Need serious help with SUGAR!!!!
Replies
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I found that chewing sugarless gum helped me. Gave me that little "sugar high" and curbed the sugar cravings.0
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I claim to be no diet guru, nor have I taken many science course but I found this interesting.
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/139/3/623.full
I just know when it comes to me, myself, and I, I can cut some things out cold turkey for weeks, even months and add them back in slowly if I so desire. Other things, whether pyschologically or physcially, are just hard to give up. It probably does come down to some sort of lack in nutrients/vitamin.....
In other news....Can't we all just get along? lol0 -
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:
If they could definitvely say "No, not addictive" why would the studies continue? Although the move is away from saying anything is an "addiction" to saying "dependence".
Because they are after federal funding. The food nazis won't stop, only multiply.
food nazis?? :huh:
Researchers want to be published. To be known. Whatever the funding source, they research something hoping they will be the one to find something no one else has found. If they are studying sugar or food addictions, they are not positive they won't find anything.
The university that was cited in the Fox News article is not getting published. The intellectually dishonest ones will NOT get published in respected journals. They are after money and control.
Food nazis are folks like the Center for Science in the Public Interest. They are statist-types who are more interested in controlling the lifestyle of others than they are in science or facts.0 -
Researchers want to be published. To be known. Whatever the funding source, they research something hoping they will be the one to find something no one else has found. If they are studying sugar or food addictions, they are not positive they won't find anything.
They just hope to find something. Many, many discoveries that have brought about major changes were not the intended result or even the subject of the research. That does not mean that studying a possible sugar addiction means they believe there is such a thing. It means someone will pay them to research it, and any research is more likely to get them noticed than none.
^^^0 -
I believe it's the PERSON who has an addictive personality/tendencies that causes them to be addicted to drugs/alcohol/food etc... Not the substance itself.
Sugar even affects the same "feel-good" brain hormones as street drugs. Nobody would say sugar is the same as heroin, but it can still mess with your brain and body.
Sugar fuels every cell in the brain. When you overload on sugary foods, it may alter the parts of the brain that control how much you eat. In lab studies, rats that binged on sugar had brain changes like those of getting off drugs. In humans, just seeing pictures of milkshakes triggered brain effects like those seen in drug addicts. It was strongest in women whose answers showed they were more hooked on eating.
Can you beat your sugar habit by quitting cold turkey? Some sugar detox plans urge you to avoid all sweets. That means all fruit, dairy, and refined grains. The idea is to purge your system of sugar. Diet changes like this are too drastic to keep up. Changes that you can do only for the short term mean you'll fall back to your old habits.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-sugar-addiction
So does sex, video games, sports, hugs from a good friend, etc.0 -
Nobody would say sugar is the same as heroin
Sorry, but someone did.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175679-sugar-aligned-with-alcohol-and-cocaine?hl=sugar+heroin#posts-18365065Can't we all just get along? lol
No.0 -
It only takes 21 days to form a habit...stop eating sugar cold turkey and by day 21 you won't even crave them anymore! That's what I've been doing and it's definitely working
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I believe it's the PERSON who has an addictive personality/tendencies that causes them to be addicted to drugs/alcohol/food etc... Not the substance itself.
Sugar even affects the same "feel-good" brain hormones as street drugs. Nobody would say sugar is the same as heroin, but it can still mess with your brain and body.
Sugar fuels every cell in the brain. When you overload on sugary foods, it may alter the parts of the brain that control how much you eat. In lab studies, rats that binged on sugar had brain changes like those of getting off drugs. In humans, just seeing pictures of milkshakes triggered brain effects like those seen in drug addicts. It was strongest in women whose answers showed they were more hooked on eating.
Can you beat your sugar habit by quitting cold turkey? Some sugar detox plans urge you to avoid all sweets. That means all fruit, dairy, and refined grains. The idea is to purge your system of sugar. Diet changes like this are too drastic to keep up. Changes that you can do only for the short term mean you'll fall back to your old habits.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-sugar-addiction
So does sex, video games, sports, hugs from a good friend, etc.
