Sugar Addict

saggynaggy65
saggynaggy65 Posts: 68 Member
edited October 2022 in Health and Weight Loss
I am not new to MFP. I come back and forth because I am looking for a way to manage my diet through calories in/calories out and my sugar addiction. Last summer through sheer power and determination I lost 20 pounds in 3 months on Keto. I felt amazing! But then Halloween 2021 came around and my addiction to sugar came back in full force. I tell myself...oh you can just have a couple, and then that leads to a couple dozen. I can be complacent on my diet for about 5 days then on the weekends I blow it all to H E double 🏒🏒. The You Tube low carb gurus say eating lots of protein and fat will help with the sugar cravings, but that doesnt seem to work for me. I still want sugar even months after doing low carb. I am afraid if I don't get this addiction under control I will gain all my weight back. I cant imagine what all this sugar is doing to my body. For instance, last night I binged on Halloween candy until I was physically sick and today I feel hung over. I probably ate 2000 calories of little chocolates, I lost count. I'm disgusted in myself. All the wrappers in the garbage make me feel like a loser. Its a vicious cycle. Eat perfect all week then binge on the weekend. Round round we go. I am truly an addict with sugar like an alcoholic is with alcohol. One is one too many and a thousand is not enough. Anyone out there with advice on how to get sugar out of their diet for good would greatly be appreciated! I am also looking for supportive friends to help keep me accountable. The holidays are coming and its the worst time for sugar addicts like me. Thank you! 😊

Replies

  • Sinisterbarbie1
    Sinisterbarbie1 Posts: 711 Member
    Some addiction therapists (all addictions) suggest to try writing down for yourself when and how the craving comes about. Are you addressing something other than a sweet tooth or hunger? Then try to think about how giving in to the craving and eating the first piece, then more and more, and the aftermath of binging and the sugar hangover and seeing all the empty wrappers in the trash later make you feel. Think about (and write down) every step along the way, and see if you can learn anything that helps you redirect once you realize what is happening.

    Binging is by definition the opposite of mindful eating, so when people force themselves to be super mindful (even in retrospect) of every part of the experience and write it down so they have it to refer to the next time they sense themselves starting in that direction again, they can learn things that are surprising. For instance, people may learn that they start unintentionally preparing to binge when there is an opportunity coming up to be alone and undiscovered. They may buy their favorite addictive foods and stash them away. They can catch themselves in these pre-craving, planning phases and redirect. Similarly, some people say that the stress of keeping disciplined is so difficult that it is the mental giving in to breaking the forbidden food rule that gives them the most relief, rather than eating the food itself. If that is the case, you might shop for the items you crave on instacart or amazon, and not hit the checkout button, or give yourself permission to walk to the store to purchase one sweet if you are still experiencing the craving in 20 minutes equally intensely, but during those twenty minutes do something else to redirect your attention. almost invariably people realize that the desired food or substance doesn’t actually taste that great to them when they focus on describing it, and certainly the second, third, tenth, twentieth, fiftieth piece doesn’t taste good as the first (or maybe it doesn’t even taste like anything at all). What are you thinking/feeling then that is motivating you to keep consuming, and can you satisfy that need or feeling with something else?

    In terms of sensory cues to break the sugar cravings, brushing my teeth always makes me disinclined to eat anything. And I am more likely to do unhealthy things when I am bored, my mind is not engaged/I feel like I am just lazing around the house, so doing whatever it takes to signal your mind/body that you are actively engaged in the work or play you are pursuing at the moment may also help.
    I wish you luck!
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    edited October 2022
    @AnnPT77 will weigh in on this, because I learned from her. Eat a piece of fruit when you get a sugar craving. Fruit is sugar too, but difficult to bing on. Try and squelch your craving by transferring to fruit. See if it helps. Sugar exists and, as you've found out, it's in a lot of things and impossible to avoid. Chocolates have sugar combined with fat and that's what really feeds a craving.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,222 Member
    edited October 2022
    I convinced a friend to try low carb but she always drank diet pepsi and figured because it didn't have sugar in it, she would be ok. She had quite a bit of weight to lose and she also had Insulin resistance and an A1C of just over 6 which kind of woke her up. Anyway, she would binge periodically on some ultra processed sugary dessert foods, she just couldn't help herself. I suggested to drop the diet pepsi for a while and see what happens. That was 2 years ago, and she hasn't binged since or even had the desire. I mentioned this because I've been aware that a sweet taste, even without calorie content can affect our neuroendocrine pathways which is in the hypothalamus, our basic control centre, although I never mentioned that to her. Seemed to work pretty well for her. Basically what I'm saying is that some people even on a low carb diet can't ditch the sugar binging and sometimes any starchy carbs can be a trigger, regardless of the source which need to be removed as well. Out of curiosity, how many grams of carbs do you eat and where are they coming from. Cheers
  • peggy_polenta
    peggy_polenta Posts: 325 Member
    try this. it helped for me. keep a Tupper wear of chicken salad (or some else you like like tuna or egg salad) also in a bowl ready to eat in the fridge. when YOU THINK you want something, take a few spoonfuls of the salad. you will find that the craving goes away when you are actually something else. you only crave when you are not eating to your plan. eating a donut does not occur to you while you are shoveling a few tablespoons of chicken salad.
  • delillolauren
    delillolauren Posts: 35 Member
    This may step on some toes here, but have you considered Overeaters Anonymous?
    They won’t give you food advice necessarily, but will help with coping skills to manage your triggers.
    Even fruit is a trigger for me, as I’m now learning. I have to keep my carb count very low in order to keep a check on my bingeing.
  • _Kev_71
    _Kev_71 Posts: 4 Member
    I struggle on weekends as well. I have had better success over the last few years. The biggest thing is to be aware of your challenges and be proactive as possible. Fresh fruit and sugar free yogurt help me. It tastes sweet enough for me and is much healthier than candy. The last item is even at my worst I had good days. So even at my best I have bad days. You have to forgive your mishaps and move on. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Experiment and keep trying. You will find what works best for you. You will do great.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,225 Member
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    @AnnPT77 will weigh in on this, because I learned from her. Eat a piece of fruit when you get a sugar craving. Fruit is sugar too, but difficult to bing on. Try and squelch your craving by transferring to fruit. See if it helps. Sugar exists and, as you've found out, it's in a lot of things and impossible to avoid. Chocolates have sugar combined with fat and that's what really feeds a craving.

