True Severe sugar addiction...need help!
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I would try to get all the junk food out of your house completely if you can. Then you've got no choice but to eat something healthy instead like fruit. That being said I know I'd not be able to eradicate junk food from my house because my husband would have a fit.
Yes, it's not just my husband...kids too. I have an 11 yr old boy, 9 yr old girl, 7 yr old boy, 3 yr old girl.. While I try to encourage healthy choices for them too...it's not fair or practical to keep it all out for them Especially because they are extremely picky eaters.0 -
just bumping in case anyone else ?0
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I can't really offer you any advice, but I can say you are not alone. I have been through this too and I know others that are in similar situations.
Maybe try Overeaters Anonymous?0 -
I would try to get all the junk food out of your house completely if you can. Then you've got no choice but to eat something healthy instead like fruit. That being said I know I'd not be able to eradicate junk food from my house because my husband would have a fit.
Yes, it's not just my husband...kids too. I have an 11 yr old boy, 9 yr old girl, 7 yr old boy, 3 yr old girl.. While I try to encourage healthy choices for them too...it's not fair or practical to keep it all out for them Especially because they are extremely picky eaters.
here is what I can tell you about picky eaters: they wont starve. We are biologically programmed to NOT starve ourselves. How is it unfair to keep junk food from them??? I dont understand that. Our house isnt 100% clean but at the same time, I manage to keep my trigger foods out of my house. Your kids will not get taken by Child Services because you dont stock junkfood. Take away the junkfood and eventually they will get hungry enough to eat what you give them. Will it be a battle? Yes. But you just need to be stronger willed than they are. Why do you let them dictate the grocery list???
Your kids are just an excuse that is further enabling your problem. Obviously you cannot have it around. Since the solution to that is NOT having it around, you need to make that happen. Buy fruit instead of cookies, buy yogurt instead of ice cream, get things that even if you get a craving, arent going to cause a downward spiral. You are the parent-YOU get to say what goes in your house and cupboards!0 -
I would try to get all the junk food out of your house completely if you can. Then you've got no choice but to eat something healthy instead like fruit. That being said I know I'd not be able to eradicate junk food from my house because my husband would have a fit.
Yes, it's not just my husband...kids too. I have an 11 yr old boy, 9 yr old girl, 7 yr old boy, 3 yr old girl.. While I try to encourage healthy choices for them too...it's not fair or practical to keep it all out for them Especially because they are extremely picky eaters.
here is what I can tell you about picky eaters: they wont starve. We are biologically programmed to NOT starve ourselves. How is it unfair to keep junk food from them??? I dont understand that. Our house isnt 100% clean but at the same time, I manage to keep my trigger foods out of my house. Your kids will not get taken by Child Services because you dont stock junkfood. Take away the junkfood and eventually they will get hungry enough to eat what you give them. Will it be a battle? Yes. But you just need to be stronger willed than they are. Why do you let them dictate the grocery list???
Your kids are just an excuse that is further enabling your problem. Obviously you cannot have it around. Since the solution to that is NOT having it around, you need to make that happen. Buy fruit instead of cookies, buy yogurt instead of ice cream, get things that even if you get a craving, arent going to cause a downward spiral. You are the parent-YOU get to say what goes in your house and cupboards!
Re-read that; it's what I wanted to say.
Whenever I see someone use the word "addiction", there is an implied "I can't help it". But you can. It's still a choice. Choose wisely.0 -
Recently read a study about gargling sugar water to cure the cravings...
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/252635.php0 -
Try smaller more frequent meals. You are probably having a blood sugar drop in the late afternoon which sets you up for the binges starting between 4 and 6. Have one of your small meals between 3:30 and 4. Divide your supper into 2 meals. Eat half with your family and the other half later in the evening. Try to eat every 3 hours and don't let more than 4 hours go between meals. You need to keep your BG levels as steady as possible. The ultimate answer is to eliminate sugar and simple carbs completely from your diet and eat low carb but you should not attempt that while pregnant and nursing.0
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Try eating a hard boiled egg or some jerky at 3:00 - I find that if I have some protein around that time, I don't get the crazy need for carbs at 5:00. Also, I gave up my afternoon cup of coffee and that helped too.0
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Additionally, never eat sugary treats or fruit without protein. Sugar spikes your blood glucose, your body responds with excess insulin, your blood glucose drops too fast and you crave sugar to bring it back up, you eat too much sugar, your blood glucose spikes again, your body again responds with excess insulin, your blood glucose drops too fast... rinse and repeat. Eating protein with the sweet will slow down the blood glucose drop and you are less likely to crave more sugar.
