Sugar cravings - how do you cope?

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  • jcamer12
    jcamer12 Posts: 12 Member
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    I am about eight weeks into trying to lose about 50 lbs. Before deciding it was time to get healthy, I would eat sugar like it was going out of style. It didn't seem unreasonable to eat an entire bag of Oreos over a two-day period. Cookies and dark chocolate are what really gets me. Honestly, I've never learned how to eat healthy, so the last eight weeks have been a HUGE change for me. I've been slowly trying to incorporate fruits and vegetables and other whole foods into my diet, but there are many years of bad habits to undo.

    For the first six weeks or so I was doing a reasonable job of staying away from the sugar. Sure, I'd slip up once or twice a week, but generally I was able to not binge too bad.

    Then one day last week I just HAD to have these double-chocolate cookies from Safeway. They tasted like heaven. Now every day since then it's been something. York peppermint patties, Skittles, Starbucks pastries, and last night, the killer: an entire box of those original amazing cookies. I didn't eat all of them (I think that would have killed me), but I wanted to. I ate three (900 calories!) and felt physically sick to my stomach. This morning I was snacking on yet another one (yes, after I felt so horrible last night!) before I stepped on the scale and there it was...

    I was up a pound and a half from my lowest weight, which I recorded on Monday. 20% of my progress undone because I just can't seem to put down the sugar. I don't want to log this weight. I want to get rid of it and continue making progress toward a healthier, more fit me.

    Part of my problem is that my husband left last week until September for work. It's easier to eat right and exercise when you have an "audience," particularly when that audience has helpfully told you recently that you're too fat to be attractive. (Which is the truth so, while it's bugged me a bit, has been good motivation.) But honestly the bigger problem is years and years of giving in to myself whenever I had a sugar craving.

    So, what do you suggest to put an end to the sugar habit? I bought myself some "healthy alternatives" in the form of Fiber One brownies and Healthy Choice fudgesicles, but at the end of the day I think those just encourage the cravings. If you've sat all the way through this novel of a post, I hope you'll be able to give me some advice!

    I don't think you should stay away from sugar. I'm firmly in the moderation camp. If you deny yourself something you love, when you break down and eat it (which is inevitable, IMO), you'll binge on it.

    Allow yourself a treat a day - like an oreo or two, or a mini snickers, or a small bowl of ice cream. Just make sure it fits into your calorie goals. Try to get prepackaged stuff, so you're not staring at a large bag of stuff you really want.

    If you feel you cannot do the above due to lack of self control, then I don't think you've actually decided to lose the weight. I know that sounds harsh, but you if you're going to change your lifestyle, you're doing to have to have self control.

    Also - make sure you're doing this weight loss stuff because YOU want to, not because your husband says you're too fat.


    *****THIS!****
  • MarkR_2013
    MarkR_2013 Posts: 43 Member
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    Sweet fruit like strawberries, watermelon, and honeydew. Not much in the way of calories, but they do take the edge off of my sweet tooth nicely. There's also the aforementioned gum and Crystal Light. You will find that the less refined sugars you eat, the lower your tolerance for them becomes. But, you will be less sluggish and more alert.

