Dieting Anxiety- compulsions to cheat, sugar & carb addiction
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »leonidas_and_spartacus wrote: »I was a sugar addict, went cold turkey for 4 weeks. I craved for 4 weeks like some one addicted to crack. After 4 weeks, cravings went away and I don't even like anything sweet now. Do I eat an occasional birth day cake or treat? Sure. But only on my terms, I don't have to eat anything in moderation because I am weak and have to have something. I eat candies all day on days when I want to spike my insulin or do carb cycling. But not because I have to eat them. There is nothing wrong in restricting something to get over something.
generally curious...do you also have the same "crack" like addiction to vegetables or breads...??
genuinely curious ... what do you pass when someone says 'Please pass the sugar'?
you do realize that breads and vegetables break down as sugar in the body, right?
but I typically would pass the table sugar and not a celery stalk ..
when someone says that they have a "crack like" addiction to sugar, I assume that would be to all forms of sugar. It would be like saying I am addicted to crack, but I still snort cocaine...
Or you could more logically assume they mean the more common definition of sugar, which is a processed crystalized substance people pass when asked for sugar.
When in doubt as to definition, it's usually a good idea to think "Which definition makes more sense in the context of this sentence or paragraph."
so by your logic I can be addicted to crack and snort cocaine and not be addicted to cocaine...
because forms are different, right?0 -
Your idea of "dieting" is flawed. Change it.0
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »leonidas_and_spartacus wrote: »I was a sugar addict, went cold turkey for 4 weeks. I craved for 4 weeks like some one addicted to crack. After 4 weeks, cravings went away and I don't even like anything sweet now. Do I eat an occasional birth day cake or treat? Sure. But only on my terms, I don't have to eat anything in moderation because I am weak and have to have something. I eat candies all day on days when I want to spike my insulin or do carb cycling. But not because I have to eat them. There is nothing wrong in restricting something to get over something.
generally curious...do you also have the same "crack" like addiction to vegetables or breads...??
genuinely curious ... what do you pass when someone says 'Please pass the sugar'?
you do realize that breads and vegetables break down as sugar in the body, right?
but I typically would pass the table sugar and not a celery stalk ..
when someone says that they have a "crack like" addiction to sugar, I assume that would be to all forms of sugar. It would be like saying I am addicted to crack, but I still snort cocaine...
Or you could more logically assume they mean the more common definition of sugar, which is a processed crystalized substance people pass when asked for sugar.
When in doubt as to definition, it's usually a good idea to think "Which definition makes more sense in the context of this sentence or paragraph."
So then they should have no issues with products that contain things other than sucrose which is the definition that you have chosen to say is logical. People are not passing HFCS, glucose, corn syrup, cane sugar etc, right? Then again if they mean sucrose, sucrose is also found in fruits and they seem to be able to eat that in moderation, leading one to believe they are just making excuses why they can't moderate their intake of certain foods. They really aren't addicted to sugar whichever definition you chose to use0 -
farfromthetree wrote: »Burt_Huttz wrote: »I have noticed that too - I am on a diet and the urge to cheat is very strong. I'm not sure if it's because women notice that I'm taking care of myself or if I'm getting more results than I've seen, but staying faithful to my wife is a growing challenge. I just tell myself, keep putting one foot in front of the other and she'll follow my example I hope. Good luck in your situation!!
ummm I think OPs reference to cheating was to food not with people...
wow LOL
That has to be a joke.
lets hope so ...
Nobody is familiar with Burt_Huttz's shenanigans? Wow.
Yes, it is a joke.
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AllOutof_Bubblegum wrote: »farfromthetree wrote: »Burt_Huttz wrote: »I have noticed that too - I am on a diet and the urge to cheat is very strong. I'm not sure if it's because women notice that I'm taking care of myself or if I'm getting more results than I've seen, but staying faithful to my wife is a growing challenge. I just tell myself, keep putting one foot in front of the other and she'll follow my example I hope. Good luck in your situation!!
ummm I think OPs reference to cheating was to food not with people...
wow LOL
That has to be a joke.
lets hope so ...
Nobody is familiar with Burt_Huttz's shenanigans? Wow.
Yes, it is a joke.
