Sugar addict! Oh my gosh I'm a sugar addict!
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lemurcat12 wrote: »mistyloveslife wrote: »Okay. First let me say I am not here for anyone's entertainment. So with that out of the way, I will say this. I was not over on my calories on any single day.
If you aren't losing, there are a few possibilities:
(1) It's one week, fluctuations could be hiding any loss. (This is my vote.)
(2) Your estimate of the calories you need is too high. (Probably not, especially if you are going by MFP, but this sometimes happens, especially if people are adding back exercising and using MFP's sometimes inflated numbers for that.)
(3) Your logging is inaccurate. I understand you are weighing, but there are other sources of possible error, in particular in the choice of entries to use.
Because if you are actually eating at a deficit for you, you are eventually going to lose (not necessarily so that it shows up between one week and the next, however). Eating more carbs or more sugar might well make a difference as to how easily you are able to sustain your deficit (whether you end up going over) and, depending on what you eat, could be things that are harder to count, but if the calories are at a deficit it's not going to stop you from losing, so that's not the issue.I went back and looked and noticed that literally every single day I was more than double (sometimes triple) my sugar intake.
Like I said, this isn't going to prevent you from losing and if it's due to, say, fruit, you might not even mind this, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to lower your sugar intake if you want. It can make creating a deficit easier.What are good breakfast substitutes other than rolled oats.
Eggs--I eat a vegetable omelet. Plain yogurt with some fruit and nuts (although that will have plenty of sugar). I can't tell if you are giving up on oatmeal, but oatmeal doesn't have sugar unless you add it. Also, you don't need special breakfast food--I sometimes just have leftovers from dinner or a salad with some protein or some raw veggies and smoked salmon.
For me (although this is not the case for everyone), eating more protein and fat and less carbs as a percentage (which also means less sugar) tends to keep me fuller for the rest of the day. That might help some with cravings.
I also think cravings are something that are normal when you start a new way of eating, since you aren't eating as much or at the same times you used to. I struggled with that at first and found that if I just ignored them when not at a meal time or had some raw veggies, they eventually went away. Meals aren't so far apart that it's any huge burden to wait until lunch or dinner. I often find it helpful to include a bit of something sweet at the end of a meal (usually dinner), since if I eat it in the context of other foods I'm less likely to want to overeat, and yet if I know I can have it later I'm less likely to think about it at other times or have a hard time resisting M&Ms at my office or whatever. Oh, and also making sure that I am having decent-sized filling meals with plenty of protein and fat also. (And I agree with those who said fiber--I try to have vegetables at all meals.)
But part of this is just figuring out what works for you.
And this! Thank you! I know that a lot of my sugar intake is coming from processed stuff. Mainly instant oatmeal. I did find a crock pot oatmeal that called for rolled oats and apples. I really do appreciate you breaking this down. MFP put me at 1200 but I set myself a goal of 1400. I do measure and go by package nutritional/serving info. I don't drink enough water by a long shot. I'm sure that's got some to do with it. I'm just taking it a day at a time and working on a healthier me. I'm not here to lose 10 pounds in a week. Thanks for your advice!0 -
mistyloveslife wrote: »Okay. First let me say I am not here for anyone's entertainment. So with that out of the way, I will say this. I was not over on my calories on any single day. And yes I measure. On a scale that measures grams and ounces. And it's not broken or low on batteries and yes it's turned on and working properly. I've been at this long enough to know that something is off and it's not my calorie intake. Literally everything I've ate the last 2 weeks has been sugar loaded. Since I didn't have any weight loss in the first week and being the heaviest I've ever been, I went back and looked and noticed that literally every single day I was more than double (sometimes triple) my sugar intake. I'm not here to be made fun of or bullied by the people looking to pick on someone. I was just asking how others deal with the sugar cravings. I'm not one of those "the scale hasn't moved for a week so I'm quitting" people. Or one of those people who think they can exercise for a couple days and lose 5 pounds. I know that 1-2 pounds a week is healthy. I know that you have to eat at a calorie deficit to lose weight. I know that you are supposed to eat balanced meals with protein and higher fiber foods. I also know that I CRAVE sugar like someone craves cigarettes. So, I am asking those who aren't here to just pick on someone, WHAT DO YOU DO TO FILL THE SUGAR CRAVINGS? What are good breakfast substitutes other than rolled oats.