    Now if I could only do something about my diet soda addiction.....
  • midas1022
    midas1022 Posts: 151
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    I want to let you know that I have had the same issues as you have. You have an addiction and it needs to be treated that way. First of all I would not suggest you carry around anything sweet because what happens is you will eat it and it will start your binge eating. You have to get rid of all the sweets in your house. It's no different than drugs or alcohol and it needs to be treated that way. I can tell you this. I would wake up wanting sugar so badly that I would convince myself to just eat a little bit of sugar. Then it would start and when I was done I would feel so guilty. I knew I couldn't control it and cutting out sugar is the hardest thing I have ever done. You are not lazy or stupid or weak. I am very successful and have control over everything in my life but sugar kicked my butt and when I would binge eat it was like I was a different person. I would easily eat more calories binging for an hour than I did in food the previous two days combined. If I ate a cookie I would have to eat the entire row so the other cookies wouldn't get lonely. I loved food and I rationalized that I was just a big boned person. I just tried to accept who I was and to be honest I knew I was lying to myself. I tried every diet that is under the sun because I didn't want to lower my calories or the high I got from eating. It became a hobby of mine to try different diets. I am sure you have experienced some of the things I have and I want you to know that your not alone. I want you to know that your beautiful and smart. You can beat this as soon as you start treating this like an addiction. Food addiction is actually the worst worldwide epidemic in history. Give yourself a break because if you get the right people in your life who can help you and give you support then you can beat this. You can do it and I for one believe in you. Please friend me and I will help you as much as I can. I will do my best and I won't let you down and I wont judge you. Take care. Midas
  • lifeskittles
    lifeskittles Posts: 438 Member
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    Ive dealt with this for YEARS. I'm a sugar addict..HARDCORE. The ONLY thing that works for me, is to keep it out of my eyesight. MY thing is once i start thinking about it if I see it, I obsess over it until I eat it. Its gotta stay out of my house. Then I'm good!
  • bv109
    bv109 Posts: 83
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    i dont have one
  • lifeskittles
    lifeskittles Posts: 438 Member
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    I think a lot of times you have to go cold turkey. I say that because you can't "dwindle" down sweets when you're used to eating them...its like trying to smoke less each day...much harder in my opinion. I'm not saying you can't have anything sweet, but I think you should make a goal and say "For one week I won't eat any refined sugar" and after that week you can treat yourself IF you really want it. Then once you have that make a goal of another week. I found substituting coffee whenever I get a sweet craving works WONDERS...if you like coffee, maybe try it out...not too late at night though, eheh.
  • breakonthrough65
    breakonthrough65 Posts: 19 Member
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    Second the notion of making a smoothie. I make a smoothie that is about 430 calories, often it is one of my meals.
    It has
    2 tbsp cocoa
    1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk
    4 cubes of ice
    2 tbsp almond butter unsalted
    1 banana
    1 tbsp of honey
    I've aways had a big sweet tooth as well, It is sweet but does not have tons of sugar, and to me it feels like I'm having a big desert, plus its filling because of the almond butter.
    Drink one of these instead of the half bag of Oreos. You may find it takes care of the craving, and has far less calories and sugar than the half bag of oreos.
  • CrescentCityGirl
    CrescentCityGirl Posts: 123 Member
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    Think of sugar like a drug. Sugar is basically crack of the food world. It is very addictive. You have a little, you want more. Every time you let yourself have one oreo, you are going to want to eat 5 more. So best course of action, have no oreos. Also I highly recommend against "healthy" alternatives. There is nothing healthy about a FiberOne bar, and if you check the nutrition label, I bet they have as much sugar as the oreoes. A better snack would be fresh fruit (cherries and grapes are in season) or celery with peanut butter (sugar free of course).

    It also sounds like you might be eating out of boredom or stress. When you are eating not because you are hungry, but to satisfy some other craving, ask yourself if it's really worth it. Ask yourself why you want to eat - are you bored, tired, angry? Then find another way to deal with it. Usually no matter what the emotion is, a 5-10 minute walk can help distract you. When I'm at work I often have sugar cravings in the afternoon. Rather than reach for the candy bowl, I take a lap around the building.

    One thing that helped me break my sugar habit was doing a 14-day no sugar challenge. After two weeks without having any added sugars in my diet it was easier to resist. You can sign up at http://fedupmovie.com/#/page/home and they will send you daily tips and reminders to keep accountable.

    Another thing that sometimes helps me, make a cup of herbal fruit tea and sip that instead. Keeps your mouth busy without the sugar.


    Definitely agree with this!!! I came to realize that I eat out of boredom as well. To get that under control I started making tea when I would end up in the kitchen instead of pulling out a snack. Works well for me and I buy tea often!!
  • TessaHomel
    TessaHomel Posts: 6 Member
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    I control my sugar cravings by not depriving myself. If I deprived myself of sugar all together, I'd go insane and binge. I reward myself every night with a tablespoon of mini chocolate chips. It may not seem like a lot, but if you eat them one at a time, they actually last quite a while. It keeps me from craving things like chocolate chip cookies and all my other weaknesses :)
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
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    Bump.
  • paulandrachelk
    paulandrachelk Posts: 280 Member
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    Get "The Sugar Diet" from Prevention magazine (Prevention.com). Get deluxe (expanded?) edition as has more tables etc. Rodale is the mother company and publisher. It recommends a complete removal of sugar from diet then adding back as treat but even if you don't do that it really opens your eyes to what is going on.
  • carolineire
    carolineire Posts: 65 Member
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    If Im absolutely craving some chocolate, (I dont tend to keep it in the house now as I cant resist- sugar is as addictive as heroin!) I have to walk to the shop to get it, but now I buy a mini bar instead of a full sized bar. But now I extend my walk and do a couple of laps around the block, so by the time I get home, Ive already burnt off the chocolate.

    Snacking at night used to be my biggest downfall but now filling up on high protein dinners like quinoa, tofu and soy sauce with veg, I find Im not even remotely hungry, and if I do think out of habit 'Id like some chocolate', I ask myself how hungry I actually am. The answer is usually zero. Or I have some frozen orange juice ice cubes, which taste delicious, give you a mini sugar fix, and have very few calories, as they are squeezed from actual oranges, not processed juice.

