Beating sugar addiction (or bad cravings)

Auzziedoggie
Auzziedoggie Posts: 66 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I used to crave chocolate all the time. Or sweets in general. It was a major obstacle to weight loss for me. So one day, I quit. It was extremely difficult and I found myself thinking about sweets long after the physical cravings subsided (which took only 2-3 days). Then I started to reintroduce small quantities of high quality chocolate. The first time I attempted this, I felt the urge to go nuts. So I quit again for two weeks. Then I reintroduced it again and didn't get as much pleasure from it as I usually do. This was really weird because psychologically, I still feel the need to buy chocolate in the quantities I used to but I no longer need that much.

I'm very happy about this progress but I just know that if I get cocky and start having it all the time, I will start to NEED sugar again. So I make sure not to have it more than once per week.

Who else noticed that their tastes changed and what did you do to maintain the changes?
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Replies

  • KimmieSue2011
    KimmieSue2011 Posts: 117 Member
    I would overeat on sweets and so I gave up sweets and added sugar or artificial sweeteners (kept eating fruit or salad dressings with sugar in it, etc. but no cookies, candy, diet coke) and my cravings have diminished substantially. Every once in a while I will eat something sweet (eg a corn bread muffin) and then I do find myself craving more sweets and carbs. Same thing when I had a piece of birthday cake and then later went back and ate two more! For me, I am not good at moderating my intake of baked goods so it's better to just not eat them. I'ts been since Jan 1 of this year and I'm going to try to keep it up the whole year, and I suspect I'll just keep going after that. Unfortunately, I don't think I am going to be one of those people who can just eat sweets in moderation.
  • sixpacklady
    sixpacklady Posts: 582 Member
    I also had major sugar cravings. But as soon as I started eating dark choc, I wanted things to be less sweeter in general. I still like sweet things and eating sweets trigger more eating sweets. But if I put an intentional stop to eating junk sweets and go back to dark choc, my cravings start to diminish. Its a constant battle and moderation is key.
  • garbagedog
    garbagedog Posts: 31
    I went on a hunt for "diet" cookies and found these great recipes: http://voices.yahoo.com/holiday-cookie-recipes-dieters-12430316.html?cat=5

    What's really cool as I created a homemade recipe book to share with my friends and family over the holidays and we are all eating a little better these days. It's inspirational to inspire others, so their gratitude really helped me keep pursuing other ways to enjoy the things I love. I hope these recipes help you feed your sweet tooth without feeding your thighs!
  • Rubie81
    Rubie81 Posts: 720 Member
    I get really strong sugar cravings. Usually in the late evenings. I found this product that I swear by: http://www.garden-lites.com/recipe/zucchini-chocolate/

    They are muffins made with zucchini, 120 calories, and DELICIOUS.
    I have one as a snack almost every night.
    Granted, don't look at tonight's diary, I just had two Baked by Melissa mini cupcakes...don't judge ;)
  • pugsleyjean
    pugsleyjean Posts: 135 Member
    I gave up all sweets and goodies for lent. It was hard at first bc I looked at a serving of one "treat" as not a bad thing but when I ate one serving of this and one serving of that I knew I needed to cut back. I craved alot of things at first but never once gave in and once Easter came I had set my mind on eating almost everything I had given up. I ate a few of those things and realized that I don't enjoy them as much now. I can still eat a handfull of peanut m&m's which would be my candy of choice now but everything else I used to crave on a regular basis isnt there. I cant enjoy it like I used to. Havent had any binges and what I really wanted to do was to go to one of those frozen yogurt places and put all the good toppings on it. It was Easter and they were closed so I didnt have the chance to have my goal treat (anyone else do goal treats?) I might end up doing it sometime but knowing I didnt need it then I probably dont need it now.
  • zman1313
    zman1313 Posts: 70 Member
    I have never really binged on sweets too hard, but maybe once every couple of weeks I feel the need for chocolate. Instead of buying a candy bar I'll have a protein bar. Still high in sugar but at least it's somewhat filling.

