Sugar Addiction Help

Meerataila

Here's my thesis. If you stop eating it, you will no longer crave it. Just stop for a week or two and you will ask yourself why you even liked to eat sweets. It worked for me and it's worth a shot.

Pass on that. I don't see the point in not eating it if I really want it

I creeped your profile. First, look at you, you probably burn 2500 - 3000 calories a day just sitting around due to all the muscle mass you have. Second, isn't EMT rather physically demanding sometimes? And you work out. Of course you have calories to spare for treats.

I also notice you say you don't drink soda or eat fast food, right? So what if you want to? How is giving up those things different from giving up other things someone else wants in order to have a healthy weight?

7w6sxChris

I cant do things in moderation, if I start I keep going! I cut it out completely for a couple weeks and after a bit your taste buds adjust to where it doesnt effect you the same. Artificial sweeters are the worst, dont turn to them!

QuietBloom

Oh goodie. Another evil sugar thread.

ValGogo

ValGogo

I didn't. I worked it into my macros where I could and ate other things when I couldn't.

QFT

Um, what does QFT mean?

ValGogo

For me white bread was like a gateway drug I literally would butter a piece of wonder bread and coat it in white sugar. Ok, I know that sounds repulsive, and it probably was, but I loved it.

Nope, sounds good to me. Toast that sugar with a little blow torch and you've got a Wonder Bread Brulee

WOOOOOOOWWWWW!!!

LoupGarouTFTs

I cant do things in moderation, if I start I keep going! I cut it out completely for a couple weeks and after a bit your taste buds adjust to where it doesnt effect you the same. Artificial sweeters are the worst, dont turn to them!

Then you have a self-control issue, not a sugar or moderation issue. Self-control is necessary to weight loss and maintaining weight loss, so . . . yeah. Good luck.

ValGogo

If you want to stop eating ice cream and cookies, then the answer is simple. Stop buying them. Stop making them. Don't let friends or family be an excuse to buy them. If, in the event that you plan a treat for say a birthday party, have a serving.

I advise NOT to use artificial sweeteners. They will not help you move away from wanting super sweet things, they will likely make it worse. Science has shown us that when we "crave" sugar we're needing energy, as another response states. A craving for chocolate can be cured by eating a sweet apple. The apple provides much more sustainability.

We are hard wired to look for calorie-dense foods from a survivalist perspective, but we don't need to do that anymore. The way you beat something like this is sheer willpower. Don't buy, don't put it in your face. If you can't do it by yourself, entrust a family member to help you. Buy single serve packets if you do decide to have it so you don't have more than that. Drop the excuses that you use to permit yourself the noms.

This is a smart cookie. Ooops, I said cookie!

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ValGogo

No but seriously, sugar is not an addictive substance. Your body craves quick energy, sugar provides that. If you're concerned about getting proper nutrients, maybe try eating fruit instead of sugary candy or whatever.

Sugar is like cocain and a poison to your brain, http://www.drperlmutter.com/

Cocaine, and ay dios mio, please stop.

ValGogo

Hi, I'm new to my fitness pal. I wanted to offer everyone suffering from sugar addiction who is struggling with "willpower" and "changing your habits" an AMAZING thing that worked for me - I've only been doing it two days. It is called the "eat green tea" "diet". You don't DRINK the tea, you EAT it. It sounds "stupid" or "too easy", but I was AMAZED at how it changed my life. Simplified, the people who have done it and lost LOTS of weight are doing the following: (1) NOT changing their diet (it CHANGES BY ITSELF as you eat the tea), (2) NOT exercising (many are so overweight and lethargic that exercise is EXTREMELY difficult), they become more active as they consume more tea. (3) they EAT three green tea bag contents per day and THEN "step it up" by adding 1 then 2 then 3 bags (or more) of OOLONG tea a day in the same way.

Strong 1st post; tea bag eating, reducing cravings. I'll just let that one alone; you may have posted in the wrong section AND wrong thread AND wrong site.

IN for teabagging,

Meerataila

Here's my thesis. If you stop eating it, you will no longer crave it. Just stop for a week or two and you will ask yourself why you even liked to eat sweets. It worked for me and it's worth a shot.

