Need serious help with SUGAR!!!!

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.

Why would the symptoms have to similar or as severe? Giving up smoking does not have similar symptoms to a heroin addict giving up heroin, yet few would argue that both were addictions.

Few would argue? Anyone "in the know" would agree that nicotine addiction is more severe than heroin addiction. Nicotine is the most difficult drug to quit. In fact, NIDA used to have a chart on this...

That was more or less my point. They are both addictive, but the reactions are not similar.

I don't really have an opinion on whether one can be addicted to sugar other than I doubt there is sufficient research for anyone to say deifinitively one way or the other.

They have been trying for decades to prove that sugar is addictive and have been unable to do so without intellectual dishonesty. :ohwell:

Right. I know tons of kids who tried everything from ketamine to cocaine and never got addicted. Most teens try drugs because our current drug policy makes drug use "cool" and "sexy." (It would be nice if we put a drug policy in place that focused on health instead of "war" and we made it boring, *AND* begin telling the truth instead of LEO lies, but that's a subject for a different thread.)

No, these kids are not "stupid." Even the most highly intelligent people have made mistakes in their lives.

Obviously I didn't mean stupid in the sense of low IQ or that only stupid people make mistakes; I meant you don't get addicted to substances without making a stupid decision. And please don't tell me people are ignorant as to the effects of these substances when they try them. Been there, knew the consequences, did it anyways for superficial reasons - and that's why it was a stupid decision. It doesn't change my point though. Once you've made that decision, the only way out is to own it, deal with it and move on. Whatever word you want to use to call it, be it addiction, compulsion, etc., doesn't change the solution. As such, even if sugar is addicting and that addiction is preventing you from reaching a caloric deficit, the only solution is to find a way to deal with it and get your eating under control.

Getting back to the OP's question, I would set a pretty low carb macro for a bit (maybe 100g/day) and see how you do. The problem with sweets like you're describing is that they aren't filling, and yet they're very dense in calories. Not only that, but you expect to feel hungry again within an hour or two, due to the resulting spike to your blood sugar from eating those foods. You may be surprised how you feel if you try something like a paleo diet or something similar, where you eat mostly fresh vegetables, meats and some fruit. Many people find they stay satiated eating this way and it's much easier to resist snacks and other temptations when a) they don't fit your macros and b) you aren't hungry.

Right. I know tons of kids who tried everything from ketamine to cocaine and never got addicted. Most teens try drugs because our current drug policy makes drug use "cool" and "sexy." (It would be nice if we put a drug policy in place that focused on health instead of "war" and we made it boring, *AND* begin telling the truth instead of LEO lies, but that's a subject for a different thread.)

No, these kids are not "stupid." Even the most highly intelligent people have made mistakes in their lives.

Obviously I didn't mean stupid in the sense of low IQ or that only stupid people make mistakes; I meant you don't get addicted to substances without making a stupid decision. And please don't tell me people are ignorant as to the effects of these substances when they try them. Been there, knew the consequences, did it anyways for superficial reasons - and that's why it was a stupid decision. It doesn't change my point though. Once you've made that decision, the only way out is to own it, deal with it and move on. Whatever word you want to use to call it, be it addiction, compulsion, etc., doesn't change the solution. As such, even if sugar is addicting and that addiction is preventing you from reaching a caloric deficit, the only solution is to find a way to deal with it and get your eating under control.

Getting back to the OP's question, I would set a pretty low carb macro for a bit (maybe 100g/day) and see how you do. The problem with sweets like you're describing is that they aren't filling, and yet they're very dense in calories. Not only that, but you expect to feel hungry again within an hour or two, due to the resulting spike to your blood sugar from eating those foods. You may be surprised how you feel if you try something like a paleo diet or something similar, where you eat mostly fresh vegetables, meats and some fruit. Many people find they stay satiated eating this way and it's much easier to resist snacks and other temptations when a) they don't fit your macros and b) you aren't hungry.

Just FYI, you never said anything about a "stupid decision."

You said:

"If you were stupid enough to get addicted to heroine"

Nothing about a poor or stupid choice. You straight-up said that you ARE stupid if you get addicted to heroin. I assume you meant heroin, anyway.

as for addictions - I work in a jail and see people go "cold turkey" everyday from drugs, alcohol and nicotine to the point of being delusional - sugar isn't an addiction it's in a lot of the foods we eat without us even knowing it - it's life and we need to deal with it - learning how to modify our eating is one of the reasons we are here.

Repeat ... white sugar and white flour are poison.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIgavNuBRRA

wow this topic got really out there! If she wants a darn cookie or donut I say eat it - just work it into your calories.

as for addictions - I work in a jail and see people go "cold turkey" everyday from drugs, alcohol and nicotine to the point of being delusional - sugar isn't an addiction it's in a lot of the foods we eat without us even knowing it - it's life and we need to deal with it - learning how to modify our eating is one of the reasons we are here.

OP is never going to say no to every single piece of birthday cake or dessert so she may as well learn that she can have it and learn how to adjust her calories or activity to account for it.

not so much nicotine but I did also include alcohol and drugs and forgot to include solvents - I know what withdrawal looks like and serious DT's is no joke - 90% of inmates walk out the door and light up a cigarette that's been sitting in their property for months lol now that's addiction (dummies)

^^^Yessss...and guess what. It's not realistic to think that you will never encounter a birthday cake. And when you do, and you haven't had anything that tastes that good in forever, you're probably going to binge, n go crazy! Lol. Well, that's what I'd probably do anyway. This is supposed to be a LIFESTYLE CHANGE...that means, if you can't do it for life, then it's a waste of time! Even if you lose weight doing it, if you're going to wind up gaining it all back, then what's the point?

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 wouldn't say it's an addiction as much as it's a compulsion. I found that centering my meals around proteins and veggies and trying to hit my macros has left little room for sweets, so I've tapered back by focusing on OTHER, more filling foods. Unfortunately, a 400 calorie piece of cake does not fuel you as well as a meal, such as a piece of chicken, two veggies, and a fruit does. That's been my experience, anyway.

Additionally, you need to develop mind control over the cookie/brownie/cake. Don't lose a fight with a dessert. There's a MFP'er whose tag line is, "I didn't come this far to take orders from a cookie." Lol! It's true, too.

Compulsion...yes! Also it sometimes can become an obsession. That's when counseling is a good option. Sometimes talking about your behavior with someone who won't judge you can get you to the point where you can get your head on straight and act right again.

LOLing at the non addicts giving advice on what it is like to be an addict or what is or is not addictive.....

Alcoholics are given sugar when they have the DTs because it is the sugar in the alcohol that their bodies are craving. We are also told to eat candy or drink juice when we think we need a drink, because the sugar in the alcohol is what our bodies desire.

For those who have never been an addict, to suggest to someone that they just moderate is ridiculous. And to suggest they are just simply not strong enough to handle it is borderline mental abuse.

To answer the question for the OP, for now, YES, you must abstain from sugar. If you find later in life you can moderate it, then by all means, enjoy away, but if not, then there are worse things in life than not being able to eat a cookie. I really did not think there would be a life worth living with out alcohol in it, but hey, look at me, enjoying life and chit, even loving it better now that I do not have something that is making me more miserable than making me happy.