Addiction to sugar
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I do what I can. #science.0 -
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herrspoons wrote: »GiveMeCoffee wrote: »This thread is just reminding me of my epic failure of running out of sugar today.
Don't worry. You can just substitute cocaine or heroin instead.
NO!! Only cocaine. Cocaine is a natural plant extract and therefore healthy. Heroin is ... oh wait. Processed less than Stevia
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vixen0babs wrote: »Hi! I struggle with sugar cravings sometimes. This is what I do to curb the cravings: eat fruit (such as an apple, pear, banana, or berries), add berries to protein powder smoothies, add lemon or orange wedge to my water, eat greek yogurt (if plain, I sweeten with a little honey and add cinnamon), add a bite size piece of dark chocolate to a cup of coffee...and if nothing else, try using a natural sugar substitute like stevia. Good luck!
So to curb sugar cravings .. you eat sugar. You should put that up on LifeHacks or something.
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Hearts_2015 wrote: »Seems to be the same with me, fast food and simple carbs.. ugh.. It's the drop in blood sugar and then needing a fix for that...
Fruit is "simple carbs." Are you really unable to stop eating fruit?
I think the "addiction" is typically really (a) habit, and (b) taste preference. If it were addiction it could neither be as specific as "sugar in sweet treats" (what about other sugar) or as general as "fast food" (which covers a wide variety of things without a common ingredient other than perhaps oil and salt, and typically people who claim to be addicted to McD's fries don't have an issue with roasted potatoes with some salt and olive oil).
That doesn't make the struggle non-existent, and strategies to deal with it are still important, but for me being precise about the problem helps to solve it.
The OP herself said that if she stops eating sugary things she substitutes other high calorie foods, so her problem isn't solved by just not eating those things. She needs to figure out a strategy to get her eating under control more generally and to figure out why she does this.
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kelseyhere wrote: »Google "Fed Up Challenge" and read the resources on their website. I did the 10 day sugar cleanse, which was quite challenging because almost all processed foods have added sugar, but it helped me greatly. I have always had a "sweet tooth" and nothing really works like going cold turkey. Sugar truly is a drug, so as long as you continue to have small amounts in your diet (yes even 2 fun size candy bars is enough to throw you off track!) you will struggle. Try doing a sugar cleanse for 1-2 weeks where you have nothing with ADDED sugar. You can have sugars that occur naturally in foods (like fruit, and even carrots have naturally occurring sugar) but stay away from anything added. This means you have to read labels, yes all labels, because bread, salad dressing, pretty mush everything has sugar added. Once you become more aware of how sugar is in foods you would think have no place for sugar (like bread) it becomes easier to weed it out of your diet. So #1, start reading labels, #2 do a cleanse. From personal experience a sugar cleanse is the only thing to help me break a bad binge. Every 6 months or so I do it again when I feel like my sugar intake has been creeping up.
This makes zero sense. How could you react to the small amount of sugar in some non-sweet processed product and not the sugar in a banana or even a carrot?
More likely, you don't react to any of it. Instead, you have a hard time not overeating foods that you find super palatable. Chances are that's not some supermarket whole wheat bread or disgusting jarred pasta sauce (sorry, subjective taste judgment), but a cookie or whatever sweet treat happens to be your favorite.
This doesn't require some kind of addiction theory. Humans are evolved to enjoy sweet tastes and often have poor self control about food, or anything where the benefit is immediate and the detriment is delayed and hard to make a direct connection to.
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kelseyhere wrote: »Google "Fed Up Challenge" and read the resources on their website. I did the 10 day sugar cleanse, which was quite challenging because almost all processed foods have added sugar, but it helped me greatly. I have always had a "sweet tooth" and nothing really works like going cold turkey. Sugar truly is a drug, so as long as you continue to have small amounts in your diet (yes even 2 fun size candy bars is enough to throw you off track!) you will struggle. Try doing a sugar cleanse for 1-2 weeks where you have nothing with ADDED sugar. You can have sugars that occur naturally in foods (like fruit, and even carrots have naturally occurring sugar) but stay away from anything added. This means you have to read labels, yes all labels, because bread, salad dressing, pretty mush everything has sugar added. Once you become more aware of how sugar is in foods you would think have no place for sugar (like bread) it becomes easier to weed it out of your diet. So #1, start reading labels, #2 do a cleanse. From personal experience a sugar cleanse is the only thing to help me break a bad binge. Every 6 months or so I do it again when I feel like my sugar intake has been creeping up.
