Confessions of a Sugar Addict

mrmagee3 · October 2013

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?

That's not exactly how alcoholism works. Actually, it's not anything close to how alcoholism works, in most of any of the schools of thought of alcohol treatment. CBT, AA, SMART, any of the others -- yes, generally, a person who suffers from alcoholism is always going to suffer from alcoholism, and most treatment plans suggest abstinence being the best plan (not all, mind you). That's not the same as saying, hey, a guy who is ten year sober has a glass of wine, and wakes up the next morning in jail. Sure, it can happen (and has), but alcoholism is a pretty personal thing and people experience it differently. Many people who consider themselves "alcoholics" haven't had a lot of the normal problems you hear alcoholics having, if any.

As for the pasta versus sugar thing, yes, as carbohydrates, they both get broken down into glucose and our body uses the energy in a similar manner. That doesn't mean that they are both experienced in the same way -- eating ice cream is a viscerally different experience than eating a macaroni. Taste, texture, speed of digestion, personal association with "pleasure" -- as many consider candy/ice cream/etc. to be a "reward", whereas pasta, potatoes, etc., are just "staple foods". Lots of variables to consider.

mrmagee3 · October 2013

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.

People say that "restriction leads to relapse", but I'm not altogether sure anyone has ever produced evidence that quote-unquote relapse is any higher with restriction than daily moderation. From what I can tell from OP, he's found a way to moderate that works for him.

Personally, I have a pretty similar approach -- I eat ketogenically, and generally consume around 25g net carbs per day. I eat this way because of all the different ways I've eaten, I feel the best and am the happiest eating this. I eat when I'm hungry, stop when I'm not, and don't need to count calories or weigh anything, which I have always hated to do.

A couple times a year, I'll get a craving for pizza, or ice cream, or whatever. So I go out, get what I'm craving, and eat it until my craving is satisfied. Sometimes it's a half a large pizza, or a giant banana split, whatever. About eleventy million grams of carbs and calories later, the craving is gone. Sure, I've probably set myself back a day or so (and I'll be out of ketosis for a couple days), but I don't lose sleep over it. I get up in the morning, and resume my normal way of eating, and the craving is gone.

As far as I'm concerned, that's moderation for me. I eat it rarely, but I eat it when I want it. I'm just lucky that I rarely want it these days.

stunningalmond · October 2013

OP you are amazing!! I have had the same argument with people who have told me it's not realistic to cut out sugar and that doing it in moderation is better. Well it may be better for them, but it's not better for me. I have no control over sugar. Like you, I can't have one or two cookies. I need the whole bag. I cut out sugar and starch 6 days ago and I'm already starting to see the benefits. Sugar is bad if you have too much, and for me, I can't only have a little, so I'm choosing to have none. It's working for me and it's something I plan to continue long-term.

Good for you for staying on track and losing the weight. Being healthy feels so much better, doesn't it?

stunningalmond · October 2013

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.

People say that "restriction leads to relapse", but I'm not altogether sure anyone has ever produced evidence that quote-unquote relapse is any higher with restriction than daily moderation. From what I can tell from OP, he's found a way to moderate that works for him.

Personally, I have a pretty similar approach -- I eat ketogenically, and generally consume around 25g net carbs per day. I eat this way because of all the different ways I've eaten, I feel the best and am the happiest eating this. I eat when I'm hungry, stop when I'm not, and don't need to count calories or weigh anything, which I have always hated to do.

A couple times a year, I'll get a craving for pizza, or ice cream, or whatever. So I go out, get what I'm craving, and eat it until my craving is satisfied. Sometimes it's a half a large pizza, or a giant banana split, whatever. About eleventy million grams of carbs and calories later, the craving is gone. Sure, I've probably set myself back a day or so (and I'll be out of ketosis for a couple days), but I don't lose sleep over it. I get up in the morning, and resume my normal way of eating, and the craving is gone.

As far as I'm concerned, that's moderation for me. I eat it rarely, but I eat it when I want it. I'm just lucky that I rarely want it these days.

