Confessions of a Sugar Addict

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  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
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    As a T2D, I abstain completely. No sugar. No starch.
    Was I addicted? Who cares?
    Can't we just be happy for those that have found something that works for them?
    Sheesh.

    edited for typo
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    i am just going to through this out there....once an alcoholic is an alcoholic they are one for life, meaning that if they have one drink they immediately go back to having 20 drinks...


    My thought would be if one is truly addicted to sugar how could one ever eat it again with not immediately binging on it?

    Nope. Abstinence is one approach to treatment and another is harm reduction. Considering the intricate details of addiction (speaking in terms of alcohol and other drugs) that blanket statement is not applicable to all individuals.

    well, as someone who has actually been to AA and NA meetings - evidence of a misspent youth lol - I can tell you that the prevailing sentiment in those meetings is that you can never touch the stuff again, and the ones that do are the ones that have severe relapses ....
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    The funny thing is that if you eat fruits or pasta or a bunch of other things you are eating sugar. Most pasta is high GI. Yet you manage. Not challenging but interested, how do you think that works?

    Oh, for heavens' sake! It's quite clear from the OP's post that the issue they have is with refined sugars and foods made/enhanced with them, not the naturally-occurring sugars in various foods. The level of 'carb-sugar-smug' already in this thread is enough to make me see red.

    I think people are challenging why certain sugars are "bad" and others are "good"....sugar is sugar...doesn't matter if it comes from magical unicorn dust, or candy....
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
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    i am just going to through this out there....once an alcoholic is an alcoholic they are one for life, meaning that if they have one drink they immediately go back to having 20 drinks...


    My thought would be if one is truly addicted to sugar how could one ever eat it again with not immediately binging on it?

    Nope. Abstinence is one approach to treatment and another is harm reduction. Considering the intricate details of addiction (speaking in terms of alcohol and other drugs) that blanket statement is not applicable to all individuals.

    well, as someone who has actually been to AA and NA meetings - evidence of a misspent youth lol - I can tell you that the prevailing sentiment in those meetings is that you can never touch the stuff again, and the ones that do are the ones that have severe relapses ....

    Yep. AA and NA take the abstinence approach to treatment and that absolutely works for some people. However, there are different approaches to treatment that are effective for people. (harm reduction, one-on-one talk therapy, group therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, community reinforcement approach etc.) Severe relapses happen, but that is not because of the approach to treatment. It is because the person is not applying the skills they have learned in treatment.
  • jen_zz
    jen_zz Posts: 1,011 Member
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    OP, I'm happy for you finding out what works for you.
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
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    The funny thing is that if you eat fruits or pasta or a bunch of other things you are eating sugar. Most pasta is high GI. Yet you manage. Not challenging but interested, how do you think that works?

    Oh, it was a challenge. It took me YEARS to get to the point of controlling myself. I certainly didn't want to give the impression that the control I outlined in the OP has always been and is totally natural to me. Oh no, no.

    I rarely eat pasta, bread, any high GI anything. I only eat fruit in moderation (and I actually went years without consuming it), and even over consuming fruit makes me feel a bit off.

    The majority of my diet is comprised of meats, seafood, fat, and non-starchy vegetables. That's about 80% of what I eat. The majority of my carbohydrates come from that found in the veggies. That's what I'm use to, and that's what makes my body feel and look the best.

    The difference is that I just finally, after years of trial and error, learned tight control on the other hi-GI foods that I don't have with highly sweetened desserts. So I can eat them here and there and stop, where I've never been able to do so with sweets. But if I began to consume all those hi-GI foods on a daily basis, I'd soon be right back where I started. Been there, done that. This isn't a new road for me.

    At this point, as others have mentioned, I've found my own form of "moderation". But it's simply not defined as most people around here do, who think that it's alright to eat everything as long as it fits into a calorie mold. If that works for you, congratulations I say, and enjoy. That however will never be me. Accepting that, embracing that, and building a nutritional life that fits my strengths, and weaknesses, has given me a freedom that I have never experienced before.

    There just took some letting go, some huge failures, and being brutally honest with self to get here.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    OP, I am glad you have found what works for you. Behavioral studies in rats show that when they are conditioned to eat rat food + sugar, they display signs of depression when it is withdrawn. We are not rats, however it is suggestive.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    It's nearly impossible to completely avoid sugar. Even vegetables have sugar in them. Even meat has trace amounts in it.
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
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    It's nearly impossible to completely avoid sugar. Even vegetables have sugar in them. Even meat has trace amounts in it.

