Sugar Addiction Help

_Terrapin_

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


and sweet carb with fat; interesting. These are two interesting thoughts.

F00LofaT00K

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

Exactly! Check out my diary and see that I eat sugar every day. Unless you have an endocrine disorder, such as diabetes, where your body cannot process sugar properly, then there is no medical reason to avoid sugar entirely. Make sure most of your carbs are from fruits and veggies and grains for the vitamin/mineral/fiber value they also contain and enjoy some sugar also. If you truly feel that its an addiction, see a therapist.

icrushit

I genuinely feel my ability to control what I eat is directly related to how dependent I am on sugar. Of course sugar is not the only factor, but reining in that sugar habit has made things a lot easier, and also much easier to eat real and nutritious food which can otherwise seem quite bland when you're in the throes of a sugar habit.

For me, I am simply trimming it back little by little, and am doing quite well. I'm not sure I could go cold turkey, as I suspect for me it would lead to cravings eventually, so dialling it slowly back is what's working best for me. I still need a little sugar (1/4 tsp) in a coffee or black tea, but eventually I hope to eliminate it entirely, as with most of the other added sugar I've squeezed out of my diet

leeilaxoxo

I don't even track sugar. I track carbs though.
Sugar comes in many forms.... I could eat 6 apples instead of 1 cookie and my body will still treat it the same and convert it to engery which you NEED to lose weight. The only difference is that apples have more fiber, which would fill me up more so I'd be less likely to binge later.

Just balance it out. Have a cookie or a soda if you want, just as long as you don't go overboard.

levitateme

I honestly feel really bad for people who think they can't have certain things. Not here to dump on anyone or post sarcastic gifs, just a general "sorry, y'all."

Besides that, I don't understand people screaming "NO SUGAR GO COLD TURKEY" and they still eat fruit, and trail mix, ... and rice, and literally anything with carbohydrates. What do you guys think happens to the carbohydrates in food after you eat them?

*hint: they turn into sugar*

If you are an active person, why would you be scared that too much sugar is going to give you diabetes? Carbohydrates fill your glycogen stores after they are depleted by exercise and your body uses the rest for fuel. The only people who should be truly worried about diabetes are obese people who are eating a surplus of calories, thus, a surplus of sugar while being sedentary. My body needs sugar, and I don't track my intake because it's not important.

PrissyPisces

I was a SERIOUS sugar addict. MY GOD! I ate cotton candy, cookies, cakes, ice cream, and all the other terrible junk foods that make you unhealthy and overweight. As far as table sugar goes, I added it to grits, oatmeal, ORANGES (my God), and even foods like SPAGHETTI! When my eating plan started, I just said NOPE! I can't afford to keep eating sugar like I'm crazy. I just started my journey to weight loss 9 days ago, and I have resisted MUCH temptation. I have children in the house, so you know how that goes. :laugh: I just want this weight loss SO bad, so I'm willing to say bye to my old habits. HOWEVER, I will still have skinny cow ice cream, granola, light yogurt, and any fruit I want, (yes, bananas and mangos!) and anything that's giving me vitamins along with the sugar. Just keep everything in moderation. Don't go through life thinking I CAN'T eat this. It's makes it too hard.

greetingsliv

Cold turkey baby. You can do it! Once you kick it, when you try to jump back on, you hurt yourself. Try a little agave or honey to get you over the hump but only as reward system.
Your admiring Liv ox

levitateme

Cold turkey baby. You can do it! Once you kick it, when you try to jump back on, you hurt yourself. Try a little agave or honey to get you over the hump but only as reward system.
Your admiring Liv ox

Maybe I'm talking to a brick wall in this thread, but do you not understand that honey contains sugar?

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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.

A person not eating it due to limited caloric allowance is perfectly understandable. But avoiding it because someone claims they have an issue where they would sit in the corner of a room crouched down rocking back and forth eating a jumbo bag of cookies is not. It's sugar addiction nonsense imo.

That's my belief and it will differ from maybe yours or other people's.