I had a massive sweet tooth. I could eat a box of donuts and keep on going way past the point of feeling sick. A pint of ice cream was a single serving to me. I've been this way my whole life and have only recently had a lot of success with taming the sweet tooth without feeling deprived.
The biggest thing I've noticed is that if I don't start off with a massively carb loaded breakfast I'm usually okay the rest of the day. This means no cereal, pancakes, donuts, muffins, or many of the other "traditional" breakfast options. I grew up in the US and a bowl of Lucky Charms or Cheerios was pretty standard for our breakfast as kids. Or a giant muffin. Lately I've gotten a lot more creative. I'm vegetarian btw, so I have no meat suggestions for you. For breakfast I will have scrambled eggs and beans, usually with a few vegetables. Dinner for breakfast is also common with me. Or, if I have to have something sweet, I make a smoothie. The smoothie has almond milk, a banana (it's sweeter than it sounds!), a serving of some kind of frozen fruit (blueberries are the sweetest), hemp protein powder, and cacao powder. It's chocolatey and wonderful and totally hits that sweet spot without loading lots of sugar on me first thing in the morning. It also has lots of health fats and protein. Great way to start the day.
The rest of the day I try to focus on vegetables and my protein sources. Fish, nuts, beans, etc. You become much more sensitive to sweetness as you cut back, so less of it really is more satisfying. Usually if I'm craving something sweet in the evenings I'll get myself a nice juicy Fuji Apple with some peanut butter or plain yogurt. Boiled and mashed cassava root is pretty sweet, as are ripened plantains. I don't feel deprived, and I have not exceeded my carbs or sugar intake once (usually I am much lower).
I taught myself to drink coffee and tea with no sweetener, and it's rare that I add sweeteners to anything these days. I did this in steps, mind you, not all at once. It was much easier to tolerate, and now I look back and am amazed that I don't want to eat an entire box of donuts (or even one)! I've lost about 80 pounds over the last three years. I still need to lose a considerable amount more, but I'm getting there.0 -
I'm a carb lover, so I know how you feel. Try making smoothies in the morning for breakfast. I do mine with a lot of greens (kale and spinach mix), greek yogurt, cinnamon, unsweetened almond milk, whey protein, and fruits! that way you get the natural taste of sugar with the fruits, but you're right on the money calorie and nutrition wise. Good luck! Feel free to add me, we can motivate each other!0
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I second lemurcat's comments, and I will also add that high salt intake combined with low potassium intake can mask fat loss and cause bloating, so it's not always about carb intake or sugar intake specifically. I run into this problem quite often lately, especially since I'm close to my goal and losing slowly. Unfortunately, potassium isn't listed on labels, but foods like potatoes, bananas, spinach, and beans are high potassium foods. I'd suggest tracking your sodium intake and trying to get some high-potassium items in your diet regularly also. It should help you "see" fat losses more clearly.0
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Misty, my own personal experience is that the more sugary-sweet stuff I eat, the more I want. Try pre-logging in a sweet snack after lunch or something like that so you can avoid temptation for the rest of the day because you know there will be a daily payoff. I also tend to crave candy or ice-cream after dinner but I can't always fit it in my calories, so I make a pot of flavored tea, mint especially reads "sweet" to me, but doesn't have any calories.
I'm not sure if this is the case, but if you are concerned about not losing for a couple of weeks, you really need to give a new calorie plan a good 4 weeks or so before you really see results. And if you aren't losing at that point, you need to adjust your calories down. If eating less sugar is the easiest way to do that, then go for it, but the key one way or the other is the calories.
I personally don't like most sugar-substitutes, so I just had to find a way to fit in the sweet stuff I love - ice cream, dark chocolate, and soda. I have them less, and sometimes cut back somewhere else to make room when it's worth it.