Pass on that. I don't see the point in not eating it if I really want it

I creeped your profile. First, look at you, you probably burn 2500 - 3000 calories a day just sitting around due to all the muscle mass you have. Second, isn't EMT rather physically demanding sometimes? And you work out. Of course you have calories to spare for treats.

I also notice you say you don't drink soda or eat fast food, right? So what if you want to? How is giving up those things different from giving up other things someone else wants in order to have a healthy weight?

You left out the part where I lost 75 lbs in order to get to where I am.
An EMT can be physically demanding. Sometimes not so much.
3000 calories is actually the amount of calories I bulk on. And so you know my daily intake is about 1900.
I don't drink soda for the simple fact that I would rather eat a cookie instead of drinking a soda. But if I want a soda I would drink it, and I have. Just not like I used to.

I don't eat fast food because it isn't easy getting in 700 or 1000 calories in of McDonalds, hitting accurate macros and not remaining hungry. I do eat KFC often, have had french fries plenty of time and eat pizza 3x per week. So i guess maybe I do eat fast food.

Fair enough, you didn't specify why you don't drink soda or eat fast food. However, I'm sure you can see how a more sedentary person with less muscle mass might avoid, for example, fast food in order to make it easier to stay under calorie goals and also avoid cookies for the same reason.

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Barbellarella_

This is really good info. Read it!

http://www.fitnessbaddies.com/your-problem-with-sugar-is-the-problem-with-sugar/

jeannelabanane

At first I quit cold turkey - for a few days, to get my cravings in check.

I was a MAJOR sugar addict. I could eat a box of 20 timbits to myself, two chocolate bars at a time, or eat almost an entire box of oreos.

I can't keep to a plan without sugar. Every time I would try to "diet" cold turkey I would always fall off the wagon. Moderation is key. Now I have sugar through fruit, yogurt and the occasional 2 oreos. Usually, if I have a treat like oreos - it's at the end of the day when I know I can fit them into my daily goals - and I take 2 from the bag and do not return.

Serah87

Have it every day!! I just make it fit in my daily calories!! Moderation is the key word!! :bigsmile:

ETA: spelling

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amandzor

Easy. Don't buy it.

I have no "treats" in my house. If it's not there I'm way more likely to grab an apple, or just go without.

jess17587

most people say this is making us fat how do we beat it but the thing is i think we shouldn't beat it but we should just control it like set your self a maximum amount of sugar on your diary mine is 120g i know how bad but this is a maximum not a goal and if you want chocolate, apples, dried figs and fizzy cola bottles thats fine but just not all in one go.
before you actually put the food in your mouth just look at your diary and think i have had blar blar blar today this is a lot of sugar so im not aloud it and i will have to pick something else instead...
(my tip is if you wait a while the cravings were of)

QuietBloom

No but seriously, sugar is not an addictive substance. Your body craves quick energy, sugar provides that. If you're concerned about getting proper nutrients, maybe try eating fruit instead of sugary candy or whatever.

There are studies that would suggest sugar actually does stimulate the same parts of the brain as other drugs.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=sugar+addictive

Everything we eat stimulates the pleasure center of the brain. We are rewarded for eating food, because it is a survival thing. Not because it is addictive.

Iwishyouwell

I had issues with sugar, or more accurately, certain high sugar-high fat desserts. I gained up to 320 primarily on the back of ice cream, cookies, and cake.

In the past I completely abstained from it. I never intended to cut it out permanently, because I have no desire to do that, but I did so to gain control until such a time I felt confident folding them back in. And it worked as long as I stayed away; out of system, cravings gone. But eventually I would put it back in and often go right back to overeating it.

To be honest the only way I "kicked" sugar was to embrace my all-or-nothing attitude surrounding it. Giving myself full permission to eat those specific trigger desserts any time I wanted, as much as I wanted, ended up being the freedom I needed. It made me feel comfortable just saying "Ok, if I can have them anytime I want, I can also just save them for later". It was the idea of them being this naughty, "addictive", off limits thing that sparked me to chronically overeat because I figured I'd be "perfect" tomorrow. Tomorrow seldom came.

Taking this new approach of just letting them back in, as much as I wanted, was life changing. So now I can eat those yummy treats, enjoy as much as I want, and move on. Doesn't mean I have some every day of every week, or even every month, but it does mean that when I do enjoy them I allow myself the full gambit, to my satisfaction, without shame, guilt, or consternation.

slimbettie

Moderation is key.

slimbettie

Double post

_Terrapin_

I heard moderation is key.

