Sugar & Cravings and low self esteem

OP, what's the longest you've gone without eating products w sugar? Might be worth trying a Whole30 9http://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/) or other elimination-type diet.
Dallas of the Whole30 has a quip like "the only way to kill the sugar dragon is to starve it".

Well at a certain point you're going to have to suck it up. There's no magic wand.

When you say sugar, what kinds of foods are you eating? What kinds of mental associations, if any, do you have with those foods? A lot of times we see people here who claim to have a "sugar addiction" when what they are really doing is emotionally eating, and the cravings are more of a psychological need to eat certain "comfort" foods to cope with feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, boredom, etc. The irritability and anger you've mentioned when cutting out sugar could be signs of frustration in not being able to engage in the behavior/habit that you use as a coping skill. Then you feel bad for eating it, and eat more to cope with those feelings. It's a pretty common issue that people in the MFP community face, and can be an obstacle to successful weight loss.

Sugar is an addiction. Food manufacturers count on people becoming addicted. You feel like that most likely because you are having withdrawals. The first 3 days will be the worst. Get some Outshine Popsicles. And stock up on Gatorade G2...it will help with the cravings. You can kick it, you CAN! But you have to get all of it out of the house and stay away from sources. I could not visit my mothers house for a long time. I still have a hard time when I go there because there is crap food everywhere.
Set your mind to it and just do it. Chew gum....but stay strong and beat it.

When you say sugar, what kinds of foods are you eating? What kinds of mental associations, if any, do you have with those foods? A lot of times we see people here who claim to have a "sugar addiction" when what they are really doing is emotionally eating, and the cravings are more of a psychological need to eat certain "comfort" foods to cope with feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, boredom, etc. The irritability and anger you've mentioned when cutting out sugar could be signs of frustration in not being able to engage in the behavior/habit that you use as a coping skill. Then you feel bad for eating it, and eat more to cope with those feelings. It's a pretty common issue that people in the MFP community face, and can be an obstacle to successful weight loss.

I agree with most of this. However, I have seen people who seem to have a physical addition to sugar, as well. I know that when I eat a meal that's almost all carbs I can't go long without wanting something sweet. However, when I eat a meal that's mostly proteins and fats I don't crave sweets after the meal.

For many people, it's easiest to just cut out sugar or even all carbs entirely, to break the cycle. The first week or so can be really hard but once you get past that week you literally stop craving sugar.

You might also look at keeping all sugary treats out of the house and only buying a single serving at the time you're craving it. Another way to help yourself would be to give in to the urge but with a very tiny amount. Buy some of those miniature chocolates and when the craving strikes have one, and only one, and eat it really slowly. You'll get the same taste and duration but you'll eat a lot less calories. You do need to be completely honest in your logging, as well. There's no reason you can't eat sugar and lose weight as long as you are in a caloric deficit but it takes dedication to measuring and logging all of your food to do it.

I have had same problem all my life, constant insatiable cravings. That is how I got to 322lb and why i piled weight back on every time i lost it. Fighting the relentless cravings, I just always got worn down and gave in eventually which then only made the craving worse.

For the first time in my life I no longer have constant insatiable food cravings. It is so easy to eat sensibly when the cravings are gone. I feel like I know how people without food issues stay right sized now. I still can look at something or fancy something and think i would quite like to eat that, but it is just a thought now and i can easily choose not to act on it. It is easy to make that choice now. I can sort of see now why some people are so judgmental of fat people. If it had always been this easy for me to choose not to over eat then i would never have got over weight and I would have no concept of how powerful true food cravings can be.

Having lived 33 years with the relentless craving though I know all too clearly how powerful it is. Being free from it for first time in my life feels like a miracle. What set me free was going on a ketogenic food plan , that is low carb, moderate protien and high healthy fats. I started on that 10 weeks ago in order to treat a totally different health problem. I read that it can also help people lose weight but that was not my reason for making this change. I made the change as an alternative treatment for a drug resistant a brain chemistry problem I have. I logged on to MFP again to help me track my daily macro totals and keep them within guidelines for my treatment.

It was a huge dietry shift for me but my other condition was life threatening and destroying me so i was desperate enough to try Ketogenic eating and to make myself stick to it. The first few days were really hard resisting the cravings but after that the cravings just went away and have not come back. That has never been the case for me on any other "healthy food plan". Probably the vast majority of people would not need a solution like this but if you like me have tried most other options then I recommend trying Low carb, moderate protien, high healthy fats. You still need a calorie deficit to lose weight. It is not a magic weight loss solution. The key bit for me is that it killed my cravings dead and that enabled me to realistically stick to my calorie deficit.

If interested read up about it on google. There is also an MFP group
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1143-keto

I stuck to it closely for 10 weeks as it takes time for body to fully adapt. I had a treat meal out the other day of things higher in carbs and i was able to enjoy the meal. I had no insatiable cravings after. This is a great solution for me. No food is forbidden for me but i choose to stick to Ketogenic eating the vast majority of time because I am liberated from the cravings by doing so. I reserve high carb foods for genuine occasional treats when I feel safe to do so. For me that is occasional meal out with friends where i just have what i fancy and then go right back to low carbing after.

Hugs.

You can do it, you just have to really want it; more than you want the sugar. The problem with a sugar addiction is that it's such a vicious cycle. Breaking it takes willpower but once you've broken it it can stay broken for good as long as you don't slip back into old patterns.

I think most people on this site who have been doing this awhile, or even anyone who's been where you are in the past would tell you how different their lives are and how much happier they are once they've cleaned up their diets and started to exercise. It's very difficult to imagine going back to the old way now. While I was never very overweight I was lazy, didn't like to sweat, ate mostly carbs all day, was tired all the time, got irritable easily, drank nothing but Diet Coke, etc. Now I'm limiting my carbs, getting plenty of protein, I run 3 or 4 days per week and lift weights twice per week. I'm by no means a fitness nut or what I like to call a "cardio hamster", but I have tons of energy, I sleep better and while I still have the occasional treat, a few beers each week and my daily Diet Coke, my eating is much better. I guess my point is, you don't need to go off the deep end trying to get healthy. You just need to change a few things, move more and limit the foods that aren't so good for you. You'll notice the benefits pretty quickly and they start to snowball as you start to feel better and better.