Good luck!0 -
Clearly, I am missing something from the people who are posting "this again" and such. I am not a regular poster, but I will admit to being a sugar addict.
I think in order for me to get over this addiction I would need to go to some rehab facility. Preferably a nice looking one like they show on "Intervention" and "Dr. Phil".
I've even joked that my friend should turn her in-house yoga studio and make it a sugar rehab facility. She's probably get more clients that way. ;0)0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »mistyloveslife wrote: »Okay. First let me say I am not here for anyone's entertainment. So with that out of the way, I will say this. I was not over on my calories on any single day.
If you aren't losing, there are a few possibilities:
(1) It's one week, fluctuations could be hiding any loss. (This is my vote.)
(2) Your estimate of the calories you need is too high. (Probably not, especially if you are going by MFP, but this sometimes happens, especially if people are adding back exercising and using MFP's sometimes inflated numbers for that.)
(3) Your logging is inaccurate. I understand you are weighing, but there are other sources of possible error, in particular in the choice of entries to use.
Because if you are actually eating at a deficit for you, you are eventually going to lose (not necessarily so that it shows up between one week and the next, however). Eating more carbs or more sugar might well make a difference as to how easily you are able to sustain your deficit (whether you end up going over) and, depending on what you eat, could be things that are harder to count, but if the calories are at a deficit it's not going to stop you from losing, so that's not the issue.I went back and looked and noticed that literally every single day I was more than double (sometimes triple) my sugar intake.
Like I said, this isn't going to prevent you from losing and if it's due to, say, fruit, you might not even mind this, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to lower your sugar intake if you want. It can make creating a deficit easier.What are good breakfast substitutes other than rolled oats.
Eggs--I eat a vegetable omelet. Plain yogurt with some fruit and nuts (although that will have plenty of sugar). I can't tell if you are giving up on oatmeal, but oatmeal doesn't have sugar unless you add it. Also, you don't need special breakfast food--I sometimes just have leftovers from dinner or a salad with some protein or some raw veggies and smoked salmon.
For me (although this is not the case for everyone), eating more protein and fat and less carbs as a percentage (which also means less sugar) tends to keep me fuller for the rest of the day. That might help some with cravings.
I also think cravings are something that are normal when you start a new way of eating, since you aren't eating as much or at the same times you used to. I struggled with that at first and found that if I just ignored them when not at a meal time or had some raw veggies, they eventually went away. Meals aren't so far apart that it's any huge burden to wait until lunch or dinner. I often find it helpful to include a bit of something sweet at the end of a meal (usually dinner), since if I eat it in the context of other foods I'm less likely to want to overeat, and yet if I know I can have it later I'm less likely to think about it at other times or have a hard time resisting M&Ms at my office or whatever. Oh, and also making sure that I am having decent-sized filling meals with plenty of protein and fat also. (And I agree with those who said fiber--I try to have vegetables at all meals.)
But part of this is just figuring out what works for you.
All of this... OP it's been a week. Give it time - and be careful throwing out words like "sugar addiction" in a post - it's bound to bring out a lot of (ahem) passionate commentary on both sides of that argument...
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I don't care about the outcome, but please don't listen to propaganda documentaries meant to scare the uninformed such as "Fed Up" and use that in your decision making process.0
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Butt-ton of carbs? Two weeks?
You're retaining water.
Bingo. The first week is often great because so many people find their calorie deficit by cutting carbs, and that results in a lot of water-loss. You presumably have done the opposite - cut fats and/or protein. So your increased carb intake is resulting in retaining water and is masking any loss you may have had through your calorie deficit.
Without wanting to lend credence to the 'sugar is the problem' argument, it would be wise to redress this macro-nutrient imbalance. Up your protein and fats, and you'll find that as a side effect you'll be full longer and less likely to crave carbs.