I won't rock on the floor, but I will be unreasonably hungry and cravy. I'm going to start telling people sugar and bread makes me break out in hives. Being itchy is annoying, and being hungry when I don't need more calories is equally annoying, so it's not exactly a total lie.

kevinsmithrn

Such a polarizing topic. I'm just gonna go with the AHA and WHO guidelines and limit my added sugar intake to < 25 grams per day - that's not unreasonable. Added sugars in excess of those recommendations have been shown to increase risk factors for disease. That's good enough for me - No wonder everybody is confused - I work in a hospital and last night I was checking out the unit fridge ( where we keep refreshments for patients) inside was a shelf of apple juice, cranberry juice, and orange juice. The next shelf was dedicated to cokes, sprite, power aide ( diet and regular). Then at last is the dairy shelf with chocolate milk, low fat, and skim. Don't worry though our pharmacy is fully stocked with brand new bottles of insulin. Have a great day!

MississippiMama87

Are we just going to ignore the fact that someone wrote a super long run-on paragraph about eating tea bags? Lolol I just can't shake it. Ha

AlabasterVerve

Are we just going to ignore the fact that someone wrote a super long run-on paragraph about eating tea bags?

Yes.

paperpudding

- No wonder everybody is confused - I work in a hospital and last night I was checking out the unit fridge ( where we keep refreshments for patients) inside was a shelf of apple juice, cranberry juice, and orange juice. The next shelf was dedicated to cokes, sprite, power aide ( diet and regular). Then at last is the dairy shelf with chocolate milk, low fat, and skim. Don't worry though our pharmacy is fully stocked with brand new bottles of insulin. Have a great day!

I don't find that confusing at all.

Many people can drink fruit juice, soft drink ,milk drinks etc in moderation and still be a healthy weight and not be diabetics.
For that matter, many diabetics can drink small amounts of juice and milk and still have good BSL's - and of course they can drink diet sodas.
also, many diabetics need something sugary on hand, such as regular soft drink or jelly babies, in case of hypo's.

I work in a medical centre too - we have many 'contradictory' products - eg insulin and also weight gain supplements like Sustagen.
Doesn't mean same people are using both products at same time or that both products, used appropriately, contradict or confuse anything.

kikityme

Are we just going to ignore the fact that someone wrote a super long run-on paragraph about eating tea bags? Lolol I just can't shake it. Ha

But you must balance those tea bags with proper nutrition and exercise!

kevinsmithrn

Maybe "confusing" was the wrong word. However diabetic patients or not most items in the referenced fridge are dietary garbage. I do concede to your point though that everybody is not on a restricted diet and such items could be available to them as refreshments. Certainly the world is not black and white.

LoupGarouTFTs

Maybe "confusing" was the wrong word. However diabetic patients or not most items in the referenced fridge are dietary garbage. I do concede to your point though that everybody is not on a restricted diet and such items could be available to them as refreshments. Certainly the world is not black and white.

What makes them garbage? Have they spoiled in some way?

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Eperkins2882

I have a horrible time with sweets. I have always craved anything sweet. In the past I tried to not eat anything with sugar and it didn't work. This time I am trying a new approach. I allow myself one thing sweet a day and I generally wait to eat it after dinner as a desert. I decide in the morning what I want my desert to be, weather it is a piece of cake, ice cream, etc. Honestly, I don't feel bad about it one bit and I haven't gained any weight because of it. So, don't deny yourself something that you want. Just work it in to your calories.

BrainyBurro

sugar ran over my cat and slept with my wife.

i hate sugar!

Laura3BB

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

Hmm interesting point!

eberbiz10

Splenda or equal works for me. Iam on atkins and decided to make cheesecake with equal and I didnt notice any difference! Yummmmmyy

mallorytravels

Recovering sugar addict here. This is what has helped me: Keeping myself full/satisfied with nutrient-rich foods, primarily lean protein, fat (like cheese or nut butters), and veggies, a slightly smaller amount of fruit, and a smaller amount of rice or gluten-free crackers/pasta etc. When you are hungry, never reach for sweets first. This is hard at first, but trust me. Reach for fat/protein and veggies. Reaching for fruit is ok too but remember that the fiber in veggies and fat and protein are what will keep you full! When you are giving your body all the nutrients it needs from eating a balanced diet, it is way easier to stave off the physical side of cravings. This video is good intro to how to read your body's cravings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAqWHDaie-g

Also, if you find you are still needing a sweet, drink a glass of water! I am a person who naturally does not reach for water enough, I have to force myself to drink enough. If your body is thirsty, you may be reading those signals as sugar cravings.

