sugar addiction - give up or moderation?

emilyjhopkins

i know i have a sugar addiction - mainly to cake! what do people think about controlling this? i have read a few things about quitting full stop - but the thought of never eating any sugar ever again is quite depressing and perhaps unrealistic. while my will power is high i can control how much i eat and at the moment i have a small treat most evenings. the problem is when i loose my will power i end up binging. normally this results in me repeating this for days or weeks until i can persuade myself to start being good again. its such a battle i just don't know what to do! any advice would be much appreciated

rebeccap13

I would recommend learning how to eat it in moderation. Also look at what causes you to binge. Is it the taste of the food or is something else going on that triggers binges?

emilyjhopkins

its mostly the taste, but i think i am an emotional eater too! thanks for your advice

susannamarie

Personally whenever I go cold turkey on my biggest issue (soda) it lasts a few weeks and then I end up binging for a few more. I'm sure it would be better to drink none but it doesn't work for me. The way it's worked for me is to do silly things -- I store it in my car, so it's warm, so if I want a can I have to go to the car, get it, and chill it first. It's not sitting there cold and calling my name. This has enabled me to greatly reduce my consumption.

frosty73

I am most definitely a sugar addict. I've found that I can control it, though, with moderation. For me that means I don't want to have sugary foods in the house, but if I really crave something I might buy some.

It is relatively easy to give up the sugar when you are hungry and realize you can eat something healthier.

It is much, much harder to deal with the cravings when you are not hungry but craving sugar to fill an emotional void.

emilymorene

I was just thinking about this. I usually have a sweet tea or soda with me...when I was in high school I actually quit drinking soda and most of the tea an ended up loosing weight. Not easy at all though. I have to decide if I will just quit drinking tea and soda and stick with water or what. Not really looking foward to it but I need to do it!

carrie1023

I love sugar also. I used to always crave sweets, things like snack cakes and candy bars, after dinner. I have cut way back (can't cut it out completely either) by substituting with fruits and snacks like fiber one brownies once in awhile. After about 4-6 weeks, I don't crave sugar as much anymore. I don't even care for the taste of cereals that are too sweet now. I hope that helps, good luck.

rebeccap13

I don't keep my binge foods in my house at all (aka cheese, bread, pasta, and candy, long list I know!) that way if I want it, I have to go to the store which causes me to think about it a little more before I decide if I really NEED it. Pre logging how much of your "binge" food you can have that still fits in your macros might be another helpful technique.

emilyjhopkins

thanks to all of you, the comments really help!

heartflood

I agree with everyone! Cutting my weak foods out of my diet completely ALWAYS causes me to binge on them later. I don't keep binge foods in my house either - like the other poster, I have to want it enough to get up and go get it. And then I get a single serving. Or if a single serving isn't possible to buy, I'll buy whatever I can, then toss out the rest. Wasteful, maybe, but it keeps me satiated with the craving and not 3000 calories over my goal. :X

Good luck!!

coopersmom2006

Yep, if I deny myself something then I totally freak out and over do it. Allow yourself a SMALL treat once a week. Set a certain day and look forward to it all week long.