Um .. what else would the yeast eat so your bread leavens? Sugar is essential to bread.0 -
kelseyhere wrote: »Google "Fed Up Challenge" and read the resources on their website. I did the 10 day sugar cleanse, which was quite challenging because almost all processed foods have added sugar, but it helped me greatly. I have always had a "sweet tooth" and nothing really works like going cold turkey. Sugar truly is a drug, so as long as you continue to have small amounts in your diet (yes even 2 fun size candy bars is enough to throw you off track!) you will struggle. Try doing a sugar cleanse for 1-2 weeks where you have nothing with ADDED sugar. You can have sugars that occur naturally in foods (like fruit, and even carrots have naturally occurring sugar) but stay away from anything added. This means you have to read labels, yes all labels, because bread, salad dressing, pretty mush everything has sugar added. Once you become more aware of how sugar is in foods you would think have no place for sugar (like bread) it becomes easier to weed it out of your diet. So #1, start reading labels, #2 do a cleanse. From personal experience a sugar cleanse is the only thing to help me break a bad binge. Every 6 months or so I do it again when I feel like my sugar intake has been creeping up.
Um .. what else would the yeast eat so your bread leavens? Sugar is essential to bread.
Maybe they like their bread unleavened. I eat that crap for 8 days a year. Don't know why anyone would voluntarily choose it but then again I do not know why anyone would voluntarily choose to not eat sugar.0 -
MFP just ain't the same without a good'ol sugar addiction thread. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.0
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Hearts_2015 wrote: »
That's fantastic, good for you! Great job with sticking to it, it's never easy getting started but the benefits you reap are amazing!!I agree with Stephanie. While some (most) don't consider sugar to be addictive, for me sugar and take out food is like a drug. Once I start eating it, there is no off switch until I've made myself sick. Its shocking how much I could eat in one sitting sometimes.
Because of this as of November 1st I gave it all up. Cold turkey. Not gonna lit the first few days were awful. I was cranky and had terrible mood swings but the longer I go without it the better I feel.
12 days in, i'm down 5 pounds and I feel great. I sleep better and i don't have an upset stomach all the time. You can do this, and you can add me as a friend for support if you like. Its tough and a lot of people won't understand that you can't have "just a little taste".
Seems to be the same with me, fast food and simple carbs.. ugh.. It's the drop in blood sugar and then needing a fix for that...
So no fruit for you? Since those are simple carbs as well?
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I'm not sure if this is a hijack, I'll take it outside if I should.
Okay, I'm experimenting with my diet and with hunger and with being full, etc. My iron-clad rules are simple: log everything no matter what and my average weekly calories need to be at my goal. But I am allowing myself to binge when I get hungry and to fast when I don't and I'm trying to find patterns, etc. I'm also being super aware of eating disorder symptoms to make sure I'm not going down that path (which I never have before, even as obese as I am.)
But I am experimenting to see if my natural inclination is to eat more than my average and then if I am naturally less hungry after. Or maybe it's just bingeing? I am not sure, but I'm feeling good and gaining strength.
Is it inherently unhealthy to have large variations in your daily calories that average themselves out over the week?
Last night I had a sugar binge. I can keep all kinds of candy and sugar in the house, baked goods, whatever, and don't usually crave it. No problem staying away from it. Last night I wanted sugar and I let myself have as much as I wanted. 600 calories of candy, baked goods, and finally a 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate bar. Then I didn't want anymore, wrapped up the rest of the bar, put it away, and felt a little guilty but decided to see what would happen. Today I haven't been hungry in the least little bit. It's almost 3:00. I'll eat either when I get hungry or dinner with the family, whichever happens first.
So, is it unhealthy to binge if it's infrequent and followed by a (natural) lower appetite? Is the reason I'm not hungry today at all related to overeating last night? Or just a coincidence?
I'm 16 weeks in as of today, and tracking every bite and adding notes to my food diary to try and figure me out.
But I'll say that everyone is different, and last night there was no sugar I didn't want and today you couldn't pay me to eat a donut. I was actually at Dunkin Donuts this morning and got a black coffee and the sight of the donuts and bagels was off-putting.0 -
herrspoons wrote: »Fruitylicious03 wrote: »MFP just ain't the same without a good'ol sugar addiction thread. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
Hey, it beats working!
True dat. But they should vary a bit. Make it peanutbutter addiction or something. Or meat addiction. Or stevia addiction. Or soap addiction...oh wait...
