Sugar addiction...where do I start...

glprice1990
glprice1990 Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, so I am obviously addicted to sugar. Any suggestions on how to start reducing sugar besides the obvious? No Cokes, no candy etc....frustrated that it has become a cycle.

Thanks for your help :)
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Replies

  • metacognition
    metacognition Posts: 626 Member
    I find lower calorie alternatives with whole grain, high protein, or vegetables / fruit that are still sweet. And then I sweeten them so they taste like desert.

    An example would be sweetening some 100-calorie whole wheat blueberry muffins with truvia. Or my favorite, plain greek yogurt mixed with a tablespoon of cocoa powder and 3 - 4 packets of the stuff. Truvia is based on stevia, a naturally sweet plant and erythrytol (misspelled), a sugar alcohol with a high tolerance that is basically absorbed and excreted by the body unchanged. I also try naturally sweet vegetables, like mashed sweet potatoes with a bit of pumpkin pie spice.

    It it's fresh fruit, don't worry about the sugar levels unless you have a medical reason to do so.

    Life feels so much better without the sugar spikes and crashes. I don't miss white sugar at all, but I do get a lot of sugar through fruit - just remember to eat it with a protein rich product to minimize the effects.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Cut it out and go cold turkey if you really think you're addicted. You'll be fine after a few days (though you'll still miss it). I suggest completely cutting out sweets and sugary beverages for three weeks or more to help break the addiction.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Life feels so much better without the sugar spikes and crashes. I don't miss white sugar at all, but I do get a lot of sugar through fruit - just remember to eat it with a protein rich product to minimize the effects.

    So true. Life is different once you aren't constantly crashing.
  • GatorGirl0890
    GatorGirl0890 Posts: 41 Member
    Replace desserts with Larabars. They're amazing, and most of them are sugar free.

    http://www.larabar.com/products/chocolate-coconut-chew#ingredients
  • MjrFatteh
    MjrFatteh Posts: 15
    I LOVE sweet stuff and now days when I NEED the sweet fix I drink 8oz of silk pure almond vanilla unsweetened milk with a tsp of stevia.
  • melmonroe
    melmonroe Posts: 111
    GO cold turkey

    AND be ready to simply take naps or go to bed early and or pace the floor. Don't give in! You are craving sugar because your insulin is going crazy.

    Find low/no sugar meals and stick with it --

    AND for now also stay away from fruit.
  • GlassslippersAndFairyDust
    GlassslippersAndFairyDust Posts: 518 Member
    Going cold turkey is the answer for me. Today is day one for me. I did 28 days once and I felt better. It took about 3-4 days to get through withdrawal......headache, hard to focus...etc. but worth it. Good luck!:flowerforyou:
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    It it's fresh fruit, don't worry about the sugar levels unless you have a medical reason to do so.

    Life feels so much better without the sugar spikes and crashes. I don't miss white sugar at all, but I do get a lot of sugar through fruit - just remember to eat it with a protein rich product to minimize the effects.

    All those blueberries you eat? Have sucrose in them...
  • booker2shoes
    booker2shoes Posts: 50 Member
    I am also a sugar addict. I did a 21-day challenge of no sweets. I still ate lots of fruit, but no cake, candy, cookies, etc. The first few days were really hard, but it definitely got easier as time went on. I finished in early March, and don't crave sugar like I used to. I feel WAY better now.
  • shezzzzz
    shezzzzz Posts: 119 Member
    Just stop.

    Don't try to replace with other sweet things.

    Change what you eat, and what you enjoy. It takes about 30 days to re-train your taste buds.

    I used to take lots of sugar in my coffee, once I got used to no sweetener in it, now I enjoy the flavor of the COFFEE, not just the sugar, and other tastes followed the same way.