Exactly. The less sugar I eat, the less I crave it.

shannashannabobana · October 2013

But even now "moderation" for me means allowing myself sugar and sweets just on occasion, and just eating as much as I want to when I do. So instead of trying to find a way to incorporate it daily, in moderation, I have to limit it to a few times a month and abstain the remainder of the time.

Good for you! I think a lot of the problems on this 'moderation' issue is that moderation does not have to mean every day, week, month or year. It's very individual. A few times a month where you can really enjoy it is moderation and it doesn't sabotage your goals. Bravo.

jofjltncb6 · October 2013

OP you are amazing!! I have had the same argument with people who have told me it's not realistic to cut out sugar and that doing it in moderation is better. Well it may be better for them, but it's not better for me. I have no control over sugar. Like you, I can't have one or two cookies. I need the whole bag. I cut out sugar and starch 6 days ago and I'm already starting to see the benefits. Sugar is bad if you have too much, and for me, I can't only have a little, so I'm choosing to have none. It's working for me and it's something I plan to continue long-term.

Good for you for staying on track and losing the weight. Being healthy feels so much better, doesn't it?

I admire your certainty after only six days.

Personally, when I make bold predictions like that, I prefer to have a little more history under my belt. Otherwise, it sounds like someone who is zealously bragging about breaking their addiction to alcohol or nicotine after just a few days (or someone who says they feel great in day six of a juice or water fast...*shudder*). You may actually be right...or you may be like so many others before you who were convinced of their own rightness, only to later learn that they were not.

stunningalmond · October 2013

OP you are amazing!! I have had the same argument with people who have told me it's not realistic to cut out sugar and that doing it in moderation is better. Well it may be better for them, but it's not better for me. I have no control over sugar. Like you, I can't have one or two cookies. I need the whole bag. I cut out sugar and starch 6 days ago and I'm already starting to see the benefits. Sugar is bad if you have too much, and for me, I can't only have a little, so I'm choosing to have none. It's working for me and it's something I plan to continue long-term.

Good for you for staying on track and losing the weight. Being healthy feels so much better, doesn't it?

I admire your certainty after only six days.

Personally, when I make bold predictions like that, I prefer to have a little more history under my belt. Otherwise, it sounds like someone who is zealously bragging about breaking their addiction to alcohol or nicotine after just a few days (or someone who says they feel great in day six of a juice or water fast...*shudder*). You may actually be right...or you may be like so many others before you who were convinced of their own rightness, only to later learn that they were not.

Yeah well, you have to start somewhere. I'm not going to explain myself to you because really, who are you to me anyway? Some *kitten* on the internet. You keep on being an asshat... I'll keep on being awesome with my positive attitude.

mrmagee3 · October 2013

OP you are amazing!! I have had the same argument with people who have told me it's not realistic to cut out sugar and that doing it in moderation is better. Well it may be better for them, but it's not better for me. I have no control over sugar. Like you, I can't have one or two cookies. I need the whole bag. I cut out sugar and starch 6 days ago and I'm already starting to see the benefits. Sugar is bad if you have too much, and for me, I can't only have a little, so I'm choosing to have none. It's working for me and it's something I plan to continue long-term.

Good for you for staying on track and losing the weight. Being healthy feels so much better, doesn't it?

I admire your certainty after only six days.

Personally, when I make bold predictions like that, I prefer to have a little more history under my belt. Otherwise, it sounds like someone who is zealously bragging about breaking their addiction to alcohol or nicotine after just a few days (or someone who says they feel great in day six of a juice or water fast...*shudder*). You may actually be right...or you may be like so many others before you who were convinced of their own rightness, only to later learn that they were not.

Yeah well, you have to start somewhere. I'm not going to explain myself to you because really, who are you to me anyway? Some *kitten* on the internet. You keep on being an asshat... I'll keep on being awesome with my positive attitude.

You make a plan. Your goal is to stick with it long term, say, a year. To get there, you have to get through Day 1, Day 5, Day 10, Day 20...so on. Each one is an accomplishment in its own way.