So, if you have pie eat some cheese with it. If you have an apple, dip it in peanut butter.0 -
One more thing. LOL! I do not believe you have a sugar addiction. What you are most likely dealing with is insulin resistance/pre-diabetes. Have you been tested for gestational diabetes? Having babies over 9 pounds is a good indicator of gestational diabetes. Your "sugar addiction" is actually a response to your body not processing insulin correctly. As I wrote previously, you are probably producing too much insulin in response to sugar intake causing low blood sugar which causes sugar cravings. That's why you need to work on keeping your blood glucose levels steady throughout the day.Thank you! That is one thing I'm trying to avoid. I have big babies (all over 9 pounds) and last time I had to have a csection. So I am trying to not go overboard on weight gain because all it does is complicate things further as you mentioned. Yes, it is anything with sugar, flour, candy, cereals, bready things, you name it. thank you for your suggestions and kind words.0 -
I can relate to the urge to have sugar in the afternoon, and then to eat anything you can find until you feel bad. I have done several things to stop eating sugar, make a big pot of peppermint tea and add lots of Stevia (a natural plant that is 300% sweeter than sugar, has no calories, no tooth decay) drink that, have a bottle of tea or water near you all the time and if you feel an urge to have sugar drink! Have Celery sticks ready in the fridge to devour instead of cookies. Make appointments between 4 and 6 to places where there is no food, ie go for a walk through nature.0
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I haven't read all of the responses, but I wanted to offer support. My mom suffers from a sugar addiction very much like what you describe. I know it has been a struggle for her for her entire adult life. She finally several years ago just made the decision to completely eliminate sugar from her life (as much as possible). My dad is very supportive and a bit of a health nut himself, so he was totally on board with eliminating sugar and white flour products from their home. She does occasionally use agave nectar or splenda to sweeten things like oatmeal or whatever, but absolutely no sugar or white flour.
For some people, they can have those things in moderation, but I think for people with true sugar addictions, you can't have it around. My mom had a friend who was constantly offering her sugary foods and saying stuff like "oh, one cupcake won't hurt" etc. My mom finally had to tell her that what she was doing was similar to telling an alcoholic that one drink won't hurt. She simply can't do sugar in moderation because once she starts, it becomes extremely difficult not to binge.
Personally, I think you and your husband need to have a serious talk about these issues and your need to eliminate your trigger foods from the house completely. I mean, think about it, if your spouse was a recovering alcoholic, would you have beer in the house? There are plenty of tasty foods that they can still have, and they can still have sugary foods when they're out of the house (like at a restaurant, friends house, or whatever).
I know for my mom, it has helped to see a therapist and truly treat this as any other addiction. In the afternoons when you know you're craving sugar, plan to do something like go for a run or run errands or fold laundry or something to keep you occupied. Keep foods you like that are good for you around the house. I do think it gets easier and as time goes by, you'll recognize how good you feel without it and that will motivate you to keep going.
Best of luck to you. I know what you are experiencing is real, but I know you can overcome it!0 -
You are not alone in your sugar addiction. I know what you are talking about when the urge hits. I do have insulin resistance,and can vouche these cravings are like no other. I have lost 87 lbs so far with other calorie restriction plans. As i lost weight, i noticed my cravings have decreased. Somtimes all it takes is one sweet decandent thing does not matter if it's a small portion.
Certain foods trigger the cravings big time, such as chocolate candy so i can absolutly not eat those items. At times when i fall off the wagon i do not let it go on for days. It might be one day, and then back to eating clean, fruits, not too many of those either because they have sugar in them as well, EXERCISE. I walk regularly, but if i have eaten somthing and have the cravings i exercise longer to install in my mind how much work it takes and then my logical thinking takes over, and tells myself the sweets are not worth it. I play a game with myself, and say well if i eat it, then i am going to spend some additional time exercising. Initially, when i came down from my sugar highs, i gradually reduced the amounts every day,filled up on healthy foods even if your calories are higher for a few days. I can feel my chemistry returning to normal, like no more cravings, then i go back to calorie restriction and eat very clean.
It's a vicious cycle, that keeps repeating if you don't clean out all processed foods, starches. Eating clean is hard,cooking meals at home, healthy sources of starch. I generally stick to brown rice, wild rice, an occasional small potato, lots of salad, low fat dressing, weigh my protein, measure salad dressing,measure starch amounts.
Good luck and keep fighting it. In the afternoon when you feel the cravings coming on, drink some water, and go do somthing that you like to do that does not include eating. Hopefully you have somthing you really enjoy doing and use that in place of eating sugar, a hobby or somthing else that distracts you. We are creatures of habit, breaking the habit it hard.:flowerforyou:0 -
For me doing a strict 2 weeks of phase one of the South Beach plan worked to get rid of my sweet and carb cravings.0
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I would suspect I'm a sugar addict, or at least a carb addict. I hate the cravings that have sabotaged all the good progress .. .. so now I plan to eat low carb for life as I'm loving the freedom from cravings; it still amazes me!! Nowadays there are so many tasty low carb foods and recipes. I have salads and veg every day but not bread etc .. .. which I don't miss because eating this way removes the cravings! Good luck with finding your solution but I agree with others that for some eating a sugary treat is like an alcoholic drinking alcohol.0
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There are no ifs ands or buts on the subject of food addiction: it is as real as cocaine or alcohol addiction and, in fact, affects exactly the same pleasure/impulse control centers of the brain as recognized drugs. This is especially true of what David Kessler calls hyperpalatable foods -- foods dense in calories from sugar/fat/salt. Oxford University Press has just published the medical textbook on the subject: Food and Addiction: A Comprehensive Handbook, edited by Kelly D. Brownwell & Mark S. Gold. And I've just published the first holistic, layman's approach to food addiction, THE HUNGER FIX, which is based on that cutting edge science.
