how do i deal with a addiction?

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  • clarkeje1
    clarkeje1 Posts: 1,638 Member
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    I found a program called Food Addicts in Recovery and it has saved my life. Nothing else worked, I tried everything. It's a support group, not only do you lose weight but your life will become so much easier and peaceful.

    Is it religion based like the 12 step programs? Jesus and I don't mix.

    12 step programs aren't necessarily about accepting Jesus. Your higher power can be anything you want.
  • MorgueBabe
    MorgueBabe Posts: 1,188 Member
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    DO NOT USE TREATS AS REWARDS!!!!!!!!!!! You are completely setting them up for problems later!!!!! Time for the whole family to undergo a change. Other rewards might include priviledges, or fun outings, or something other than food.

    This. Food is fuel not rewards!!!!

    This. And seriously..... I just can't even. Your husband doesn't have to eat like you. He can bring candy in if he wants to. Just don't eat it.
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
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    I'm beating it with low carb and complete avoidance of trigger foods. What works for me might not work for you. Plus if you can find an easier way to beat it, go for it! Don't ever make it harder than it is.
  • Meamo
    Meamo Posts: 89 Member
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    Great tips..and I agree with not starting the kids with the same issue. Reward with other things as suggested.my hubby has his snacks put away. When I buy for him,I buy the snacks that I hate but he likes. Good luck!
  • PhotogNerd
    PhotogNerd Posts: 420 Member
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    DO NOT USE TREATS AS REWARDS!!!!!!!!!!! You are completely setting them up for problems later!!!!! Time for the whole family to undergo a change. Other rewards might include priviledges, or fun outings, or something other than food.

    This. Food is fuel not rewards!!!!
    we where told by the dr to offer treats a a reward for my son cause he has problem and he need incentive to do things that are asked of him. i dont want to deprive my kids of the occasional childhood treat. my kids are taught one or two pieces is a rewards for a good deed. they dont have they problem i have. i refuse to punish them like they do.my kids are actually on the small side for their ages. i know you mean well but like i said i have no support from my hubby cause he doesnt have weight issues or a craving problem like i do. i need to address this problem with the problem still being in the house.

    You should say they don't have the same problems as you yet but they will later. So yes, keep going with that mentality. Teach your kids that if they do their chores, they can go stuff their face with sweets. Logic at it's finest.

    This is one of those questions when you already know the answer. If you're truly addicted to anything, it's not beneficial to continue to live with the source of the addiction.
  • sofielein
    sofielein Posts: 539 Member
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    Cold Turkey totally worked for my mum (she is a sweets addict). :)t

    She set a 2 week deadline of COMPLETELY no sugar. She promised herself she can eat something sweet after she did the 2 weeks - and she pulled it through!

    Now after that she said the first cake came as a shock of how sweet it was, almost too sweet, and that her body craved sweets much less for a couple days after having it. Basically she is down to 1 treat per week, on Sundays usually. She says she feels much better.
  • KaylanRose
    KaylanRose Posts: 8
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    the only thing that has helped me was doing a cleanse and changing my eating habbits to not allow any sugar of any kind. the first few weeks was torture. it is smooth sailing since i got past that

    what kind of cleanse did you do? and for how long? I was considering doing something like that, but i'm not sure how to go about it.
  • avababy05
    avababy05 Posts: 930 Member
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    Its an obsession. 1 is too many and 1000 is never enough. When I eat sweets more often then not I don't stop eating them until they are gone.

    Solution: When I want a snack, I grab raw vegetables or shelled nuts. There is no "reward", the reward is I don't feel like **** about myself b/c I killed another package of oreos

    I've given up sugar for months at a time and I'm fine then,the holidays roll around,someone offeres me a cookie,and boom! It's all over.Suddenly,there is not enough sugar in the world! It's a sugar frenzy! I'm off it now and have been since January 1st.
  • sleibo87
    sleibo87 Posts: 403 Member
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    I knew someone who used treats for rewards for her daughter- and she was 75 pounds by the time she was 5. Bad idea! Use fun things like ice skating or a park day. Kids love being active and need to be. (obese children are not because of genetics, its because they can't cook for themselves and if their parents make bad decisions they don't know any better)
    Plus this will keep you away from the bad stuff!
    I know i love sweets and for me the more I have it the more i want it so I try to detox from it and only have sugar from fruits and things like that. I even notice that on my cheat days i am better off having something like pizza then i am having ice cream. When I eat the sweets its harder to get back on track then when I have bad carb loaded foods.
    Just remind yourself why you are doing this and what it means to you.
    And I mean be specific! Don't say 'i want to be healthy' or 'i want to be skinny' everyone can say that, say 'i want my cholesterol to go down, or i want to live to see my grandchildren, or i want to have sex with the lights on" !
    You can do anything you want to do, too many people have no idea what they are capable of!
  • fabulara
    fabulara Posts: 94 Member
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    This is in response to morguebabe, with whom I am in total agreement. The realization that I don't have to eat like my husband is huge for me right now.. My husband is very thin--almost too thin. He is athletic and much more active than I am. He is a browser. He eats little bits of things--often, yes, junk food--all day long. He seems to have some built-in sensors that I don't have. He can eat part of the bag of Utz crab chips. I would eat the whole thing if left to my own devices.

