Need serious help with SUGAR!!!!
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You should try the new Mega Stuff Oreo's. They blow my mind.
But maybe first you should find this word called moderation.0 -
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You are very clearly just starting out on MFP. Here's a great post for you to read (very sensible with instructions, not full of fads or give it all up). http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
I am not at all trying to be condescending, just wanting you to understand that sooooo many of us have been in the place you are now, and we've come out of it. You don't have an "addiction" like drugs or alcohol. It is very much within your control to eat one Oreo or the whole bag, but it also very much a psychological issue. Food problems usually are. Start telling yourself that you CAN/ARE CAPABLE of just eating the one cookie. Or maybe pre-log that treat in and plan the rest of your day to fit around it. This stuff we're doing here is trial and error because not everyone is the same. I've have always had a wicked sweet tooth and for years didn't bother to control it, just took what I wanted. Also an emotional eater. However, once I really got serious and started tracking my calories (Aug 2013) I found out pretty quickly that I was happy to plan treats into my day and when it's gone, it's gone. The other thing I've found is that it gets much easier to be satisified on a smaller treat. Hang in there, stick with it and in two months you'll be like "oh, no biggy, I like to have my cup of ice cream at night and then I'm good."
Good luck!0 -
fructose turns to fat!
keep your sugar intake to 10%!!!!!
skullshank and joanne moniz0 -
Show me someone that goes through withdrawal symptoms similar to drug or alcohol addicts and watch them be "detoxed" and then MAYBE i will consider food addiction a real thing.0
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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.0 -
I am a sugar-aholic. I love cookies, donuts, cakes, brownies, not just one piece and walk happily away either. I have to eat it until they are done.
I used to have this problem until I switched to chips. I feel much less guilty about eating a bag of chips than I do eating half a dozen donuts. Chips barely have any sugar in them so I think this is a good plan for me.0 -
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.....0
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I love sweets too. Quitting cold-turkey is not for everyone because it depends on your personality. I like balance. I don't like all or nothing because it doesn't work. What I do is allocate a certain number of calories a week to sweets. Having a limit and tracking it helps me choose wisely and be picky about what I eat. If someone at work brings cookies and they don't taste very good after one bite, I just throw the rest of the cookie away. Also, tracking helps me with resistance because I know I am 'allowed' to have sweets. It is not forbidden. Forbidding is what causes addictive behavior. That being said, you may be the type of personality that has to go cold-turkey for a period of time and then slowly allow some sweets in to achieve a balance.0
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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#ixzz2r9bhV91q0 -
What the WHAT! When did they come out with those....silly me and breaking a sugar HABIT and now I miss out on all the fun stuff!0 -
I highly recommend the 21 Day Sugar Detox. It's a book written by Diane Sanfilippo. This is her website: http://balancedbites.com/21dsd. I'm on day 18 and I can't believe how my cravings for sugar and carbs have all but disappeared without "suffering".0
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Can I suggest boiled sweets? I can eat chewy sweet and cakes etc without stopping. I'm not such a fan of boiled sweets and I get a long term sweet satisfaction because if you don't crunch it you can be sucking on those little babies for 30 minutes!
Works for me... most of the time!!!
Nicole xx0 -
fructose turns to fat!
keep your sugar intake to 10%!!!!!
skullshank and joanne moniz
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 nutrition0 -
Show me someone that goes through withdrawal symptoms similar to drug or alcohol addicts and watch them be "detoxed" and then MAYBE i will consider food addiction a real thing.
^^This! I know addicts that have died detoxing from actual drugs...never have I ever heard of someone dying from not having sugar!0 -
cravings =/= addiction0
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I am in the moderation, rather than the elimination camp. Prelog a daily treat, within your goals and enjoy. There are lots of tricks to get into the habit of using moderation. Buy the pre-portioned snacks for a while so that you don't have easy access to a large serving. When I am tempted throughout the day by treats, I remind myself that I am having awesome something later and it makes it far easier to stick to the overall plan.0
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I have battled sweets all my life. It wasn't so bad when I was in my teens and eating a bag of oreos because I was skinny!! Now I'm FAT. 5'3 and 185lbs AND almost 50! I am a sugar-aholic. I love cookies, donuts, cakes, brownies, not just one piece and walk happily away either. I have to eat it until they are done.
I am worse now than I have ever been. Being a stress eater doesn't help since my job is very stressful and there is crap to eat everywhere!!
I've tried just limiting myself to a "serving" so I get my sweets without feeling deprived but it never seems to work.
Do I quit cold turkey?? Is this to be looked at as any other addiction?
Thank you all in advance.
I completely understand because I love sweets too!!! So I weighed the options and decided which would be harder in the long term -
1. Give up sweets forever (oh what a sad sad world)
2. Practice willpower, learn discipline, eat healthy and reward myself EVERYDAY with a treat and still lose weight
I'll take what's behind door number 2. I've learned that I can eat healthy and still enjoy a treat. There are no foods that are off limits to me. I've ditched the 'diet' mentality. It's all about portions and moderation.0 -
You could have just described my life. 2 years ago a fabulous book called "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon was recommended to me. Among other things, it describes why refined sugar can cause addictions and WHAT IT DOES TO OUR BODIES. Since reading this I have completely switched to whole sugars such as rapadura, raw honey, whole maple syrup etc.
The book can be found on Amazon and is VERY reasonably priced.0 -
we may be different kind of sugar addicts, but what has worked for me when I'm feeling out of control is to break the addiction cold turkey, and then eventually I can enjoy A treat once in awhile, I feel satisfied, and I don't have to fight the crave constantly. But if I let myself go crazy, I'm starting all over again I think one has to be aware always of what they are putting into their body and stay on top of it, not let bad habits get the best of u - good luck!0
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