Addicted to sugar, how to wean myself off?

MrTolerable

To all those saying that it's as simple as calories in calories out: it's really not that simple. Yes, a calorie deficit will cause you to lose weight... but how feel during that process will be a whole lot different depending on what kinds of foods make up those calories.... and will therefore affect how long you stick to your plan. For example fructose doesn't trigger the hormones that make you feel full, so you won't be satisfied after eating it, while protein on the other hand both makes you feel full AND actually requires energy to digest! This is a really great article on the metabolic pathways of food: http://authoritynutrition.com/debunking-the-calorie-myth/

Sugar IS an addiction... not just lack of self control. I quit sugar 7 weeks ago today, and while that may not seem like a long time, the first few weeks were hell... I had the worst cravings and could barely concentrate in the afternoons. But now 7 weeks on, I'm not even tempted by chocolate; I still remember how amazing it tastes, but I don't crave it the same way that I used to. I also no longer get hungry between meals; the food that I eat keeps me satisfied for longer. I eat the same number of calories that I used to, but I actually feel satisfied by the amount I'm eating, not constantly hungry and wanting to snack between meals. It's amazing.

Sugar is NOT an addiction... having had real substance abuse problems that has to be the brightest post I've read in a while.

And you want to feel full? drink a shot of apple cider vin with the 'mother' and you will feel fuller.

TannerBoyl

I have a bit of a sweet tooth, but nothing too crazy.

Here are things that helped me:

-Stop consuming sugar substitutes. They breifly help the cravings, but then they come back with a vegence!
-Drink water to make yourself full.
-Keep yourself occupied with other things to take your mind off of the cravings.
-Drink a low-sugar protein shake. I use Optimum Nutrition's 100% whey and that usually quenches my need for something sweet, although it really isn't too sweet.
-Everything in moderation. If you cannot stand it, go ahead and eat a cookie (or whatever your vice is). Just keep it at one. Usually, this is a struggle for me, so I just drink a protein shake.

Good luck!

Thezestiest

Your body can have "withdrawals" from sugar, so yes, I'd say it could count as an addiction. These days, they consider gambling and shoplifting addictions, so why not sugar?

There is a physical response to lack of sugar - that's why I got sick when I tried going extremely low carb (Atkin's diet - never again).

Like any addiction, it takes willpower to overcome.

milocamolly

.:huh:

milocamolly

To all those saying that it's as simple as calories in calories out: it's really not that simple. Yes, a calorie deficit will cause you to lose weight... but how feel during that process will be a whole lot different depending on what kinds of foods make up those calories.... and will therefore affect how long you stick to your plan. For example fructose doesn't trigger the hormones that make you feel full, so you won't be satisfied after eating it, while protein on the other hand both makes you feel full AND actually requires energy to digest! This is a really great article on the metabolic pathways of food: http://authoritynutrition.com/debunking-the-calorie-myth/

Sugar IS an addiction... not just lack of self control. I quit sugar 7 weeks ago today, and while that may not seem like a long time, the first few weeks were hell... I had the worst cravings and could barely concentrate in the afternoons. But now 7 weeks on, I'm not even tempted by chocolate; I still remember how amazing it tastes, but I don't crave it the same way that I used to. I also no longer get hungry between meals; the food that I eat keeps me satisfied for longer. I eat the same number of calories that I used to, but I actually feel satisfied by the amount I'm eating, not constantly hungry and wanting to snack between meals. It's amazing.

Sugar is NOT an addiction... having had real substance abuse problems that has to be the brightest post I've read in a while.

And you want to feel full? drink a shot of apple cider vin with the 'mother' and you will feel fuller.

For those who say that Refined sugars don't have addictive qualities please check out this group.
http://www.foodaddictsanonymous.org/faa-food-plan

FAA is a real group about food addicts addicted to refined sugars and flours, they have regular meetings and even have sponsers, maybe the addiction might not as considered to you as a 'real substance abuse problem' but it is a big enough problem to where people need help. Addiction is addiction regardless to what it is you had your substance issues and others substance might be considered to be sugar. I don't get why people on this forum bash others who want to cut out refined sugars from their diet, if they feel as if they are addicted to it then so be it, clearly they are reaching out for help.

lemurcat12

To all those saying that it's as simple as calories in calories out: it's really not that simple. Yes, a calorie deficit will cause you to lose weight... but how feel during that process will be a whole lot different depending on what kinds of foods make up those calories.... and will therefore affect how long you stick to your plan.

I think this is true--although how different foods make you feel, especially with respect to hunger, seems to differ from person to person. But I don't think it's inconsistent with calories in/calories out. It's just that you can make restrictions on calories in either easier or harder and you can make the overall mix of calories you ingest meet your nutritional needs or not. (Many people can limit calories quite easily and meet their nutritional needs without cutting out added sugar. That a diet too high in sugar would be unhealthy and make dieting more difficult does not lead to the conclusion that no added sugar is best, although it could work very well for particular individuals, including you.)

Sugar IS an addiction... not just lack of self control. I quit sugar 7 weeks ago today, and while that may not seem like a long time, the first few weeks were hell... I had the worst cravings and could barely concentrate in the afternoons. But now 7 weeks on, I'm not even tempted by chocolate; I still remember how amazing it tastes, but I don't crave it the same way that I used to.

I think this can be explained just as well by habit, especially since no one seems tempted to replace their favorite treats with pure sugar IME. But I don't actually think the terminology matters that much (if sugar is addicting, it's not addicting for everyone, clearly), but what's interesting is what calling it an addiction is intended to mean for those who think they eat too much of it or eat it uncontrollably. For example, sometimes this seems to be related to a binge eating disorder, and there I think treatment is important in much the same way it is for many addicts, but it's probably not really the same thing as an addiction in that cutting out the substance is the key to most addiction treatments, and binge eating seems broader than one substance (and also cutting out the substance here isn't actually possible and most examples of the substance don't seem to trigger binges). The other is simply desire for the food. Here, I think it's often habit or a misuse of food (emotional eating) and cutting it out temporarily can be helpful, but usually that doesn't require a lifelong abstention but a break of the pattern for enough time to establish new habits and patterns. But your mileage may vary.

I also no longer get hungry between meals; the food that I eat keeps me satisfied for longer. I eat the same number of calories that I used to, but I actually feel satisfied by the amount I'm eating, not constantly hungry and wanting to snack between meals. It's amazing.

I think simply changing your diet so it's not so significantly made up of simple carbs tends to do this. I used to eat a carb-based breakfast and when I felt less energetic in the morning I might grab a carby snack or just wait for lunch which was often more carb-based than not and end up sometime in the late afternoon having a cookie or something as a pick me up. When I switched my diet to a more balanced one (dropping sweets for a couple of weeks due to the emotional pattern referenced above) and even after I reintroduced occasional sweets and started eating a higher percentage of carbs than initially but much lower than before I had the same experience. I eat three meals and am not hungry in between, I don't feel a need for a pick me up in the afternoon unless I need a post workout snack, etc. But I haven't found that it's necessary to eliminate anything and I don't connect this to addiction. I think it can be simply about blood sugar. (Also, for what it's worth, it was not physically hard for me to change my diet. I expected to feel low energy, but never did.)

Anyway, like I said, I think the question is whether an addiction model actually addresses the problems experienced for individual people. For most, I doubt it, and for many who use the term they just mean something more casual, like how some people claim to be addicted to pizza or a TV show. However, some of the same strategies to deal with it (seeing the situations that trigger you to want it, breaking the pattern of misuse) might be similar.