Food addiction-Sugar

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  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
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    yeah me too i had a sugar addiction and believe me, it will begin again if i start putting desserts/sweets/soda pop /and snacks in my mouth (cookies, cake, brownies, muffins, bakery etc)

    I decided to give up all those snacky desserts. it took about 2 weeks and the cravings went away.

    I do not suggest weaning yourself because once you take a taste, it wont help. you have to really not eat it at all.

    try it for 2 weeks going without those things, and see if it will help.. But you have to make some kind of effort. just say no. and stay away from it.

    if you do this, and you subsitute other things instead, it helps. For me Fage yogurt does the trick.. its protein so its filling for some reason, and even though it has some jam in it, its not major and seems to help when i want something sweet.

    so yeah, i could get tempted, but i choose not to eat that stuff.

    other people who dont have food addictions might be ok eating cookies and stuff, but for me a sugar addict, its beter to not eat it.
  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
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    I think the whole "sugar addiction" thing is a bunch of baloney. They used to vilify fat, now it's sugar. People love having something to blame. The best advice I can give you is to just not have trigger foods in the house if you are prone to bingeing. But don't eliminate them completely or you'll go nuts. There's no reason to be super restrictive if you're staying under your calorie limit.

    No, its true. I can tell its an addiction when I am stressed and i go to food to self medicate. Thats actually what a food addiction is, - using food for anything other than fuel for the body.

    Its also true when i would eat the food and actually feel a sense of calm come over me. same as when you medicate yourself with other things.

    food has a lot of emotional baggage attached if you let it. food can be associated with activities, events, holidays etc. like on thanksgiving, if you said I could have a choice between all the fattening comfort food, vs a meal of lettuce and tomatos, then I'd not choose the lettuce salad.

    But i do believe as an adult, I have the power to change my food choices, so that the most powerful food addiction has no more rule over me. i dont believe i am a victim or helpless to change. Thats why I am here losing weight, not making food rule over me.
  • Inspiring_Sara
    Inspiring_Sara Posts: 54 Member
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    I find some of your completely insensitive and hurtful. I didn't ask if you believed in food addiction I asked for fellow addicts or people for advice. Do your research everything you put in your body makes your body react... I don't want anymore replies. thank you to the ones that gave advice I appreciate it
    TO THE NEGATIVE PEOPLE: this is a site to help and motivate people not to tear them down and make them feel like that can't post a forum bc it might not exactly go by what you believe. I completely understand not being able to tempt yourself and for you to tell somebody they need self control is wrong.
    Apparently you guys do to if you cant even ignore one post that goes against your standard of thinking.
    Food Addiction is real its very real they have done studies where foods high in sugar and other addictive ingredients have the same chemical reaction as meth and heroine. Not excuses they actually have detox/rehab programs for it. so again don't be judgmental and if you have something negative to say just please take it to a different forum I am just a girl trying to get some help.
  • claptrap_beepboop
    claptrap_beepboop Posts: 11 Member
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    I think the whole "sugar addiction" thing is a bunch of baloney. They used to vilify fat, now it's sugar. People love having something to blame. The best advice I can give you is to just not have trigger foods in the house if you are prone to bingeing. But don't eliminate them completely or you'll go nuts. There's no reason to be super restrictive if you're staying under your calorie limit.

    Not true. Sugar actually stimulates dopamine release in the brain which causes it to become addictive in many cases.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15987666
  • claptrap_beepboop
    claptrap_beepboop Posts: 11 Member
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    Don't let them get to you. :) You are doing the first thing you can, which is asking for help. Some people do not even get that far.
  • Inspiring_Sara
    Inspiring_Sara Posts: 54 Member
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    Thank you I find it ridiculous that people that can say its not real I know first hand.
    for me I know food has a lot of emotional baggage bc its like once a take a bite of anything my body is like OH I WANT THIS AND THIS AND THIS and before I know it I have eaten well over my calories for a day in setting.
  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
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    Maybe "addiction" is a buzzword in this respect and the sugar cravings aren't truly addiction, but the food reward cycle is tough to break, and I'd argue it resembles an addiction. I might respectfully argue that someone new to this would benefit from not having the temptation around and someone more seasoned would have more self-control or coping mechanisms available to deny satisfying those urges. That seems to be what has worked for me so far, and I have less and less cravings and can deal with them more easily than I could 45-ish days ago. Your mileage may vary, of course.