    My major "sugar craving" was soda. I used to drink wayyy too much. Like 4-6 cans a day. I quit that cold turkey--feels great. For a while I was drinking 4-6 diet cokes a day because I needed the carbonation, but I have cut back to only 1-2 of those per day now.
  • jenmom2myboys
    jenmom2myboys Posts: 311 Member
    I gave up sweets and now fruit tastes so much more sweet to me.
  • movegrooveandwatchthefood
    movegrooveandwatchthefood Posts: 28 Member
    I have had a nagging craving for a huge piece of chocolate cake that is sold at safeway. For two months I have been thinking about it off and on. I think I will allow myself to have one after I have lost my first 50 lbs. And that is going to be two months from May.
  • Jestinia
    Jestinia Posts: 1,153 Member
    You're doing way better than I have ever done! If it belongs to me and it's in the house I'm going to eat it. I'm trying to get the beast wrestled down to just the weekend, with one big portion of chocolate each day on Saturday and Sunday and leftovers must be given away or tossed out before Monday. Not that there usually ARE leftovers.
  • carolmlee1
    carolmlee1 Posts: 3 Member
    Can you share your cookie recipes with me? I am having a really hard time with sweets. Thank-you so much!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Never gone away for me. So I eat things in moderation now.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    To me the quality is important. I can do one piece of a good chocolate. Or one tablespoon of excellent ice cream. I usually have 1/4 cup or so of good ice cream with nuts every night.

    But I don't actually want more. And I no longer like lousy chocolate or sweets.
  • soldiergrl_101
    soldiergrl_101 Posts: 2,205 Member
    When I went to AF Basic Training I was over weight and worked at Wendy's, so all I ate was soda and fast food. My addiction was Pepsi, at least 2Liters of Pepsi a day. After 6 weeks of Boot camp on diet restriction and allowed nothing but water to drink I lost 40lbs, and went from a size 17 to a size 7 :0 it was amazing. What surprised me most was that after 6 weeks of Bootcamp once i was allowed to drink whatever I wanted to drink, Pepsi didnt taste good anymore it was nasty. I couldnt believe I drank it in the first place.

    I think its kind of like drugs and alcohol detox, once your body gets rid of it you no longer have that craving that you have to have it so your taste buds can judge more accurately on whats good and bad
  • crystalflame
    crystalflame Posts: 1,049 Member
    I allow myself things in moderation, but I don't keep it in the house. That way it has to be a very intentional decision where I either make or go out and get something sweet. I like to bake, but I don't bake every week, and I take most of my baked goods to work. I like a piece of chocolate or a cup of ice cream, but I plan for it ahead of time and make sure it fits in my calories before I go seek it out. If I'm not eating it consistently, the cravings don't get very bad. Some people can have chocolate every day, but I've found that doesn't work for me because I start to lose self control with portion sizes.
  • jacaranda42
    jacaranda42 Posts: 2
    Hey y'all! Well I am a FREAK for chocolate and i have a weakness for sugar in general...but mainly chocolate! one thing I have found that really helps is to eat raw cacao powder instead. apparently chocolate cravings can be because you need magnesium, but raw cacao powder is really high in magnesium and gives you that chocolate hit without all the calories and sugar! I stir a heaped teaspoon in to my coffee but you could also have it mixed in with greek yoghurt, i think that would be tasty. you can get raw cacao powder from health food stores and it's not too expensive :)
    anyway that is what is working for me so far! xx
  • jackielou867
    jackielou867 Posts: 422 Member
    Used to have a huge sweet tooth. I would buy and eat 2 candy bars every time I shopped, or bought fuel. Too much was never enough. I cut down with mfp.
    I started dark chocolate, a few squares in the evening, if I had calories left. Then miraculously one day I said screw this I would rather have something savoury! I don't know how it happened but it did. Don't get me wrong, I will still have a sweet treat now and then if it is under my nose and in calories, but I don't sit there any more craving them. Last night I had a Magnum after the gym because It was late and I was 500 calories short for the day. Easy 250 calories and I could have had 2 but I didn't have the urge to eat another.
    Now at the works xmas party I had quite a big piece of gateaux and booze. The next morning was a buffet breakfast and I got stuck in, I had Danish pastries and pancakes, I thought I was set for the day, but all day I was hungry and craving more and more sweet carbs. Same on xmas/boxing day, 2 wild days of sugar high and it took me over a week to come down and beat those cravings!
    As far as I am concerned sugar is a drug. The sooner you get off it the better.
    I actually wrote down zuccini chocolate so I could Google it. Then I remembered I don't need a sweet food substitute any more lol.
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
    I had the exact same problem and i can tell you that if you let go and eat lots of chocolate you will get addicted again. There's no reason not to eat it at all but keep it in moderation. But this might interest you once you have broken your addiction to sugar other things that once lost their sweetness will become sweeter. Try your hand with fresh fruit again you might be surprised at the result.
  • zenalasca
    zenalasca Posts: 563 Member
    I have one amazing, worth it treat per day. That helps me keep the levels of sugary things consumed down
  • ColeAXE
    ColeAXE Posts: 73 Member
    I joined the 21 day no junk challenge 8 days ago,. and I have major sweet tooth. They say it will get easier, but some days I dream about chocolate. Lol. Hope after this challenge the cravings won't be so bad
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
    I joined the 21 day no junk challenge 8 days ago,. and I have major sweet tooth. They say it will get easier, but some days I dream about chocolate. Lol. Hope after this challenge the cravings won't be so bad

