Need serious help with SUGAR!!!!

^^^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.

At the end of the day, does it really matter? If you were stupid enough to get addicted to heroine, you're going to need to suck it up and break the addiction in order to get away from it. The same with any other addictive substance, whether it's a physical or mental addiction. Even if you are somehow addicted to junk food (which I don't necessarily buy, but assuming you are), you need to put the oreo down if it's preventing you from reaching a caloric deficit. Whether you call putting the oreo down breaking an addiction, gaining some willpower or eating in moderation, it's all the same in the end.

Honestly this is a pointless argument over semantics, which is abundantly clear by people referencing the DSM. :yawn:

It matters a great deal, actually. When talking about health interventions, therapies, etc., whether or not something is an addiction (or whether a substance produces a dependence) is a big deal.

I can understand how it doesn't seem important to a layperson, but this is Stuff That Matters (tm).

I completely agree! It is not pointless semantics. And the fact that the poster of the top quote would label all addicts as "stupid" is very telling.

^^This...

...and, I'm going to be petty here, but I was the one who accused this poster of "arguing over semantics," last week, because he was doing just that! :grumble:

That was me, wasn't it? :laugh: So you think it's not pointless semantics this time?

Ah it's hard to keep track. I often get accused of arguing semantics.

What would arguing on the Internet be, but for arguing semantics? I suspect that's 90+% of it.

Alcoholics are given sugar when they have the DTs because it is the sugar in the alcohol that their bodies are craving.

Pretty sure it's the alcohol.

Caffeine is also used in alcohol detox, and there ain't much of that in alcohol.

Gee whiz.

Alcoholics are given sugar when they have the DTs because it is the sugar in the alcohol that their bodies are craving.

Pretty sure it's the alcohol.

Caffeine is also used in alcohol detox, and there ain't much of that in alcohol.

Gee whiz.

Pretty sure huh? You a recovering alcoholic? You work in rehab? If you have no idea what you are talking about, its a pretty good idea to keep quiet.