Need serious help with SUGAR!!!!

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Wow everybody and their brother has a opinion on here!! Even throwing their certifications around. It is an addiction (food in general, not just sugar) not any different from a drug user or alcoholic except you have to have food to live. You go cold turkey and after a few days the cravings start going down, but once you cheat you start all over with cravings, it's different for everyone but there is no such thing as moderation for me, moderation turns into a free for all, you give me an oreo you might as well hand me a shovel to get the whole pack to my mouth faster. Don't care who says it isn't an addiction, it is for some people. I eat all I want and don't track any of it, but all I eat is fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds and beans,and I am losing weight steadily, keeping my addiction at bay. So commence the *kitten* chewing!

And except that it's totally different, because drugs and alcohol create physical dependence. Sugar does not.

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.

Well honestly the best thing you can do is understand it's not an addiction. There's no physical need there, the way there is with nicotine or even alcohol.

Learn to moderate your intake. Learn how to have one donut. There will always be another donut tomorrow. Pre-log your food for the day and stick to the plan. There are other techniques to help you.

I try to pre-log my food too. I have a couple breakfasts & lunches that I alternate so it doesn't get boring. I log those first thing in the morning and then during lunch I log what I'm having for dinner so I know if I'm going to be over on something or fall short so I can tweek the menu. I have a few "snacks" at work in case I get hungry (apple, nectarine, carrot sticks, string cheeses etc.).

Actually, there was a recently study that stated that sugar was more addicting than heroine or cocaine: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobsullum/2013/10/16/research-shows-cocaine-and-heroin-are-less-addictive-than-oreos/ --which I found fascinating! Of course, it was conducted in rats, but studies begin by extrapolating animal models (because there's a high correlation).

To the OP: You know that strong urge you get to have sugar because you MUST have it because it's all you can think about and PUH-LEEEEASE I NEEED it feeling? Well this might be hard to believe right now but the cool thing is--that overwhelming feeling goes away with time. Just imagine living your life without that pull--instead of craving sugar, you'll find yourself craving something fruity or savory, and most imporantly--healthy.

I'm without the craving now and it feels great. I do allow myself to indulge with one piece of Dove mini-dark chocolate (http://thebarrestudio.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dove-dark-chocolate.jpg) with my coffee a few times a week, and I eat it slowly to savor and appreciate it. We eat too fast in the U.S., and eating slowly will make you not only appreciate it, but you'll find that it's enough. I allow myself this indulgence because I believe in not completely cutting myself off from (small) pleasures.

If going cold turkey feels too overwhelming to you, consider cutting your sugar down gradually. There's no rush when it comes to making big lifestyle changes. It took time for you to build this addiction/habit, give yourself time to lose it. So if, for example, you ate 3 cookies a day, just permit yourself one cookie a day for a week, then the following week, cut it down to 1/2 a cookie, then 1/4 a cookie, until the fourth week you eat nothing. Do this for all sweets at the same time so you aren't completely cutting yourself off of, what was once an important coping mechanism. You don't want your mind to think you'll NEVER have it because (I believe) this causes us to put sugar on a pedestal, and it makes us weaker. Once the craving passes (depending on how much sugar you've been consuming, and for how long, this could be up to 2 months--just be prepared), you'll feel so much cleaner. You'll have so much more energy, your skin will brighten, you will lose weight just from cutting sugar, and you will feel like you glow. It's really remarkable.

There is one thing you must do-- as you cut down your sweet intake, begin to buy less sweets. If you have a family that demands sweets be in the house, talk to them about how important it is for them as a family to reduce their sweet intake.

It's absolutely wonderful that you've realized that you are a stress eater. I'd suggest getting a journal and writing down the way you're feeling emotionally when you're hit with a sugar craving so your mind realizes that you're reaching for sweets not because you're hungry, but because you're stressed. Making that association in the moment is essential, and will allow you to put distance between you and your craving. Ask yourself, "do I really want to deal with stress by eating or is there something else I can do to lighten the stress on my shoulders?"

Some suggested stress relievers (other than sweets):

- Taking a walk about your office/work complex. If the weather is poor, walk the halls and stairways-- the exertion will help burn some of the stress hormones out of your body and replace it with good endorphins. In addition, in doing so, you're actively telling yourself and your body that you wish to find another way to handle stress-- it's a very healthy message to send to yourself.

