Dear people with sugar addictions..

I love sugar and sweet things.. I have mini milks in the fridge at 30 calories each which help a lot. I still drink too much coke though.. I hate the diet stuff, though I'v cut down.

For me the problem was that until a month ago my sense of taste was so screwed that no fruit except banana was sweet to me. I got rid of all the sweets and my sense of taste gradually returned, and now I can enjoy most fruit (I know they still contain lots of carbs, but at least they are more healthy). I think it was one of the causes I failed to lose weight for years.

I'm only about 45 days into my diet and I still have a very generous daily calorie allowance (2100kcal) so I can enjoy a daily Aero Chocolate Mousse (97kcal). I believe there is no point in going hungry or craving certain type of food - in my case it had always led to a binge eating episode, additional stress and guilt and ultimately abandoning of a diet plan.

I found Hartleys Sugarfree Jelly (32kcal per pint) to be a great and filling food. I start my day with a sweet omelette (3 egg white only) sweetened with stevia tablets. At approxr 53 kcal it makes a great breakfast. I'm experimenting with sugarfree meringue as well, but due to lack of sugar their texture and "structural integrity" is not satisfactory.

im replying b/c i want to come back later and read all this... i am a reforming sugar junkie

Bump

Its really hard because I love chocolate and cheesecake.......even more hard because when I worked I was a pastry chef turned stay at home mum, yeah thats my life and I'm forced not to make sweets, hahaha its killer. So what helps me is find low fat, not as good, fat free, or just take a couple bits here or there but not the whole piece.......

Its really hard because I love chocolate and cheesecake.......even more hard because when I worked I was a pastry chef turned stay at home mum, yeah thats my life and I'm forced not to make sweets, hahaha its killer. So what helps me is find low fat, not as good, fat free, or just take a couple bits here or there but not the whole piece.......

You were a pastry chef?!? That's awesome

I don't know if this is going to work for me in the long run but it seems like something's finally clicked and since it worked during my TOM which is the worst time for me, I'm going to keep going.

I've decided to let myself have whatever I want but I've placed a few rules on that. I've decided I can't eat anything straight from the bag. I have to put a single serving in a small bowl, finish that, and then if I'd like some more, I can have some more, as many times as I need to in order to satisfy that craving.

(Strangely enough, I've gone back for a second serving maybe twice and the other times I've been happy to just have the one and sometimes I haven't even needed to have the first, because yes, there, going to be there, can have later)

I actually bought a few bars of chocolate (and some Smartfood which is my other weakness). Whenever I started craving something, I would remind myself that there was lots in the cupboard, no one else was going to eat it, it would still be there tomorrow, etc.

As a result, I didn't go crazy with junk food even once this TOM. I even managed to lose .6 of a pound over that week. And while that might not be huge to anyone else, it's HUGE to me. Normally I would have stayed put or even gained. And I'd have eaten so much I made myself sick.

My belief is that I've spent too long telling myself I had to cut out chocolate (and Smartfood) for things to work and instead, I need to develop a health-ier relationship with my cravings. One serving a day won't derail my weight loss and it might stop me from perpetuating this horrible "since I have to give this up, I'm going to eat it all and start again tomorrow" cycle where tomorrow never really comes.

in a word- YEAST
yep, I said it, eww gross, Yeast. Candida Yeast, to be more specific. When I finally learned about this - my natural-health-nut-friend told me, but you can google it and get pages n pages of results - I finally understood why I craved what I did and why I couldn't break the cycle without the help (like a sugar rehab, if you will) of a massive diet overhaul and a serious candida cleanse.

I'm sure we're are all different in response times (and all things, really), but it took me 18 days. I started a completely whole-foods diet + candida cleanse cycle, and for 17 looonnnnggggg days I felt horrible, and cranky, and hungry, and grounchy, and dang near ready to kill for a bite of sugar. Day 18, I woke up feeling FanTasTic! I was satisfied w my whole foods, fruit was plenty sweet, and I didn't "need" a sugar fix. I continued with the "only whole foods" diet for about 30 more days. Since then, I have basically maintained that eating style and have slowly integrated some of the 'foods from my past' for special occasions. And I still feel Great. And I actually Don't Crave Sugar Anymore!

sincerely,
a reforming sugar-junkie




***excerpt from: http://www.ejuva.com/blog/ejuva-report-candida-the-majority-of-americans-have-candida-overgrowth.html
Candida or systemic yeast overgrowth is a epidemic in America. Approximately 80% of Americans (mostly females) have the overgrowth. Practitioners in the natural health field are giving Candida blame for virtually every health problem under the sun. From skin rashes to cancer, while candida overgrowth IS a legitimate health issue.

***an excerpt from: http://www.diana2.com/candida.html
WHAT IS CANDIDA?
Candida albicans is the most common yeast found in the human body. Yeast is one of the many types of micro-organisms normally found in the human digestive system. Digestive yeasts or molds, as they are sometimes called, are considered to be parasites. Parasites are organisms that live by feeding upon another organism (the host) which produces harmful effects for that host. Candida is a parasite in the human body that eats nutrients found in the digestive tract. Candida produces over 70 known toxins as a by-product of their digestive process.
WHAT CAUSES CANDIDA OVERGROWTH?
In a healthy digestive system, there is approximately 1 yeast cell for every 1 million bacteria cells. In this small ratio, yeast is constantly fighting to survive. The pH of a healthy gut is not optimal for Candida to thrive as they must compete for nutrients with good bacteria that far outnumber them. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, this ratio can become unbalanced, and Candida can grow quickly and significantly in number. The delicate balance of the intestinal environment is affected by:
1. Prolonged stress
2. A diet high in processed food
3. Incomplete digestion
4. A variety of medications, including antibiotics

I have a terrible sugar addiction, to the point that I am afraid to indulge because the next day I am still thinking about it.
When I want sweets, I like
1) Greek Frozen Yogurt
2) Watermelon and Fruit (grapes are very sweet)
3) If you start to give yourself the fruit as an alternative, eventually it goes a long way.
4) If you have sugar, pair it with some protein - this way it will level out your blood sugar.
5) I also find that protein keeps my blood sugar from spiking
6) I found caffeine was really making things harder for me and leaving me with bigger cravings - I know it's not a popular suggestion, but lower your caffeine intake and focus on getting rest (I am still working on the rest part
7) drink more water during the day

Also I don't like to keep sweets in the house - make it a little inconvenient to go out and get sweets -- fill up on other things and never let yourself starve (that's when my blood sugar goes down, and from starvation I will eat anything someone puts in front of me.

Good luck! I doubt you will see this as it looks like you have a lot of responses!