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Small correction to post above: there was actually one sugar I didn't want. When the h3ll did Tootsie Roll pops start coming in banana flavor and more importantly WHY? My kid is on her own with those. The very idea is gross. $(
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__drmerc__ wrote: »vixen0babs wrote: »Hi! I struggle with sugar cravings sometimes. This is what I do to curb the cravings: eat fruit (such as an apple, pear, banana, or berries), add berries to protein powder smoothies, add lemon or orange wedge to my water, eat greek yogurt (if plain, I sweeten with a little honey and add cinnamon), add a bite size piece of dark chocolate to a cup of coffee...and if nothing else, try using a natural sugar substitute like stevia. Good luck!
You stop sugar cravings with sugar? Makes sense
LOL......I know.
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Threads like this remind me how little people seem to know about addiction. Addiction isn't just a word you can throw out there because you feel you have no control. Addiction to a substance is a serious and dangerous condition. True addiction can lead to death very easily. Your tollerance increases and it becomes easy to overdose. Sugar is not an addictive substance. It is enjoyable and therefore people want a lot of it but without it you will not die the way you may die in withdrawls from other substances. Sugar is not something that you start jonesing for - willing to do anything to get your fix. I have never heard of someone prostituting themselves for sugar.
Now obviously that does not mean people don't have trouble with overeating sugar. But you are not physically addicted to it. You are enjoying it, may be even using it to comfort yourself but you are not addicted.
If you want to cut down on your sugar intake go ahead. But please don't call it an addiction cause clearly you do not know what you are talking about.
-A social worker from one of the most heavily drug addicted cities in North America
I don't know what makes a substance addictive in your book but If you can't control a behavior and its causing you physical harm but you cannot stop, even if you want, it sounds like you may have an issue with it.
-Ex-Junkie (that way you know i'm credible)
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Turning_Hopes_to_Habits wrote: »Small correction to post above: there was actually one sugar I didn't want. When the h3ll did Tootsie Roll pops start coming in banana flavor and more importantly WHY? My kid is on her own with those. The very idea is gross. $(
Banana flavour tootsie rolls are the bomb.... I love banana flavoured candies
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Turning_Hopes_to_Habits wrote: »Okay, I'm experimenting with my diet and with hunger and with being full, etc. My iron-clad rules are simple: log everything no matter what and my average weekly calories need to be at my goal. But I am allowing myself to binge when I get hungry and to fast when I don't and I'm trying to find patterns, etc. I'm also being super aware of eating disorder symptoms to make sure I'm not going down that path (which I never have before, even as obese as I am.)
I'm really in favor of this kind of hyper-awareness about eating. I found it really helpful. I didn't allow myself to eat freely in the same way, but I kept track of when I wanted to eat or struggled with my plan and also tried to find patterns or reasons. It was extremely illuminating and helped enormously in controlling it.0 -
I had an uncle who robbed a gas station so he could buy some cocaine, but I never heard of someone robbing or killing someone for a candy bar or cupcakes etc.. JSStephaniePerazzola wrote: »Threads like this remind me how little people seem to know about addiction. Addiction isn't just a word you can throw out there because you feel you have no control. Addiction to a substance is a serious and dangerous condition. True addiction can lead to death very easily. Your tollerance increases and it becomes easy to overdose. Sugar is not an addictive substance. It is enjoyable and therefore people want a lot of it but without it you will not die the way you may die in withdrawls from other substances. Sugar is not something that you start jonesing for - willing to do anything to get your fix. I have never heard of someone prostituting themselves for sugar.
Now obviously that does not mean people don't have trouble with overeating sugar. But you are not physically addicted to it. You are enjoying it, may be even using it to comfort yourself but you are not addicted.
If you want to cut down on your sugar intake go ahead. But please don't call it an addiction cause clearly you do not know what you are talking about.
-A social worker from one of the most heavily drug addicted cities in North America
I don't know what makes a substance addictive in your book but If you can't control a behavior and its causing you physical harm but you cannot stop, even if you want, it sounds like you may have an issue with it.
-Ex-Junkie (that way you know i'm credible)
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Interesting, because I spent years in a vicious cycle of drug abuse and I feel the opposite of how you do about sugar addiction. So does my credibility and your credibility cancel each other out?StephaniePerazzola wrote: »Threads like this remind me how little people seem to know about addiction. Addiction isn't just a word you can throw out there because you feel you have no control. Addiction to a substance is a serious and dangerous condition. True addiction can lead to death very easily. Your tollerance increases and it becomes easy to overdose. Sugar is not an addictive substance. It is enjoyable and therefore people want a lot of it but without it you will not die the way you may die in withdrawls from other substances. Sugar is not something that you start jonesing for - willing to do anything to get your fix. I have never heard of someone prostituting themselves for sugar.