Pretty much everyone loves sugar. I know I do. To keep my macros balanced while not depriving myself, I generally have a really special treat that I allow myself in the evening. Generally something like Talenti Gelato. I can forego a lot of temptation if I know that gelato is waiting for me in the fridge, and that I need to have Calories left for it.0 -
not losing in the first week is not the end of the world. Continue to eat at a deficit, weigh and measure and log accurately, and you'll lose weight .
Sugar isn't evil, and can be enjoyed in moderation like any other foods. I seriously doubt your actually addicted to sugar though. Anyone that has had real true addiction issues can tell you that craving sugar isn't anything compared to the things they face daily.
You said you where a member way before they even created the app, so you should know that sometimes it takes time. It didn't take a week for you to gain the weight, so surely it'll take more then a week to lose it.0 -
Thank you MelonFlower! I'm almost afraid to post anything. I can't imagine being someone who needs to lose weight for the first time and are looking for honest help. They would be eaten alive. I just don't understand why people feel the need to belittle others. I'm going to read through everyone's posts when I get home and make a grocery list! woot woot!-1
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Hey! I have the same struggle. I found that it's easier in the morning to start strong, and my cravings usually come at night. So I sometimes eat a plate of raw spinach lol. That way I feed my hunger pang with a decent amount of food for less than 10 calories. Getting full off water. The eas AdvantEDGE shakes are pretty delicious with no sugar/ 100 cal. Atkin bars have no sugar and are filling. So I guess replacing sugar snacks with sugar free options that are still sweet. At least that's how I've cut back like 70 grams lol0
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mistyloveslife wrote: »Thank you MelonFlower! I'm almost afraid to post anything. I can't imagine being someone who needs to lose weight for the first time and are looking for honest help. They would be eaten alive. I just don't understand why people feel the need to belittle others. I'm going to read through everyone's posts when I get home and make a grocery list! woot woot!
It's just because you used the word "addicted" when that isn't the case, and these threads come up once per day. It gets redundant. Sugar gets demonized all the time on here cause that's the hip thing to do these days.
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mistyloveslife wrote: »Thank you MelonFlower! I'm almost afraid to post anything. I can't imagine being someone who needs to lose weight for the first time and are looking for honest help. They would be eaten alive. I just don't understand why people feel the need to belittle others. I'm going to read through everyone's posts when I get home and make a grocery list! woot woot!
I think people respond to the word "addict" pretty ferociously on this site. Some, who have themselves or have had relatives struggling with addiction, feel that throwing the word around as a synonym for "craving" is belittling. This can provoke some visceral reactions with people and starts a lot of arguments on here. People here like to get worked up about almost any slight.
Take what useful information was shared, and ignore the rest. It's not worth getting upset or angry over.0 -
Here's a food cravings chart & what they mean.
http://littlechoicesmatter.com/2012/05/29/food-cravings/0 -
mistyloveslife wrote: »Thank you MelonFlower! I'm almost afraid to post anything. I can't imagine being someone who needs to lose weight for the first time and are looking for honest help. They would be eaten alive. I just don't understand why people feel the need to belittle others. I'm going to read through everyone's posts when I get home and make a grocery list! woot woot!
I posted a LOT of stupid questions when I started out. Everything from "Is 1450 too much?" "Does this routine look okay?"
And you know what? Every single comment was taken objectively, not personally. You know why? This is the internet. If you want a bunch of back patting and rainbows, ask your family and friends and you're more likely to get their sympathy but here, you get it all. For the most part, a majority of the people on here will tell you the honest truth and the good ones back it up with science and actual facts. If that cannot be handled. Perhaps the internet is not the place for you.0 -
"It's just because you used the word "addicted" when that isn't the case, and these threads come up once per day. It gets redundant. Sugar gets demonized all the time on here cause that's the hip thing to do these days."
I've seen quite a few documentaries on sugar, and the brain's relationship to it is similar to many other drugs. An addiction can be something that creates tolerance and withdrawal symptoms.0 -
Clearly, I am missing something from the people who are posting "this again" and such. I am not a regular poster, but I will admit to being a sugar addict.