Nope. No video games.
More room for the rest. :happy:0 -
daelkin - I've also always been addicted to sweets. I don't know much about the science, but for me it's an addiction. Like you, I've noticed the same thing with dark chocolate. I eat less, feel satiated faster and curb other cravings when I've had several pieces of dark chocolate, mainly during/near TOM.
Good luck achieving your goals!0 -
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.
NO and NO …cocaine addiction ??? come on people…its just sugar…geez….0 -
OP if you are not going to eat any "sugar" because you are "addicted" to it ..you do realize that you can no carbohydrates, honey, fruit, etc, because all these things have the evil sugar molecule..
a more sensible approach would be to go 80/20…80% healthy, 20% whatever you want = cookies, donuts, ice cream et…
oh and eat in a calorie deficit, hit macros, work out move more, and you will lose weight.0 -
I completely understand where you are coming from.
I have ALWAYS been addicted to sweets/chocolate. I am serious when I say addicted. I truly believe it's an addiction.
I have found that dark chocolate keeps me from eating the whole bag (lol, yes that has happened) It's much richer and I
am satisfied after a couple of pcs.
That has helped curb my cravings. That doesn't mean I am not prone to giving in and eating a pc of chocolate cake. But
it has helped on a day to day basis to reduce the amount I indulge in.
addicted to sugar, but eats dark chocolate which contains sugar *mindblown*0 -
OP if you are not going to eat any "sugar" because you are "addicted" to it ..you do realize that you can no carbohydrates, honey, fruit, etc, because all these things have the evil sugar molecule..
a more sensible approach would be to go 80/20…80% healthy, 20% whatever you want = cookies, donuts, ice cream et…
oh and eat in a calorie deficit, hit macros, work out move more, and you will lose weight.
You don't get it. I'm not referring to fruits. I can eat a piece of fruit and be happy. I'm talking about junk food. Why do some people have to make such a simple topic so complicated?0 -
It only takes 21 days to form a habit...stop eating sugar cold turkey and by day 21 you won't even crave them anymore! That's what I've been doing and it's definitely working
I am going to do this!0 -
OP if you are not going to eat any "sugar" because you are "addicted" to it ..you do realize that you can no carbohydrates, honey, fruit, etc, because all these things have the evil sugar molecule..
a more sensible approach would be to go 80/20…80% healthy, 20% whatever you want = cookies, donuts, ice cream et…
oh and eat in a calorie deficit, hit macros, work out move more, and you will lose weight.
You don't get it. I'm not referring to fruits. I can eat a piece of fruit and be happy. I'm talking about junk food. Why do some people have to make such a simple topic so complicated?
Your problem isn't sugar - it's certain types of foods that happen to contain sugar. I don't think you said you were addicted to sugar, but many others in this thread said that they were.
You, and the others who think they're addicted to sugar, have a self-control problem with certain sweet foods. This is evidenced by, among other things, the fact that you don't have a problem with other foods containing lots of sugar, such as fruit.0 -
OP if you are not going to eat any "sugar" because you are "addicted" to it ..you do realize that you can no carbohydrates, honey, fruit, etc, because all these things have the evil sugar molecule..
a more sensible approach would be to go 80/20…80% healthy, 20% whatever you want = cookies, donuts, ice cream et…
oh and eat in a calorie deficit, hit macros, work out move more, and you will lose weight.
You don't get it. I'm not referring to fruits. I can eat a piece of fruit and be happy. I'm talking about junk food. Why do some people have to make such a simple topic so complicated?
its complicated to eat in a calorie deficit, hit macros, and work out is complicated…but a sugar detox is easy? Really?
also - fruit has sugar in it! So if you are doing a 21 day sugar detox and eating fruit, you are not detoxing anything…why is that so hard to understand?0 -
OP if you are not going to eat any "sugar" because you are "addicted" to it ..you do realize that you can no carbohydrates, honey, fruit, etc, because all these things have the evil sugar molecule..
a more sensible approach would be to go 80/20…80% healthy, 20% whatever you want = cookies, donuts, ice cream et…
oh and eat in a calorie deficit, hit macros, work out move more, and you will lose weight.