- Journaling. As I mentioned above, when you feel stressed, instead of reaching for a brownie, reach for a pen and paper and write for 5-10 minutes about what is bothering you. You may find your craving lessening once you've vented and made the association between stress and food.

- Meditation. There are great online sources, awesome Smartphone apps, and podcasts on how to do this if you're not familiar. If you're a newbie-- I suggest guided meditation apps like 'Relax and Rest'

-Yoga - Check around town for classes-- depending on your area, some places even offer free introductory classes. This actually reminds me that I need to get hopping with this myself-- i did yoga regularly 4 years ago and then stopped when I moved to a new city. There's no excuse, especially when my gym offers it.

- Talk to a friend/coworker/family member. You don't even need to talk about what is stressing you-- just divert your energy to someone else and your craving may subside.

- Eat a particularly sweet fruit like grapes, a banana, or pear. When you've fed your sweet tooth with a natural sugar, you may not want to pile on more sweets.

- Go to the gym and do some cardio and/or strength training - if this is possible, this is the single BEST thing. Once you've spent 45 m to an hour at the gym, you will not want to sabotage that hard work and great adrenaline rush with a cookie

- Change the stress source You mentioned that your stress mostly comes from work, so, what are you doing to change that? Have you spoken to your supervisor about managing a lighter work load? Can you delegate more tasks to coworkers? Can you apply for a promotion or other position with less stress? Or-- are you searching for another job that's less demanding? We are at the workplace 8 hours a day, 5 days a week-- life is too short to spend it at a place that makes us miserable

- Dance. I'm Serious! Sometimes a cookie craving feels OH-SO-SERIOUS but the truth is, in the grand scheme of your life and your goal of being healthier-- it isn't. You have the power, and while it may not seem that way in the beginning, with time you'll begin to see how much power you really have. So dance to celebrate the amazing new mission your on, dance in response to the silly, unnecessary craving, or dance to just.....dance.

- Treat yourself with something TinyIf you find that despite all these tactics, your stress-fueled cravings continue, allow yourself a 1/4 serving of what you're craving and no more. This will appease your craving but give you a lot less sugar than you used to eat, which is another great message to yourself. You will no longer follow old patterns.

Let me help you to understand a few things. First off let me give you an example, last week, I bought my son a jar of nutella, knowing that I love the stuff, but I figured I'd be able to keep my hands off, until one night when I had a bad sweet tooth, and nothing else that I wanted. I ate a bunch of the stuff, knowing how high it is in calories, not to mention the calories from the crackers and strawberries I was putting it on. It tasted so good, that I went overboard. Now the next day, after I had already had my fix, I was able to have a little, on like 2 crackers, and stop. If you don't allow yourself to have something that you love for a very long time, then you will likely go overboard when you finally do get a taste of it. Same thing with pizza and ice cream. They're my favorites, so I allow myself to have some once a week, or even a few times/week. That way when I do eat them, it's not such a huge deal to me. Yeah, it tastes good, but it's not like I didn't just eat some the other day, so I'm able to control myself better. Another thing is you have to break the habit of eating for emotional reasons. Stress, boredom, depression, those are things you need to watch out for and be aware of, so you can control them. If you're only eating because you're bored, find something to do. Anything, other than eat. Also, don't leave food lying around the house, in plain view, because that encourages mindless eating. You see it, your wheels start spinning, and you start eating it, just because it's there. leave out healthy foods instead, like carrots, celery, or fresh fruit that's already cut up. That way you're more likely to eat healthy things. Keep the high calorie things put away. Out of sight out of mind...atleast for most of the day. It really is more of a habit than an addiction, but I know how you feel. It really does feel like an addiction, in a lot of ways, such as it makes you happy, makes you feel good, maybe gives you comfort. You're going for the short term reward, rather than the long term reward, (weight loss) just like smoking or alcohol.

ad·dic·tion
əˈdikSHən/
noun
noun: addiction; plural noun: addictions

1.
the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity.


Addiction affects neurotransmission and interactions within reward structures of the brain, including the nucleus accumbens, anterior cingulate cortex, basal forebrain and amygdala, such that motivational hierarchies are altered and addictive behaviors, which may or may not include alcohol and other drug use, supplant healthy, self-care related behaviors. Addiction also affects neurotransmission and interactions between cortical and hippocampal circuits and brain reward structures, such that the memory of previous exposures to rewards (such as food, sex, alcohol and other drugs) leads to a biological and behavioral response to external cues, in turn triggering craving and/or engagement in addictive behaviors.