Consider cutting down on white bread/pasta or eliminating them all together, by the way. They are full of empty calories, which means that even after eating hundreds of calories worth of those foods your body will still need nutrition, causing you to have hunger and uncontrollable cravings.

Feel free to add me if you need a MFP friend. Good Luck!

Unknown

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Meerataila

Recovering sugar addict here. This is what has helped me: Keeping myself full/satisfied with nutrient-rich foods, primarily lean protein, fat (like cheese or nut butters), and veggies, a slightly smaller amount of fruit, and a smaller amount of rice or gluten-free crackers/pasta etc. When you are hungry, never reach for sweets first. This is hard at first, but trust me. Reach for fat/protein and veggies. Reaching for fruit is ok too but remember that the fiber in veggies and fat and protein are what will keep you full! When you are giving your body all the nutrients it needs from eating a balanced diet, it is way easier to stave off the physical side of cravings. This video is good intro to how to read your body's cravings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAqWHDaie-g

Also, if you find you are still needing a sweet, drink a glass of water! I am a person who naturally does not reach for water enough, I have to force myself to drink enough. If your body is thirsty, you may be reading those signals as sugar cravings.

Consider cutting down on white bread/pasta or eliminating them all together, by the way. They are full of empty calories, which means that even after eating hundreds of calories worth of those foods your body will still need nutrition, causing you to have hunger and uncontrollable cravings.

Feel free to add me if you need a MFP friend. Good Luck!

Good on you. There have only been two times in my entire life when I didn't either overeat or want to overeat (not counting having a stomach bug!): When I was low carb, high fat, bread free and added sugar free, and right now on high carb, relatively low fat, bread free, added sugar free vegan.

Take out the differences, it looks like bread free and added sugar free is the way to go. I'm going to test this theory with some bread at some point to see whether it kicks the hunger and cravings back in, but not yet. I'm feeling really good just the way things are going now.

Meerataila

I just found this and thought it was hysterical:

http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Ingredients/Food-addiction-claims-amount-to-bad-science


Professor John Blundell stated:

"Overconsumption of food represents overconsumption in our culture' he said 'so we don't need a neuro-chemical theory to explain it."


Egad! He's right! Not only do I have a problem with sugar, every time I go to wipe my butt, I deliberately tear off twice as much toilet paper as I need. Sometimes three times more if I'm feeling stressed. Because overconsuming is part of my culture, right?

Lamest reasoning ever.

Thinnest_1

I stopped eatting it, what else?

levitateme

Recovering sugar addict lol

I know.

A lot of people with binge eating or compulsive overeating disorder think they have "food addiction," when really they have an eating disorder.

Hey everybody! If you have issues with eating, particularly where you feel out of control eating certain things and binge on them: therapy, mental conditioning, online resources. I had binge eating disorder for most of my life. Develop a healthy relationship with food. Don't blame your binge triggers, especially when you are still eating them (meaning "i don't eat sugar!" but still eat fruit, honey, any carbohydrates) take some personal accountability.

Meerataila

Recovering sugar addict lol

I know.

A lot of people with binge eating or compulsive overeating disorder think they have "food addiction," when really they have an eating disorder.

Hey everybody! If you have issues with eating, particularly where you feel out of control eating certain things and binge on them: therapy, mental conditioning, online resources. I had binge eating disorder for most of my life. Develop a healthy relationship with food. Don't blame your binge triggers, especially when you are still eating them (meaning "i don't eat sugar!" but still eat fruit, honey, any carbohydrates) take some personal accountability.

Tell that to the rats. Obviously they binge on the exact same bready, high sugar stuff humans do because they have mental problems and lack a healthy relationship with food and personal responsibility.

It couldn't be sugar messing with the body's complex satiety system, oh no! It has to be mental and lack of willpower!

ValGogo

Recovering sugar addict lol

I'm glad you said it. I'm tired and don't trust my fingers.