Need serious help with SUGAR!!!!

Yes and YES. I battle too and you have to go cold turkey and never look back. Look at it as a cocaine addiction. Do it once and you are back in your cycle. Trust me. It will take a week or two, but you will notice your whole frame of mind change, you will become more peaceful and the cravings will go away. That means the white breads and stuff like that too. Don't even go there.

I'm on week 1 without sugar so I can totally relate to your problem. I've been having a cup of hot tea (I'm cutting coffee too) and that is helping a bit. I've been mostly drinking green tea, chamomile and I just finished a cup of white tea with peach so the sweet from the fruit flavor is helping. Friend me if you like - it sounds like we are both faced with the same challenges.

It's not just sugar, because sugar is just a carb. It's probably all refined carbs that are contributing to this for you. If you cut out all refined carbs (white bread, white pasta, white rice, cookies, cakes, candy etc.) you will have much better luck than just isolating sugar.

It's not an addiction, but habitual. Takes about 21 days of consistent behavior to form a habit. You just need to form a new habit. Set aside what ever treats you like in a measured portion for that day and STICK TO IT. Do it for 21 days and see if you can stick to that habit. But you HAVE to want to do this. Don't go in with the case of the "well-uhs":

"Well uh this happened"
"Well uh I wanted more"
"Well uh I don't think I can do it"

Unless you change the habit, it will continue.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I agree with the post above about it being a habit. I was the same way, just fed my stress with ice cream and cheese puffs and other junk. It became habitual and really bad for my waisline, and my wallet.

It's okay to have a piece of chocolate every once in awhile, just don't make it a habit. Go without it for a week and you may find that your cravings subside. Then cut back to only like once or twice a week. And limit it to a serving.

Also, try fruit. It's naturally sweet, and may satisfy those cravings long enough. Or combine the unhealthy item with something healthy. A lot of granola bars contain chocolate chips, or have fruit dipped in dark chocolate. It's a sugar craving you can feel goo about.

So glad you posted this. A lot of us sugar holics out here. I'd love to see recipes with low or no sugar because the home baked goods are a temptation. Best of luck to you on your journey!!!

Great advice!

Just snort it... no calories that way

chocolatecoveredkatie.com

dessertswithbenefits.com

foodiefiasco.com

thecoconutdiaries.net

all have good healthy dessert recipes!
I have a killer sweet tooth and I survive because of blogs like these :P

fructose turns to fat!
keep your sugar intake to 10%!!!!!

skullshank and joanne moniz

Yes and YES. I battle too and you have to go cold turkey and never look back. Look at it as a cocaine addiction. Do it once and you are back in your cycle. Trust me. It will take a week or two, but you will notice your whole frame of mind change, you will become more peaceful and the cravings will go away. That means the white breads and stuff like that too. Don't even go there.

I'm going to disagree with all of this.

Sweets are my weakness, too. I gave up dessert for years. I gave up bread and pasta and rice and potatoes, too. And while I truly feel like I could go the rest of my life without the latter four things (if I had to), I have come to accept the fact that I love sugar. Cookies, cupcakes, cake, ice cream, anything involving chocolate, peanut butter, or both. Sign me up. I eat sweets every day. I've still lost weight. I still look awesome. You do not have to quit cold turkey and never look back. It is most definitely not a cocaine addiction. It's just food. You can do anything you want with it, including leaving it alone. It is not easy. It's never going to be. But you do have control. The mind is primary.

A wise and accomplished man named George S. Patton once said "Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one
thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired."

I don't know about you, but I thought it was a valid point.

I agree with YES, you have to quit cold turkey. I've always felt the same about myself.... I DO feel it's an addiction in that I KNOW if I cheat even once, I'll be throwing all my progress away.... You need to quit for awhile then find an acceptable substitute.... I have desert every day, FF/ sugar free jello or pudding with 2 tbs free whip topping.... If you QUIT sugar for awhile ( just a week or so) the pudding/ jello will be a TREAT and taste SO much better ( than it probably sounds right now) Sugar was always my weakness too.... Good luck.....

Who hasn’t experienced the overwhelming desire to eat some­thing specific, whether it be chocolate, potato chips, a burger, or some other food? We’ve all experienced cravings, but we should be careful about the way in which we satisfy them. By understanding what your body is actually deficient in (assuming it is a physical, not an emotional food craving) you can get to the root cause of the crav­ings, and eventually kick them all together.

There are numerous possible meanings of cravings, depending on the type of craving and your eating habits. Before you satisfy cravings, drink a tall glass of pure water. Quite often we misinterpret our body’s signal for thirst as a signal of hunger. By drinking a tall glass of water first, you may be giving your body exactly what it wants and alleviate craving. Some experts estimate that up to 80 percent of the population is chronically dehydrated, so start with water before you try to decipher your cravings.

Chocolate.
If you crave chocolate, it doesn’t mean your body has a chocolate deficiency, although I think most people would prefer that. Chocolate is high in magnesium. Cravings for it often indicate that your body is deficient in magnesium, which is a common deficiency. If you’re going to eat chocolate, choose organic cocoa and mix it into a healthy smoothie, or eat a small amount of dark chocolate. Because that is unlikely enough to deal with a magnesium deficiency, it’s also important to eat other foods high in magnesium, such as nuts, seeds, fish, and leafy greens.

Sweets
If you crave sweets you may be experiencing blood sugar fluctuations. When your blood sugar drops, your body may be try­ing to get you to give it more fuel to keep your blood sugar levels stable. If this is a chronic occurrence you may have hypoglycemia, which simply means low blood sugar. Whether your sugar cravings are sporadic or chronic, it is important to choose the right type of food to bring your body back into balance. Giving in to cookies, cakes, candies, or other refined sweets will only make the problem worse and cause a blood sugar roller coaster that leads to more crav­ings. Instead, choose a piece of fruit when you’re craving sweets. In the interim, add more high-fiber foods like beans and legumes, and complex carbohydrates like whole grains to give you the fuel you need without the blood sugar spikes. If you’re really struggling with sugar cravings, you may also wish to supplement with the mineral chromium since it helps to regulate blood sugar levels and ward off cravings.

Salty Foods
Cravings for salty foods like popcorn or chips often indicate stress hormone fluctuations in the body. Getting on top of the stress in your life is step one. The adrenal glands help your body cope with stress and, in our fast-paced, hectic lives, tend to become worn out, especially from stress-hormone production. Try medita­tion, breathing exercises, or other stress management techniques. Research at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City showed that people who take a break to breathe deeply or meditate before reach­ing for salty snacks reduced their stress hormones by 25 percent and cut the bingeing in half.

If your adrenal glands are worn out, you can also support them with a high-quality B-complex vitamin, with extra pantothenic acid (that’s vitamin B-5) and vitamin C. Eating more leafy greens helps to supply your body with minerals that support the adrenal glands, especially potassium.

Next: Learn about cravings for cheese, red meat, and the general desire to snack



Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/what-your-cravings-mean.html#ixzz2r9bhV91q