how to cure an addiction to bread

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  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
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    I seriously believe the first thing to conquer is this idea that it's an addiction. By calling it an addiction when it may not be a true addiction, you are giving your cravings more power over you and making it bigger than it needs to be. I know you said you get a "rush" after eating bread, but I get satisfaction after eating as well. Your body wants you to eat to keep it alive, so naturally it would reward you with positive feelings.

    Try thinking of them as cravings and not an addiction. For me anyway, that makes the idea smaller and easier to conquer. I have a gnarly sweet tooth, but by dealing with small cravings one at a time rather than "an addiction" it's much easier to manage.

    In terms of conquering these cravings, you can try two things. You know yourself and your self control better than we do. If you keep bread in the house, will you be able to eat it in moderation? If the answer is yes, do that and set yourself a limit. If the answer is no, stop buying bread. If you can't eat it responsibly, don't buy it.
  • lax75
    lax75 Posts: 118 Member
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    if there's something that's in the house for other people that I am really trying not to eat (and I LOVE bread too), I keep it in the freezer. Somehow the extra step of having to defrost or toast it slows me down enough pull myself together and resist. But it's available for those who can eat it. (Warning - sadly, this does NOT work for Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies, however, as they're as good or better cold!)
  • treatdream
    treatdream Posts: 104 Member
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    wheat addiction! It is pretty common and wheat does have addictive qualities. I would try cutting it and all forms of wheat (gluten) out for 30 days and see if your cravings go away. It will take a lot of willpower, especially if you are going to keep bread in the house for your daughter, but you can do it! Replace the calories with healthy fats and protein. Try some avocado, coconut oil, grassfed meats, whole fat dairy, etc.

    ^^^ I agree ^^^

    You are most likely addicted to sugar and the spike in glucose when you eat bread. I also LOVE bread and am a bread/carb/sugar addict. I quit sugar, fruit, dairy (except plain Greek yogurt), grains, alcohol, most processed foods etc. (pretty much anything that converts to sugar in the body) for 3 months. I know it sounds crazy but it helped me SO much and seriously - If I could do it - so can you! Here are some link that can help you out, even if you aren't ready to try giving up sugar...

    http://whole9life.com/
    http://www.mariahealth.blogspot.com/
    http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/

    I have something called candida overgrowth which led me to the decision to quit sugar. There is a lot of useful info on this site as well.

    http://www.thecandidadiet.com/

    Good Luck!
  • IvoryParchment
    IvoryParchment Posts: 651 Member
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    Lousy - cheap guy has is it mostly correct. However what you really want to do is buy the bread which has the least amount of sugar. Typically this type of bread is the cheapest and worst tasting. Trader Joes has really inexpensive bread that is low in sugar or no added sugar.

    French bread is yeast, water, wheat flour, salt. And it's the Best. Bread. Ever.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
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    read Wheat Belly. Game changer. Bread is just a transportation device for better tasting things.
  • JeanieQueen
    JeanieQueen Posts: 21 Member
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    I'm a sucker for bread too, I could eat a whole loaf in one sitting if I wasn't paying attention, and even when I was trying my hardest to be good I'd find myself going back for more and more. The ONLY thing that worked was I stopped buying it. Now I only get bread maybe once a month or so as a treat. We get tortilla wraps and use them instead for things you would normally buy bread for (you can put anything you'd put into a sandwich in a wrap). I have an almost three year old and an almost one year old. Yes, you need to make sure you have balanced healthy meals for your kids, but you don't HAVE to have bread for them, there are plenty other options. Brown rice, tortillas, and whole grain pasta are all other options to make sure your kids get healthy grains and carbs.

    I really appreciate this post. You gave me some insight into not having to have bread. Thank you!
  • eal12_00
    eal12_00 Posts: 23 Member
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    I have the same problem, and a five yr old too....this is what i do i buy the family good bread i buy myself the low sodium low calorie whole wheat. I have gotten myself to one slice or none a day. but i tricked myself if i want a sandwich i make a fold over, garlic bread(my favorite) i got in half that way i eat half and go back for the second(u know u always want to get seconds lol). it works for me. yesterday i went to subway i actually took the bottom half of the bread off. I just woke up and realized that i was wasting my calories on bread when i could actually eat more of something else. never stop buying it especially with kids just train yourself to eat half...same with pizza i buy a cheese pizza and before anyone can touch it i cut each piece into half why? u always want that second piece so i get to do that and still eat one piece :) good luck but u can do it
  • temp666777
    temp666777 Posts: 169
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    Consider reading

