Runner with a serious sugar addiction

SapiensPisces

I'm a grown up. I know what my body can and should take, and I work for every last speck of sugar.

Back in my late 20s til I was 32 I ate what I pleased without regard for myself and slowed down when I either ran out of money or just felt awful. Not chocolate, but I would start my morning with a Kit Kat, a bag of Skittles (before they ruined Original with green Apple), and a Mountain Dew. For lunch, I would go where ever the coworkers went. For dinner, much of the same. I probably consumed a good 3000ish calories a day with zero physical activity. I was a puffy 180.

"Binge" is one of the most misused words around here, right next to "addiction." Personally, I think it's a lot of denial and accountability-shifting drama. It's easier to blame a pseudo-condition than to admit a shortcoming within yourself.

On face value, OP sounds like a child trapped in an adult's body, kinda like I was. Want, want, want, and be shocked with the consequences. Nowadays, I hit my macros, I eat what some call "junk," and I run 50MPW. Maybe I'm just an anomaly, who knows.

I agree with you. I think a lot of people on here blame lack of self control on "addiction."

That being said, some people have a higher capacity for self control than others, and a lot of what goes into someone's obesity or weight management problems can be emotional or mental. It's simple to say, "just put down the crap and eat within moderation," and you would be right, technically. The execution of that isn't always easy, particularly when people use food to treat underlying emotional issues.

tennisdude2004

another day another sugar addiction thread...

I love how these threads go ..my personal favorite is "I cut out all added sugar, but continue to eat fruit, honey, and dark chocolate"

Hey, I am a recovering crack head, and I occasionally snort cocaine to get rid of the cravings.....

Go on do it - I know you really want to bust out your magic gif.

geebusuk

Isn't that kinda the very definition of 'addiction' - lacking the self control to not do something?

tennisdude2004

another day another sugar addiction thread...

I love how these threads go ..my personal favorite is "I cut out all added sugar, but continue to eat fruit, honey, and dark chocolate"

Hey, I am a recovering crack head, and I occasionally snort cocaine to get rid of the cravings.....

Don't recovering heroine addicts substitute methadone?

JessG11

Isn't that kinda the very definition of 'addiction' - lacking the self control to not do something?

No.

allaboutthecake

OP - I'll get straight to the point. You had me at Sugar! I love sugar. I'll eat it straight out the box. My fav candy is plain Skittles.

As for chocolate, are you deficient in Magnesium? A symptom of deficiency is chocolate cravings. Because I love hot drinks, I make my own hot cocoa with milk. It gives me the hot drink, chocolate, and a boost in dairy calcium & magnesium without the guilt. (heh, I like to add Baileys too)

I also burn a butt-load of calories biking. I had to stop thinking "oh you can eat this because you just burned 2800 calories" attitude and switched instead to fresh whole fruit and plenty of protein. It seemed to help curb this massive deep desire to dive into the C&H box.


(eta: fixed typos after indulged in an orange instead of skittles in the cupboard, heh)

Slacker16

OP, in time you will learn to be more guarded as to what you post, or more specifically as to how you word what you post, so as to not summon the Dark Lord Derp.

In the meantime, here's my suggestion:
- identify which foods trigger binges (you mentioned chocolate)
- don't stock up on them but don't remove them either, buy them in single serving packages
- work on a timetable towards introducing them into your routine

Don't recovering heroine addicts substitute methadone?

I don't want to get drawn into this debate, but just FYI I do count a few heroin addicts among my friends and those that found lasting recovery consider methadone or suboxone to be temporary rather than permanent solutions. I don't think the analogy holds.

neandermagnon

another day another sugar addiction thread...

I love how these threads go ..my personal favorite is "I cut out all added sugar, but continue to eat fruit, honey, and dark chocolate"

Hey, I am a recovering crack head, and I occasionally snort cocaine to get rid of the cravings.....

Don't recovering heroine addicts substitute methadone?

heroin addiction is different, because it's an actual physiological addiction (although people who become addicted to heroin through recreational use are usually both physiologically and psychologically addicted) - because of that methadone is used to prevent the withdrawal symptoms while the person is giving up heroin. most drugs are only psychologically addicted so there's no need to give anything to prevent withdrawal symptoms because there are none.

this distinction between physical and psychological addiction is very important to understand before you can get into the issue of whether sugary food is addictive.... all living things have a physiological need of sugar, but this isn't addiction, it's how living things work. i.e. sugar (or rarely, other similar molecules) is broken down to give the cells the energy they need to carry out all the processes that keep them alive. To consider sugar to be physiologically addictive in the way heroin is, is ridiculous, because living things require it already just to stay alive. However, when it comes to psychological addiction, anything that's enjoyable can potentially be psychologically addictive. This is very different to physiological addiction. there are no withdrawal symptoms other than those which is caused by the anxiety of not having it. the thing is craved for its ability to alter the mood of the person using it. Sugary food can certainly be something that people have this kind of addiction to.

