Sugar addict...help!

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melissa97
melissa97 Posts: 57 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have a serious problem with sugar...every morning in my coffee i use 9 teaspoons!!!! I am very ashamed to even write that! I cant give up my mornign coffee and occasionally afternoon of tea but i need to get rid of that sugar. Safe healthy alternatives???
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Replies

  • AndreaSDavis
    AndreaSDavis Posts: 1
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    Try the Splenda alternative! I find that the granulated is actually sweeter than regular sugar! You can also get it with fiber to help with your fiber intake!
  • CrazyDaisysMommy
    CrazyDaisysMommy Posts: 472
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    have you tried Stevia? It is a natural sweetner that is fantastic. And then I'd probably recommend you gradually wean yourself off the sweetners. I don't know how successful cold turkey is, but try gradually cutting back the amounts you add and then it won't be so hard for you!
  • tdmcmains
    tdmcmains Posts: 227 Member
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    I have a sugar problem too. the one thing that helps me, honestly, is just not eating it. when i eat it, i want more. When i cut all (or almost all) of it out and probably eat a quantity that is NORMAL for most people, i crave it a lot less.
  • nehtaeh
    nehtaeh Posts: 2,977 Member
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    I would cut out 1 teaspoon each day until you get to where you want to be, whether that is cutting down or cutting it out.

    These other sweeteners would probably work but I don't like them so I can't help you there.

    Good luck!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    There is no medical evidence that artificial sweeteners are unhealthy. They are certainly more healthy than being overweight.
  • morganadk2_deleted
    morganadk2_deleted Posts: 1,696 Member
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    9 teaspoons of sugar =134 calories , that would be enough to put me off!!


    when i was a teenager i used to drink tea with 2 sugars, my mum challenged me to drink it without sugar for 1 week , after 1 week she gave me tea with sugar in , i could not drink it! still can't..
  • aimeemusic
    aimeemusic Posts: 73 Member
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    Haha....I actuallt had this same problem but with Nutella....

    I was putting that stuff on everything grain and even eating right out of the Jar.....I mean copious spoonfuls of the stuff (so ashamed). I would go through one big jar a week...

    I literrally stopped buying it one day. Because I realized that I was being ridicilous...I was gaining alost one pound a week with the nutella!

    I stopped cold turkey...and eventually the craving lessend over time. but let me tell you..the withdraw process was aweful but I made through.

    I used to have a ton of it in the mornings. I loved that sugar high...I am not going to lie.

    If I was you..I would treat myself to a healthy but sweet cereal (my faves is chocolate mini wheats-has good fiber and taste AWESOME!...no to mention nice and sweet) and have a cup of tea with 1 TABLESPOON of sugar. I would drink the tea first and end with the cereal which is will be sweeter.

    I think this maybe that you are not only addicted to the cafine but the sugar as well. Which is why I suggest tea.

    I hope this helps! :)
  • melissa97
    melissa97 Posts: 57 Member
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    well this morning i cut my sugar in my coffee to 6 teaspoons and it wasnt soo bad...i figured i would keep at that till i like it and the drop it to 3 and so on. Im nervouse about artificial sweetners...i tried one before and thought it had a nasty after taste. maybe i will try a few diffrent brands and see if any of them are good.
  • Tujitsu56
    Tujitsu56 Posts: 392 Member
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    Try Creme Brulee.... They have tons of flavors and it is sooooo delicous. No need to use sugar at all. Although it has sugar in it:) They also have different flavors.... Another thing I do now is put protien powder in mine for flavor. It tastes more like hot chocolate, but I think it's more of an energy boost than just coffee. And it feels like I've at a meal.
  • airborne46q
    airborne46q Posts: 5 Member
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    Try the South Beach Diet. Within two weeks (if you are good and follow the advice) you will kick your sugar addiction. It sucks for the first few days but you work through it. The side effect you'll be most impressed by is the weight will come off, too, assuming you need it to.
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 16,986 Member
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    I gave up drinking coffee when I figured out that what I really craved was the sweet stuff I put in it----for me it was flavored creamer.

