Help! Binging on Blueberries

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ruthejp13
ruthejp13 Posts: 213 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm addicted to sugar. I changed my lifestyle eating over a decade ago by doing Atkins. Over time I modified it to suit my needs and usually eat a half cup of ice cream a day. Back then I lost 54 pounds. I didn't gain it back when I stopped dieting. I did however gain years later when deaths, stress and health got in the "weigh". It starts with a cookie and then the slippery slope. As you can see on my banner, my weight goes up and down but the banner scans over 10 years. I'm really not a roller-coaster dieter.

My problem now is I love blueberries. I buy a big box and eat them til my poop turns blue. But there is still too much sugar that when the blueberries are gone I start binging on ice cream. I ate more over my calorie goal and gain 2 pounds than when I was eating bday cake on vacation. I have the same problem with raspberries.

Are blueberries my gateway drug? How can something so good for you be so bad? Help, I need perspective.

Replies

  • amnerislinda
    amnerislinda Posts: 14 Member
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    I love blueberries too! What am I'm doing... I'm taking 1/4 cup blueberries and fat free plain greek yogurt and mixing it with a blender.

    Perfect snack!
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
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    Honestly, if you cannot control yourself with a certain food item, you should abandon it all together.

    Not the most perfect solution or inspiring, but if its this one thing that keeps ruining it for you... then well. =/
  • cookiealbright
    cookiealbright Posts: 605 Member
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    Too much of anything is never good. Everything in moderation. I can't tell you how to slow down if you can't control yourself. I have days that I'm good and days that I'm bad. But it's all my fault, my choices. Good luck to ya! :flowerforyou:
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    If you have no medical reason to watch your sugar, then don't worry about it - blueberries are good for you! If you can eat them until your poop turns blue and it fits into your calorie goal (and assuming it's not giving you any bathroom issues!), eat them!

    Or add them to other things as the previous poster suggested. I love them on a 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt drizzled with honey. Add them to oatmeal, or even put them on a scoop of ice cream. Just log it and stay within your goal and you'll be fine.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
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    Step away from the blueberries or you might turn into one:

    blueberry1.jpg

    Seriously, if a food triggers you, you should limit your contact with it.
  • ruthejp13
    ruthejp13 Posts: 213 Member
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    Step away from the blueberries or you might turn into one:

    blueberry1.jpg

    Seriously, if a food triggers you, you should limit your contact with it.

    Oh, thank you! That picture is the perfect advice.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    It's not clear from your post, but do you have this idea that you can just eat unlimited blueberries or raspberries so eat them out of the carton?

    I love them too, but I grab a handful, weigh them, and eat them with my meal. Generally speaking if I portion something out I'll just eat that.
  • amy8400
    amy8400 Posts: 478 Member
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    Blue poop would make me step back from the berries for sure. Moderation is the key and if you can't maintain a healthy relation ship with blueberries, you need to remove the temptation from your kitchen. I'm like that with cheesecake. Can't...stop...nibbling...until the darn thing is gone :frown:
  • HeatherScent37
    HeatherScent37 Posts: 25 Member
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    If your go-to is ice cream, it's not sugar you crave, but a fat/sugar combination. Try mixing your berries with some 2% greek yogurt (as someone mentioned) or a 1/4 cup of half-and-half. And don't keep ice cream in the house! If you can't suppress the craving, make yourself walk to the store and buy a single serving. My addiction is gumballs! Crazy, I know.
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
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    :laugh:
  • Siannah
    Siannah Posts: 456 Member
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    Switch to raspberries. Much nicer.
  • maz504
    maz504 Posts: 450
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    :huh:
  • ethompso0105
    ethompso0105 Posts: 418 Member
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    I'm this way with most fruit. One weekend recently, my mom and I blew through at least $25 worth of fruit--strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, etc. pounds of them! Yum! Apart from the *ahem* digestive distress I suffered from this binge, it wasn't the worst choice I made. After logging, I found out that it fit my calorie goals (phew), and I ended up eating less "bad" stuff later that day.

    That being said, I find fruit very filling--yay fiber--so typically don't crave other sweets afterwards. I also feel like it keeps me good and full. Additionally, these healthier choices helped me to feel more confident about healthy choices throughout the day.

    If you find that eating a ton of fruit triggers your other cravings, maybe pre-portion the fruit when you buy/wash it. Allow yourself only the portioned amount and then really think before you eat more of them, or something else.

    Don't let your cravings take over (easier said than done, I know)--but don't forget to enjoy what you eat. After all, food is not only fuel, but it can be a real treat! :)

    Good luck!

    Edited to fix spell-check fail. :)
  • ruthejp13
    ruthejp13 Posts: 213 Member
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    Yes, it becomes a trigger food for me. I can't stop. Usually, I can stop with my half cup of ice cream. But after eating blueberries all day, one handful at a time, when I went for my ice cream, I couldn't stop. I got 3 more servings which is abnormal for me.

    I don't eat the blueberries as fast if I add them to yogurt. I measure all my foods except blueberries and trail mix. Funny, I have a mixed relationship with my trail mix. Sometimes I can stop after one handful, other times I keep getting one after another. So I think my problem isn't so much the food but the method of eating. It's the popcorn mentality, I keep eating until it's gone regardless of the volume. I shouldn't be allowed to eat anything with my hands.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
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    Yes, it becomes a trigger food for me. I can't stop. Usually, I can stop with my half cup of ice cream. But after eating blueberries all day, one handful at a time, when I went for my ice cream, I couldn't stop. I got 3 more servings which is abnormal for me.

    I don't eat the blueberries as fast if I add them to yogurt. I measure all my foods except blueberries and trail mix. Funny, I have a mixed relationship with my trail mix. Sometimes I can stop after one handful, other times I keep getting one after another. So I think my problem isn't so much the food but the method of eating. It's the popcorn mentality, I keep eating until it's gone regardless of the volume. I shouldn't be allowed to eat anything with my hands.

    Be careful with the trail mix, that stuff can be loaded with calories. You really should measure everything you eat.
  • ruthejp13
    ruthejp13 Posts: 213 Member
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    I just went and looked that the container in the garbage and my log for the day I started eating the blueberries. I ate 2.5 pounds in just over day. I actually went to bed and jumped out of bed because I knew I bought blueberries the day before and didn't see them. I checked the back of my car and they had come out of the bag. I ate a handful and went to bed.

    Looking back at my log, I only recorded about half of the 2.5 pounds in half-cup to one-cup increments several times a day. I think my real problem was foregoing protein in exchange for the excess sugar calories. I was way under my protein for the day and even under my fiber because I didn't eat as many veggies. This is why I love MFP. Tracking daily allows you to go back and analyze your slip-ups.

    One of the reasons I eat ice cream every day is for the fat and calcium and that sweet taste without over indulging. I do have frozen mixed berries that I add to Greek yogurt too. That day I was way over my fat intake from excess ice cream.

    Thank you everyone for your help and advice. I'm glad I posted.
  • navygrrl
    navygrrl Posts: 517 Member
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    I love blueberries, but I'm allergic to them, so that helps with not eating them. :laugh:

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