction to sugar. I am one, so I understand. I've been battling this for many years, and friends don't understand. I found an article on it once and mentioned it to my sister. Turns out, she struggles with the same thing. My brother heard us talking and said that my day would go into a store and instead of one candy bar, he'd throw 10 on the seat. He wasn't overweight, and neither were my sister and I until we started getting older (30's and 40's) As a kid, I used to eat sugar with a spoon right from the sugar bowl. Of course my mom would have freaked if she knew! If you even take a taste of sugar it sends you on a binge for days? If you allow yourself a little bowl of ice cream, the next thing you know you cant stop till the whole half gallon is gone, then when you start to crash you look for cookies, cake, or some other form of sweets? One M&M turns into needing nothing but sugar for the rest of the day? Thats me and I have overcome it. So can you. One thing to know is that it takes 3 to 4 days of wiping out ALL forms of sugar to detox from it, and I mean everything that contains sugar aside from fruit. Even at that, its best to stick to apples or berries. You will have mood swings and headaches, you just have to deal with it. It will stop after those few days. From there, it is about willpower, you MUST avoid the triggers, and don't take that first bite. Redirect your brain to something else. Have some coffee or something with caffeine. Also, be very careful with sugar substitutes, even natural ones like agave nectar. The only sweetener I've found that helps me stay on track is pure stevia powder. Not the junk you get in the grocery store, that contains other artificial sweeteners too. I get it online, it should be 95% steviosides. I will PM you the name of where I get it. One thing, it is very sweet, but does have a bitter kick to it. I got used to it and prefer it to other stuff now. Good luck to you!!!!!

Bry_Fitness70

I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but in general, the fit people that have selfies with toned muscles and washboard abs think that sugar isn't addictive, while the heavier ones seem to think it is.

And many of those people with the toned muscles and washboard abs did not always have toned muscles and washboard abs.

Some of them were once 300 pounds.

And not one of those 300lb'ers got fat from eating too much fruit, nor lost weight from cutting fruit from their diets.

And I would bet 90% of them didn't cut any other sugar source, either.

Forgive the anecdote, but I lost 10 lbs over the course of 5-6 weeks mostly by cutting the refined sugar from my diet and replacing it with less sugary and natural sugar alternatives. I got rid of sugary yogurts, protein bars, sports & energy drinks, and fruit juices with added sugar. That amounted to going from over 100gs a day to under 50gs of refined sugar. And that was a loss of 10 "hard" lbs, as I dropped from about 180-170 on a 6 ft frame

dude, you ate less and lost weight..congratulations you have unlocked the ancient mayan secret to weight loss...

So now you are telling me how much I ate? That doesn't help your credibility on the subject.

highervibes

You obviously ate less, or moved more. You had a deficit in calories -- it's the ONLY way you can lose. Different fad diets accomplish the same thing in different ways but any way you slice it weight comes off when you expend more energy than you take in. Do you think that if you ate at a surplus but avoided sugar and carbs you wouldn't gain?

scottaworley

I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but in general, the fit people that have selfies with toned muscles and washboard abs think that sugar isn't addictive, while the heavier ones seem to think it is.

And many of those people with the toned muscles and washboard abs did not always have toned muscles and washboard abs.

Some of them were once 300 pounds.

And not one of those 300lb'ers got fat from eating too much fruit, nor lost weight from cutting fruit from their diets.

And I would bet 90% of them didn't cut any other sugar source, either.

Forgive the anecdote, but I lost 10 lbs over the course of 5-6 weeks mostly by cutting the refined sugar from my diet and replacing it with less sugary and natural sugar alternatives. I got rid of sugary yogurts, protein bars, sports & energy drinks, and fruit juices with added sugar. That amounted to going from over 100gs a day to under 50gs of refined sugar. And that was a loss of 10 "hard" lbs, as I dropped from about 180-170 on a 6 ft frame

dude, you ate less and lost weight..congratulations you have unlocked the ancient mayan secret to weight loss...

So now you are telling me how much I ate? That doesn't help your credibility on the subject.

Fruit is hard to log.

Bry_Fitness70

You obviously ate less, or moved more. You had a deficit in calories -- it's the ONLY way you can lose. Different fad diets accomplish the same thing in different ways but any way you slice it weight comes off when you expend more energy than you take in. Do you think that if you ate at a surplus but avoided sugar and carbs you wouldn't gain?

