Help! I am a sugar AND carb-aholic!!

Luv2Munch wrote: »

Hi, as a suggestion for sweets try eating dried apricots instead of sugar. For carbs the best solution is to decrease slowly so if you are eating white bread, rice etc switch to brown, then whatever portions you are eating of the carbs regularly try decreasing by a quarter/half. in the case of rice you could eat less by adding low glycemic veggies etc. for the chocolate you can still eat it but try and buy it without added sugar [ie dark chocolate/chocolate for diabetics]etc. you might also want to try meeting with a dietitician or nutritionist who could also offer you advice. Whatever you do STAY STRONG and move forward one step at a time. Lasty if you do falter don't beat yourself up, as long as you try you have not failed. Good luck!

ndj1979 wrote: »

bethjones5623 wrote: »

elphie754 wrote: »

No you are not. I really wish people would stop misusing the word addiction.

Admitting to an addiction does not by default displace accountability - just saying. I don't understand why people attack semantics and then give no useful insight to the original question. The OP is obviously trying to improve themselves which is a show of accountability. Instead of focusing on the fact that they used the word addiction why not focus on posting meaningful tips as they requested.

then OP should join a 12 step program if she is truly addicted to sugar...

lemurcat12 wrote: »

thedomesticmum wrote: »

I know how bad it is but I am totally addicted to sugar and sweets! I try to only have one indulgence a day (3-6 squares of chocolate, etc) but whenever I have cravings that's the first place I go and the same with carbs. I literally gag by the end of my salads if I don't have a carb to go with it....
Has anyone had success cutting sugar and/or bad carbs from their life and what tips do you have?

To try to focus on the problem, and not the language choice (although I think it actually makes the problem worse to think of it as an addiction when it's not), this is what comes to mind:

If you are telling yourself that eating particular foods is "bad" and "ruins you diet" or the like, I think you are setting yourself up for failure, because that often creates a dynamic of all or nothing, where if you screw up at all, well, might as well go nuts, since it's already ruined for the day. Or, similarly, where you feel like a bad and worthless person for blowing it, so if you are an emotional eater you tend to eat more (or have a lot more pressure to do so).

So first I think you need to adopt a more self-forgiving attitude. It's NOT bad to like sugar and sweets, but normal. It's also pretty human to struggle with this at first and to have emotional eating tendencies. I certainly did (and do).

I did not find it useful to think of "cutting sugar" from my life or to think in terms of "bad carbs," but I cut down on both sugar and carbs and have focused more on nutrient dense foods while reducing calories.

What I did was, first, to understand what in my diet was a problem and what this was related to. Some things were easy to fix, like have a real breakfast, rather than a bagel that would leave me hungry in a couple of hours and set up to crash and spike my blood sugar all day long (and I don't even have blood sugar issues if I eat normally). Or cook dinner most nights instead of being unprepared and working late and using it as an excuse for Indian take out. Or don't eat every sweet that appears in my office as if that were a sign from God that I was intended to eat it.

Others were more challenging, as they related to temptations or habits, and required some understanding of what was going on. For example, I am prone to habitual eating (from having done it in the past) or emotional eating under certain stresses, so I try to be aware of them and use the consciousness to avoid it or be prepared so I can avoid the temptation (if I am working late I will bring some sort of healthy food so I don't go eat cookies because I'm hungry and tired). If there's a place (like in front of the TV) that you are in a habit of eating, maybe try not to have your usual food choice available so easily for a while or do something else instead when tempted--eat something else or choose a different activity. Also, be aware that when you are tired or stressed your will power will be weaker and try to protect yourself at those times.

I cut out sugary treats for a couple of weeks to teach myself I didn't need them, and that helped me do moderation, but that's going to be individual. After that I told myself I could eat a dessert after dinner when I had the calories, but only if it fit. But I also told myself that it was always available tomorrow, so no need to go crazy tonight. And, for me, I found that it was pretty easy to limit sweets IF I focused on first getting in the protein and veggies I needed and not eating between meals as a practice. At first I just wanted to munch (did carrots and such) and soon enough that feeling went away.

It's really about understanding your own triggers and habits and not being too hard on yourself, as shaming yourself generally is counterproductive. Hope that helps some.