    I don't know what I'd do if I had kids. To the question, "Am I my husband's keeper?" it is pretty easy to say "no." I don't want to be, and he wouldn't permit it. If I forbade him to eat junk food around me, he might very well hide stashes in his back pack and nibble from them when I'm not around. In fact, he already does that. Sometimes when we're in the car, I'll realize that he has a little baggie of candy on his side and now and then eats a piece. He is hiding ihis candy-nibbling so I won't be tempted. But if I ask him, he gives me some. As I see it, it is up to me not to ask him--but that isn't easy.

    Even so: I think it would be unreasonable to insist that he eat what I am finding I need to eat..Some people can eat six peanuts, others, like me, devour the bag. My husband is a six-peanut kind of guy. No need to deprive him of the pleasure of his small treats. It is up to me to figure out what I can eat, what my risks are, and to eat accordingly.

    I do try to influence him. I take him into my full confidence. I let him know about the choices I am making, and the struggles I am facing., and that raises his awareness. He is more than willing to help me with advice and bits of practical help--like figuring out the calorie count of his special dry-cereal mix.. In time, he may join me in replacing corn chips with carrot sticks. But until he does, I focus on myself--on making the carrot-stick choice.--and I try to avoid the foods that trigger the gobble response.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    You are your own person. You eat what you want to eat, you decide if chocolate and sweets are more important than your health. Quit making excuses and do what you need to do. If you aren't ready to make the commitment then it will never work. It isn't up to anyone but you to make those decisions.

    Giving candy to kids as a reward is setting them up for a lifetime of problems.
  • AlohaKeAkua
    AlohaKeAkua Posts: 92
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    This was totally me too!! I LOVE and used to always crave sweets! It took a good week of really cleansing and fighting those urges. I only ate natural sugars, like fruits. I'm finally at a point where I don't crave it. My body adjusted to it. They also say that certain bread you eat (whites and starches) turn to sugar in your body and spike your blood sugar. When you spike, you crave them even more. It's about controllling your blood sugar. It is not easy and I 100% understand where you're coming from. I still have to watch how much fruit I eat, bc I love the sweetness found in them. I can easily overdue it there too!
  • cosycorner
    cosycorner Posts: 9 Member
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    Certain foods you eat make you crave sugar or salty foods you have to learn these foods than avoid them.
  • cosycorner
    cosycorner Posts: 9 Member
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    HOW TO AVOID EATING SUGARY FOODS
    1. Get properly motivated to change the thought of needing sugar.
    2. Stop drinking any form of soda pop and other sweetened drinks
    3. Don’t eat or buy packaged foods
    4. Make wise choices when eating out.
    5. Eat a well-rounded diet, especially concentrating on protein and vegetables
    6. Challenge yourself to go completely "sugar-free” for two weeks
    7. Get a friend who is interested in reducing or eliminating sugar to join forces with you
    8. Deal with cravings
    9. Go have fun!
    10. Enjoy beautiful food without sugar
    11. Use the 2 teaspoons of sugar rule
    12. Pass it on to the next generation
  • avababy05
    avababy05 Posts: 930 Member
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    I read somewhere,of the 800,000 prepackaged foods sold in the U.S,80% contain sugar of some kind.

    When I read that I went through my pantry.I was surprised at the non-sweets with hidded sugars.

    An example of what I found, a taco kit,the shells,taco sauce and seasoning all contained sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

    I'm suprised more people aren't sugar addicts.
  • karentcampbell
    karentcampbell Posts: 18 Member
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    I am a Counsellor. If you truly feel that you are addicted to sweets then please go see a counsellor. I have worked with Clients who are addicted to food and it not only can be detrimental to your health, but your state of mind. A counsellor can help you figure out if it is a true addiction or a matter of retraining your mental state.
  • him1025
    him1025 Posts: 44
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    thanks everyone for the advice and tips i have written some down and over the next month i will be cutting out sugar from my life :)
  • giveMEbeauty
    giveMEbeauty Posts: 192
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    Bump
  • RCottonRPh
    RCottonRPh Posts: 148
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    True story. My mom used food to placate and reward my sister and I growing up. So then my sister and I turned to food to comfort and reward ourselves as adults.Then we both ended up obese.
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
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    You need to get into you're husband's face on the candy/treats issue. His behavior is hurting you. If he was sleeping with other women, would you be ok with that behavior? I doubt it. So why are you letting him hurt you with this kind of sabotage? He'll say something along the lines of "Why should I suffer because you have an issue?" The answer is because you gave each other vows that said you would!

    I had to totally lose my **** on my husband because he did the same thing. I told him he didn't have to give up the treats, just that he couldn't bring them home (or leave them in the car). He thought I was crazy, until I ate almost an entire 1/2 sheet cake that he insisted we not throw away after a small birthday party. I ate myself sick. I wanted to just throw the cake away, but he insisted we keep it in the house. I ****ing ate the whole damn thing!

    He gets it now, and won't bring any junk home. It has been very helpful, and I'm getting much healthier.

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