How to ween yourself off sugar?

I've always had a sweet tooth, who hasn't? But for the past few months I feel i've become a complete sugar addict. I'd rather have a pack of biscuits rather than actual dinner and find myself snacking an awful lot on sugar products. I've tried to eat more fruit to stop eating so much junk but I find it doesn't actually work,
what do you do to prevent overeating sugary junk?

It's totally a mental thing honestly.
No food is inherently "good or bad" for you per se, it really depends on the overall.

If you're ultimately looking to kick sugar, eating a lot of fruit is probably not the best way to go about doing it. What makes fruit sweet is fructose, think of fructose as "fruit sugar".

I myself have a sweet tooth too. Really once I cut out most of the sugar from my diet, I was craving it like crazy for a while. It didn't take long to pass though.

Be stubborn about it!
It's really that simple.

Hi, I'm arenkel, and I'm a sugar-holic.

I actually just started the 21 Day Sugar Detox, which basically cuts out sugar (yes, including fruit) and grains completely. It's available as an ebook for $21 at balancedbites.com (I was debating forking over the cash, and I gotta say, it seems worth it). The program has a Paleo feel to it, with lots of meat and good fats and very little carbohydrates.

I'm only on Day 2, so I'm having a rough time of it right now, but my goal is to kick processed sugar OUT of my life! I want to get to the point where all I want for dessert is one piece of fruit.

A lot of people compare sugar to a drug, and honestly, it is. I think the best way to kick the addiction is to simply cut it out for a few weeks and let your body adjust to functioning without massive amounts of sugar. It's not easy, as I'm finding, but I think it'll be worth it. (Check back with me in 19 days and we'll see, haha)

Replace sugary sweets with fruits or stop falling prey to your own mind and urges and do it the easiest way possible..

Here it comes..

Just don't eat that crap anymore. You need to make the decision for yourself if a few minutes of sugar satiation is worth keeping you from your final goal.

It's that easy.

I just read an article that said sugar is NOT addictive...it's probably everything else they put in the food that becomes addictive...lol...

I'm a sugarholic, too, and it's one of my biggest problems. Dried fruits, candy bars, chocolate, ice cream, granola, cookies, cakes, jam - anything with sugar in it calls my name 24/7!! Please let me know if you figure out anything that works I've heard chromium pills can help, but haven't personally tried them yet.

Hi, I'm arenkel, and I'm a sugar-holic.

I actually just started the 21 Day Sugar Detox, which basically cuts out sugar (yes, including fruit) and grains completely. It's available as an ebook for $21 at balancedbites.com (I was debating forking over the cash, and I gotta say, it seems worth it). The program has a Paleo feel to it, with lots of meat and good fats and very little carbohydrates.

I'm only on Day 2, so I'm having a rough time of it right now, but my goal is to kick processed sugar OUT of my life! I want to get to the point where all I want for dessert is one piece of fruit.

A lot of people compare sugar to a drug, and honestly, it is. I think the best way to kick the addiction is to simply cut it out for a few weeks and let your body adjust to functioning without massive amounts of sugar. It's not easy, as I'm finding, but I think it'll be worth it. (Check back with me in 19 days and we'll see, haha)

oh man. you wasted $21. although what you are doing is probably a good idea, trying to gain control over something you are struggling to regulate in your diet.

I'd say all you have to do is stop eating junk food of all kinds for a while, as long as it takes for you to not want them, and go from there.

mostly this is a self control issue.

sugar is not bad.

sugar is not like a drug. noone turns tricks for dat *kitten*.

sugar is not like a drug. noone turns tricks for dat *kitten*.

See this study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/

Abstract:
The experimental question is whether or not sugar can be a substance of abuse and lead to a natural form of addiction. “Food addiction” seems plausible because brain pathways that evolved to respond to natural rewards are also activated by addictive drugs. Sugar is noteworthy as a substance that releases opioids and dopamine and thus might be expected to have addictive potential. This review summarizes evidence of sugar dependence in an animal model. Four components of addiction are analyzed. “Bingeing”, “withdrawal”, “craving” and cross-sensitization are each given operational definitions and demonstrated behaviorally with sugar bingeing as the reinforcer. These behaviors are then related to neurochemical changes in the brain that also occur with addictive drugs. Neural adaptations include changes in dopamine and opioid receptor binding, enkephalin mRNA expression and dopamine and acetylcholine release in the nucleus accumbens. The evidence supports the hypothesis that under certain circumstances rats can become sugar dependent. This may translate to some human conditions as suggested by the literature on eating disorders and obesity.

Also check out "I Quit Sugar" by Sarah Wilson. It's an 8-week program that eases you in a little more gently.
I'm impatient, so I picked worse withdrawal symptoms and a quick program over the gentler, longer one.

(You also *might* be able to find it at a cheaper price than 21DSD)

Don't buy this crap. Be your own person and just stop eating the sugary junk food.

withdrawal.

Okay, cut the B.S.

You may not agree with my choices, and that's fine. Please stop making fun of them-- that's just plain rude.

Now I see why people hate these forums. I was just trying to help.

You sound exactly like me. I was eating so much sugar I was in a constant state of crashing. Go cold turkey. After 5 days, your withdrawal will be over. My goal was to make it three weeks without eating sweets, and today is day 18.

I agree. My whole weight problem resides with my sugar addiction. I would crave something sugary, go to the store and buy a pack of Oreos, and they would be gone within 24 hours. I would eat a whole pint of Ben and Jerry's in one sitting. I couldn't make myself stop once I started eating something sweet, and I wanted something sweet ALL THE TIME.

I finally made a real, true commitment to eating better a couple weeks ago. My first step was to cold-turkey cut out all sugar and fast food. It's now been three weeks and I've had dessert with two meals in that whole time, and I don't crave it as much as I once did. I still every once in awhile want to go buy a candy bar from the vending machine at work, but then I just tell myself no, and I don't really think about it after that. At this point I think it's more of a habit or an instinctive turn toward the sugar when I want something that tastes good, and not a craving for the sugar itself. If you can get past the first few days of wanting it constantly, the *need* for it really does go away.

facepalm.jpg

Hmm that's a tough one. I'm not the biggest fan of sweets actually, but I am sure this is just like any other bad habit. You don't get rid of a habit, you simply replace it with a positive one. You have to question why you always turn to sugar. Is it really the taste or is it something else? It could be something associated with the sugary foods and not the actual foods you crave. That was me and alcohol, I didn't crave it, just the social interaction I had with friends while ingesting it.

im asking you seriously. sugar withdrawals? for real? come on.

For real. Headache, mood swings. It lasts for a maximum of five days, I believe. The first time I quit sugar, I went through this.

go cold turkey. 3 days no sugar no carbs. first two days excitement takes over. 3rd days the worst. 4th day easy street. every day's easy after that assuming you don't have to start over when you eat a complex carb, too many "good" carbs or have some sugar.

you must at this point be aware that it's in almost everything. dressing, mayo, ketchup, unexpected places.

Unless you have diabetes or another medical condition, there is no reason to track or limit your sugar intake. Sugar is a carb. Track your overall carbs.

Qft