    You can do it, it is a change to how you eat and think about food, not just replacing one form of sweet flavoring for another.
  • melb_alex
    melb_alex Posts: 1,154 Member
    Ok, so I am obviously addicted to sugar. Any suggestions on how to start reducing sugar besides the obvious? No Cokes, no candy etc....frustrated that it has become a cycle.

    Thanks for your help :)

    It you can't cut it completely use a sweetener or substitute it with honey.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,032 Member
    The only way I've found works for me is to go cold turkey and after about 3 days I no longer want any.

    Course that only works if you don't pick up that habit again, other wise it's a vicious cycle all over again. I found for myself it's much easier to stop eating it initially than to stay off of it, that's what I struggle with. I realize I'm not one of those ppl that can eat simple carbs and leave it at that, the blood sugar cycles up and down and then the cravings are there all over again, stronger than ever.

    I've never cut back on fruit while cutting back on simple carbs perhaps I'll give that a try ...worth trying at least.

    I've also found drinking extra water helps me since too much sugar seems to dehydrate me.
  • FootballGamer58
    FootballGamer58 Posts: 1,310 Member
    just cut out most....its not as hard as it seems, more meat more veggies nothing too sweet fora while till you get a hold of it
  • AggieLu
    AggieLu Posts: 873 Member
    Read the book: IT STARTS WITH FOOD.
  • bevmcarthur
    bevmcarthur Posts: 341 Member
    good luck with this its a hard one to cut out but you can do it
    Like a few others said go cold turkey
    drink lots of Lemon water it will help with the detox you will feel like CRAP for the first few days as your body will react to not having sugar in your body
    I would still have fruit but watch your intake on that also as it may be a natural sugar its still a sugar and stay away from the higher sugar ones i eat apples and berries as they are lower on the scale and i will only eat 1 apple and 1 serving of berries and that serving can be 1.5 cup some days i will have more berries it depends on what cardio i am doing that day
  • onwarddownward
    onwarddownward Posts: 1,683 Member
    Ok, so I am obviously addicted to sugar. Any suggestions on how to start reducing sugar besides the obvious? No Cokes, no candy etc....frustrated that it has become a cycle.

    Thanks for your help :)

    I started by stopping drinks with sugar or diet sweeteners in them. And I stopped adding sugar to my foods. That gave me an unexpected bonus --- I stopped having migraines!
  • Tristaan
    Tristaan Posts: 125 Member
    Gonna agree with the cold turkey approach. Plan your next several days of meals so you don't get caught looking for quick things to eat. High proteins and complex carbs to fill you up. Find some fruit you enjoy and snack on it between meals. Drink lots of water. I find it best to avoid artificial sweeteners as well, for me they trigger a sweet tooth response, but you'll have to find your own comfort level with that. Eventually, your craving for sweets will go away, and when you do indulge, you'll see that a smaller amount is satisfying, or some things will just be too rich to finish. Good luck.
  • amandafranks32
    amandafranks32 Posts: 36 Member
    The only way for me is to cut sugar and most refined carbs out completely. It's hard for the first week but after I get through withdrawals I feel so much better!
  • evans72002
    evans72002 Posts: 89 Member
    I just tried to limit my sugar intake to 30 grams per day. Some days I met the goal and some days I didn't, but at the end of 21 days, I do not crave sugar, it actually tastes not so great. Real food tastes soooo much better. It is one of the best things I've ever done for myself.
  • RoseTears143
    RoseTears143 Posts: 1,121 Member
    I agree with everyone on going cold turkey. The first few days will be hard: possible headaches, fatigue, muscle weakness, or any number of other possible withdrawal symptoms - but after that you will start to feel so much better!!
  • 111orBust
    111orBust Posts: 41
    Same deal as quitting smoking - go cold turkey.
    Yes, it'll hurt for a for a while, but if you keep your wits about you, ultimately you'll defeat the addiction.
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
    The only way for me is to cut sugar and most refined carbs out completely. It's hard for the first week but after I get through withdrawals I feel so much better!