    I am sorry to say that this is one aspect of diet improvement that really is simply a matter of willpower. Good luck though! I hope you succeed. It feels really great when you do. Now I watch my sugar intake like a hawk cos i don't wanna be addicted again lol.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    When I went to AF Basic Training I was over weight and worked at Wendy's, so all I ate was soda and fast food. My addiction was Pepsi, at least 2Liters of Pepsi a day. After 6 weeks of Boot camp on diet restriction and allowed nothing but water to drink I lost 40lbs, and went from a size 17 to a size 7 :0 it was amazing. What surprised me most was that after 6 weeks of Bootcamp once i was allowed to drink whatever I wanted to drink, Pepsi didnt taste good anymore it was nasty. I couldnt believe I drank it in the first place.

    I think its kind of like drugs and alcohol detox, once your body gets rid of it you no longer have that craving that you have to have it so your taste buds can judge more accurately on whats good and bad

    Wow, once I got out of AF basic, I was the complete opposite! I was like GIMME ALL THE CANDY, ALL THE CHEETOS, NOMNOMNOMNOM!!!!

    Then I got fat again. :laugh:
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    This is a lifestyle change for me. Cake, soda, cookies, etc. are part of my life, so I needed to teach myself that if I am going to keep the weight off I needed to learn self control/moderation, it was hard, but now I can enjoy weddings/birthday cakes now, ice cream, cookies, etc. :smile:
  • AwesomeGuy37
    AwesomeGuy37 Posts: 436 Member
    I used to crave chocolate all the time. Or sweets in general. It was a major obstacle to weight loss for me. So one day, I quit. It was extremely difficult and I found myself thinking about sweets long after the physical cravings subsided (which took only 2-3 days). Then I started to reintroduce small quantities of high quality chocolate. The first time I attempted this, I felt the urge to go nuts. So I quit again for two weeks. Then I reintroduced it again and didn't get as much pleasure from it as I usually do. This was really weird because psychologically, I still feel the need to buy chocolate in the quantities I used to but I no longer need that much.

    I'm very happy about this progress but I just know that if I get cocky and start having it all the time, I will start to NEED sugar again. So I make sure not to have it more than once per week.

    Who else noticed that their tastes changed and what did you do to maintain the changes?