Strokingdiction

another day another sugar addiction thread...

I love how these threads go ..my personal favorite is "I cut out all added sugar, but continue to eat fruit, honey, and dark chocolate"

Hey, I am a recovering crack head, and I occasionally snort cocaine to get rid of the cravings.....

Don't recovering heroine addicts substitute methadone?

heroin addiction is different, because it's an actual physiological addiction (although people who become addicted to heroin through recreational use are usually both physiologically and psychologically addicted) - because of that methadone is used to prevent the withdrawal symptoms while the person is giving up heroin. most drugs are only psychologically addicted so there's no need to give anything to prevent withdrawal symptoms because there are none.

this distinction between physical and psychological addiction is very important to understand before you can get into the issue of whether sugary food is addictive.... all living things have a physiological need of sugar, but this isn't addiction, it's how living things work. i.e. sugar (or rarely, other similar molecules) is broken down to give the cells the energy they need to carry out all the processes that keep them alive. To consider sugar to be physiologically addictive in the way heroin is, is ridiculous, because living things require it already just to stay alive. However, when it comes to psychological addiction, anything that's enjoyable can potentially be psychologically addictive. This is very different to physiological addiction. there are no withdrawal symptoms other than those which is caused by the anxiety of not having it. the thing is craved for its ability to alter the mood of the person using it. Sugary food can certainly be something that people have this kind of addiction to.

Edit to add: Though I love the fascinating tangent this thread has taken, it's also hilariously off topic. Still absolutely adore the above response. Bravo, lady, bravo.

Fullsterkur_woman

heroin addiction is different, because it's an actual physiological addiction (although people who become addicted to heroin through recreational use are usually both physiologically and psychologically addicted) - because of that methadone is used to prevent the withdrawal symptoms while the person is giving up heroin. most drugs are only psychologically addicted so there's no need to give anything to prevent withdrawal symptoms because there are none.

this distinction between physical and psychological addiction is very important to understand before you can get into the issue of whether sugary food is addictive.... all living things have a physiological need of sugar, but this isn't addiction, it's how living things work. i.e. sugar (or rarely, other similar molecules) is broken down to give the cells the energy they need to carry out all the processes that keep them alive. To consider sugar to be physiologically addictive in the way heroin is, is ridiculous, because living things require it already just to stay alive. However, when it comes to psychological addiction, anything that's enjoyable can potentially be psychologically addictive. This is very different to physiological addiction. there are no withdrawal symptoms other than those which is caused by the anxiety of not having it. the thing is craved for its ability to alter the mood of the person using it. Sugary food can certainly be something that people have this kind of addiction to.

Right. They use methadone and other substitutes because heroin withdrawal can literally kill you. Nobody ever died from sugary-food withdrawal (which is not to say that sugar withdrawal couldn't kill you... in the sense that sugar is produced from digesting food... withdraw food long enough and they'll die!).

I really wish the OP would return and provide the follow-up information. I'm dying to know whether she's trying to run marathons on an empty tank or whether she just needs to rein it in and find a successful coping strategy.

nancy10272004

Healthy and junk are accurate enough disruptions of food (from one end of the spectrum to the other).

When the only tool you understand is a hammer, every project is a bucket of nails, I guess.

Tell me tennisdude. Have you ever run a marathon? What was your nutrition plan for this endurance event?

No but I have friends who have run the London marathon several times, the brother in law did a 3.24 in this years (he is a keen club runner). He does not fuel his running on junk food.

Starches and complex carbs yes, but he doesn't fuel up on a bar of galaxy before a run, so not sure on what your point is (blunt probably).

I'll see your anecdote and raise you the fact that I can run fueled on Peeps and Cheez Its.

Do you have an issue with binging on chocolate that stop your weight loss?

Define "binge" and I'll answer

This is the definition that I use for binge eating: (From the DSM) 1. Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g. within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than what most individuals would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances. AND 2. A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g. a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating.)

This. A lot of people don't understand that binging isn't necessarily about the amount of food. It's about time and feeling out of control. At the core of it, bulimcs are binge eaters but they're not (always) overweight. They do exhibit many of the same disordered eating behaviors that people with Binge Eating Disorder to.

iPlatano

You are just hungry and feel the need to eat carbs because your body needs it.