The good news -- and there IS good news -- is that a program of foods high in dopamine- and serotonin-boosting chemicals, along with numerous brain-amping activities (from simple exercise to listening to music) can regrow those receptors and bring the confidence of fulfillment and health.
You CAN overcome your depression/anxiety and learn to live with your eating disorder. There is lots of low-cost help available to you, from 12-step programs to the latest research in the science of food addiction to free meditation classes in your area. Just believe and continue to reach out.
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First of all, while pregnant, you should not be "dieting". You are responsible for consuming nutrients that are working to build a human. I was blessed with an obstetrician who was way ahead of his time and had a holistic mindset. His advice to me at our first consultation about food was simply this: "If it has no nutritional value, do not eat or drink it, and make sure everything is natural....no chemicals". He also said "If you wouldn't feed it to a newborn, why would you give it to yourself?".
Having said that, we should all be eating for the nutrients. Many times over the years I have eaten cookies, cake, donuts, candy etc. and felt extreme guilt about it because I know it does nothing to benefit my body. I become angry with myself for succumbing to the temptation of "food pleasure". It becomes a vicious cycle because then I've often said "well, I've already screwed it up...." and eat more. I suspect that is one of the ways I became obese (genetics aside). I have started a private journal to document WHEN I eat junky sugary foods, and include my emotional state at the time. I've noticed that I usually crave sugar when I'm tired or stressed.
YOU are probably tired most of the time since you are making a human, and stressed because you have other children and a husband a, house and maybe even a job outside the home.
Lighten up on yourself a bit and truly examine your sugar cravings. I understand the pull.... I also understand when you say NO sugar, you tend to think about it more often. Try going for 6 days of the week being extremely careful and take a break on the 7th day. That way, you aren't going to feel deprived and perhaps can work through the cravings by telling yourself to wait until your "break" day.
Feel free to friend me and I wish you the best of luck during this amazing part of your life you are in.
Jean :flowerforyou:0 -
Hi there,
I have battled sugar addiction for a long, long time. I even have a blog about it (http://naturallysweet-meena.blogspot.com) but I'd look at the earliest entries for help, or at least for a sympathetic journey.
Over the years I kicked sugar successfully for months, even years at a time, and then always fell off. I would say that now that I've learned a few things:
1) I'm never going to not eat sugar.
2) Some sweet things are better than others.
3) Making your own healthier options is far better, and tastier.
4) Use MFP to allow yourself a treat EVERY DAY (do it!!) and this will keep you in an honest portion control.
I eat chocolate every single day. I just don't go nuts like I used to. If the portion size says 6 squares, that's what I'll have, and savor it. I only buy good, organic, really yummy stuff- so that I'm more sparing with it.
Eating more natural sugars that are whole foods actually helps to stop the craving faster than junk with high fructose corn syrup. So in other words, go get a Green and Black's chocolate bar to savor rather than reach for snickers or m&ms.
I use whole dates to make things- my big savior is my ice cream machine I got from Bed and Bath. Seriously! I use a book called Vice Creams which teaches you to make ice cream from nuts, dates and maple syrup, along with other things. When you put your own energy into your sweets, it makes it more fun and you know what's in it. I swear by this.
I have lots of great recipes for delicious things that are made from whole foods. Once you get used to the taste, which is different from the sharp high of HFCS, you will be sold. It's more satisfying, your body treats it as a whole food and not a super high/ bad crash cycle. Another poster above said that sweets beget more sweets in terms of cravings, and that's right- when you eat white poison (flour as well as sugar).
Don't be afraid of what you have- a sugar addiction. Ok! So there it is! Yep, a sugar addiction. What next? There's no magic pill, just learn what will soothe your craving. Your kids will likely have this craving too, so make it fun; teach them (and you) how to reach for healthier alternatives. We are designed to crave sugar, because when we were cavemen sugar was a hot commodity; it fuels the brain and body well. That's why it's so tasty. What is happening now is that society is captured by the junk food industry, which sells us things based on sweet and salty. Fight back by cooking with whole foods.
Good luck!
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PS: There's nothing wrong with you. Ok?0
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I don't think that babies need carb and sugar those are less nutritious calories babies need protein and fruits and veg and low Glycemic index carbs e.g. wholemeal rice, bread, pasta. Keep your diet low on the glycemic index and eat as much as you want as long a you eat low carb. Don't go low fat when you are pregnant.:smile0
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