    I never had a sweet tooth, but I loved my carbs. I would eat fried chicken, all types of chips, soda, bread, french fries and burgers... I've given all of them up and more. It took a long time and many small changes but I have none of those unhealthy cravings anymore. I'm focusing on eating to live. I'm not done changing my diet to what it will be when I'm maintaining, but I'm getting there one step at a time. I'm enjoying it.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    When I went to AF Basic Training I was over weight and worked at Wendy's, so all I ate was soda and fast food. My addiction was Pepsi, at least 2Liters of Pepsi a day. After 6 weeks of Boot camp on diet restriction and allowed nothing but water to drink I lost 40lbs, and went from a size 17 to a size 7 :0 it was amazing. What surprised me most was that after 6 weeks of Bootcamp once i was allowed to drink whatever I wanted to drink, Pepsi didnt taste good anymore it was nasty. I couldnt believe I drank it in the first place.

    I think its kind of like drugs and alcohol detox, once your body gets rid of it you no longer have that craving that you have to have it so your taste buds can judge more accurately on whats good and bad

    Wow, once I got out of AF basic, I was the complete opposite! I was like GIMME ALL THE CANDY, ALL THE CHEETOS, NOMNOMNOMNOM!!!!

    Then I got fat again. :laugh:

    Your hunger impulses have to be trained. One way is to get used to an empty stomach by skipping breakfast and eating your first meal around noon.

    You'll change, and lose your cravings for sweets after a week or so.

    Um...me wanting cheetos and candy have never had anything to do with hunger. :huh:

    And I just feed my cravings when I have them. No need to change, but thanks for the unsolicited advice.
  • Sirinya55
    Sirinya55 Posts: 79 Member
    I love chocolate! I'm not allowed to stop eating chocolate ever since I threw a pan at my husband's head. I missed :)
  • TXRanchGirl
    TXRanchGirl Posts: 303
    I also had major sugar cravings. But as soon as I started eating dark choc, I wanted things to be less sweeter in general. I still like sweet things and eating sweets trigger more eating sweets. But if I put an intentional stop to eating junk sweets and go back to dark choc, my cravings start to diminish. Its a constant battle and moderation is key.

    yes..I find SUPER sweet things (like milk chocolate) make my mouth and throat burn.
  • Jestinia
    Jestinia Posts: 1,153 Member
    In honor of all the moderation beats cold turkey sugar crowd in all MFP threads everywhere, I'm buying a pack of cigarettes this weekend. I'll probably smoke three or four, then the rest will sit in my purse until they go stale and I throw it out. That's what happened last time.

    I feel sorry for ex smokers. Why didn't you just try moderation? One cigarette now and then won't hurt you. And it's enjoyable. I have no trouble having one and then not having another for days or weeks or forever if that is what I decide. Why can't you do the same?

    It must be a willpower thing.
  • jrose1982
    jrose1982 Posts: 366 Member
    I just want to thank you for posting your story. I was in the same boat but I haven't been brave enough to reintroduce chocolate yet.

    There are so many people that experience sugar addiction just like this, yet anytime somebody posts something about the difficulties of quitting, so many people do nothing but criticize.

    I think this post does a great job of describing how completely quitting sugar can be beneficial for many. Thanks for sharing.
  • jrose1982
    jrose1982 Posts: 366 Member
    I have had a nagging craving for a huge piece of chocolate cake that is sold at safeway. For two months I have been thinking about it off and on. I think I will allow myself to have one after I have lost my first 50 lbs. And that is going to be two months from May.

    Good for you. And I'll bet that chocolate cake won't taste half as good as it looks. And then you won't crave it again.
    Keep going, you can do this!
  • Ulwaz
    Ulwaz Posts: 380 Member
    sugar addiction is hard, cutting down is the main thing!
    i have low calorie hot chocolate when i crave chocolate, only 40 calories :) !
    also have marshmellows for sweets too since they are normally only about 10 calories and helps for the sugar fix

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