    yeah i can agree to that. what i do is have a piece of fruit. That takes the place of desserts for me. I know I could lose MORE weight by going very low carb (a very low carb diet that ispopular these days),, but that would be too hard for me, and i believe i can do it with moderately low carb. I mean, why live life 12 months where i have to sacrifice some eating pleasure. so i mean we have to find something to substitute for the cravings.
  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
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    Thank you I find it ridiculous that people that can say its not real I know first hand.
    for me I know food has a lot of emotional baggage bc its like once a take a bite of anything my body is like OH I WANT THIS AND THIS AND THIS and before I know it I have eaten well over my calories for a day in setting.

    yeah! food is like crack to a crack addict. the more you eat the more you want.

    there were times when I had to eat my daily bakery pastry or even two, and also what i ate during the day (1-2 desserts like that) and the next day, i wanted more,, so it seemed like an endless need for sweets. so when i chose to stop feeding myself that stuff, i was able to STOP craving it. so i cannot do everything in moderation for that kind of food. really but you have to find something else to replace it. so fruit is it for me. coz its sweet,, some people would say dont even eat fruit coz its sweet, but for now that is working for me.
  • greentart
    greentart Posts: 411 Member
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    Mind/matter. This 'addiction'? Its how you've trained your body so far in life. When you have a craving for something salty, your mind immediately goes to chips because that's what you've always done before hand. Have a sweet craving and head for the ice cream? Again, its what you've always done in the past so its what you mind automatically thinks when you have a craving.

    Go cold turkey. It took about 3 weeks for my cravings to go away, and when I DID have cravings, I replaced them with healthy items. Now I crave fruit and veggies instead of processed junk.

    As far as having it in the house, I buy my boyfriend unhealthy snacks because he likes them. I don't eat them. YOU'RE the one in charge of your body, your mind, and your cravings. It really comes down to willpower, and how badly you actually want to eat healthy and lose the weight.

    Only YOU can eat the food, just as only YOU can say no to the food. Sorry, don't use your boyfriend as an excuse for your crappy eating habits.

    EDIT: Fixed typo.
  • Josh_lol
    Josh_lol Posts: 317 Member
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    I have a very similar problem. My house is full of unhealthy food. So I get my own lower-sugar/calorie snacks to snack on to help me keep away from the sweets and cakes. Fruit, ice lollies and sugar-free soda seem to be the best thing to stop me eating them.
  • LunaZuriel
    LunaZuriel Posts: 77 Member
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    I go with a tablespoon of peanut butter, which will last me about 2 hours before I'm hungry again. Sometimes hot beverages like green tea with Jasmine, or coffee, which doesn't affect me much in weight wise, unless I have one cup after another you know? But, it is like Acg67 says, we just need to stop making excuses and do it. Which is what I need to start doing. I know you said you're allergic to peanuts, so peanut butter is out of the question right? Try the hot beverages, you can also go with the gum. I mean, so you're not going completely unhealthy. However, I subsitute sugar for honey or stevia for my sweetners, I can't stand black coffee, or bland tea.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    I think the whole "sugar addiction" thing is a bunch of baloney. They used to vilify fat, now it's sugar. People love having something to blame. The best advice I can give you is to just not have trigger foods in the house if you are prone to bingeing. But don't eliminate them completely or you'll go nuts. There's no reason to be super restrictive if you're staying under your calorie limit.

    Not true. Sugar actually stimulates dopamine release in the brain which causes it to become addictive in many cases.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15987666

    Did you even read that study? Is the OP a rodent?
  • gieshagirl
    gieshagirl Posts: 102 Member
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    im a super sugar holic!!! it is my drug of choice....i crave it day and night and it is the hardest thing to control. i wish that i liked something healthy....but i dont. i do love the skinny cow products by nestles. snickerdoodle icecream sandwich is crazy good and 140 cal. the candy selections are in 100- 130 calorie bags. this helps me because i can kind of see the calories for the day when i am making lunch or dinner. jello temptations are another sinful option. the lemon merangue is off the chain good...exactly like a lemon pie...sweet and tart...yum! only 80 calories. please add me as a friend. it is good to know that there are others that are having the same sugar problem that i do.:smile:
  • greentart
    greentart Posts: 411 Member
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    Thank you I find it ridiculous that people that can say its not real I know first hand.
    for me I know food has a lot of emotional baggage bc its like once a take a bite of anything my body is like OH I WANT THIS AND THIS AND THIS and before I know it I have eaten well over my calories for a day in setting.