You don't get it. I'm not referring to fruits. I can eat a piece of fruit and be happy. I'm talking about junk food. Why do some people have to make such a simple topic so complicated?
Because it's not logic. What you describe is not a sugar addiction but a junk food habit.0 -
OP if you are not going to eat any "sugar" because you are "addicted" to it ..you do realize that you can no carbohydrates, honey, fruit, etc, because all these things have the evil sugar molecule..
a more sensible approach would be to go 80/20…80% healthy, 20% whatever you want = cookies, donuts, ice cream et…
oh and eat in a calorie deficit, hit macros, work out move more, and you will lose weight.
You don't get it. I'm not referring to fruits. I can eat a piece of fruit and be happy. I'm talking about junk food. Why do some people have to make such a simple topic so complicated?
Because it's not logic. What you describe is not a sugar addiction but a junk food habit.
When have I ever once said I have a sugar "addiction"??0 -
OP if you are not going to eat any "sugar" because you are "addicted" to it ..you do realize that you can no carbohydrates, honey, fruit, etc, because all these things have the evil sugar molecule..
a more sensible approach would be to go 80/20…80% healthy, 20% whatever you want = cookies, donuts, ice cream et…
oh and eat in a calorie deficit, hit macros, work out move more, and you will lose weight.
You don't get it. I'm not referring to fruits. I can eat a piece of fruit and be happy. I'm talking about junk food. Why do some people have to make such a simple topic so complicated?
its complicated to eat in a calorie deficit, hit macros, and work out is complicated…but a sugar detox is easy? Really?
also - fruit has sugar in it! So if you are doing a 21 day sugar detox and eating fruit, you are not detoxing anything…why is that so hard to understand?
Omg, some people. I will do this on my own. Don't lose any sleep over it.
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When have I ever once said I have a sugar "addiction"??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.0 -
OP if you are not going to eat any "sugar" because you are "addicted" to it ..you do realize that you can no carbohydrates, honey, fruit, etc, because all these things have the evil sugar molecule..
a more sensible approach would be to go 80/20…80% healthy, 20% whatever you want = cookies, donuts, ice cream et…
oh and eat in a calorie deficit, hit macros, work out move more, and you will lose weight.
You don't get it. I'm not referring to fruits. I can eat a piece of fruit and be happy. I'm talking about junk food. Why do some people have to make such a simple topic so complicated?
Because it's not logic. What you describe is not a sugar addiction but a junk food habit.
When have I ever once said I have a sugar "addiction"??
I don't think you did. But many other people in this thread are posting too. There are several people who have said they have a sugar addiction right in this thread. They are part of the conversation too.0 -
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.
for some of us it IS an addiction.
Check out Overeaters Anonymous. You can find a ton of podcasts online. Listen to them and check out local meetings.0 -
When have I ever once said I have a sugar "addiction"??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.
Some of you people just enjoy twisting peoples words because your life is so empty :laugh: Sorry, that's not funny. I feel bad for you.0 -
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.
for some of us it IS an addiction.
Check out Overeaters Anonymous. You can find a ton of podcasts online. Listen to them and check out local meetings.
Thank you. I will do that. It's definitely always a binge when I indulge in something sweet.0 -
This is totally me too. I seriously get it. I'm 5'1" and currently weigh 180. I was sneaking sweets and replacing them before the kids missed it. I could eat nutella by the spoonful and candy by the bagful. I have been successful at going cold turkey on the sugary foods but I have fallen off the wagon many times. It's like alcoholism or something for me. This time using MFP friends and forums for support I am dedicated to recovery. For me it takes a week or two to begin to be comfortable and the cravings to diminish. Now that I'm past that I know that I can't cheat with sweets at all. Zero tolerance, maybe forever. I am not sad over it though, maybe someday I can taste something that's a trigger again...but only out to dinner or something where it's not in the pantry so I don't have more at home to keep stuffing my face with. I feel more energized, focused, and happy when I'm not eating sugar. I do not want the exhausted, drained, unmotivated feelings anymore and that's what the sugar does to me.0
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When have I ever once said I have a sugar "addiction"??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.
