Sugar addiction and starting over...

cjsacto

Sugar is a compulsion with me as well. As others have said, the longer I go with just a small amount in my diet, the less I crave it. However, I CANNOT have a "cheat day" or "cheat meal" with sugar. I kind of equate that with letting an addict have a "cheat day" with their drug of choice (no insensitivity intended). I did that the other week, made myself a small, one serving blueberry tart that was a sugar bomb but inside my calorie limit, thinking it's just one treat. I waited ten minutes, then got up and made myself another one, then ate half the one I made for my SO. I've been very strict about my daily calories but sugar is still tough to control.

With the MFP tracking method, it looks like I get a lot of sugar every day anyway, through fruit and vegetables. I know those are "good" sugars and are delivered with lots of good fiber & other nutrients, but too much is still too much. A lot of people say your body processes all sugar the same, while others say not to worry about the sugar in produce. I go over the allotment even on days when I eat pretty much perfectly.

Having said that I can't have sugar.... I did have yummy 100% maple syrup today with breakfast so I'm already lying about the cheat meal but sooo good and still no refined sugar or high fructose corn syrup - it delivers a lot of sweet but doesn't seem to trigger the same cravings. Although, when I was a kid I used to sneak downstairs at night and drink it. Sugarrrrrrrrrr.

rhondadwyer69

I have an addictive personality, and while sometimes that's a good thing (it keeps me rock climbing), other times, it's bad. I'm addicted to sugar. Oh, I love it!! I hate it, too. I envy people who don't like sweets; why can't I be like you? I'll get there, though. I've overcome other obstacles, this is just another one on my path to a healthier me.

I'm looking for friends along the way. I've had success before when I had a group of friends on here to keep me honest (and I them). If you'd like to, feel free to add me. :-)

Thanks and best wishes to you and yours this coming New Year!

From one addict to another - I would love to be a supportive friend and would also love to have you as someone who knows exactly what I am going through. Every "monthly" is my most difficult time and it usually is the time I fail and fail. I would love to be able to write to you and get help. Thanks for being open about your addiction. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

jaimielynnshaw

I understang your pain!it seems that if I just eat one snickers bar I gain, like, 10 lbs!!!!Im just joining this club, ans I seriously want to lose 80 lbs. I am completely devoted to this, i have even switched to vegetarian. i am sooooo unhealthy, my mom says i have the health of a 90 year old. i am 31, and am struggling!

DoctorsaubeR

Hey Sugar, I am addicted to sugar, too! I also have an addictive personality (I'm an addict in many ways)...and this year is my time to get support for the junk food/sugar compulsions I have!

Good luck and happy 2013~

DoctorsaubeR

BTW - I am a recovering drug (opiate) addict as well --- sugar is also addictive (it chemically alters the brain and has the potential to create both mental and physiological dependency) and it can be fatal when consumed compulsively. I have watched family and friends become very ill and even die due to both sugar *and* drug addictions. Thank you, all, for taking this post seriously! (And kudos to those who were able to talk out their differences of opinion earlier in this thread -- that was really cool to see!)

sjmn

I could have written this post! That's me exactly! I'm starting over after the holidays, just have 15 lbs to lose but having a hard time sticking to anything. Feel free to add me:)

melkel0508

When I aim for about 100-150 grams of carbohydrates and about 100-150 grams of protein, I feel very satiated, and I don't have room in my diet for sugar. I find this a little hard to stick to long term, even though it's not extreme or anything. I recommend a similar ratio to anyone with a similar sugar issue. (Note: your exact numbers will be different based on your size and calorie needs, there numbers are for an 1800 - 2300 calorie diet).

BTW: your English is as good as any American's

When I'm strict with my diet and has been for a while I don't really have a problem staying away from sugar either. But I am carefull with carbs as they tend to have a lot of calories in them so it's a win win. ;-P

That's a good idea to keep track on your ratio so you know how much or little you can eat to keep balanced, I think I'm going to try that! My focus has always been not to eat to much calories but in the long run it's probably good to know how to control it. Thank you for the advice. :-)

musclesglasses5

To all struggling with sugar addiction here:

I highly recommend cutting all sugar/grains/alcohol/caffeine out of your diet if at all possible. I struggled with similar issues and found that I cannot consume any of those and not expect to binge some short amount of time after doing so.

If you want to find a good way to get clean of these -- check out www.marksdailyapple.com and do a 21-day or 30-day challenge. It's incredible how good you'll feel, and you get to replace all of those sugar calories with delicious fat and you'll consume a lot less easily. I'm someone who was easily eating 3-4k calories a day and not knowing it in a sedentary job. I just started again knowing that I needed to count calories to b/c I wanted to lose weight, and for the past week I've stayed under 2k calories and there have been some days where I've been fine at 1200 -- I currently weigh 235 and am over 6 ft to give you an idea. Our bodies don't need as much food as we have been socialized to believe.