    This.
  • Ohnoes
    Ohnoes Posts: 98 Member
    i thought i was addicted to sugar once upon a time... i would crave it all the time, i would have to make sure that there was some kind of chocolate/cake/cookie/candy in the house at all times, i ate desert every night even if i was full and if i didnt have any i would leave to buy something. then i quit drinking every day, and now i dont really care about sugar at all. i dont know the science behind this, just sharing a personal experience... for me it was directly related to alcohol consumption. i drank several glasses of wine/beers a night at one point and needed sugar. now i drink maybe a glass of wine a week, and the one chocolate bar i buy every time i do a weekly shopping often gets forgotten in the cupboard.
  • CrystalDreams
    CrystalDreams Posts: 418 Member
    I would be careful with fruit because I know for me it makes me go on sugar binges. Oatmeal, vegetables, sprouted breads, whole wheat pastas, etc, etc.
  • Wimbledongal
    Wimbledongal Posts: 64 Member
    I am doing this currently and am on day 5 - I feel a lot better already. But can anyone advise on yoghurt? I only have plain natural organic stuff for breakfast with seeds and oats - is that ok or should I be cutting out yog completely?

    Thanks
  • amandamotley
    amandamotley Posts: 63
    I tend to avoid it for the most part, although I do enjoy a bowl of protein "ice cream" pretty regularly as my nighttime snack. There are a million ways you can do it, but I throw some almond coconut milk (the drink, I buy the unsweetened - 45 cals and 3.5g fat per cup) frozen into ice cubes, a splash of it unfrozen (total of 1 cup between the cubes and liquid), a scoop of protein powder, and if I am dying for something treat-y a tiny bit of sugar free instant jello pudding mix, into the vitamix. Blend (add regular ice if it's too liquidy), then I top with whatever fits into my macros for the day, since it's usually my last meal of the day. Usually it's peanut butter since I'm a lower carb/higher fat gal, but sometimes special k protein cereal, fruit, nuts. Delicious, filling, gives me something to look forward to. Since it's filling I don't want to go crazy on other stuff after.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Cold turkey will help you stay on a DIET.

    The probelm with that strategy is this ....... will you be on a diet for the rest of your life? Are you willing to give up sugar forever? Not me .....I have to develop strategies to reduce my sugar dependence. I love cereal, but I look for something really low sugar. #1. because low sugar cereal still tastes good & # 2. I want to "save" my sugar for something that counts .... a piece of chocolate.

    Nail down the "thing" that you crave .... allow yourself that thing (a small portion anyway). I typically save this until late in the day.
    Get rid of as much unnecessary sugar as you can.
  • hbunting86
    hbunting86 Posts: 952 Member
    I'm curious as to when exactly sugar intake became pathologised as an addiction? I'm only asking from a pure interests sake... I'm doing research at the moment and everyone seems to come to the same conclusion - as far away as New Zealand and in Singapore.

    H :)
  • gottogetinshape
    gottogetinshape Posts: 124 Member
    My friend Emily recommended taking Bio-Chromium. I've been taking it for about a month and I still get sugar cravings sometimes and I do still eat sweet things but I think it's less so than before. It might be worth a try. Here's one of the pages I read before deciding to buy some:

    http://uk.pharmanord.com/contentServlet/bio_chromium.htm

    All the best! :)
  • Ohnoes
    Ohnoes Posts: 98 Member
    I'm curious as to when exactly sugar intake became pathologised as an addiction? I'm only asking from a pure interests sake... I'm doing research at the moment and everyone seems to come to the same conclusion - as far away as New Zealand and in Singapore.

    H :)

    speaking as a former addict, there was a time when i thought about sugar in the same way that i thought about my other addictions. do i have enough sweets in the house to last the night? when/where can i get some more? if there are other people in the house eating the treats, will there be enough for me?

    if a person cant go sugar free for a night without obsessing about it, does that make it an addiction? maybe idk! im curious too! :)

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