I think in order for me to get over this addiction I would need to go to some rehab facility. Preferably a nice looking one like they show on "Intervention" and "Dr. Phil".
I've even joked that my friend should turn her in-house yoga studio and make it a sugar rehab facility. She's probably get more clients that way. ;0)
People in the real world struggle with controlling their sugar intake.
They crave sweet foods to the point of feeling out of control.
This lack of control worries them, so they come to MFP looking for advice.
Since the addiction model is the model that most accurately describes what the person is feeling, they say "Help me I have a sugar addiction!"
Most people on MFP realize the OP needs advice on how to develop more self-control around sugar, and respond accordingly.
Some people on MFP aren't terribly concerned about OP's desire to stop craving sugar. They just want OP to know, in no uncertain terms, that there is no such thing as a sugar addiction.0 -
"It's just because you used the word "addicted" when that isn't the case, and these threads come up once per day. It gets redundant. Sugar gets demonized all the time on here cause that's the hip thing to do these days."
I've seen quite a few documentaries on sugar, and the brain's relationship to it is similar to many other drugs. An addiction can be something that creates tolerance and withdrawal symptoms.
That's fine that you think that way. I hope you don't get your information from documentaries on YouTube, but if that is where you choose to get your opinions, have a blast. Just know that most of them are full of crap when it comes to science.
I realize that sugar causes a response in the brain. You know what else creates the same response? Petting a cute little puppy.
Either way, I'm not debating on whether it's an addiction or not. I am content knowing that it's not and don't care to try and convince others. I was just laying out why she got some of her responses.
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lemurcat12 wrote: »mistyloveslife wrote: »Okay. First let me say I am not here for anyone's entertainment. So with that out of the way, I will say this. I was not over on my calories on any single day.
If you aren't losing, there are a few possibilities:
(1) It's one week, fluctuations could be hiding any loss. (This is my vote.)
(2) Your estimate of the calories you need is too high. (Probably not, especially if you are going by MFP, but this sometimes happens, especially if people are adding back exercising and using MFP's sometimes inflated numbers for that.)
(3) Your logging is inaccurate. I understand you are weighing, but there are other sources of possible error, in particular in the choice of entries to use.
Because if you are actually eating at a deficit for you, you are eventually going to lose (not necessarily so that it shows up between one week and the next, however). Eating more carbs or more sugar might well make a difference as to how easily you are able to sustain your deficit (whether you end up going over) and, depending on what you eat, could be things that are harder to count, but if the calories are at a deficit it's not going to stop you from losing, so that's not the issue.I went back and looked and noticed that literally every single day I was more than double (sometimes triple) my sugar intake.
Like I said, this isn't going to prevent you from losing and if it's due to, say, fruit, you might not even mind this, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to lower your sugar intake if you want. It can make creating a deficit easier.What are good breakfast substitutes other than rolled oats.
Eggs--I eat a vegetable omelet. Plain yogurt with some fruit and nuts (although that will have plenty of sugar). I can't tell if you are giving up on oatmeal, but oatmeal doesn't have sugar unless you add it. Also, you don't need special breakfast food--I sometimes just have leftovers from dinner or a salad with some protein or some raw veggies and smoked salmon.
For me (although this is not the case for everyone), eating more protein and fat and less carbs as a percentage (which also means less sugar) tends to keep me fuller for the rest of the day. That might help some with cravings.
I also think cravings are something that are normal when you start a new way of eating, since you aren't eating as much or at the same times you used to. I struggled with that at first and found that if I just ignored them when not at a meal time or had some raw veggies, they eventually went away. Meals aren't so far apart that it's any huge burden to wait until lunch or dinner. I often find it helpful to include a bit of something sweet at the end of a meal (usually dinner), since if I eat it in the context of other foods I'm less likely to want to overeat, and yet if I know I can have it later I'm less likely to think about it at other times or have a hard time resisting M&Ms at my office or whatever. Oh, and also making sure that I am having decent-sized filling meals with plenty of protein and fat also. (And I agree with those who said fiber--I try to have vegetables at all meals.)
But part of this is just figuring out what works for you.