LOL never seen the guy around before...
well that is a relief....LOL0 -
AllOutof_Bubblegum wrote: »farfromthetree wrote: »Burt_Huttz wrote: »I have noticed that too - I am on a diet and the urge to cheat is very strong. I'm not sure if it's because women notice that I'm taking care of myself or if I'm getting more results than I've seen, but staying faithful to my wife is a growing challenge. I just tell myself, keep putting one foot in front of the other and she'll follow my example I hope. Good luck in your situation!!
ummm I think OPs reference to cheating was to food not with people...
wow LOL
That has to be a joke.
lets hope so ...
Nobody is familiar with Burt_Huttz's shenanigans? Wow.
Yes, it is a joke.
shhhhh.0 -
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OP. What is your goal?
Define how you want to look, what you want to be able to do, what kind of life you want to lead. Spend time describing it, visualizing it and understanding what it will mean. Be realistic and detailed.
Keep your eye on that goal - to be able to follow some sort of visualization technique to address the fears you have will help immensely over time.0 -
*deleted* Getting off topic and I don't want a warning for hijacking. Sorry OP!0
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emily_stew wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »leonidas_and_spartacus wrote: »I was a sugar addict, went cold turkey for 4 weeks. I craved for 4 weeks like some one addicted to crack. After 4 weeks, cravings went away and I don't even like anything sweet now. Do I eat an occasional birth day cake or treat? Sure. But only on my terms, I don't have to eat anything in moderation because I am weak and have to have something. I eat candies all day on days when I want to spike my insulin or do carb cycling. But not because I have to eat them. There is nothing wrong in restricting something to get over something.
generally curious...do you also have the same "crack" like addiction to vegetables or breads...??
genuinely curious ... what do you pass when someone says 'Please pass the sugar'?
you do realize that breads and vegetables break down as sugar in the body, right?
but I typically would pass the table sugar and not a celery stalk ..
when someone says that they have a "crack like" addiction to sugar, I assume that would be to all forms of sugar. It would be like saying I am addicted to crack, but I still snort cocaine...
Or you could more logically assume they mean the more common definition of sugar, which is a processed crystalized substance people pass when asked for sugar.
When in doubt as to definition, it's usually a good idea to think "Which definition makes more sense in the context of this sentence or paragraph."
Logic! Ahaha. Logic has no place in a sugar addiction argument.
Except she says use logic and context yet does not use that at all.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »leonidas_and_spartacus wrote: »I was a sugar addict, went cold turkey for 4 weeks. I craved for 4 weeks like some one addicted to crack. After 4 weeks, cravings went away and I don't even like anything sweet now. Do I eat an occasional birth day cake or treat? Sure. But only on my terms, I don't have to eat anything in moderation because I am weak and have to have something. I eat candies all day on days when I want to spike my insulin or do carb cycling. But not because I have to eat them. There is nothing wrong in restricting something to get over something.
generally curious...do you also have the same "crack" like addiction to vegetables or breads...??
genuinely curious ... what do you pass when someone says 'Please pass the sugar'?
genuinely curious ... when alcoholics say they are addicted, do they mean just a very specific type of alcohol ie just beer or whiskey, they can drink other types just fine in moderation?
genuinely curious ... when you order whiskey would you not be surprised to be served grape vodka?
genuinely curious ... how is that remotely relevant to addiction and the question I posed?0 -
I definitely think the mental aspect of weight loss can be one of the toughest challenges! For me, if I feel like I'm depriving myself (like, "I can't eat this"), I know that I'm significantly more likely to go over the top with it. I have found that some simple language changes can make a big difference. Instead of thinking, "I can't eat this," I think to myself, "I could eat this but right now I'm choosing not to." Simple, but it puts the power back in my control rather than feeling like a victim who can't enjoy the things I like. I think the same thing when I'm tempted to over-consume, whether food or alcohol, "If I still want it in half an hour [or tomorrow or whatever works for you], I can have it." Usually once I get past that initial moment of temptation, I'm fine. Similarly, I don't think of it as a "diet" for all the reasons OP mentioned. I think of it as living a healthy, balanced life and try to remember that bad days happen but they don't have to derail me.
