Sugar "Addiction"

TLCEsq

Hi guys, just wondering if anyone here has ever successfully kicked a sugar habit. Mine is the majority of what is preventing my weight loss. Just a bit of background, I got almost to my goal weight (at 167) in December 2009. I was in law school at the time and had a REALLY stressful semester, and I kind of cracked. I started bingeing on ice cream and all kinds of crazy stuff when finals were over. I weighed myself every week and stayed the same for a month so I kept doing it. I knew in my head at the time that it wasn't good, but reason was being overidden by... stress, or something like that. Anyway, I maintained at 175 for a while then started studying for the Bar exam this summer. Dropped calories too low, couldn't stick with it, ended up packing on 15 pounds. So here I am at 190 and feeling the unhealthiest I have in a while. Now I am out of law school and passed the Bar exam, so I really have no excuse to not devote myself to getting healthy.

Sugar is almost like a drug to me and I have a hard time saying no. I know I have to be stronger and really keep in mind why I want to lose the weight, but it's like I get stuck in a trance. For instance, if I go to a party, the only thing I can think about is having some of the chocolate-dipped fruit or other goodies, and then I eat a ton. I'm also in love with these vegan cakes from Whole Foods and although they're low fat and low calorie they're loaded with sugar. I really need to up my protein and veggies and I'd be able to do that if I just kicked this sugar habit in the teeth and moved on. I guess what is hard is I feel like I have to have something to look forward to every day in my diet, and that ends up being something sweet.

Does anyone have experience with this? I can go for a week or more and start feeling good, then I get emotional or something and give in. I know it takes 21 days supposedly to break a habit or create a new one... not to say I won't ever have sugar again, but right now it's a MAJOR downer on my progress. I'm stuck in a rut. I don't eat fast food or fried food, or overindulge on anything other than sweets.

BarbiNay

I take Chromium Picolinate 500 mcg x2 a day. Helps with carb and sweet/sugar cravings. I can look at something ewwy and gooey and just walk past
it now.

RAQUELINATOVAR

i love sweets also. OA is for addictions. if you don't have a lot of willpower, you may want to visit. i lost a lot of weight both times i was there. i don't even have to exercise and it came off. you want to be a hot lawyer honey. don't settle with yourself. it was hard going through school and, like you say, you got to be good to yourself.

InvictusPheonix

Sugar is my weakness. Literally. I have a condition worsened by sugar- but it seems to be in just about everything! (and be the best damn thing i've ever tasted)

azzacca

Chromium has helped me some too, although about once a month I can't help but really want it.

skpresley20

First of all, A BIG CONGRATS to you for passing your Bar!
Now, as for the sugar addiction, I had one, and had to get myself off it. I started off slow, when I would buy a sweet tea, I'd drink half of it, then drink the other half the next day. Then I stopped making lemonade completely because when I started using Stevia Sugar in the raw (it's a no calorie natural sugar) I just preferred real sugar in it instead of the stevia (not everyone feels that way, I just didn't like how the taste went with that particular brand of lemonade I was buying) so I figured, I'm trying to do something good here; so I'll just keep putting stevia in everything else I drink that requires sugar, which for me was tea. I'm a BIG tea drinker.
So get some Stevia sugar in the raw. It comes in a big green plastic zipLoc bag at walmart. A little bit goes a LONG way.
So I started using this in my drinks and slowly added less and less until I didn't have the taste of anything sweet.


I now drink only water, and maybe every once in a blue moon I'll by a drink if I go out, but that's it. I don't even use stevia anymore because I'm so used to water I don't need the taste of anything sweet anymore.

I'd say give it a shot!

tristalyn5314

I am going to a weight loss doctor and have been very sucessful losing just around 40lbs in 8 weeks I go again tomorrow so Im not exactly sure but I know its right around there and I lover sugar and salt. I know you said you dont do fast food but the plain vanilla cone from mcdonalds is a low fat ice cream soft serve and only 150calories another brand is only 8 dont see them very often I know its a franchise and I have one by me and their soft serve is only 32calories also rita's water ice slendarita softserve is 160 i think but I know its under 200. I have eaten all three of these in the course of my weight loss and rather then try to cut sweets completely just watch portions and consider it guiltless treat

ccbarr

I stick with protiens to try and beat sugar . Also I tried Atkins for about 2 wks. Having eggs every morning and meat and before the rest of.
The day (no meal or snack skipping) eating got to be a chore. The protiens filled me up and having to prepare all my food from scratch was work! I thought I would have a candy bar during this te but nearly gagged on it ,it was so Suharto and hoppy.What a difference.Not all diets work but they have some nuggets of truth

cofakid

i wish i knew. i am similar i love sugar and i just cant live without having desert. ive cut down a lot and ieat only low cal deserts, but im a chocolate and cookie and brownie annd cake lover and i find it really hard to meet these cravings without going over

veganbaum

Whole grain crackers with fruit sweetened jam for a month whenever you have a sugar craving. NO other sugar allowed. After that, you'd be amazed how sickeningly sweet cane sugar tastes to you. Problem is, you have to be really careful if adding sweets back in, even occasionally - it's a lot easier to slip back into that to get out of.

TLCEsq

Thanks for all the support and the wonderful suggestions. I believe I have chromium at home so I'll try it. I currently use Splenda and Stevia in my drinks and stuff too. I won't go buy candy, but it sits around the office or hubby will buy it. I do buy those vegan cakes though.... I just need to stop and think twice before I do it. Some days I can and other days it's harder!