sugar addiction?

ashleymichelle06
ashleymichelle06 Posts: 47 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Is is possible to be addicted to sugar? I find myself having uncontrollable urges to eat candy every day. I don't crave anything else.

Has anyone else dealt with this? and how long did it take to stop craving sugar when you stopped eating it?

Replies

  • nuclearbanana
    nuclearbanana Posts: 31
    Now, let's not start tossing the word 'addiction' around here like we do with 'starvation mode'.

    Addictions are very complex things involving very complex processes in your body and brain. If your craving of sugar gets in the way of your normal life or hinders your ability to stay happily functional throughout the days, then you should consult a specialist who'd have more knowledge in this area. If you find yourself binging and/or going out of your way to consume food as a coping mechanism, then gee wilikers, you *might* have a problem.

    But what would the internet know? I'm not a specialist. I can't say if you have an addiction or not.

    The one thing I can say about myself, and many others on this forum, that the more I eat better foods, the less I crave 'junk food'. Eventually, candy or cake doesn't take as much priority as cherries do. And that's pretty swell.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,290 Member
    Is is possible to be addicted to sugar?
    Has anyone else dealt with this? and how long did it take to stop craving sugar when you stopped eating it?

    I did a 30 day off of refined sugar...that pretty much got rid of the cravings for me. YMMV :)
  • Silverkittycat
    Silverkittycat Posts: 1,997 Member
    Listen to your body? Sugar is not bad, enjoy some. :)
  • kaedaza
    kaedaza Posts: 33 Member
    I have dealt with it and it is so frustrating! I'v tried to slowly "wean" myself from it and that never worked so this last time I stopped cold turkey and when I got those cravings I would eat grapes =] Its been two weeks and im no longer craving sugar or caffiene! You can do it =D
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
    Is is possible to be addicted to sugar? I find myself having uncontrollable urges to eat candy every day. I don't crave anything else.

    Has anyone else dealt with this? and how long did it take to stop craving sugar when you stopped eating it?

    I feel a ton better when I stay away from high fructose corn syrup, table sugar and artificial sweeteners. I do fine with sugars that are naturally present in food and vegetables.

    Table sugar and high fructose corn syrup set off a craving mechanism in me.
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
    sugar is good.
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
    Jack Lalanne NAILED this 60 years ago...
    WATCH: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJVEPB_l8FU
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
    Listen to your body? Sugar is not bad, enjoy some. :)
    I listened to my body....that's why I was fat....
  • Klem4
    Klem4 Posts: 399 Member
    I have a terrible sweet tooth. I've tried to go cold turkey, but restricting just doesn't work for me. I started reading on here about people just eating a square or two of dark chocolate (high %) to keep their craving satisfied. Trying it this week.
  • chels2988
    chels2988 Posts: 1
    I feel your pain ashleymichell! It's the only thing I crave too...and I don't just have one cookie or one piece of candy...I have several and cannot stop once I start! I think I just need to try to quit cold turkey and try to have more will power...so hard though!! :(
  • twistygirl
    twistygirl Posts: 517 Member
    I consider my self to be addicted to sugar my Dr. told me to cut down on sugar bc it ache the bones. Sugar keeps me hungry for more sugar and I become moody when I don't get it. Different strokes for different folks but I say hell yes its addictive

    http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400899/Can-You-Be-Addicted-to-Sugar.html
  • bbarbush6
    bbarbush6 Posts: 4 Member
    Yes sugar is addictive. Watch this segment from 60 Minutes.

    http://youtu.be/t9MH_tks_wE
  • jacqui1612
    jacqui1612 Posts: 128 Member
    It is possible to be addicted to sugar.. If your interested, you hould read "Sweet Poison" by David Gillespie. It's all about sugar. I have only read a little but if it, but it is interesting :)
  • clobercow
    clobercow Posts: 337 Member
    Considering when you go low carb/sugar people have withdraw symptoms, AND sugar does trigger a dopamine response, I would say yes, It is addicting.
  • twistygirl
    twistygirl Posts: 517 Member
    Thank-you so much for this video. Jack had more sense than most of these Dr.s today have. He is so right. Thank-you again.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    i used to have a horrible sweet tooth. i still do to some extent but i's not as bad as before.

    i dont know if addiction is the right word or not, but i know i definitely get cravings for sugar. the worse part about it was that if i'd give in to the sugar cravings then that would immediately set up another cravings where i wanted salty like chips :angry:

    what helped me greatly was doing a 6 week sweets and carbs fast. i didnt even allow myself fruit. my idea was that sugar cravings were based on habit and maybe i could get over it by changing my palette. so for 6 weeks i ate noting but lean protein (no powder wince those also are sweet) and vegetables. at the end of the 6 weeks my cravings had greatly reduced as well as my tolerance for sweets.

    i think i might do another fast soon because recently the sugar cravings have returned and i havent been 100% diligent on not caving
  • Williamsrus
    Williamsrus Posts: 8
    Two weeks seemed to be the turning point for me too. Strangely I found that the two day fast that I did to start off on my new eating path seemed to change my taste buds a little. Food had more flavor and I could actually taste the sweetness more in naturally sweet foods like fruit after those few days. I still allow myself a little splenda in my tea, but find that a little Splenda goes a long way for me now. I dont get the overwhelming cravings. For me weaning didn't work-I had to go cold turkey too. I do plan on still indulging on occasion, just not every day.
  • Williamsrus
    Williamsrus Posts: 8

    what helped me greatly was doing a 6 week sweets and carbs fast. i didnt even allow myself fruit. my idea was that sugar cravings were based on habit and maybe i could get over it by changing my palette. so for 6 weeks i ate noting but lean protein (no powder wince those also are sweet) and vegetables. at the end of the 6 weeks my cravings had greatly reduced as well as my tolerance for sweets.

