Sugar addiction

I have found alternatives such as a fresh fruits and veggies help me. I also really enjoy Quaker "popped" rice snacks that have tasty flavors such as vanilla creme bruelle and caramel corn and for 13 of them for just over 100 calories and 1g fat they can't be beat. I also really enjoy Skinny Cow Heavenly crisp bars for my chocolate needs - only 110 calories a bar and about 5g fat.

Hope this helps.

I think understanding your addiction is a good start. I read a book called Sweet Poison which makes a lot of sense.

If you are looking for alternative "sugary foods", I have pinned a TON of recipes on Pinterest that you can look through. Everything on this board is a better-for-you option than your typical desserts. They have satisfied my sweet tooth many time. I love to cook and bake though... if you don't then you might not find this helpful. But, here's what I have collected through this journey Good luck!

http://pinterest.com/goeke8/a-better-me-desserts/

Yikes! I share the sugar addiction. It's bad. I am not sure what you would do if you have to work with it. Chew gum? make a no eating while working rule? Eat the sugar and work it off? Keep healthy snacks you can access so you dont eat it? I feel ya. Good luck.

http://pinterest.com/goeke8/a-better-me-desserts/

this was a great idea. Thanks goeke8

You're welcome I've made MANY desserts on this list. I plan to make them all... but that's going to take a long long time. I just keep growing it! ha

I hear you! I am doing this:
http://balancedbites.com/sugar-detox

Addiction is the right word; consuming sugar feeds the body's desire & cravings for more sugar - the only way to beat it is to stop consuming it altogether, if you truly want to beat the addiction, and once you do - and this will be very hard for you to believe - you won't WANT any. Really.

I have been "sugar-free" (<----in quotes for pedants that will say "Vegetables have sugar! Milk has sugar!" etc) since March last year & I just don't desire it in the same way, if at all. The only time I am tempted is when I am really hungry & something like a scone with jam happens by me.... eating this way does require a certain degree of adaption - once you realise all the not-so-obvious places sugar (fructose specifically) hides, it cuts way back on the list of things you want to eat.

I followed the method in this book - https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/sweet-poison-quit-plan/id490878272?mt=11 - which was basically cutting out anything with processed sugar & fruit too initially, until the withdrawal period is over (and I do mean withdrawal, headaches, nausea, the whole bit - makes you realise how awful it really must be for us), and then gradually adding back moderate fruit & avoiding anything processed with a fructose content over 3g per 100g.

Eventually, the cravings just pass. If you do have something sweet, it becomes VERY sweet as your tastes change, fruit is much sweeter & more satisfying & if you eat something like a cookie or a piece of cake I would be surprised if you could finish it without feeling sick. Some people can do that, after detoxing, have the very occasional sweet (like once a month), but for others it is really like being addicted to any other substance, one taste feeds the desire for more! There are different kinds of sugars that are safer to consume in this regard, and "safe" alternatives if you do want some sort of baked treat, but once again, you probably can't be bothered once your tastes change.

A couple of friends of mine have also gone "sugar-free" for almost as long & they don't regret it. I know personally that my moods have stabilized for the better and I just enjoy how I feel when I don't consume sugar, and not how I feel when I do.

A couple of resources for you, as I really can't go into the nitty gritty here, and even if I could, these people explain the whys & wherefores much better than me!

http://www.howmuchsugar.com/

http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/ (<--- This chicky has an amazeballs cookbook that I highly recommend)

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-definitive-guide-to-sugar/#axzz2RqYGpUrD

I know quitting* "sugar" completely will seem extreme - and I'm not suggesting that everybody should do it or that some sugar, like everything, in moderation isn't perfectly fine, but I am saying that if you've even the slightest interest in conquering this addiction as you yourself have called it, it can't hurt to give it a try; the worst that can happen is you have a few weeks off from sugar & decide you would rather eat a little cake every day after all. The best that could happen is you feel a whole lot better & don't have this problem on your mind anymore.

Good luck either way.

*ETA: I still have plenty of "sugars" in my diet, just not a lot from from processed sources, or an over-supply of the wrong sugars from natural sources... just covering all the bases here lmao.

I haven't read all of the responses, so I apologize if this has already been said, but here is my two cents: If you want to really kick your sugar addiction, you need to get rid of sugar altogether in your diet. No sugar substitutes, no fake sweet recipies, just no sugar, period. Even try to eat fruit sparingly. The only way to slay the sugar dragon is to starve him. Though I know on the general forums I am taking the risk of people jumping all over my response here, I will tell you that I follow the Paleo Lifestyle and it wasn't until I did my first Whole 30 (30 days of absolutley no sugar, or anything else that is restricted) and got the sugar completely out of my system that I stopped craving it. Now I don't even miss it and hesitate to even think about having some. Not because I think that having it once in a while would be the worst thing in the world, but because I don't want the sugar cravings to come back. Sugar is a hard thing to kick and a VERY addictive substance. Good luck!

Several members have posted about detoxing from sugar. I am in my second week of detox. I tried it once before and ended up off the wagon in a total binge. But I picked myself back up and got right back on that wagon. For some of us, sugar is like alcohol. Recovering alcoholics have a saying that one drink is too many and 10 drinks are not enough. That's the best way to look at sugar for some of us who are addicts. Just like some people can have a drink, certain people can eat sugar in moderation. I don't suggest low sugar desserts, it is still sugar and its like that one drink to an alcoholic. Also, if you want to completely break the addiction watch out for hidden sugars. The biggest culprit is fat free and it's a total myth! Once the fat is removed, something has to be added to give it taste and guess what that something is? Yep, sugar. As proof, I recommend that the next time you are in the grocery store pick up a bottle of regular ranch salad dressing then pick up a bottle of the same salad dressing that is fat free. You'll notice the sugar added to the fat free. You are better off to eat the fat! Try this on anything that is fat free.

You won't make any progress until you face your addiction and realize that you are better than your addiction. Let the beautiful you shine through and don't let this ruin your life. Several people have made some good suggestions here and you should really read up about this and take advantage of everything that can possibly help you.

I'm a total sugar addict and baking is my stress relief. I'm looking into a sugar detox program so I'll definitely check out some of these links! Thanks!