    I'm not sure I need to weigh in on this, since you've said it well here, but yes. I found that making it a point to eat 3 servings of fruit every day for a while helped reduce my cravings for more calorie-dense/nutrient-sparse sweets like candy, cookies, cake, etc. It did take a period of time, but it was a help.

    The idea came from a registered dietitian. Her idea - not sure how well-founded - was that sweets cravings can be triggered by sub-ideal micronutrient intake, with our bodies sort of conditioned by human history to seek out sweets at those times, because fruits have been common sweets through most of that human history and they tend to be excellent sources of micronutrients. 🤷‍♀️

    I'd also observe that I suspect sweets cravings can be spiked by fatigue, and fatigue caused by high stress, over-exercise beyond ideal for current fitness level, or poor sleep quality/quantity. So many report their sweets cravings being stronger in the evening, which seems like a hint in that direction. If there are opportunities for stress reduction, better sleep, or a more moderate activity schedule, those might be helpful as well.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,225 Member
    ahoy_m8 wrote: »
    OP, for many years I had that exact pattern too -- stuck to a very restrictive plan all week but blew it on weekends. It took me a long time to realize I was setting myself up for failure by being TOO restrictive during the week. Everyone knows overeating works against weight loss, but under-eating isn't helpful either. You need a reasonable, manageable deficit. Not a crazy huge deficit that has high odds of resulting in a binge.

    It is worth taking another look at your stats and recalculating a reasonable calorie target that maximizes your probability of success. And just get the candy out of the house. You only get so much will power so you want to conserve it and use it wisely. Make it easier for yourself.

    I agree with this, too. A more moderate (slower) weight loss plan one can stick with may actually take less calendar time than a supposedly fast weight loss rate that triggers overeating, setbacks, and maybe causes giving up altogether. There's a lot to be said for working to make weight loss easier, rather than trying to make it faster.

    For someone like me with a tendency to overweight, weight management is a lifelong endeavor, not a quick project with an end date, after which things "go back to normal". That latter's a recipe for yo-yos and regain. To me, that puts a priority on figuring out some relatively-happy habits that can continue almost on autopilot, while taking us to a reasonably healthy weight and keeping us there long term.

    One other observation: If you like eating more on the weekend, consider a moderate (sensible) calorie deficit you can stick with during the week, then plan to eat maintenance calories on the weekend - a "calorie banking" approach. Yes, that results in somewhat slower weight loss overall, but if it's steady and more sustainable, that's a win, in my world.
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,649 Member
    As far as Halloween candy goes, opt out of Halloween. Kids are unhealthy enough these days.

    If you want to participate, at least buy candy that you hate. Remember Jerry Seinfeld's take on circus peanuts? I think he used them as doorstops, lol.

    I sympathize with you, OP, as far as a monster sweet tooth is concerned. For me, fruit ain't gonna cut it if there is the option of chocolate in the equation. I've latched on to various lower calorie sugar options in the past -- Italian ice comes to mind, or Safeway's sundae crunch ice cream bars at 170 calories a pop (literally) -- and now I'm a Twizzlers freak (they ring in at about 36 calories for a twist, but obviously sucking down 12 of them obliterates the lower calorie benefit. I've worked down to being happy with 6 at a time.)
  • Xellercin
    Xellercin Posts: 924 Member
    Have you sought any kind of counselling?
  • saggynaggy65
    saggynaggy65 Posts: 68 Member
    neanderthin wrote: »
    I convinced a friend to try low carb but she always drank diet pepsi and figured because it didn't have sugar in it, she would be ok. She had quite a bit of weight to lose and she also had Insulin resistance and an A1C of just over 6 which kind of woke her up. Anyway, she would binge periodically on some ultra processed sugary dessert foods, she just couldn't help herself. I suggested to drop the diet pepsi for a while and see what happens. That was 2 years ago, and she hasn't binged since or even had the desire. I mentioned this because I've been aware that a sweet taste, even without calorie content can affect our neuroendocrine pathways which is in the hypothalamus, our basic control centre, although I never mentioned that to her. Seemed to work pretty well for her. Basically what I'm saying is that some people even on a low carb diet can't ditch the sugar binging and sometimes any starchy carbs can be a trigger, regardless of the source which need to be removed as well. Out of curiosity, how many grams of carbs do you eat and where are they coming from. Cheers