    Also thinking 'Ive eaten well today, I dont want to ruin that for a temporary high of eating crap, when I know 100% that tomorrow I will regret it when Im stepping on my scale', and 'processed food is full of chemicals and crap that shouldnt be consumed, why would I put that in my body?', are both powerful mantras for me.

    The cravings do go away after a few days of no sugar, and if you do have a binge, be kind to yourself and know that you can start again, youve already done it, and get back on the wagon.

    Good luck!
  • MrsBryant923
    MrsBryant923 Posts: 10 Member
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    Consider trying to stay under 25g of sugar a day. Sugar is addictive and the more you "treat" yourself, the more you will crave it. Allow yourself one cheat meal a week to have your sugar, but this should not be a daily thing. When you do get a sugar craving try reaching for nuts or cheese.
  • trivard676
    trivard676 Posts: 90 Member
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    One of the things that I've taken to doing is buying the Thinsations treats. They're 100 calories per bag, and it gives me the satisfying feeling of finishing the whole bag, while still only eating 100 calories. So long as you don't eat the entire box in one sitting, it still gives you that sweet (or salty, depending on what you get) taste without allowing you to go overboard with calories.

    I have a small container that I toss in my bag when I go to work (for a snack in addition to lunch) I can fit sweet and salty bagged snacks in there and I can only have what fits in the box (usually like 2 bags or a bag and a bar) Sometimes I eat them all - sometimes I don't eat any of it.

    Plus, I eat and log them before I go to the gym after work, so I can think better about how many empty calories I'm consuming.
  • conniekat8
    conniekat8 Posts: 64 Member
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    As for your husbands comment, Ummmmmm....I'll be nice.....good thing he is going to be gone for a while. Don't worry about what he said. Worry about you. Take this time to evaluate what you want. Take the time to decide what is the best for you (diet, exercise). Join a gym. Join a group of other dieter. See your doctor, nutritionist, etc.

    Everyone has made really good points about the binge eating. I don't think I've ever looked at it that way, but you're probably right. I look at what/when I eat and it's usually when I'm bored or I feel like I've "deserved" it somehow (long day at work, etc).

    Don't be too hard on my husband. I started getting healthy because of a medical issue, so I'm definitely in this for me. His comment came several weeks into my weight loss journey and was in context of a larger conversation about how we're living our lives. We foster some pretty open communication in our marriage :)

    Emotinal eating, comfort foods. I think a big part of the problem isn't so much the sugar and it's chemical/physical properties, but your mental relationship with food. (don't take this as a negative criticism - I do this too). We develop a relationship of sorts with certain foods that make us happy, and then when you cut them out we are left with nothing to fill the void, and the longer we just push and try to deprive ourselves, the more lopsided it gets, and then we cave and binge.
    The key is to try and find other things that make you happy that will fill the void - this will take some effort and retraining yourself. Instead of cookies, maybe find a chewing gum you like - if you must eat or chew on something, or find some other low calorie alternative in case you can't resist a binge, or start finding activities you can use to fill the void.
    It's the habit of making ourselves happy with food that we need to work on - and it can be tricky, because eating does make most people feel good, and it's readily available.
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
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    If I'm hungry, but don't know what exactly what I want, I:

    a) write more than 100 words, if possible
    b) go for a walk / workout
    c) take a nap
  • Jellybnzbro
    Jellybnzbro Posts: 6
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    My grandma controls her sugar cravings by eating granola cereal mixed in sugar free cool-whip, Portioned correctly, it makes for a nice snack. You can add fruit, more nuts, or eat it the simple way. I'm not sure how many calories and all is in it, but it's worked wonders for her.
  • kimberlyblindsey
    kimberlyblindsey Posts: 266 Member
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    Lots of great pointers here, and I'm also in the moderation camp bc, I have some serious sugar cravings too. For me it's hormonal, and I know that.
    I think a few other people said it but I am seconding the motion that Greek yogurt with fruit and I add a few nuts and that usually sates the craving. It kind of tastes like a sunday, kind of.
    What also works for me is making my own treats with stevia or another low GI sweetener and experimenting on how to make sweets with less of the bad stuff and more off the good stuff. You can even make sweetener from ground up dates, and make some pretty tasty guilt free treats.
  • Kelly_May88
    Kelly_May88 Posts: 9 Member
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    Nuts..

    I buy a big bag and put them in 30g lots in little snaplock bags. When the sugar/cookie/chocolate cravings gets so bad Im about to cave, I eat the nuts with a glass of water. Works a treat every time.
  • wanttolose40lbs
    wanttolose40lbs Posts: 239 Member
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    When I see all that good stuff at the grocery store, as much as I want it, I just keep walking. The receptionist at work has a candy dish on the counter and I limit myself to one or two little candy bars a day (under 100 cal). That satisfies me enough, because I can't not have sugar.

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