Keep on kicking *kitten*, don't let anyone take you down.

stunningalmond · October 2013

Thank you!

jen_zz · October 2013

OP you are amazing!! I have had the same argument with people who have told me it's not realistic to cut out sugar and that doing it in moderation is better. Well it may be better for them, but it's not better for me. I have no control over sugar. Like you, I can't have one or two cookies. I need the whole bag. I cut out sugar and starch 6 days ago and I'm already starting to see the benefits. Sugar is bad if you have too much, and for me, I can't only have a little, so I'm choosing to have none. It's working for me and it's something I plan to continue long-term.

Good for you for staying on track and losing the weight. Being healthy feels so much better, doesn't it?

I share the same sentiment. And GOOD FOR YOU for figuring out what works for you.:flowerforyou: Ignore those ignorant know-it-all trolls.

Iwishyouwell · October 2013

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.

Every single person who is attempting to lose weight, recompose their bodies, or maintain weight loss deal with some level of restriction; it is unavoidable. Even for those who are moving toward, or maintaining, their goals by calorie counting are living under one kind of restriction or another. This is a fact. Unless a person is eating anything they want, as much as they want, at all times, eating comes down to saying "no" quite often. And this is the case for plenty of people who have no weight issues whatsoever. Restriction is a part of life on all fronts. When dealing with diet, the question isn't "do I restrict" but rather "how do I restrict". You are restricting no less than me, you simply are restricting differently than me.

Also the amount of people who lose weight, reach goal, and maintain that loss unfortunately are in a pretty small minority...regardless of how that weight is lost. Ultimately ALL restrictions prove challenging to most people, regardless of the restriction, and particularly in such a gluttonous societies many people live in. The idea that if you eat in "moderation", do everything the "right way", eat all foods, but nothing in excess, is some kind of major protection against "relapse" (which is a concept I have now thankfully finally freed myself from) is unfortunately a dieting myth.

Look no further than Weight Watchers for proof of that. When peeling back, and breaking down, the statistics of long term Weight Watcher losers-maintainers it's a pretty sad state of affairs; the failure rates for long term success are no higher than the overall failure rates of ALL weight loss programs/diets/lifestyle changes, what have you. This is a program that is built on the foundation of "eat anything you want...in moderation".

Because weight loss is a personal thing. There is no one size fits all. The difficulty with both losing, and maintaining, is that one has to face their true issues and find a way that is sustainable for them, without interrupting the quality of life much. Studies show that many "diets" work, some of them radically varying, but ultimately diets fail because people lose control. Every person, regardless of how they lose weight, faces the challenges of control. Every single one.

Unfortunately that battle is made harder when those who might fit a more unconventional mold are pressured into doing things the so called "right way", which can lead to utter failure if the "right way" doesn't work best for them. Especially since most who do it the "right way" also end up fat all over again too, assuming they even reached goal in the first place.

I tried the "eat all you like in moderation" approach. It did not fit me, and made losing weight a far more difficult task. At some point I had to be honest about what truly appealed to me, what I could honestly maintain for the life I live, and desire to live, while meeting my goals. Thank God I found my way. I hope you, and everyone here, finds theirs.

Fivepts · October 2013

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!

Bump. Helpful analysis of triggers.

Fivepts · October 2013

I have three children. One doesn't care anything about sugar (and can say no to fruit), The other two loooovve refined sugar and can find it hidden anywhere in the house. They are within 4 yrs apart in age, eat the same moderately healthy meals, know when they are full, and get about the same amount of exercise, oh, and have the same family heritage. There is no doubt that two of the three have a much greater challenge in saying "no" to any form of sugar and once they've eaten a little are in pursuit of more and more for the next few hours. The other non sugar addicted child is able to eat a bite of candy bar and throw the rest in the trash with no regret and has been that way since sweets were first introduced to him as a toddler. Same nurture, similar nature and very different reaction to refined sugar.

Confessions of a Sugar Addict

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