    My Carbs are from meat, dairy and veggies mainly. I was doing 20g total carbs a day.
  • saggynaggy65
    saggynaggy65 Posts: 68 Member
    My Carbs are from meat, dairy and veggies mainly. I was doing 20g total carbs a day.
  • saggynaggy65
    saggynaggy65 Posts: 68 Member
    Xellercin wrote: »
    Have you sought any kind of counselling?

    No counseling is hard to get into right now and I can't afford it.
  • saggynaggy65
    saggynaggy65 Posts: 68 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    .
    saggynaggy65 wrote: »
    I feel that I am binging because I've been so restrictive with my food (20 grams total carbs) that I have kinda started a eating disorder. I am sick and tired of eggs, meat and low carb veggies everyday. I have lost weight very quickley eating this way but I also feel very deprived. I am at the point where I'm realizing that the keto diet may not be for me. Starting today I am going to start incorporating more fruit and healthy carbs into my diet and see if that helps with my binge eating.
    Like some of you said, you have to have a way of eating that you can live with and still meet your weightloss goals. I will let you know how it goes! Thanks everyone!

    Good plan. Fruit, vegetables, pulses, nuts are all part of a good nutrition plan.

    When you add back in carbs, you're going to gain a couple pounds of scale weight. It's a part of the glycogen storage system. IT'S NOT FAT. Stay the course for a week or two and the weight will stabilize. Then you can go back to losing again. Just be prepared for that. It showed up as rapid weight loss when you cut carbs, and it will cause a bump UP on the scale. It's not fat, the weight is water.

    Thank you for the reminder cmriverside! I know that when I started the keto diet I lost 7 pounds in the first week. Not fat loss, water loss! Still felt good though! 😉
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,649 Member
    I actually think the sugar addiction argument has improved on MFP. When I joined in 2014, it was an absolute land mine and people came down HARD on anyone using the words "sugar addiction." I have always been adverse to asking questions here because of blowhards who beat you over the head when things aren't worded correctly, or God forbid, you've labored under some wrong nutrition/dieting information. That's why the kind posters really are to be appreciated.

    Then again, the forums just seem so boring these days. Maybe that's part of things being "nicer." LOL.
  • denise654
    denise654 Posts: 3 Member
    Best of luck to you! It’s a hard thing and for me it just came down to willpower to say NO and to have other, more healthy things ready to eat. I have loved sugar my whole life ( I won’t make a list of the wonderfully tasty treats I have indulged in my whole life, but believe me this list is long). Somehow, I haven’t had anything with sugar for the last 6 weeks. The only thing I allow myself at this point is a few dates and that usually does it. The dates are amazing. Never had a date before in my life, but they are now my go to if I want something sweet.
  • lornamarie57
    lornamarie57 Posts: 32 Member
    I had similar habits before I started. Something that has helped, in addition to buying Halloween or lunch snacks I dislike, is buying some chocolate that I can eat in moderation and be happy with. I buy Brookside Dark chocolate acai and blueberries and dark chocolate covered dried mangos. Its about 170 cals for a serving and I have a full serving. When I first started I had it every afternoon. I ate it slowly around 3pm and it satisfied the craving without turning into more.
    I agree that it sounds like keto might not be sustainable for you. It isn't sustainable for me either. I'm not willing to give up carbs forever. That's just not me.
  • njitaliana
    njitaliana Posts: 814 Member
    See a therapist and a dietitian to help you. The dietitian can give you advice on sugar. The therapist can help you to find other coping mechanisms than eating sugar. I doubt you have an addiction. More like a habit.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited November 2022
    njitaliana wrote: »
    See a therapist and a dietitian to help you. The dietitian can give you advice on sugar. The therapist can help you to find other coping mechanisms than eating sugar. I doubt you have an addiction. More like a habit.

    Came to say something similar. I was in a similar position with a soda habit. I started drinking seltzers in place of my daily sodas to get the fizziness, and now I don't even miss them or think about them. The key is to either try to train yourself to eat a small/moderate portion of sweets (1 Klondike bar, for instance, always worked for me) or abstaining for awhile. Of course, if you don't have it in the house at all, or buy some fruit instead to help manage the sweet tooth, makes things a little easier

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