You are a runner so your main fuel source is carbs and your body needs it.

If you dont want to eat, drink diet coke and HUSH!

DEPick

you satiety threshold is higher for sugary foods than it is for other foods. That's why it's so easy to pound away on sugary goodness. try snacking on protein-rich options, like lean meats and nuts

Strokingdiction

you satiety threshold is higher for sugary foods than it is for other foods. That's why it's so easy to pound away on sugary goodness. try snacking on protein-rich options, like lean meats or fat-rich foods like nuts that happen to have a little protein too

FIFY

kuolo

Hi OP I don't know if you'll read this, but ... In terms of chocolate, for me, cutting it out for a length of time worked. But quite a long time, so all the cravings are definitely gone. And reintroducing it very very slowly. I find now that I can have a certain amount of milk chocolate every now and then, but if I have it several days in a row then I will crave it the next few days, which for me isn't worth it, so I'm careful about how much I have. Very dark chocolate I have no problem with now. It's taken me several years to get to this stage. Good luck!

BRA_S

I say grow up. You're not 6 anymore. You can't be impulsive with your diet no matter how much you run. Be responsible for yourself and moderate your sugar/chocolate, or don't. It's that simple.

I needed to read something like this today, seriously.

tappae

This is the definition that I use for binge eating: (From the DSM) 1. Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g. within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than what most individuals would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances. AND 2. A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g. a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating.)

I often consume 1500-3000 calories in a single sitting. I understand that many people eat less than this in a day, so I've got #1 covered, right.

So, if I'm doing it on purpose, it's not binge eating, but if I feel like I can't control myself then it is?

I'm not trying to be snarky. I'm seriously trying to figure out if I have a mental problem, or if I just need to "grow up" as has been suggested.

I do have 2500 left for today, though, so that's probably what supper will look like.

Fullsterkur_woman

I often consume 1500-3000 calories in a single sitting. I understand that many people eat less than this in a day, so I've got #1 covered, right.

So, if I'm doing it on purpose, it's not binge eating, but if I feel like I can't control myself then it is?

I think essentially that's the crux of it. A sense of lack of control makes it compulsive, and that's what is unhealthy (from a psychological standpoint). If you're choosing to eat everything but the legs off the table, I don't see a problem. It's just a choice with a consequence.

geebusuk

Isn't that kinda the very definition of 'addiction' - lacking the self control to not do something?

From wikipedia, because it supports my suggestion:
>>Addiction is the continued repetition of a behavior despite adverse consequences<<
It cites:
Angres DH, Bettinardi-Angres K (October 2008). "The disease of addiction: origins, treatment, and recovery". Dis Mon 54 (10): 696–721. doi:10.1016/j.disamonth.2008.07.002. PMID 18790142.

likitisplit

Healthy and junk are accurate enough disruptions of food (from one end of the spectrum to the other).

When the only tool you understand is a hammer, every project is a bucket of nails, I guess.

Tell me tennisdude. Have you ever run a marathon? What was your nutrition plan for this endurance event?

No but I have friends who have run the London marathon several times, the brother in law did a 3.24 in this years (he is a keen club runner). He does not fuel his running on junk food.

Starches and complex carbs yes, but he doesn't fuel up on a bar of galaxy before a run, so not sure on what your point is (blunt probably).

I'll see your anecdote and raise you the fact that I can run fueled on Peeps and Cheez Its.

Do you have an issue with binging on chocolate that stop your weight loss?

Define "binge" and I'll answer

Do you have an issue with controlling the amount of chocolate that you eat to the point it affects your weight loss - sorry not sure another way to word it.

I'm a grown up. I know what my body can and should take, and I work for every last speck of sugar.

Back in my late 20s til I was 32 I ate what I pleased without regard for myself and slowed down when I either ran out of money or just felt awful. Not chocolate, but I would start my morning with a Kit Kat, a bag of Skittles (before they ruined Original with green Apple), and a Mountain Dew. For lunch, I would go where ever the coworkers went. For dinner, much of the same. I probably consumed a good 3000ish calories a day with zero physical activity. I was a puffy 180.

"Binge" is one of the most misused words around here, right next to "addiction." Personally, I think it's a lot of denial and accountability-shifting drama. It's easier to blame a pseudo-condition than to admit a shortcoming within yourself.

On face value, OP sounds like a child trapped in an adult's body, kinda like I was. Want, want, want, and be shocked with the consequences. Nowadays, I hit my macros, I eat what some call "junk," and I run 50MPW. Maybe I'm just an anomaly, who knows.

Good friend of mine ran a sub-three on Thin Mints.