^^ This0 -
Dealing with cravings is like petting puppies.
Come on now. Don't you want people to lose weight? Don't you want people to have a good relationship with food?
I just don't get it. Why do you specifically target people who struggle with sugar and make fun of them?0 -
DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »Dealing with cravings is like petting puppies.
Come on now. Don't you want people to lose weight? Don't you want people to have a good relationship with food?
I just don't get it. Why do you specifically target people who struggle with sugar and make fun of them?
No one has been made fun of by me.
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DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »Dealing with cravings is like petting puppies.
Come on now. Don't you want people to lose weight? Don't you want people to have a good relationship with food?
I just don't get it. Why do you specifically target people who struggle with sugar and make fun of them?
Discouraging people from demonizing food groups is helping them have a good relationship with food.
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DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »Dealing with cravings is like petting puppies.
Come on now. Don't you want people to lose weight? Don't you want people to have a good relationship with food?
I just don't get it. Why do you specifically target people who struggle with sugar and make fun of them?
I assume that this comment was directed to all of us who've been talking about puppies, which includes me.
I'm one of those people who struggled with sugar.
Sugar isn't an addiction for me, and thinking about it like one hurt me and caused far more problems emotionally than eating sugar ever did. Thinking about sugar as an addiction is part of what had me crying in front of friends' houses before parties. It wasn't a happy way for me to live.
The comparison between sugar and puppies is not about the people with cravings. It's about defining those craving as addiction. Everyone needs to find their own way to deal with those cravings, but I personally don't think that invoking the big A word is the best route.
I'm sorry that my posts came off as mocking people who struggle with sugar. That wasn't the intention and I'm really not sure why you choose to believe the worst in the posters around here. I don't think that it helps people struggling with sugar, either.0 -
Totally appreciate the sugar addiction issue. Lemon water has been helpful AND a variety of different teas.0
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diannethegeek wrote: »DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »Dealing with cravings is like petting puppies.
Come on now. Don't you want people to lose weight? Don't you want people to have a good relationship with food?
I just don't get it. Why do you specifically target people who struggle with sugar and make fun of them?
I assume that this comment was directed to all of us who've been talking about puppies, which includes me.
I'm one of those people who struggled with sugar.
Sugar isn't an addiction for me, and thinking about it like one hurt me and caused far more problems emotionally than eating sugar ever did. Thinking about sugar as an addiction is part of what had me crying in front of friends' houses before parties. It wasn't a happy way for me to live.
The comparison between sugar and puppies is not about the people with cravings. It's about defining those craving as addiction. Everyone needs to find their own way to deal with those cravings, but I personally don't think that invoking the big A word is the best route.
I'm sorry that my posts came off as mocking people who struggle with sugar. That wasn't the intention and I'm really not sure why you choose to believe the worst in the posters around here. I don't think that it helps people struggling with sugar, either.
I truly believe that thinking about it as an addiction does more harm than good in many people. The restrictive relationship one builds then becomes an all or nothing situation and managing in the real world where sugar is omnipresent becomes even more stressful.
For some, failure upon failure to manage their "addiction" either lead to more extremes or justifications.
Ymmv.0 -
mistyloveslife wrote: »Okay. First let me say I am not here for anyone's entertainment. So with that out of the way, I will say this. I was not over on my calories on any single day. And yes I measure. On a scale that measures grams and ounces. And it's not broken or low on batteries and yes it's turned on and working properly. I've been at this long enough to know that something is off and it's not my calorie intake. Literally everything I've ate the last 2 weeks has been sugar loaded. Since I didn't have any weight loss in the first week and being the heaviest I've ever been, I went back and looked and noticed that literally every single day I was more than double (sometimes triple) my sugar intake. I'm not here to be made fun of or bullied by the people looking to pick on someone. I was just asking how others deal with the sugar cravings. I'm not one of those "the scale hasn't moved for a week so I'm quitting" people. Or one of those people who think they can exercise for a couple days and lose 5 pounds. I know that 1-2 pounds a week is healthy. I know that you have to eat at a calorie deficit to lose weight. I know that you are supposed to eat balanced meals with protein and higher fiber foods. I also know that I CRAVE sugar like someone craves cigarettes. So, I am asking those who aren't here to just pick on someone, WHAT DO YOU DO TO FILL THE SUGAR CRAVINGS? What are good breakfast substitutes other than rolled oats.
