Sugar addiction

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alyssa75
alyssa75 Posts: 6
in Food and Nutrition
I swear I have one. It's ridiculous. I crave a ton of sugar and usually give into it. For the past couple of days I've done pretty well except in my iced tea I've used splenda.a And that's just as bad! It makes me bloat and it's just not good for you at all. Anyone have any tips on how to get over a sugar addiction?

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  • Nightelyn
    Nightelyn Posts: 31
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    Phase out the sugar with other sweet foods, like more fruit. It's okay to have a bit of brownie or cookies, as long as you do it in moderation. And dark chocolate is good for you, too.
  • skonly
    skonly Posts: 371
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    Stop eating it. I eat tons of fruit but that's it. I have celiac's so I don't eat most foods with added sugar anyway.

    I would never give up fruit. Too many benefits. I'm sure people will come on and say fruit is horrible for you and I think that's crazy. As I stated in one thread, the person saying they weigh 300 from eating too much is in serious denial.

    Once you get used to not having the bad sweet stuff you won't want it anymore and it will most likely make you feel yucky when you do.
  • lindidit
    lindidit Posts: 16 Member
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    My issue is the refined sugar. I love fruit and eat a lot of it and I think that's ok--but cutting out the sugar that comes hidden in processed foods or more blatantly, in a bowl of ice cream was hellishly hard. For me, it had to be "cold turkey." I craved it for about 7 days and then boom. Cravings gone.

    And if I ate it again, I always felt like crap after and the cravings would return with a vengeance.

    Honestly? I think there is something to your idea that its addictive. Kinda like cigarettes or cocaine. Problem is-- it's everywhere!! Sometimes I think it must be a conspiracy.
  • ErinRibbens
    ErinRibbens Posts: 370 Member
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    My issue is the refined sugar. I love fruit and eat a lot of it and I think that's ok--but cutting out the sugar that comes hidden in processed foods or more blatantly, in a bowl of ice cream was hellishly hard. For me, it had to be "cold turkey." I craved it for about 7 days and then boom. Cravings gone.

    And if I ate it again, I always felt like crap after and the cravings would return with a vengeance.

    Honestly? I think there is something to your idea that its addictive. Kinda like cigarettes or cocaine. Problem is-- it's everywhere!! Sometimes I think it must be a conspiracy.

    Ditto!!! cut out refined sugar cold turkey and you will be amazed. I am absolutely a sugar/chocolate junkie. Get your palate used to less sweet foods and then when you eat fruit or something sweetened with a little honey and it will seem plenty sweet.
  • reedkaus
    reedkaus Posts: 250 Member
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    when we eat sugar there is a similar reaction in the brain similar to drugs, but not nearly as strong, that hits the pleasure centers. this rewires the brain, and when combined with drops in blood sugar following the release in insulin, you have major cravings. the best way to try and combat this is to eat complex carbohydrates, which take much longer to get into your blood ,and, as others said, eat the natural simple sugars, i.e. fruit. and always always always try to have a lean protein with your carbs. from what i've read this also helps with the rate of release into the bloodstream, preventing "crashes" and cravings.

    best of luck to you
  • vytamindi
    vytamindi Posts: 845 Member
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    Yes, best of luck! It's SO hard to quit sugar... even weaning yourself with sugar substitutes is kinda hard as it's not the same.