SrMaggalicious

I've seen a lot of these 'baiting' posts lately. One question, only one or two posts from the OP, no stats, no pics...

_Terrapin_

Lately?!? Oh, you've been here how long? srsly r u kiddin' me?

QuietBloom

I've seen a lot of these 'baiting' posts lately. One question, only one or two posts from the OP, no stats, no pics...

I think sometimes the responses make them slink off without a word.

_Terrapin_

Do you really think they slink away?

AlabasterVerve

I eat a low carb, high fat diet in order to have a normal appetite (I get hungry, eat, feel full and then stop eating because I'm full). That is the most important thing for me. If I eat too many carbs/sugar, too often my appetite is insatiable. I'm always hungry, never feel satisfied (even if I'm physically full) and always want more -- so I don't do that -- low carb means I have a normal appetite and can stick to my plan.

I generally eat two large meals a day, don't snack and don't eat after dinner. I don't crave sweets at all anymore so it's easy to stick to my diet. And my diet is made up of delicious, indulgent foods I love to eat so it's no hardship.

For holidays and special occasions I celebrate and enjoy all of the foods I don't eat on a regular basis. And then I get right back into my normal, everyday diet and eating patterns. Which can take some effort/willpower on my part for a few days until the cravings go away again but I think it's worth it since in my family we celebrate with food. I've found it actually makes these occasions more special which helps.

So I severely restrict sugar until I don't want it anymore and it's effortless to say no -- it's not even something I think about, it's just the way I eat. And I indulge on special occasions. That works for me and it's a balance I'm happy with. As a bonus, I don't need to count calories or force exercise in order to maintain my weight loss. I control my calories by eating whole food, satiating high fat meals which naturally keep my appetite in check.

It's not for everyone -- as you can clearly see from this thread -- but I thought I'd share because the everything in moderation, everyday approach was not sustainable for me. There's no one size fits all approach to something like this. Just keep at it until you find a balance that works for you and is as close to effortless to maintain as possible. Best wishes.

Here are few links:

Low Carb for Beginners
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

Food Addiction - A Serious Problem With a Simple Solution
http://authoritynutrition.com/how-to-overcome-food-addiction/

katrinab2015

It does have addictive qualities. When you eat sugar (a straight, simple carb that's not "meant" to be eaten straight, s it is served in most forms, as well as candy, cakes, cookies etc) your body goes into a frenzy and releases too much insulin immediately, so then you crave more sugar to "use up" the insulin, and it's a vicious circle until you hopefully crash and stop, or un-hopefully cause major damage like diabetes.

Cookies, candy, sweets, sugary sodas, and simple sugars—all have this effect of destabilizing our body's chemistry.

When you eat more complex carbs (e.g. vegetables, whole grains etc), your body also releases insulin, but in nice, calmly dosed measurements. The insulin released tackles the sugar and your brain receives the message that the carbs have been metabolized and you don't crave more, because there's no surplus insulin left waiting around to do it's job. Your body released an appropriate amount.

Skewing your system with sugars in this way, too much and too often, is one good way to get diabetes.

Once this is understood, it's easier to stay away from sugars, because if you test the theory, you realize it's true, and can manage your cravings much better.

A good thing to do is satisfy your sweet tooth with high cocoa % dark chocolate. Personally, i don't find it as delicious and creamy as milk chocolate, but the fact that it satisfies my craving with a few pieces, and doesn't send me into a whirlwind of a sugar binge, is a great trade off. I now find milk chocolate and most candy too sweet and chemically destabilizing to binge on it too often. (As a side note, i know also notice how little flavor most candy and sugary foods have).

A good thing to do is also to combine healthy fats with sweet carbs, as the fats help to reach satiety much faster (feel fuller quickly), and the fat also slows down the insulin response... so: carrots (sweet carb) with hummus (fat) OR apple slices (sweet carb) with almond butter (fat) are good options.

I'm sure my terminology is wrong here and there, but the above is a general guide to what's going on in the body.

Once i understood this food science, it really made a difference in how i viewed my eating, and understanding that it's not just a crap shoot, so to speak, helped me make better choices more easily.

I hope this helps you in the same way.