    I have been caffeine free for over two years and consider it one of the best decisions I ever made.:bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
  • melissa97
    melissa97 Posts: 57 Member
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    I love Nutella!!! I like it on graham crackers. Luckily im not addicted to it but once i start eattingit its very hard for me to stop...so i try not to eat it! :wink:
  • JenelNguyen
    JenelNguyen Posts: 16
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    What I like about the agave sweetener (like honey) is that it's so sweet you only need a tiny bit. :)
  • karjustin
    karjustin Posts: 3
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    A healthier alternative would be agave nectar, it has about 60 calories per tablespoon. I agree with tdmcmains, once you cut way back on the sugar, after a while you don't crave it anymore.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
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    You have a few options - If you like artificial sweeteners and aren't concerned about them being healthy or not (I will reserve my opinions on this as they are only opinions, not supported by facts), then try the different sweeteners that are avaialable. Agave nectar, stevia (various different brands), sweet-n-low, etc. until you find one you enjoy.

    Are you drinking quality coffee? Cheap coffee can taste horrible and bitter and need more sweeteners. There are flavored coffees and flavored creamers that you can use a decent amount of to get sweetness for less calories than all of that sugar.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
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    Try Creme Brulee.... They have tons of flavors and it is sooooo delicous. No need to use sugar at all. Although it has sugar in it:) They also have different flavors.... Another thing I do now is put protien powder in mine for flavor. It tastes more like hot chocolate, but I think it's more of an energy boost than just coffee. And it feels like I've at a meal.

    What is this? Is it a type of coffee? I have never heard of this.
  • abronowski_611
    abronowski_611 Posts: 17 Member
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    I am the same way. I could live off of desserts and chocolate, and I always used to put a ton of sugar in my coffee. I had to gradually decrease how much sugar I was putting into my coffee. I now use Truvia. It is a lot sweeter than regular sugar, so you don't need as much. Trust me, if you use the same amount of Truvia as you do sugar, it will taste gross. Truvia is made from the Stevia plant, and is much better for you. I used to put 3 packets into my coffee (12 fl. oz.) and I now use 1 packet. I need to cut down on the creamer though too. LOL! I'm slowly working my way off that. Hope that helps!
  • castadiva
    castadiva Posts: 2,016 Member
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    Cut back gradually, 1 tsp at a time, or if you prefer, switch to another natural sweetener with lower calories and/or more health benefits - some types of honey have an anti-bacterial effect, for example. Please don't switch to artificial sweeteners - contrary to what someone else posted, there is actually quite a lot of medical evidence that these are harmful, both to your body, and to your mind, and more is emerging all the time.
  • ElementalEscapee
    ElementalEscapee Posts: 552 Member
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    Ahh!! That just happened to me last night actually- I was doing fantastic, eating brilliantly, and then HERE COMES THE NUTELLA. Grrrr. :/
  • SHDenver
    SHDenver Posts: 87 Member
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    My favorite coffee drink is a large (16oz) cup of iced coffee with two sweet n' lows and a little bit of cream. I feel like it tastes like chocolate a bit and I can deal with the aftertaste. Not sure why, but I feel like sweet n' low is the best with coffee though I also like Splenda and Stevia in other drinks/foods. Those are all very low calorie or no calorie sweetners. I'd like to transition to natural sweetners like honey and agave, but will wait until I reach my weight goals before doing that and accept any negative consequences of using artificial sweetners in the meant time.

    I wish I had a solid answer for you because I'm a sugar addict as well... and salt... and fried... and basically anything that's unhealthy for you.

    I'm using myfitnesspal to hold me accountable and have identified a few things (Fiber One Chocolate & Oats bars, sugar free grape, cherry, and orange popsicles) that satisfy the sugar cravings somewhat. Willpower is the other thing. Using another site and now this one I haven't worried about sugar so much as nutrient dense foods (with the exceptions of the sf popsicles) overall carbs, and logging everything. For the last several weeks I haven't had any candy or anything like that to break some of the immediate addiction and hope by calculating calories when I do eat some I have the support to make sure I don't go over. I may find that it's best to just keep it out until I reach my goals, but don't want to completely limit myself. I've definitely fallen in to the "all of nothing" line of thinking with weight loss and am trying to break that habit, because I feel like it overrules positive steps I make.

    Good luck in finding the right answer for you! Let us know how it goes!

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