Now obviously that does not mean people don't have trouble with overeating sugar. But you are not physically addicted to it. You are enjoying it, may be even using it to comfort yourself but you are not addicted.
If you want to cut down on your sugar intake go ahead. But please don't call it an addiction cause clearly you do not know what you are talking about.
-A social worker from one of the most heavily drug addicted cities in North America
I don't know what makes a substance addictive in your book but If you can't control a behavior and its causing you physical harm but you cannot stop, even if you want, it sounds like you may have an issue with it.
-Ex-Junkie (that way you know i'm credible)
Sugar is pleasant and people can create habbits with it. But you cannot not eat sugar. It is necessary for life and in just about anything. So if you were addicted to sugar you would be eating everything compulsivly. Like eatting multiple pounds of berries until you threw up and then did it again.
Also peoples drive for sugar is no where near the drive for substances that are truely adictive. Find me one person who is "addicted" to sugar who will legitimately go to any lengths to get some sugar and then we can talk abotu addiction. Addiction is much more complicated than simply liking candy too much.0 -
Interesting, because I spent years in a vicious cycle of drug abuse and I feel the opposite of how you do about sugar addiction. So does my credibility and your credibility cancel each other out?StephaniePerazzola wrote: »Threads like this remind me how little people seem to know about addiction. Addiction isn't just a word you can throw out there because you feel you have no control. Addiction to a substance is a serious and dangerous condition. True addiction can lead to death very easily. Your tollerance increases and it becomes easy to overdose. Sugar is not an addictive substance. It is enjoyable and therefore people want a lot of it but without it you will not die the way you may die in withdrawls from other substances. Sugar is not something that you start jonesing for - willing to do anything to get your fix. I have never heard of someone prostituting themselves for sugar.
Now obviously that does not mean people don't have trouble with overeating sugar. But you are not physically addicted to it. You are enjoying it, may be even using it to comfort yourself but you are not addicted.
If you want to cut down on your sugar intake go ahead. But please don't call it an addiction cause clearly you do not know what you are talking about.
-A social worker from one of the most heavily drug addicted cities in North America
I don't know what makes a substance addictive in your book but If you can't control a behavior and its causing you physical harm but you cannot stop, even if you want, it sounds like you may have an issue with it.
-Ex-Junkie (that way you know i'm credible)
Yes. Yes they do 0 -
Interesting, because I spent years in a vicious cycle of drug abuse and I feel the opposite of how you do about sugar addiction. So does my credibility and your credibility cancel each other out?StephaniePerazzola wrote: »Threads like this remind me how little people seem to know about addiction. Addiction isn't just a word you can throw out there because you feel you have no control. Addiction to a substance is a serious and dangerous condition. True addiction can lead to death very easily. Your tollerance increases and it becomes easy to overdose. Sugar is not an addictive substance. It is enjoyable and therefore people want a lot of it but without it you will not die the way you may die in withdrawls from other substances. Sugar is not something that you start jonesing for - willing to do anything to get your fix. I have never heard of someone prostituting themselves for sugar.
Now obviously that does not mean people don't have trouble with overeating sugar. But you are not physically addicted to it. You are enjoying it, may be even using it to comfort yourself but you are not addicted.
If you want to cut down on your sugar intake go ahead. But please don't call it an addiction cause clearly you do not know what you are talking about.
-A social worker from one of the most heavily drug addicted cities in North America
I don't know what makes a substance addictive in your book but If you can't control a behavior and its causing you physical harm but you cannot stop, even if you want, it sounds like you may have an issue with it.
-Ex-Junkie (that way you know i'm credible)
Sugar is pleasant and people can create habbits with it. But you cannot not eat sugar. It is necessary for life and in just about anything. So if you were addicted to sugar you would be eating everything compulsivly. Like eatting multiple pounds of berries until you threw up and then did it again.
Also peoples drive for sugar is no where near the drive for substances that are truely adictive. Find me one person who is "addicted" to sugar who will legitimately go to any lengths to get some sugar and then we can talk abotu addiction. Addiction is much more complicated than simply liking candy too much.
I'm just saying... It's not up to anyone on this post to tell someone that they don't know anything about addiction or that what seems like a real ADDICTION in their own lives is not. You don't walk in their shoes. You don't know if they have to steal 10 lb bags of sugar and snort it all night. (joking!)