    THE CARBOHYDRATE ADDICT'S DIET

    by the Drs. Heller. Hope it helps!
  • Curvy1taliana
    Curvy1taliana Posts: 371 Member
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    it may sound weird but i believe i have an addiction to bread. I love bread. whole grain, 12 grain, flax seed, sunflower, it doesn't really matter. i do eat the "healthy" breads,whole grains and such, but i tend to eat alot of it. anywhere from 8-16 slices a day. and at 120 calories per slice it's hard to loose weight. now i say i an addicted cause when i eat bread i actually get a little "rush" or "high" like feeling. Is it just me that suffers from this? anyone know how to beat it? I've tried to just not have it...that didn't work to well. Any psychological advice? ways to think? tricks to help me not think about my next "bread score".

    i'm seriously bamboozled

    thanks all

    I would suggest reading the book "Wheat Belly". These statements you have made will then TOTALLY make sense.
  • sdevan45
    sdevan45 Posts: 74 Member
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    personally i would be ok with that but i have a 5 year old daughter that we need to have nice healthy bread for. nice thought though

    Check out Trader Joe's branded sprouted breads. 60 calories per slice, low in carbs, high in fiber and tasty.
  • sdevan45
    sdevan45 Posts: 74 Member
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    personally i would be ok with that but i have a 5 year old daughter that we need to have nice healthy bread for. nice thought though

    Check out Trader Joe's branded sprouted breads. 60 calories per slice, low in carbs, high in fiber and tasty.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
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    personally i would be ok with that but i have a 5 year old daughter that we need to have nice healthy bread for. nice thought though

    why do you NEED to have bread for your 5yo? My 4yo doesn't eat bread and has grown up most of her life without it. Have you looked at an ingredient list on a package of Sara Lee lately? Nothing "healthy" about bread these days. It's all a giant hoax.
  • nicospoon
    nicospoon Posts: 5
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    As others have said, quite often you crave the foods you are actually intolerant to. As for still needing to have it in the house, keep it frozen then only lift out what you need for your daughter. Frozen bread is never as appealing and the fact that it wouldnt be an instant fix might take the edge off the impulse of eating it.
  • mayla95
    mayla95 Posts: 5
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    I live in France and I can tell you, like someone else said, a real bread (real baguette) doesn't have sugar in.
    It's just yeast, flour, salt and salt.
    Do you know that one the most recommended snack for kids in France is 2 slices of bread with chocolate bar?
  • graelwyn
    graelwyn Posts: 1,340 Member
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    I stopped having bread in my home a long time ago. If I did buy it in, I would end up munching through 4 slices of toast before bed, which made me feel bad. I very occasionally now buy a sandwich if I am out and fancy one, and very occasionally have pizza, but aside from that, I don't tend to have bread products anymore and I don't really miss it.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
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    Do you know that one the most recommended snack for kids in France is 2 slices of bread with chocolate bar?

    But it's good French chocolate, not a Hershey's bar.
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
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    Just don't eat it. The first week or so will suck but then after that the craving is gone. My favorite food in the world used to be potatoes -- mashed, fried, baked it didn't matter I ate them every single day.

    So I stopped. Completely. No more cravings for them and no more empty carbs for me.

    If you need substitutes try whole grain pitas (I buy flax ones sometimes when I can justify the sodium in them) or my really only almost everyday bread product is Mission extra thin corn tortillas. Not the hard ones these are by the softshells and are not fried have no trans fat, low sodium and low(er) carbs. 80 calories for 2 and I can still have my tacos and tortilla pizzas.
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
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    I live in France and I can tell you, like someone else said, a real bread (real baguette) doesn't have sugar in.
    It's just yeast, flour, salt and salt.
    Do you know that one the most recommended snack for kids in France is 2 slices of bread with chocolate bar?

    "Salt and salt" -- doesn't sound very healthy to me I guess.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    I freely admit I am a starchy carbs addict. And I can only quit cold turkey. I did it once before and felt amazing! So I am on my 6th day....it can be done.

    That doesnt mean there is no bread in my house....the b/f uses it. But I have no desire to eat his bread. In fact, I still have a loaf of my bread I haven't touched. There arent any tricks....you simply have to make up your mind you arent going to eat it anymore. :)
  • marx4
    marx4 Posts: 236 Member
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    I'm a bread eater also. I don't know where you live, but I can find a type that is 35 calories a slice or there is 45 calories with Sara Lee or Pepperidge Farm. Pepperidge Farm also has an 80 cal sliced raisin and strawberry banana breads. Hope this helps. I also buy light hamburger/hot dog rolls, both are 90 calories.

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