The good news is that you can cure it and I at least am one person who has had success in it going away. Feel free to friend me / PM me if you want to know more about Primal Blueprint or the Paleo diet and how it has changed my life.

Happy holidays everyone!
Zack

RobynMWilson

I used to be a sugar addict. I suppose days like today I still over indulge, till my tummy hurts and I feel like crap and then I'm right back on the beam. When you eat well enough and go back to your old ways, it doesn't feel good and and for me it strengthens my resolve to go back to eating healthy. But we will talk tomorrow after I've had a good old fashioned meatloaf dinner for Christmas (although I did manage to talk the folks into having my oven roasted cauliflower with dinner) and most certainly going over my calories today lol

ambervaldez79

I've never been able to kick my sugar addiction

ambervaldez79

Zd, my cravings decreased a great deal when I cut out junk and followed the paleo lifestyle. I have cheated a bit which has derailed me. It is time to get back on track!

mockchoc

Another addictive personality here. I find I'm fine when I'm logging and eating really well with very little sugar or white flour but as soon as I stop I get right into going overboard on it like now when I'm on vacation. I know I can achieve anything because I've already done what I thought was impossible so sugar is the last thing on my list that is going to be sorted out when I get home next week. Any of you are free to add me if you want to. Good luck!

r0ckclimbingm0m

I've been reading through the posts, and I think, though I don't want to admit this, that I'm just going to have to quit cold turkey and get the sweets out of my diet. Once I have one bite, it's all downhill from there. Tonight I started by declining the pumpkin pie I was offered at a family dinner (that was tough!). But it paid off; I came home, worked out, and I'm having my nightly cup of hot tea and not wanting anything else. :-) Hopefully I can do it this time. And again, thanks for the support! Looks like I've got a good group here on MFP.

RobynLB

I've been reading through the posts, and I think, though I don't want to admit this, that I'm just going to have to quit cold turkey and get the sweets out of my diet. Once I have one bite, it's all downhill from there. Tonight I started by declining the pumpkin pie I was offered at a family dinner (that was tough!). But it paid off; I came home, worked out, and I'm having my nightly cup of hot tea and not wanting anything else. :-) Hopefully I can do it this time. And again, thanks for the support! Looks like I've got a good group here on MFP.

Way to go!

SadKitty27

The good news is that for most ppl the level at which you crave sugar is somewhat tied to your current intake of sugar. In other words, if you drastically lower or cut out sugar altogether once you get thru the "annoying period" (for me this is 2 weeks) your body will adjust and you won't crave them as much. You'll still have random cravings for sweets if that's your fancy but the constant desire should subside and instead turn into the need for an occasional indulgence or cheat meal to keep you on track.

This exactly! I have (well, had) a VERY big sweet tooth. Chocolate was most certainly my downfall. I ended up switching up my diet to a high protein diet (I somewhat follow the Atkins diet.) I felt TERRIBLE for one week, but now feel fantastic. I have no cravings for anything with tons of carbs or sugar in it at all.

I even turned down cakes, cookies and tons of delicious smelling breads on Christmas (and that' s a big thing for me, because I used to love bread and chocolate lol.)

r0ckclimbingm0m

I even turned down cakes, cookies and tons of delicious smelling breads on Christmas (and that' s a big thing for me, because I used to love bread and chocolate lol.)

Impressive!!

SoDamnHungry

Hey there. I also love sugar. I was so badly addicted that I went cold turkey on it for three weeks because I was literally eating candy for lunch. It was horrible for the first few days, but can be done!

ellarainbow

Hello,

I've just joined because I also have issues with sugar (eating chocolate for lunch sounds far too familiar). If anyone else here wants to add me feel free.

ObtainingBalance

I'm in!

Feel free to add me if you're trying to cut back on sugar also!

~

PamPeekeMD

There ARE withdrawal symptoms from addiction to hyperpalatable foods, including headache, diarrhea, anxiety, the shakes and tiredness. Remember that some alcoholics and drug addicts withdraw with very few symptoms while others go through horrific experiences. Is one more addicted than the other?

We have to stop treating people like science fair projects when it comes to food and "dieting". Science now shows through new tools like PET and MRI brain scans the addiction-related organic changes that take place in the reward system and the prefrontal cortex. This occurs across all additions, from drugs and alcohol to the newly discovered food addiction. This new pioneering research is also helping us to appreciate a holistic and integrative approach to addiction. I was first senior research fellow in the NIH Office of Complementary Medicine. Using food addiction as template, THE HUNGER FIX addiction plan integrates personal empowerment, spirituality, along with whole food nutrition and restorative physical activity. Shame, blame and guilt must be neutralized with compassion, empathy and then the tools of self-empowerment.