Sugar addiction....

Acg67

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.

So you went zero carb for a time to get over your "addiction"? Even being mindful of carbs in things like eggs etc?

JoyeII

I went zero carb for 5 days, then did Atkins-like Induction for 2 weeks (getting carbs from only a few cheeses, eggs, and green vegetables, no artificial sweeteners) and staying under 20 net carbs, then did another 2 weeks of Atkins-like Induction but added a bigger variety of vegetables, staying under 20 net carbs, then gradually started increasing my carb count by 5 net per week, and at that point started adding in things like protein powder, yogurt, berries, the occasional Stevia packet or diet soda, etc.

AprilMae1975

I stopped eating meat two months ago and it wasn't hard to give up at all. I didn't really have craving because I wasn't a big meat eater to begin with. Now giving up carbs is another story.

What do you you guys that went low carb limit your daily carb intake to. My doctor said don't cut them out all together. I just want a general guideline. I am starting today and the oatmeal packet I just had was 30 carbs and it wan't even that sweet!!

JoyeII

I'm up to 45 net carbs per day. I started at 20 net carbs per day (if you don't count the 5 day zero carb thing). If you love carbs and don't think you can go that low, don't. Start by eliminating, or at least greatly reducing your sugar intake. Switch to low-carb versions of breads, pastas, etc. Stop eating starchy vegetables and grains and replace them with more greenery.

highervibes

I stopped eating meat two months ago and it wasn't hard to give up at all. I didn't really have craving because I wasn't a big meat eater to begin with. Now giving up carbs is another story.

What do you you guys that went low carb limit your daily carb intake to. My doctor said don't cut them out all together. I just want a general guideline. I am starting today and the oatmeal packet I just had was 30 carbs and it wan't even that sweet!!

If you don't eat meat, and you don't want to eat carbs... what ARE you going to eat? How do you plan to get your protein?

GormanGhaste

What do you you guys that went low carb limit your daily carb intake to. My doctor said don't cut them out all together. I just want a general guideline. I am starting today and the oatmeal packet I just had was 30 carbs and it wan't even that sweet!!

I think it's much more important to focus on the quality of carbs, rather than quantity. Try to eat more beans, whole grains and fresh fruits and less processed foods.

AprilMae1975

I stopped eating meat two months ago and it wasn't hard to give up at all. I didn't really have craving because I wasn't a big meat eater to begin with. Now giving up carbs is another story.

What do you you guys that went low carb limit your daily carb intake to. My doctor said don't cut them out all together. I just want a general guideline. I am starting today and the oatmeal packet I just had was 30 carbs and it wan't even that sweet!!

If you don't eat meat, and you don't want to eat carbs... what ARE you going to eat? How do you plan to get your protein?

I am still going to eat carbs. Like I said, my doctor just recommended cutting down. I don't plan on going radical with it lol. I have never counted my carbs or even paid attention to how many I eat so I was just looking for a starting point.

AprilMae1975

What do you you guys that went low carb limit your daily carb intake to. My doctor said don't cut them out all together. I just want a general guideline. I am starting today and the oatmeal packet I just had was 30 carbs and it wan't even that sweet!!

I think it's much more important to focus on the quality of carbs, rather than quantity. Try to eat more beans, whole grains and fresh fruits and less processed foods.

Will do!!

highervibes

I stopped eating meat two months ago and it wasn't hard to give up at all. I didn't really have craving because I wasn't a big meat eater to begin with. Now giving up carbs is another story.

What do you you guys that went low carb limit your daily carb intake to. My doctor said don't cut them out all together. I just want a general guideline. I am starting today and the oatmeal packet I just had was 30 carbs and it wan't even that sweet!!

If you don't eat meat, and you don't want to eat carbs... what ARE you going to eat? How do you plan to get your protein?

I am still going to eat carbs. Like I said, my doctor just recommended cutting down. I don't plan on going radical with it lol. I have never counted my carbs or even paid attention to how many I eat so I was just looking for a starting point.

Rather than working your macros around the grams of carbs (which is irrelevent unless you have a medical reason to watch them) I would start by calculating your lean mass and eating 1g/lb of lean mass of protein and then go to your fats and calculate .3-.45g of fat/lb of IDEAL body weight and the rest will naturally go to carbs. If you want to have higher fats (I chose this option) you can because as we know, fat doesn't make you fat. You can choose to get your carbs from whole grains, sprouted grains, vegetables and fruit. If sometimes you decide to get them from pop tarts and ice cream that's okay too. No shame.

AprilMae1975

I stopped eating meat two months ago and it wasn't hard to give up at all. I didn't really have craving because I wasn't a big meat eater to begin with. Now giving up carbs is another story.

What do you you guys that went low carb limit your daily carb intake to. My doctor said don't cut them out all together. I just want a general guideline. I am starting today and the oatmeal packet I just had was 30 carbs and it wan't even that sweet!!

If you don't eat meat, and you don't want to eat carbs... what ARE you going to eat? How do you plan to get your protein?

I am still going to eat carbs. Like I said, my doctor just recommended cutting down. I don't plan on going radical with it lol. I have never counted my carbs or even paid attention to how many I eat so I was just looking for a starting point.