Yes - as I posted above earlier, sugar affects the way your body stores fat and burns energy. What you eat is relevant, if you honestly think your body weight, fat storage, and metabolism is the same whether eating a 2,200 calories of donuts and eating 2,200 calories of a balanced diet, we have probably hit a wall and aren't going to get anywhere with this discussion.

highervibes

You obviously ate less, or moved more. You had a deficit in calories -- it's the ONLY way you can lose. Different fad diets accomplish the same thing in different ways but any way you slice it weight comes off when you expend more energy than you take in. Do you think that if you ate at a surplus but avoided sugar and carbs you wouldn't gain?

Yes - as I posted above earlier, sugar affects the way your body stores fat and burns energy. What you eat is relevant, if you honestly think your body weight, fat storage, and metabolism is the same whether eating a 2,200 calories of donuts and eating 2,200 calories of a balanced diet, we have probably hit a wall and aren't going to get anywhere with this discussion.

Well as far as weight loss goes it would be the same. You ratio of lean mass:fat loss would likely be higher on the twinkie diet since you're not getting adequate protein but that's just a guess on my part. Do you think that a person eating a balanced diet of 2200 calories would lose differently than someone eating 2200 of grilled chicken breast? As far as I can tell no one here is saying you ONLY eat sugar, I think what we're saying is you don't have to give it up. The same way I'm sure you don't just eat grilled plain chicken.

AprilMae1975

So after reading what everyone had to say today, I decided to go see my doctor. She recommended cutting down as much as I can on all the sweets. She suggested making a smoothie daily with fruit to get my "fix". She wants to see me again in a month to see how it's going. She also didn't agree with going cold turkey, rather making better choices and reminding myself that I don't need to consume all the stuff I crave to be happy.

Thank you to everyone who responded. I appreciate all the advice and laughs you gave me.

rml_16

So after reading what everyone had to say today, I decided to go see my doctor. She recommended cutting down as much as I can on all the sweets. She suggested making a smoothie daily with fruit to get my "fix". She wants to see me again in a month to see how it's going. She also didn't agree with going cold turkey, rather making better choices and reminding myself that I don't need to consume all the stuff I crave to be happy.

Thank you to everyone who responded. I appreciate all the advice and laughs you gave me.

Well, geesh! You could have skipped the doctor and just given ME the money! lol

Glad you got her advice, though.

rml_16

I have an addiction to processed sugar, so I am trying to eat fruit every time I have a craving. It helps.

so you are addicted to sugar then, right?

I'm pretty sure what that REALLY means is, "I really like the taste of the foods that contain processed sugar so I've been avoiding them and choosing better options."

rml_16

I have an addiction to processed sugar, so I am trying to eat fruit every time I have a craving. It helps.

so you are addicted to sugar then, right?

I'm pretty sure what that REALLY means is, "I really like the taste of the foods that contain processed sugar so I've been avoiding them and choosing better options."

ashandstuff

So after reading what everyone had to say today, I decided to go see my doctor. She recommended cutting down as much as I can on all the sweets. She suggested making a smoothie daily with fruit to get my "fix". She wants to see me again in a month to see how it's going. She also didn't agree with going cold turkey, rather making better choices and reminding myself that I don't need to consume all the stuff I crave to be happy.

Thank you to everyone who responded. I appreciate all the advice and laughs you gave me.

Glad you sought out a doctor! Trying is the hardest part, but we are all here for you along your journey. Good luck!

maillemaker

So after reading what everyone had to say today, I decided to go see my doctor. She recommended cutting down as much as I can on all the sweets. She suggested making a smoothie daily with fruit to get my "fix". She wants to see me again in a month to see how it's going. She also didn't agree with going cold turkey, rather making better choices and reminding myself that I don't need to consume all the stuff I crave to be happy.

Sounds like good, solid advice. I pretty much went "cold turkey", but I still eat "bad" things from time to time. One night I totally flipped my **** and just went and bought a pint of Ben and Jerry's. A couple of weeks ago I bought an entire Strawberry cheesecake and ate half of it over the course of a week.

In the end, it's all about calories. You can eat sweets from time to time - you'll just find as you track your food that there is not much pleasure gained out of so few mouthfuls of it for the calorie hit you'll take for the day.

I'm pretty sure what that REALLY means is, "I really like the taste of the foods that contain processed sugar so I've been avoiding them and choosing better options."

Absolutely. You have to break the behavior of eating the tasty foods and learn how to live with the generally less-tasty but less-calorie-dense options.

jenn26point2

I need help overcoming my sugar addiction. I would love tips from anyone who has been through this and broke the addiction.

21 Day Sugar Detox or Whole30.

LOL'Z

There's no such thing, unless OP, you're in a bathroom somewhere with a tourniquet tied around your arm or you're sneaking it in your coffee.