I'm also halfway through the 40 days with no sweets. I have to do something like this periodically to get my sugar addiction/craving/whatever under control. It makes a world of difference to just stop eating them - for me. Will I do it permanently? probably not. But I will remain mindful of things and if/when sweets start to take over my diet and sanity, I will go cold turkey again. LOL. It works for me.

Sugar is absolutely an addiction. Hence the obesity epidemic in America.

Scientific proof: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/10/15/college-study-finds-oreo-cookies-are-as-addictive-as-drugs/

No, no, no, no.

Sugar is absolutely an addiction. Hence the obesity epidemic in America.

Scientific proof: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/10/15/college-study-finds-oreo-cookies-are-as-addictive-as-drugs/

Can i quote something from Women's Health now as scientific proof?

It's not an addiction. It's a habit, albeit a pretty deeply ingrained one if this has been lifelong behavior.

I beg to differ. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceFyF9px20Y Unless you can provide more scientific evidence than is shown here. Those stating that sugar doesn't have addictive qualities, I would love to see your scientific proof of studies that have been done.

aaaaaand to prepare for what replies ensue after this...

Sugar doesn not have medically established addictive qualities. Consuming something and consuming more of it because it tastes good to the individual is not additction. Check the DSM 5 criteria if you're confused about why sugar consumption or overconsumption does not meet the criteria for addiction/dependence.

No one ever died from compulsory pulling out their hair, or chewing their fingernails. The fact is that there are "things" that can be just a "addicting" and just as difficult to deal with or stop as drugs and alcohol. Have you ever seen someone tight in the grips of Anorexia or OCD? Would you preach to them how the thing ruining their lives is "all in their head" and not an "addiction?" Psychological issues can be far more binding and powerful than drugs - often times psychological issues are the underlying WHY when someone begins an addiction. There is a feeling of helplessness so someone starts hoarding dogs, a lack of control in your life, but you can throw up every day, there is pain held inside that you can't let the world see, but a quick slice to the skin relieves that tension. Perhaps their issue seems to you, to be easily dealt with, but vica versa an issue that seems insurmountable to you might be swept aside by another. Don't belittle someones struggle, you have no idea the challenges that they face, nor the pain in their lives.

those are not addictions or dependence either. They are disordered behaviors. So, if sugar oversonsumption is on that spectrum it's behavioral, not addiction.

Sounds like we all need to open a dictionary and look up addiction.

Well there's your problem: you're getting your information about addictions and psychology from a dictionary.

Open up a copy of the DSM V and start reading.

my sugar issue really had to do with magnesium deficiency,once i started taking supplements i was able to stop with 1.

Eating high amounts of sugar and refined carbs uses up your magnesium stores in your body. Your body will crave sugar if you have an underlying candida infection in you gut. They love sugar. and they demand it. Ask your doctor about this one. I used to have strong sugar cravings what has helped me is taking a high grade fish oil, probiotic the kind in the refrigerator section, limit antibiotic use to last resort, and high fiber (I added this slowly). Now a dark chocolate and a date satisfies my sweet tooth. I am now able to pass up cookies, cakes, and the candy bowl. They no longer interest me.

All addictions do not have physical withdraw symptoms, such as gambling, sex, exercise, food. Please refer to the definition of addiction. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction

Then wouldn't the addiction be to eating and not to any specific food? For instance, why is sex an addiction but necrophilia is a psychological disorder?

Sounds like we all need to open a dictionary and look up addiction.

Well there's your problem: you're getting your information about addictions and psychology from a dictionary.

Open up a copy of the DSM V and start reading.

I have been through several psychology courses and I still agree with food addiction, gambling addiction, sex addiction, and more. Are you a psychologist? Doctor? Even if you were I still wouldn't care . There's a difference between a physical addiction and a mental addiction. The dsm v refers to it as a disorder, but that doesn't mean that its not an addiction. Here I know, you take some photos of how my brain lights up when you put some cookies in front of me and lets see what the brain of a heroin addict looks like in the same scenario lol.