    Yet I am able to do it to the tune of blood sugars in the normal range. Shrug. Go figure. No one is trying to eliminate it down to the very last molecule, just enough that it doesn't wreak havoc if you happen to have the physiology to respond poorly to it either clinically or subclinically.

    ETA the last part.
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
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    This is not a topic that was designed to villainize sugar.

    I did not suggest that ALL sugar could be, or should be, eliminated.

    As I have found a way to eat, and live, in a way that works beautifully for my life, I hope every single one of you find your own path. I love the way I eat, I love the way I live. It took me years to arrive to this place and I'm still grateful I'm here, still celebrating. God knows it takes some of us longer than others, but I'm hoping all of us get to that sweet spot that works for our goals and dreams.

    I have the utmost respect, and admiration, for people who are intuned enough with self to know what works for them. That's all that matters at the end of the day, no matter what road they took to get there.
  • kenzietate
    kenzietate Posts: 399 Member
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    Curious, how is it that you eat carbs (sugar) but the 'addiction' does not kick in ....?

    Triggers are different for different people. For me, if I eat bread, pasta or potatoes, it triggers major bread cravings. If I eat sugary baked goods, I want to eat everything that has sugar or carbs in sight. Fruit makes me want baked goods except for tomatoes for some reason. But veggies with carbs, I am fine. I have no idea what makes the difference but it is different for some reason.

    OP: It is great that you found what works for you! :)
  • mdj1501
    mdj1501 Posts: 392 Member
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    I could have written that almost word for word. Nice to know I am not alone! Best of luck to you!
  • Jewlz280
    Jewlz280 Posts: 547 Member
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    That's awesome OP! I think people just get up in arms because of the 'bashing' on here that so often happens with sugar, fat, etc. Which they then turn around and do when someone talks about limiting something -- they bash. What everyone has to understand is that each person's level of 'moderation' or 'limitation' is different. :smile:
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
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    This is not a topic that was designed to villainize sugar.

    I did not suggest that ALL sugar could be, or should be, eliminated.

    As I have found a way to eat, and live, in a way that works beautifully for my life, I hope every single one of you find your own path. I love the way I eat, I love the way I live. It took me years to arrive to this place and I'm still grateful I'm here, still celebrating. God knows it takes some of us longer than others, but I'm hoping all of us get to that sweet spot that works for our goals and dreams.

    I have the utmost respect, and admiration, for people who are intuned enough with self to know what works for them. That's all that matters at the end of the day, no matter what road they took to get there.

    you're awesome :blushing:
  • jafabuNZ
    jafabuNZ Posts: 48 Member
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    oh I love sugar. Cupcakes are one of my favourite things. I also love fat - not too much of it or I will feel nauseous but things like pork crackling, that strip of fat on a well cooked steak with creamy peppercorn sauce, fried foods, McDonalds, cheesy crust pizza! I love salt too - as in potato chips. But then one day I decided it is not my body that is addicted to sugar. I am not physically addicted to any food. It is my mind and my taste buds that are addicted to food. This daily battle still continues as I am sure many others in here have their own battles as well. Your story is interesting and thank you for sharing. Good luck to you.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    I too, suffer the same problem. I sold my TV for a sugar cube once, at my lowest point resorted to prostitution for a malteaser and eventually lost my home. I sought help and now I am in a much better place.

    ozolt.jpg
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
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    I too, suffer the same problem. I sold my TV for a sugar cube once, at my lowest point resorted to prostitution for a malteaser and eventually lost my home. I sought help and now I am in a much better place.

    ozolt.jpg

    *DEAD*
  • Code7526
    Code7526 Posts: 52
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    If you want to give up sugar, start by slowly cutting down. If you have sugar in your coffee for example, then start having your coffee without sugar.

    Eat a big bowl of oats in the morning with milk but no refined sugar. Eat apples in the morning and all day, they help with sugar cravings. Eat lots of fruit. Get your sugar from fruit and cut out the refined sugar.

    I found eating a big bowl of oats in the morning with milk and eating fruit has helped me stay away from refined sugar. I rarely eat refined sugar.
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
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    This is an awesome ............blog post. Not so much for the forums. Sugar is so demonized that it is difficult NOT to respond to any negative sugar post. Glad you found a way that works for you. I would venture a guess though that if most people took this approach it would lead to utter failure because restriction leads to relapse. Good on you, I would never do it.

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