Some of you people just enjoy twisting peoples words because your life is so empty :laugh: Sorry, that's not funny. I feel bad for you.
I love when someone who just posted a day or two ago that they just stop caring about health and weight loss about 2 weeks after starting a new diet plan gets all condescending and feels bad for the people who have demonstrated long-term success and commitment.
Seriously. Come on. You have a junk food habit. Yeah, it's tough. You might need help dealing with it. But it's not an addiction as many people are claiming.0 -
OP if you are not going to eat any "sugar" because you are "addicted" to it ..you do realize that you can no carbohydrates, honey, fruit, etc, because all these things have the evil sugar molecule..
a more sensible approach would be to go 80/20…80% healthy, 20% whatever you want = cookies, donuts, ice cream et…
oh and eat in a calorie deficit, hit macros, work out move more, and you will lose weight.
You don't get it. I'm not referring to fruits. I can eat a piece of fruit and be happy. I'm talking about junk food. Why do some people have to make such a simple topic so complicated?
Because it's not logic. What you describe is not a sugar addiction but a junk food habit.
When have I ever once said I have a sugar "addiction"??
I don't think you did. But many other people in this thread are posting too. There are several people who have said they have a sugar addiction right in this thread. They are part of the conversation too.
But if someone think it's an addiction, so what. Who are we to say what is or isn't? I know for a fact that I get the same feeling from sweets as I did from cocaine, pure pleasure. Can't stop at one line, can't stop at one cookie.0 -
When have I ever once said I have a sugar "addiction"??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.
Some of you people just enjoy twisting peoples words because your life is so empty :laugh: Sorry, that's not funny. I feel bad for you.
I love when someone who just posted a day or two ago that they just stop caring about health and weight loss about 2 weeks after starting a new diet plan gets all condescending and feels bad for the people who have demonstrated long-term success and commitment.
Seriously. Come on. You have a junk food habit. Yeah, it's tough. You might need help dealing with it. But it's not an addiction as many people are claiming.
What? :huh:0 -
This is totally me too. I seriously get it. I'm 5'1" and currently weigh 180. I was sneaking sweets and replacing them before the kids missed it. I could eat nutella by the spoonful and candy by the bagful. I have been successful at going cold turkey on the sugary foods but I have fallen off the wagon many times. It's like alcoholism or something for me. This time using MFP friends and forums for support I am dedicated to recovery. For me it takes a week or two to begin to be comfortable and the cravings to diminish. Now that I'm past that I know that I can't cheat with sweets at all. Zero tolerance, maybe forever. I am not sad over it though, maybe someday I can taste something that's a trigger again...but only out to dinner or something where it's not in the pantry so I don't have more at home to keep stuffing my face with. I feel more energized, focused, and happy when I'm not eating sugar. I do not want the exhausted, drained, unmotivated feelings anymore and that's what the sugar does to me.
Hi Karen, Thank you for this awesome post!! Nutella, mmmmmmmmm
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personally i would go cold turkey, only because i am exactly the same as you, once ive had a taste i cant stop, i want more. i recently watched a programme about sugar and they did an MRI scan on someone eating sugar to see the brains response, and it gave the same response that cocaine does only a a smaller scale!! everyone is entitled to their own opinion, i say that i have found it addictive. i also think sugar is party to blame for the amount of weight i gained. when i look at my mother in law who found out she was diabetic then dropped over a stone when she cut out sugar i think im going to try and do the same!! so i know how you feel. im going to go cold turkey for a while, then maybe have an occasional treat when i feel more in control x0
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