Lets not make this black and white...
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Interesting, because I spent years in a vicious cycle of drug abuse and I feel the opposite of how you do about sugar addiction. So does my credibility and your credibility cancel each other out?StephaniePerazzola wrote: »Threads like this remind me how little people seem to know about addiction. Addiction isn't just a word you can throw out there because you feel you have no control. Addiction to a substance is a serious and dangerous condition. True addiction can lead to death very easily. Your tollerance increases and it becomes easy to overdose. Sugar is not an addictive substance. It is enjoyable and therefore people want a lot of it but without it you will not die the way you may die in withdrawls from other substances. Sugar is not something that you start jonesing for - willing to do anything to get your fix. I have never heard of someone prostituting themselves for sugar.
Now obviously that does not mean people don't have trouble with overeating sugar. But you are not physically addicted to it. You are enjoying it, may be even using it to comfort yourself but you are not addicted.
If you want to cut down on your sugar intake go ahead. But please don't call it an addiction cause clearly you do not know what you are talking about.
-A social worker from one of the most heavily drug addicted cities in North America
I don't know what makes a substance addictive in your book but If you can't control a behavior and its causing you physical harm but you cannot stop, even if you want, it sounds like you may have an issue with it.
-Ex-Junkie (that way you know i'm credible)
Sugar is pleasant and people can create habbits with it. But you cannot not eat sugar. It is necessary for life and in just about anything. So if you were addicted to sugar you would be eating everything compulsivly. Like eatting multiple pounds of berries until you threw up and then did it again.
Also peoples drive for sugar is no where near the drive for substances that are truely adictive. Find me one person who is "addicted" to sugar who will legitimately go to any lengths to get some sugar and then we can talk abotu addiction. Addiction is much more complicated than simply liking candy too much.
You are talking to the wrong person. I said I did drugs for years (not sugar). I don't believe in sugar addiction. So I'm not sure why you addressed your post to me. Feel free to go see my ice cream and gelato group. I'm not a fan of passing off personal responsibility and blaming sugar addiction.
You feel like comparing each others drug addictions and endless nights of sleep and thousands of dollars spent? Don't lecture me on drug addiction.
srry i quoted teh wrong person. I was distracted by an incoming call at work. sorry. We agree on the addiction issue - i was trying to respond to the previous posts about sugar addiction
I was trying to repond to this post:I don't know what makes a substance addictive in your book but If you can't control a behavior and its causing you physical harm but you cannot stop, even if you want, it sounds like you may have an issue with it.
-Ex-Junkie (that way you know i'm credible)0 -
Great advice misskittyninja!!!
I have my own issues with sugar (read: chocolate). I feel like a lot of the advice here is helpful. I keep a "Woman you should know better" section of my food log. In there goes all the stuff I know I should avoid and most of it is the stuff I can't just have one of. It's a great reality check when I look at this section and see more calories in it than my entire dinner. My current goal is to keep it to 100 calories- a treat here or there but never should I be consuming more calories of junk than a real meal.
This is brilliant!0 -
tegantheaverage wrote: »Great advice misskittyninja!!!
I have my own issues with sugar (read: chocolate). I feel like a lot of the advice here is helpful. I keep a "Woman you should know better" section of my food log. In there goes all the stuff I know I should avoid and most of it is the stuff I can't just have one of. It's a great reality check when I look at this section and see more calories in it than my entire dinner. My current goal is to keep it to 100 calories- a treat here or there but never should I be consuming more calories of junk than a real meal.
This is brilliant!
Thanks tegantheaverage! Keeping it below a certain number is a daily struggle but at least I'm holding myself accountable better.0 -
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I am a sugar addict - I have lost 5kgs (11 pounds) eating 35gm of wine gums, 100 gm of chocolate chip yoghurt and 50gm of chocolate EVERY single day.
I walk 10000 steps a day (at least) with the help of a pedometer and eat a decent sustainable breakfast every morning 9for me its eggs on toast) which I believe makes a huge difference. I don`t have sweets to start the day because that makes everything go on a downward spiral. I switched to decaf coffee or tea and take one spoon of sugar instead of the two I used to have. I think the caffeine really made my cravings worse. I brush my teeth after meals (stops tastebuds working overtime) and I drink loads more water which also helps with cravings. I also stay under my deficit number of calories allocated for me.
I only have my chocolate after my last meal of the day - thats my reward and it really works for me.
I do have my bad days - don`t get me wrong. I just brush it off and say tomorrow is another day and do my best.0
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