Rather than working your macros around the grams of carbs (which is irrelevent unless you have a medical reason to watch them) I would start by calculating your lean mass and eating 1g/lb of lean mass of protein and then go to your fats and calculate .3-.45g of fat/lb of IDEAL body weight and the rest will naturally go to carbs. If you want to have higher fats (I chose this option) you can because as we know, fat doesn't make you fat. You can choose to get your carbs from whole grains, sprouted grains, vegetables and fruit. If sometimes you decide to get them from pop tarts and ice cream that's okay too. No shame.

Thank you so much :flowerforyou:

JoyeII

Rather than working your macros around the grams of carbs (which is irrelevent unless you have a medical reason to watch them) I would start by calculating your lean mass and eating 1g/lb of lean mass of protein and then go to your fats and calculate .3-.45g of fat/lb of IDEAL body weight and the rest will naturally go to carbs. If you want to have higher fats (I chose this option) you can because as we know, fat doesn't make you fat. You can choose to get your carbs from whole grains, sprouted grains, vegetables and fruit.

^^^^^^
Yes!!

maillemaker

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

And, in fact, they do!

There are behavioral addictions to many pleasurable stimuli. Video games. Internet use. Sex. Pornography. Work. Working out. Gambling.

People who have these addictions almost all have frontal lobes. And they generally know that they have a problem, though they may be in denial about it.

It's not that they don't know that they have a problem, or what the problem behavior is, it's that they don't have the willpower to overcome it.

maillemaker

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

Because, as I already explained, it's not the sugar causing the behavioral addiction. It's the pleasure derived from the taste of the food.

It might be the same sugar in a piece of fruit vs. ice cream, but the ice cream generates far, far more pleasure than any fruit every will!

Behavioral addictions are about chemical changes to the brain involving the reward circuitry.

Find a source of natural sugars as rewarding to eat as ice cream and you'll probably see the same problems with eating it.

maillemaker

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.

Again with the condescension.

Recognizing a problem is not the same thing as making an excuse for continuing the behavior.

The first step to taking responsibility for your actions is recognizing problem actions and their cause.

No one is saying that people with eating disorders aren't responsible for their actions.

maillemaker

I get you. Its not really an addiction as it is a lack of willpower.

Every addiction is ultimately a result of a lack of willpower. They lack the willpower to stop the negative behavior even knowing the consequences of it.

maillemaker

What do you you guys that went low carb limit your daily carb intake to. My doctor said don't cut them out all together. I just want a general guideline. I am starting today and the oatmeal packet I just had was 30 carbs and it wan't even that sweet!!

I track calories, not carbs, because the calorie deficit is what will make you lose weight.

You will simply find, if you start tracking your calories, that you will generally take a not-worth-it calorie hit for any high-carb food.

So you start avoiding carbs not because there is anything inherently wrong with eating them but rather it takes too much of your precious daily calorie allotment to eat a few mouthfuls of it.

Then, too, I avoid "yummy" carb-rich foods like ice cream, or cookies, etc., because I don't have the willpower to control how many of them I eat. If I break down and buy a box of cookies I'm going to eat the whole damn thing once I start. So it's best just to avoid those kinds of foods altogether. It's hard enough to summon the willpower to stay hungry every waking moment without having to summon enough to stop eating cookies when there are more right in front of you to eat.

WhiteRabbit1313

I love how controversial this topic is. For some of us, sugar makes us crave more sugar. I have never given a bj for sugar, but it's a powerful compulsion regardless of what people claim. I also think it's funny when people say they don't crave sweets while I watch them eat quarter of a loaf of bread or a big bowl of pasta. WHAT do they think bread and pasta are? *smh*

Personally, I did Atkins Induction to the letter for 2 weeks, after that, I had to learn to eat enough protein/fat with sugar, to balance the sugar, so I didn't have hypoglycemic attacks. After day 3 of induction, you don't crave sugar. A less painful approach is to cut your simple carb consumption in half. If you normally eat a burger on a bun, eat only half of the bun. If you normally eat bread with pasta, choose which one you like more and skip the other. And, by all means, skip sodas (even diet sodas) and juice. Wasted calories and too many chemicals that have been shown in studies to cause sugar and food cravings.

Anyway, it's not hard to cut back; you just have to use discipline in making these changes and stick to your resolve to follow through.

Juliane_

I get you. Its not really an addiction as it is a lack of willpower.

Every addiction is ultimately a result of a lack of willpower. They lack the willpower to stop the negative behavior even knowing the consequences of it.

We can try to make it so "simple" by explaining that it's a matter of willpower you "weakling" but that doesn't help the other individual and whether we like it or not it may be more difficult for some than others....otherwise mental health professionals wouldn't exist...psychology wouldn't exist, studies on human behavior wouldn't exist...etc, etc....it is not as simple as telling someone to go get some willpower....it may happen like that for some but not everyone

WhiteRabbit1313

What do you you guys that went low carb limit your daily carb intake to. My doctor said don't cut them out all together. I just want a general guideline. I am starting today and the oatmeal packet I just had was 30 carbs and it wan't even that sweet!!

I track calories, not carbs, because the calorie deficit is what will make you lose weight.

^^Agreed^^

Juliane_

I track both...calories and carbs because lower carbs helps you feel energized and satisfied while higher carbs make you hungry faster...it's easier to deal with a calorie deficit on low carb. Low carb to me is between 50-100 g depending on your physicial activity during the day.