Sugar Addiction -Help?

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marieautumn
marieautumn Posts: 932 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I have come to realize over this long holiday weekend that I ingest WAY too much sugar. I don’t eat fried food too much, and i drink nothing but water, however i eat a lot of sugar. By a lot I mean every night after dinner I HAVE to have some thing sweet such as ice cream, cookies, or fruit with whipped cream. On weekends when I am home all day I find myself craving sugar. How can I wean myself off sugar? My diet is pretty paleo other than this and some occasional bread relapsing.
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  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
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    If my cravings get too out of hand, I usually have to completely cut out refined sugars for a few weeks and then slowly re-introduce them back into my diet. Either that, or I just have to tell myself no, you've had enough junk for the day/week, you aren't getting that extra snack.
  • lys617
    lys617 Posts: 51 Member
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    Depends on how you do things. You could go off the deep end and just throw everything out and not have it in the house. Maybe then you won't be so tempted. Or you can try and down your portion sizes and mainly stick to fruit, eventually weaning yourself off of it all together. Me, personally, if it's in the house I will eat it, not having the temptation is a big thing for me. Know yourself and identify what will work for you, then you can do it!
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 932 Member
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    i love the idea of not having it in the house, but its hard to not have anything sugar based with kids. My son has great nutrition so I would feel bad removing all sugar completely as he's not the one who can't be trusted around it, I am. Sad that a 5 year old has more willpower than me i think.
    I do think sticking to mostly fruit instead of processed sugar snack would be better.
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 932 Member
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    If my cravings get too out of hand, I usually have to completely cut out refined sugars for a few weeks and then slowly re-introduce them back into my diet. Either that, or I just have to tell myself no, you've had enough junk for the day/week, you aren't getting that extra snack.
    how do you cut them out completely?? i need your willpower!
  • honestlysweet
    honestlysweet Posts: 221 Member
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    I had the same problem until I cut them out cold turkey. No sugar at all. Nothing sweet, not even fruit. I was amazed that after only a week or two, my cravings for sweets stopped completely. Cold turkey is the way to go.
  • Axels91
    Axels91 Posts: 213
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    Buy a box of kiddie snacks and allow your son to keep a tally on how many are in the box. He can cross out as he eats them. If you eat any, you will have some explaining to do.
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 932 Member
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    Buy a box of kiddie snacks and allow your son to keep a tally on how many are in the box. He can cross out as he eats them. If you eat any, you will have some explaining to do.
    lol i love this!
  • katysmelly
    katysmelly Posts: 380 Member
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    So I have come to realize over this long holiday weekend that I ingest WAY too much sugar. I don’t eat fried food too much, and i drink nothing but water, however i eat a lot of sugar. By a lot I mean every night after dinner I HAVE to have some thing sweet such as ice cream, cookies, or fruit with whipped cream. On weekends when I am home all day I find myself craving sugar. How can I wean myself off sugar? My diet is pretty paleo other than this and some occasional bread relapsing.

    I know exactly what you mean! Since joining this site and logging what I eat, I've noticed how sugar affects me.

    I think most of us indulged yesterday. I know I did. I felt terrible last night - shakey and emotionally drained and irritable.

    I only notice this when I eat actual sweets - cookies, cakes, and candy. I don't have a particular problem with things like sugar in peanut butter or ketchup. At least, not that I've noticed.
  • shine_
    shine_ Posts: 150 Member
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    When I cut out sugar I only need to do it for a couple of weeks. After that, when I eat sweets for example I don't even think it's nice! You stop craving it and it definitely does not taste as nice as you remember when you try something again.

    I do have sugar free sweets for times like Easter/Christmas or cinema for example though.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
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    If my cravings get too out of hand, I usually have to completely cut out refined sugars for a few weeks and then slowly re-introduce them back into my diet. Either that, or I just have to tell myself no, you've had enough junk for the day/week, you aren't getting that extra snack.
    how do you cut them out completely?? i need your willpower!

    I will cut it out and do something like - if I don't eat the little chocolate bunnies (for example) until next Saturday, I will do ( ). Sometimes I will have a much better version of what I am craving (say, if I wanted M&Ms, I might have a nice piece of cheesecake, or sometimes it is a new nail polish, whatever will keep me going). I don't cut it out forever, just long enough to cut out the cravings. Then I make sure I have something I really enjoy. Sometimes, a nice piece of dark chocolate a day keeps the cravings away, sometimes a glass of wine a day. You have to find something that works for you that you can manage.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
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    You will need to cut them out of your diet completely.

    Would you believe that it is the sugar in alcohol that alcoholics crave? This is why we suggest to them to carry candy with them when they first stop drinking.

    Good luck, coming off of sugar is hard. The best way to be successful in this is to make sure there is none of this stuff in the house.
  • havingitall
    havingitall Posts: 3,728 Member
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    I used to think i NEEDED dessert every night. I was brought up that way and continued through life that way. Recently, I have realized it is not a need.

    You are not depriving your son by not having processed sugar in the house. I used that to justify as well.

    Get rid of it and just go cold turkey.

    60 Minutes had a great piece on April 1 about the effects of sugar on your body. I suggest you google it and watch it. It was really an eye opener.
  • cherryolac
    cherryolac Posts: 34
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    Try getting rid of all refined sugar in the house for about a month or so(everyones a little different)......and then see if your cravings and taste buds don't change. I hadn't had full fat/sugar ice cream for 4 months and I had one yesterday....could only eat half. It wasn't even that tasty to me so eating half was retarded but whatever. If you can teach your body that when it craves sugar its going to get fruit it will stop craving the bad stuff and start craving the good stuff. Give it a try a month isn't to long for your son to go without...or move the snacks to his room! :wink: Good luck!
  • Colofit
    Colofit Posts: 177 Member
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    Go on you tube and look up "sugar, The Bitter Truth" by Dr Lustig. It's long but very very good! I cut sugar almost completely out of my diet (before ever seeing this) just cuz it (and pasta and bread) make me very bloated...I am now convinced that the key reason I have been so successful and reshaping my body is mostly due to no sugar! I have never been hungry and after about a week (of saying no to all the cakes and crap at work) I never crave it but rather look at sugar laden foods and think yuck! Easter was not an issue at all! Good luck and please check out the sight! (he is a bit radical thinking sugar should be banned completely but the info on sugar is spot on)
  • kmfolkins
    kmfolkins Posts: 64
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    I keep frozen grapes in the freezer at all times to help with my sweet cravings. As for keeping sugar packed foods for the kids, my 4 kids are happy with having just fruit and jam in the house. I do make them cookies sometimes, but only about a dozen at a time, and if I can get past the cookie dough part I am okay. lol
  • Colofit
    Colofit Posts: 177 Member
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    PS: When I say I gave up sugar I did not mean natural sugar that we find in fruit!!! :0)
  • Meganalva
    Meganalva Posts: 282 Member
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    I have this same problem so I'm gonna keep reading :) I eat super healthy & vegan....other than my sugary snacks...which I have like 3x a day at least! I annoy myself with it! lol It needs to stop.
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 932 Member
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    i love all the great suggestions i am getting! I agree cutting it out completely is the way to go after researching what you guys have said. My sugar rehab has officially started today.
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 932 Member
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    one more question -what about coffee?? can i still use it there?
  • havingitall
    havingitall Posts: 3,728 Member
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    Why don't you start reducing it in your coffee. I used to have 2 teaspoons per cup and reduced it. Now I can't stand any sugar in my coffee or tea...it's nasty

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