    Then perhaps you should also see a therapist if you really feel like you have an addiction, or if you're emotionally eating to an extreme. I used to do the same thing and couldn't say "no" to myself. But then I realized I was full of crap and have power over my own decisions. Every person isn't the same, but that was my experience.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    I find some of your completely insensitive and hurtful. I didn't ask if you believed in food addiction I asked for fellow addicts or people for advice. Do your research everything you put in your body makes your body react... I don't want anymore replies. thank you to the ones that gave advice I appreciate it
    TO THE NEGATIVE PEOPLE: this is a site to help and motivate people not to tear them down and make them feel like that can't post a forum bc it might not exactly go by what you believe. I completely understand not being able to tempt yourself and for you to tell somebody they need self control is wrong.
    Apparently you guys do to if you cant even ignore one post that goes against your standard of thinking.
    Food Addiction is real its very real they have done studies where foods high in sugar and other addictive ingredients have the same chemical reaction as meth and heroine. Not excuses they actually have detox/rehab programs for it. so again don't be judgmental and if you have something negative to say just please take it to a different forum I am just a girl trying to get some help.

    Please post said studies
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    I think the whole "sugar addiction" thing is a bunch of baloney. They used to vilify fat, now it's sugar. People love having something to blame. The best advice I can give you is to just not have trigger foods in the house if you are prone to bingeing. But don't eliminate them completely or you'll go nuts. There's no reason to be super restrictive if you're staying under your calorie limit.

    Not true. Sugar actually stimulates dopamine release in the brain which causes it to become addictive in many cases.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15987666
    What about the fact that EVERY OTHER FOOD YOU EAT also stimulates dopamine release? Or the fact that exercising stimulates dopamine release. Or that avoiding getting run over by a truck while crossing the street stimulates dopamine release?

    In human beings, EVERYTHING positive you do in your life to keep you alive and healthy stimulates the release of dopamine. That's how your brain conditions you to stay alive. Sugar is not addictive.
  • Inspiring_Sara
    Inspiring_Sara Posts: 54 Member
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    I do not use my boyfriend as an excuse by any means somebody suggested keeping it out of my house but I can't keep all of it out of my house bc he likes them and i'm not doing that to ... that's all. My boyfriend has nothing to do with my eating habits other than the fact we both enjoy eating he doesn't not control what I put in my mouth and how much but I am simply asking for help to cut these out and tips on maintain portion control...no boyfriend or family member or friend is an excuse a lady said I keep it out of my house and I said I can't period. no excuse.
  • Inspiring_Sara
    Inspiring_Sara Posts: 54 Member
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    Read The hunger fix by DOCTOR PAMELA PEEKE
    the whole things are studies at different universities.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    yeah me too i had a sugar addiction and believe me, it will begin again if i start putting desserts/sweets/soda pop /and snacks in my mouth (cookies, cake, brownies, muffins, bakery etc)

    I decided to give up all those snacky desserts. it took about 2 weeks and the cravings went away.

    I do not suggest weaning yourself because once you take a taste, it wont help. you have to really not eat it at all.

    try it for 2 weeks going without those things, and see if it will help.. But you have to make some kind of effort. just say no. and stay away from it.

    if you do this, and you subsitute other things instead, it helps. For me Fage yogurt does the trick.. its protein so its filling for some reason, and even though it has some jam in it, its not major and seems to help when i want something sweet.

    so yeah, i could get tempted, but i choose not to eat that stuff.

    other people who dont have food addictions might be ok eating cookies and stuff, but for me a sugar addict, its beter to not eat it.

    fage yogurt has about ...wait for it ..7 grams of sugar in it....so you are eating sugar...just an FYI
  • KimmieSue2011
    KimmieSue2011 Posts: 117 Member
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    I gave up added sugar and sweeteners (no sweets and no diet coke) but not fruit or sugar in milks nonfat plain yogurt, etc in January and it's been great. The first couple days were hard -- I would eat more protein or just eat fruit in nonfat Fage yogurt to taste something sweet. But it's helped me. I no longer have the cravings and the sugar bloat/tiredness that I used to get in the afternoons. I've finally been able to lose (a little) weight (slowly), which had been stalled for me before. My plan was just to try it for the year, but I think I might stay on it. For me, the more sweets I ate, the more I wanted. Now I don't eat them and I don't (often) want them. It no longer even bothers me to have them around or have others eat them. My daughter, for example is a girl scout and so our house was full of cookies last month. Also I can go to friends' houses for dinner and see amazing desserts and I'm really okay with other people eating them. Good luck to you.

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