Need advice. Overcoming fatigue from cutting out constant sweets.

MamaBear5445

Would someone be able to give me some advice here?
I have a sugar addiction and I'm trying to break it because my toddler has been picking up my bad habits. For the past 3 days I have been stopping this in an attempt to set a better example. We always eat breakfast, snack @10, lunch, snack @2, supper, small dessert @ 7, BUT I would also consume non-stop treats in between this time. It's embarrassing to admit but since it isn't a named thread, I would easily eat 2-3lbs of sugary sweets a day. For example, I finished a 1kg bag of whoppers in 24hrs just by passing by the kitchen, which is on top of other sweets.
This is what I am and was already doing: exercising, drinking lots of water, eating healthy breakfast, lunch and supper, and sleeping well, drink one coffee in the morning.
But I'm crashing over here and I need some help to pick me up quickly! Any advice???? I don't want to go back to eating sweets every few minutes and passing this horrible habit onto my children. Thanks in advance.

rileysowner

First, three days is not long enough to get over this. Your body needs to adapt to this change. Possible ways to aid that are to go with more nutritious snacks. Instead of the sugary treats with no real nutrients, go for things that are nutrient dense. Veggies, fruit, and the like. I would say prepare some and keep it in the fridge so it is handy. Along with that, don't have the sweet treats sitting in open or easy to access areas. Make it so you have to work to get to them. Finally, before you eat anything, ask yourself if you are eating it because you are hungry or because of habit.

AnnPT77

Yes, allow at least a couple of weeks while sticking to your plan by sheer will power for your body to break out of expecting the old habits, and get accommodated to new ones.

I'm not a big believer in sheer will power, but this is one time I fear that it's important. Our physical bodies can be like new puppies: Give in to what they want even when they want something inappropriate, they're never going to get re-trained.

The tactics suggested above are good adjuncts that can help. Don't buy the treats. If the treats are OK for other people in the household, firmly redefine them in your mind as "not my food" and put them out of sight. Etc.

It's usually easiest to break an old habit by adopting a new one. It can be a healthy snack item, glass of water, or even hot tea (herb tea if avoiding caffeine), but in this case, something non-eating would be even better. Consider doing a couple of body stretches, a quick breathing exercise to relax, or a few jumping jacks or something, as an alternative habit when the urge hits.

For me, my cravings for things like candy and baked goods were reduced when I started making it a point to get at least 3 servings of fruit every day. It still took a few weeks for the cravings/habits to change, but for me, the whole situation became manageable. Now I don't crave those things - generallly haven't for several years now, TBH - though I do choose to eat the occasional home-made cookie or piece of good chocolate now and then for the enjoyment factor.

That approach (fruit) doesn't work for everyone, but I've seen others here say it helped them, so it might be worth a try.

Best wishes!

P.S. One thing that can trigger cravings for sweets is fatigue. The body seeks energy when tired, and sugar is energy. If sleep quality or quantity is sub-ideal, and you can improve it, that may help. Stress management techniques may also help, because stress is fatiguing.

cwolfman13

It's going to take more than a few days for your body to adjust...but in general, keep that stuff out of the house (at least for now). Once you adapt a bit, keep fruit available and conveniently within reach and site...when I leave apples out on the kitchen counter they tend to get eaten by me, my wife, and my kids...when they go into the fridge, not so much.

Fruit can be a great pick me up. Both of my boys play soccer for both school and club. It is not unusual for them to have a game Saturday morning and another a couple hours later that day. They usually have a good breakfast, an orange at half-time for both games and a sandwich and banana in-between games and they keep chugging along.

I would also suggest making sure your overall calories are actually appropriate. Calories are energy...and too few calories will most definitely lead to low energy levels. Unfortunately with things like candies, you get a quick jolt, but that fuel is burned up pretty quick and you can come right back down. Fruit and other whole foods are like burning hard wood instead of pine or other soft wood...the pine goes up in smoke pretty fast...burn some oak and you'll have a campfire all night and hot coals in the morning that you an still cook on.

MamaBear5445

Thank you @rileysowner and @AnnPT77 for the tips. I will try to do this. I'm definitely not hungry just habit to get a quick energy fix. I'll give it some time. I guess there's no quick fix to the fatigue that the immediate energy sugar would give me.

MacLowCarbing

Hi, fellow addict here (carbs/sweets). I always had trouble doing moderation, I finally had to admit I was too much of an addict and abstain. I stopped eating anything with added sugar, grains (because they do the same thing to my metabolism as sugar), any heavy carb veggies and fruits, and I eat low carb fruits in moderation and artificial sweeteners sporadically so I don't trigger cravings.

What really helps me dampen sugar cravings and keep up my energy is fat.

Literally if I have an issue I just eat a couple of pats of butter, or whip butter or coconut oil into my unsweetened coffee, or eat some meat or eggs with fat in them.

Fat is satiating and many people report that it kills sugar cravings. Can't vouch if it works for everyone but it definitely works for me. It gives us energy with a much slower release. It's also not as bad for us as so-called conventional wisdom would have us believe, due to many unfortunately flawed studies and agendas.

AnnPT77

MacLowCarbing wrote: »

Hi, fellow addict here (carbs/sweets). I always had trouble doing moderation, I finally had to admit I was too much of an addict and abstain. I stopped eating anything with added sugar, grains (because they do the same thing to my metabolism as sugar), any heavy carb veggies and fruits, and I eat low carb fruits in moderation and artificial sweeteners sporadically so I don't trigger cravings.

What really helps me dampen sugar cravings and keep up my energy is fat.