    Most people I've talked to lost their taste for sugar after a few days of quitting cold turkey. Not sure if I could do that. Even on a low carb diet, I still have my splenda in my coffee. Gotta find what works for you! I hate that our bodies didn't come with instruction manuals....
  • alyssa75
    alyssa75 Posts: 6
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    Thank you all so much!! I do eat a lot of fruit (LOVE it!). I work in a hospital cafe so I try to go for it or have a little of the refined sugar (my main problem) but I always seem to go back to it. I'll try cold turkey and see what I can do. I'll try no sweetner tomorrow also...let's see how this goes!
  • somanyrhoades
    somanyrhoades Posts: 107 Member
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    Oh Girl have I been there! For years I drank a ridiculous amount of sugar (ate it too). Up until here recently when I actually started keeping track of what I was eating and when I saw what I was doing to my body I had to stop.I didn't do it cold turkey. i did it initially by cutting out my sugared lunch tme beverage. Then sugary beverages at dinner time (I was drinking 150-300 extra calories a meal). I also had the problem of continually eating sugar-laden food at work (night shift, no caffiene= big carbby mess). so then I cut that out (i literally used to eat a candy bar every night after dinner). The last thing I gave up was my OJ or chocolate milk at breakfast, which I still haven't totally given up, but I only have 4-6 oz of either. i have to say it hasn't been easy, but taking baby steps has helped me. I find that if I try to give up anything cold turkey I just end up binging on it later. And I have to say that I don't even miss drinking all those sugared beverages and I totally thought I'd only make it like a week. Also... Try to not give into the craving. Tell yourself that you WILL wait 45 minutes before you have whatever sugary thing you're after, and if you still want it then go ahead and have a little. 90 % of the time when I do this I find that my craving goes away in the first 15 minutes and I didn't really need/want it that bad after all. The replacement thing is a good idea too! Let us know how it goes for you!
  • alyssa75
    alyssa75 Posts: 6
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    Oh Girl have I been there! For years I drank a ridiculous amount of sugar (ate it too). Up until here recently when I actually started keeping track of what I was eating and when I saw what I was doing to my body I had to stop.I didn't do it cold turkey. i did it initially by cutting out my sugared lunch tme beverage. Then sugary beverages at dinner time (I was drinking 150-300 extra calories a meal). I also had the problem of continually eating sugar-laden food at work (night shift, no caffiene= big carbby mess). so then I cut that out (i literally used to eat a candy bar every night after dinner). The last thing I gave up was my OJ or chocolate milk at breakfast, which I still haven't totally given up, but I only have 4-6 oz of either. i have to say it hasn't been easy, but taking baby steps has helped me. I find that if I try to give up anything cold turkey I just end up binging on it later. And I have to say that I don't even miss drinking all those sugared beverages and I totally thought I'd only make it like a week. Also... Try to not give into the craving. Tell yourself that you WILL wait 45 minutes before you have whatever sugary thing you're after, and if you still want it then go ahead and have a little. 90 % of the time when I do this I find that my craving goes away in the first 15 minutes and I didn't really need/want it that bad after all. The replacement thing is a good idea too! Let us know how it goes for you!

    I'm in the same boat as you were! That's so great all the progress you've made! I think I'll try your suggestions. I tried the "cold turkey" thing and it wayyyy backfired. Especially at work where I had access to all kinds of foods. So tomorrow I'll try something different like you suggested and see how that helps me!
  • IntenseRSX04
    IntenseRSX04 Posts: 16
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    get a good tasting whey protein, that solves everything for me

    and theres nothing wrong with splenda if it prevents u from eating real sugar, theres no calories/carbs so i wouldnt worry about it unless u consume hundreds of packets lol
  • alyssa75
    alyssa75 Posts: 6
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    get a good tasting whey protein, that solves everything for me

    and theres nothing wrong with splenda if it prevents u from eating real sugar, theres no calories/carbs so i wouldnt worry about it unless u consume hundreds of packets lol

    I have myofusion that is pretty good but I prefer whole foods over shakes. Since shakes are already processed and broken down they don't keep you as full as you could be if you consumed that protein/carb/fat in whole foods. And lol no I don't consume hundreds of packets but I just didn't want to have it at all because fake sweetners make you bloat in your stomach and could hinder your results.
  • slimmin_down
    slimmin_down Posts: 6
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    Also if you eat cereal, you could always try almond milk. I have it with weetbix every morning and I never need sugar. It has waaay less calories than regular milk and even skim, it's actually getting a bit sweet for me so I may soon be switching to the "unsweetened" variety.
    I think it takes a lot of self discipline. I am still slipping and have to undereat in later meals to make up for it. However the odd sweet everyday is much less than I used to eat. If someone bought me a box of chocolates I'd end up eating half or all! Once I had a surplus of eggs so I made two chocolate cakes while my roommates were out of town, I ended up gradually eating them both over 3 days! I'd keep going back to the fridge to get "a little bit more". So I get where you are coming from.

    But if sugar is making you sick perhaps go cold turkey as others have suggested. If you crave sugar, eat fruit. Frozen grapes are yummy to suck on. Sometimes if I want something sweet I will have a bit of sweet chilli sauce or ketchup (depending on what food) with my meal. I know it's full of sugar but if you don't eat much of it, moderation is key.
    Also if work is making you slip up, perhaps try bringing your own lunch/snacks/drinks and leaving money at home or in your car or somewhere where even if you are tempted to buy crappy food, it will be inconvenient because you have no money. I do this when I'm at uni, unifood is sooo unhealthy - everything is fried, there is literally no healthy options, luckily they only accept cash so I don't bring any, having to line up for the atm can be hell at lunchtimes so I have time to think about it and say no.

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