Actually, there are a ton of studies out there indicating that the effect sugar has on the brain is similar to the effect opioids and cocaine have - re: dopamine release.

highervibes

I need help overcoming my sugar addiction. I would love tips from anyone who has been through this and broke the addiction.

21 Day Sugar Detox or Whole30.

LOL'Z

There's no such thing, unless OP, you're in a bathroom somewhere with a tourniquet tied around your arm or you're sneaking it in your coffee.

Actually, there are a ton of studies out there indicating that the effect sugar has on the brain is similar to the effect opioids and cocaine have - re: dopamine release.

I bet they would find the same about anyting pleasurable. Thank heaveans we all have frontal lobes!!!

JoyeII

I have a firm grasp on reality, thanks. Perhaps "hostile" was the wrong word. You're just a bit preachy and condescending when delivering your opinions/advice.

I agree with your calorie deficit theory. Of course. It's solid science. Being on a low-carbohydrate plan which causes a ketogenic state, reduces the appetite causing you to eat fewer calories. This can be achieved in many forms. Replacing higher fat items with their low or no-fat counterparts is also a good option for those who can tolerate the change. Reducing portion size can work as well.

I think that people should do whatever works best for them. Whatever they can actually stick with! I have many friends who are excited about my progress and ask what I'm doing. They want to do it too. The ones who want to do this as a "crash diet" and then go back to eating "normally," I tell them this isn't the plan for them. You have to be in it for life. It's a lifestyle change, not a diet.

Have you considered that for many, there's no such thing as moderation where refined, sugary treats are concerned? It's an all or nothing sort of thing. It's not a mind over matter thing. It's not a question of will-power, but a chemically induced compulsion. Very similar to addiction. It's a behavior. A little bit of the "bad" stuff causes a binge.

And I also disagree with the other poster about being miserable from completely eliminating refined sugary treats. I'm not miserable. I eat well every day. I have a few sweet tasting things now and then, but I do not eat white sugar, ever! I'm enjoying my diet and enjoying the benefits I'm reaping from it.

Acg67

Have you considered that for many, there's no such thing as moderation where refined, sugary treats are concerned? It's an all or nothing sort of thing. It's not a mind over matter thing. It's not a question of will-power, but a chemically induced compulsion. Very similar to addiction. It's a behavior. A little bit of the "bad" stuff causes a binge.

And I also disagree with the other poster about being miserable from completely eliminating refined sugary treats. I'm not miserable. I eat well every day. I have a few sweet tasting things now and then, but I do not eat white sugar, ever! I'm enjoying my diet and enjoying the benefits I'm reaping from it.

Why can they do moderation of "natural" sugars but not refined?

highervibes

Have you considered that for many, there's no such thing as moderation where refined, sugary treats are concerned? It's an all or nothing sort of thing. It's not a mind over matter thing. It's not a question of will-power, but a chemically induced compulsion. Very similar to addiction. It's a behavior. A little bit of the "bad" stuff causes a binge.

And I also disagree with the other poster about being miserable from completely eliminating refined sugary treats. I'm not miserable. I eat well every day. I have a few sweet tasting things now and then, but I do not eat white sugar, ever! I'm enjoying my diet and enjoying the benefits I'm reaping from it.

Why can they do moderation of "natural" sugars but not refined?

Because that would mean it was their fault they got fat in the first place, we can't have people taking responsibility for their actions... that's just crazy talk.

ehorn625

I get you. Its not really an addiction as it is a lack of willpower. I have a carb issue. I stay away from them because once I start, I can't stop. (Not talking about "good carbs" but the processed crap). I make sure I have healthy alternatives around like fruit. For the most part I am good. I fall off the wagon every 2-3 weeks, get mad at myself for a day, then get over it.

JoyeII

Possibly because they completely eliminate all forms of sugar for a period of time, and then very slowly reintroduce them.

I think we basically agree on things here. In the end, it's just about switching to healthier alternatives for your sweet fix.

I just believe it's more effective for some people (like me) to completely eliminate for a while and then gradually reintroduce the healthier choices.

Trying to moderate by subbing low-cal versions of the sweets I liked, didn't work for me. I couldn't control my portions. I would binge. It works that way for some people. So, I eliminated them altogether, and then slowly reintroduced "sweet" things, in the form of berries, other lower sugar fruits, or adding a bit of Stevia to my tea, etc.

I believe I retrained myself. I'm learning balance. I just took a different route than some of you did, but we ended up in the same place.

stillnot2late

There's no such thing. Just get your diet figured out and fit in moderate amounts of foods you enjoy.

This I'm doing right now - at this moment. it sounds good to me