Sugar addiction and starting over...

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.

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!

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!)

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. :-)

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

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!

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.)

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!

I'm in!

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

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