Literally if I have an issue I just eat a couple of pats of butter, or whip butter or coconut oil into my unsweetened coffee, or eat some meat or eggs with fat in them.

Fat is satiating and many people report that it kills sugar cravings. Can't vouch if it works for everyone but it definitely works for me. It gives us energy with a much slower release. It's also not as bad for us as so-called conventional wisdom would have us believe, due to many unfortunately flawed studies and agendas.

Not to disagree with what works for you, because I believe it . . . but just for the record, fat isn't even slightly sating for me.

On top of that, I dislike the mouth-feel of many things that have much overt fat. Cold butter literally makes me shudder - I couldn't just eat a pat of it. I tried coffee with coconut oil, and didn't hate it as much as I expected, but I definitely didn't enjoy it enough to repeat it.

Fat is the macro I need to give the most attention, because by taste-preference I can get too little for best nutrition if I don't. For me, protein + volume is sating. The volume is usually a big bunch of daily veggies/fruits, some of them relatively high carb.

I'm a big fan of people experimenting to find what they find filling, because it does seem to vary widely.

I 100% understand that some people do find fat filling, and a high carb/low fat routine to reduce cravings for sweets. No argument.

BrightEyedAgain

You've gotten good advice already, so I'll just add this: consider setting your calories to maintence for the next month or so while you get past the sugar cravings. Your body probably needs to relearn how to balance your blood sugar without all the quick sugar hits. That's enough to deal with without adding a calorie deficit to the mix.

kidiki

I was hovering at pre-diabetic stage for two bloodwork panels, and it scared the hell out of me. I’ve seen too many Elders in my Tribe suffer terrible health as they age. Your family needs you and you want to be able to enjoy and play with future grandchildren. Eliminating sugar takes willpower, and you can do it! Bingeing tendencies may require professional insight to understand why we do it.

I had no sweets in the house when I began eliminating sugar. I did buy a bag of sugar free Russell Stover assorted candy. Three or more pieces have a laxative effect on my bowels, so learning to eat candy in moderation becomes very easy. Or if you must have chocolate, as a coworker of mine craved…I’d buy high quality dark chocolate chips and count out 21 chocolate chips to a snack size baggy which equaled 1 WW point. I put them in the work freezer, and gave her a bag whenever she was highly stressed. It was a luxuriant treat to her and the portion control kept her from binging. I’m thankful we have people in this group who share how they navigated their journey to a healthier lifestyle. Best wishes.

MamaBear5445

Thank you everyone for your comments and advice. Comforting to hear other people have been able to overcome this too.

MacLowCarbing

AnnPT77 wrote: »

MacLowCarbing wrote: »

Hi, fellow addict here (carbs/sweets). I always had trouble doing moderation, I finally had to admit I was too much of an addict and abstain. I stopped eating anything with added sugar, grains (because they do the same thing to my metabolism as sugar), any heavy carb veggies and fruits, and I eat low carb fruits in moderation and artificial sweeteners sporadically so I don't trigger cravings.

What really helps me dampen sugar cravings and keep up my energy is fat.

Literally if I have an issue I just eat a couple of pats of butter, or whip butter or coconut oil into my unsweetened coffee, or eat some meat or eggs with fat in them.

Fat is satiating and many people report that it kills sugar cravings. Can't vouch if it works for everyone but it definitely works for me. It gives us energy with a much slower release. It's also not as bad for us as so-called conventional wisdom would have us believe, due to many unfortunately flawed studies and agendas.

Not to disagree with what works for you, because I believe it . . . but just for the record, fat isn't even slightly sating for me.

On top of that, I dislike the mouth-feel of many things that have much overt fat. Cold butter literally makes me shudder - I couldn't just eat a pat of it. I tried coffee with coconut oil, and didn't hate it as much as I expected, but I definitely didn't enjoy it enough to repeat it.

Fat is the macro I need to give the most attention, because by taste-preference I can get too little for best nutrition if I don't. For me, protein + volume is sating. The volume is usually a big bunch of daily veggies/fruits, some of them relatively high carb.

I'm a big fan of people experimenting to find what they find filling, because it does seem to vary widely.

I 100% understand that some people do find fat filling, and a high carb/low fat routine to reduce cravings for sweets. No argument.

No, feel free to disagree. I always say one diet does not fit all.

Like I'm the opposite of you; carbs make me ravenous, even in the form of produce. Certain veggies can trigger mad food cravings & trigger binges thoughts with me. Too many veggies will also upset my stomach and give me indigestion, and they spike my blood sugar way too easily. I have to be even more careful with fruits.

I find certain types of produce nice in small quantities to add a bit of variety into my diet every day, but with great caution. And even when I was vegetarian, they never could bring a feeling of satiety.

That's why I throw in my opinion & expect everyone else to do the same. What works for me doesn't mean it works for everyone. What works for you doesn't mean it works for everyone. There's no one-size-fits-all here.

Never know if it's gonna work for the person asking, though, so it's worth throwing in the 2 cents. There are things I never would've thought of trying until someone threw it out there.

Fitgoal90

Are you monitoring your protein intake? Sometimes upping protein during main meals can help stave off the extra grazing and then you can "snack" healthier during scheduled snack times.

For my sweet tooth, I like zero-sugar soda or vanilla almond butter as an evening treat/snack

MamaBear5445

Yes thanks @Fitgoal90 Upping protein has been well. The constant fatigue has slowed down like everyone told me above, thank you everyone for telling me to stick with it and giving me tips on how to do it!!!! It is so nice for me to be no longer a hypocrite towards my kids. I now have snacks during snack time only.