Hi Misty - sad to say - but the only way I found to deal with it was cut sugar out for a period of time cold turkey. I stopped eating all processed sugar, all processed carbs - like pasta and bread - all soda, all juice. I did that for 6 weeks. I did that several years ago and have struggled with it off and on ( i really cant resist cake on my birthday, which is a slippery slope for me to cake every day) but when I get the sugar out of my system, i then don't have the cravings.
If I feed the monster so to speak, it just keeps coming back....I wrote a long post in the 'i don't like healthy foods' post about the influence of environment etc - maybe that would be helpful to you.
good luck!0 -
mistyloveslife wrote: »Thank you MelonFlower! I'm almost afraid to post anything. I can't imagine being someone who needs to lose weight for the first time and are looking for honest help. They would be eaten alive. I just don't understand why people feel the need to belittle others. I'm going to read through everyone's posts when I get home and make a grocery list! woot woot!
I was new 8 months ago. I came on here with a thousand really stupid questions and very little knowledge of nutrition and eating. I learned SO much thanks to all these posters (and have lost 65 pounds!). They aren't belittling you or being mean, they are trying to teach you something. You seem to be very defensive (I was, too) - just relax a bit
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If you figure out where all your sugar/carbs are coming from and just focus on cutting those things down, it should really help if you have a specific goal in mind. It also might help if you pre-log your days - it's easier to control your food when you know what you need to eat and how much wiggle room you have. If you have issues with self control, it might be beneficial to cut the foods that trigger you out completely for a while.
And give it a bit more time. I'm guessing you're retaining water!0 -
EvgeniZyntx wrote: »diannethegeek wrote: »DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »Dealing with cravings is like petting puppies.
Come on now. Don't you want people to lose weight? Don't you want people to have a good relationship with food?
I just don't get it. Why do you specifically target people who struggle with sugar and make fun of them?
I assume that this comment was directed to all of us who've been talking about puppies, which includes me.
I'm one of those people who struggled with sugar.
Sugar isn't an addiction for me, and thinking about it like one hurt me and caused far more problems emotionally than eating sugar ever did. Thinking about sugar as an addiction is part of what had me crying in front of friends' houses before parties. It wasn't a happy way for me to live.
The comparison between sugar and puppies is not about the people with cravings. It's about defining those craving as addiction. Everyone needs to find their own way to deal with those cravings, but I personally don't think that invoking the big A word is the best route.
I'm sorry that my posts came off as mocking people who struggle with sugar. That wasn't the intention and I'm really not sure why you choose to believe the worst in the posters around here. I don't think that it helps people struggling with sugar, either.
I truly believe that thinking about it as an addiction does more harm than good in many people. The restrictive relationship one builds then becomes an all or nothing situation and managing in the real world where sugar is omnipresent becomes even more stressful.
For some, failure upon failure to manage their "addiction" either lead to more extremes or justifications.
Ymmv.
I agree and disagree with this statement. I get that discussing sugar or food as an addiction can lead to an all or nothing situation (since that is the way to stop an addiction to drugs/alcohol), but I disagree that thinking about food as an addiction (which it can be) does more harm than good. For one thing, there is more to getting over an addiction than just inhibiting usage. To stop my addictions (alcohol and pot), I had to completely change my way of life and thinking. When I am upset and want to reach for that drink, I have to use different coping skills. For many, to live a life worth living free of a substance, they go through the spiritual journey of the 12 steps. I believe that accepting that people can and are addicted to food is healthy because then the person can use solutions that work for other addicts.
The hardest part about a food addiction is that it is very hard to just limit the substance from your life, but not using a substance is not the way I am recovering from alcoholism and drug addiction.
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