    Funny we were both posting about the fast at the same time.
  • ashleymichelle06
    ashleymichelle06 Posts: 47 Member
    Thanks for everyone's input. I will definitely check out the links.

    As far as quitting goes...I have been trying to sub fruits/natural sugars for the candy and other sweets. What helps me is not carrying cash so I can't get candy from the vending machine at work. The sad thing is I do great at making good decisions at the grocery store...it's the vending machine/cafeteria at my work that kill me.
  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,659 Member
    No kidding around ...... stop eating candy & sugary stuff ..... and see how long it takes for the cravings to go away .....

    Everyone's different ....... it's by trial & error we learn what works ......

    Good luck !
  • shannonmaria
    shannonmaria Posts: 44 Member
    I crave sweets everyday and it's always after I eat dinner. It's like I've trained my body to automatically want chocolate at that time. This week I'm trying to keep myself busy so I don't think about it. Actually being on here and responding to posts keeps me so preoccupied I havent really eaten any sweets at all :) Thank you MFP!!
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
    Thank-you so much for this video. Jack had more sense than most of these Dr.s today have. He is so right. Thank-you again.
    Jack was telling it like it is before anybody had a clue.
    They all thought he was some kind of crack pot.
  • inagaddadavegan
    inagaddadavegan Posts: 46 Member
    Is is possible to be addicted to sugar? I find myself having uncontrollable urges to eat candy every day. I don't crave anything else.

    Has anyone else dealt with this? and how long did it take to stop craving sugar when you stopped eating it?

    You get all new tastebuds every 21 days - so if you can minimize processed sugar for a few weeks, you won't crave it, and when you do eat it, you will want less of it.
  • TauTheBull
    TauTheBull Posts: 96
    Coffee poison
    fruit poison
    veggie posion
    meat posion
    milk poison
    sugar posion
    smoking toxic
    water toxic

    I think everything is toxic why not just enjoy all the toxicities in moderation. I like Boston Cream at least two times a week and pizza once a week and some dairy queen once a week. ;)

    I think we over think some things way too much. Our bodies turn everything we eat into sugar anyways.

    Yes addiction is a concern if you can not control the sugar cravings but going low carb will only increase these cravings.
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,446 Member
    I find the more frequently I have sugar, the more it becomes a habit. I am not a binge eater, so my problem was frequency more than anything else.

    My strategies to reduce sugar consumption happened over a few years:
    1. I stopped buying full size sweets. If I wanted one, I needed to get a single serving one from somewhere.
    2. I reduced the amount of sugar I put in my coffee.
    3. I started eating plain yogurt. Initially with 1-2 teaspoons of sugar, now plain with fruit/granola/nuts
    4. I switched to stevia for things I like to sweeten (mostly tea) at home
    5. I stopped using sugar, mostly, at home. (I use it occasionally in baking and for some homemade salad dressings, but not very much)

    Now, my taste for sweet has changed. I still like them. I target eating them about 2x-3x a week. Some weeks are better than others, when TOM comes to town, my cravings are in full force. But the amount of sweet I can handle is pretty low. If I want a "sugary" coffee drink, I ask them to cut the syrup in half. I drink most espresso drinks without sugar.

    There are a few sweets I buy. But they tend to last a while, I am not tempted to polish of the bag within days. More like weeks or months.

    Depending on how your cravings are, I recommend abstaining completely or gradually reducing. If you are the tye to overindulge constantly, then cutting it completely is best.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    I think everything is toxic why not just enjoy all the toxicities in moderation.

    because if everyone could enjoy everything they wanted in moderation some of us wouldnt have become overweight or obese in the first place. heck if people could enjoy things in, we wouldnt have things like alcohol or drug addiction, right?
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
    I think everything is toxic why not just enjoy all the toxicities in moderation.

    because if everyone could enjoy everything they wanted in moderation some of us wouldnt have become overweight or obese in the first place. heck if people could enjoy things in, we wouldnt have things like alcohol or drug addiction, right?

    You're right. Some people's brains are just wired differently and what is "moderation" for one person, may turn out to be a landslide for another. You wouldn't tell a recovering alcoholic that one drink a day will be just fine, would you?

    Sugar sets off a mechanism in me that makes me crave carbs and more sugar. It upsets the way I feel physically and mentally. My wiring does not need it. Someone else may not have the same reaction.

    I understand that this is a place for sharing but let's try and not be so dismissive of the fact that one person's meat can be another person's poison.

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