I agree with the posts here that you can absolutely eat "junk food" as part of a healthy diet and that you can eat a caloric deficit, lose weight, and still enjoy your favorite treats. It was hard for me in the beginning to enjoy those treats in moderation and it took time to get to a point where I could actually portion out my treat, work it into my calories, and not go way overboard--and I still do go way overboard sometimes. It's not about never slipping up, it's about not giving up when you slip up. Everyone has to find through trial and error what works for them but one thing that really helped me in the beginning was not having certain things at home. For example, I couldn't have a bag of chips or box of cookies in the house without eating the whole thing in one or two sittings so I stopped putting them in my pantry for awhile. When I wanted one of those things, I would go buy a single serving instead of a whole package. As I got more into healthy habits and more confident in my will power, I started reintegrating those treats into my pantry.
You've probably seen this before but your post made me think of this picture of success. Your journey is going to look like that twisty, up and down success and that is a-okay!
Best of luck to you! Just remember: “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas A. Edison
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Listen to your body and adjust accordingly. Look at why and how you eat and the reasons behind it. I know it sounds weird. I am a bulk eater. I like to eat a lot of volume and don't feel satisfied if I don't eat a big dinner at night. I also am one of those that had "finish your plate" ingrained in me as a kid. I get livid with the idea of throwing away food. I was not aware of any of this. It was all subconscious. I started slow, I started cutting added sugar. I have little indulgences still. Don't deny, just regulate.0
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What lemurcat said is pretty sensible. OP get some friends and work out why you want to diet and what it involves. Theres a lot of stuff you can do without altering your food intake, but you have to want to commit and deal with everything thats involved.
You already have good insight into how you behave and respond, so you have to work out how you are going to deal with each aspect. Dealing with them will help prevent them from becoming issues when you start the actual dieting.
Learn how to be methodical, consistent and supportive of yourself. Baby steps definitely seems to be the way to go for you. Good luck.0 -
This this and this!!! It will give you sooo much info. Read and learn. This is a process. You certainly can do it. It's not easy but you can do it.prattiger65 wrote: »
Good luck.
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
Where did he say that?leonidas_and_spartacus wrote: »I was a sugar addict, went cold turkey for 4 weeks. I craved for 4 weeks like some one addicted to crack. After 4 weeks, cravings went away and I don't even like anything sweet now. Do I eat an occasional birth day cake or treat? Sure. But only on my terms, I don't have to eat anything in moderation because I am weak and have to have something. I eat candies all day on days when I want to spike my insulin or do carb cycling. But not because I have to eat them. There is nothing wrong in restricting something to get over something.
You ate zero carbs for 4 weeks? Impressive.
"I was a sugar addict, went cold turkey for 4 weeks"
Carbs are sugars, no?
lol.0 -
yarnaholicamy wrote: »Hi all.
I'm new. To all of this. I've never had weight loss success in the past, so for a long while I've just not tried to loose weight. And of course, the scale is reflecting that. I've never "demonstrated" to myself that I can do it, though I've seen others in my family who have had amazing transformations. And then gained it all back and then some.
I'm scared. Scared to get going. Scared to commit to something that, according to my friends and family's journeys - I'll very likely fail at. Scared to "announce" to anyone that I'm doing this because of the expectations that I'm setting, and the side-eye glance they'll give if I reach for a cookie.
Good luck OP! I would have sounded just like you when I started out if I had been a little more articulate and self-aware. I get what's going on in your head and I'd love to help you if I can.
Can I ask what's your motivation to lose weight now? You say you've just not tried in the past. I was the same as you but I sort of had a moment where I snapped and decided enough was enough. Curious if you've had a similar experience, or if you're just going for it on a whim.yarnaholicamy wrote: »The idea of dieting is super uncomfortable. This is ridiculous- and I know it - but the sheer idea of "dieting" makes me already think about cheating & eating crap. Like I am rebelling against something that's clearly good for me- because the idea of complying to a diet sounds like a nightmare.
It's not always going to be sunshine and roses, but there are absolutely ways to minimize the challenge of dieting. It's so, so much harder to do when your weight and eating habits are wrapped up in fear and emotion. (Again, I can totally relate.)
My advice would be to start by taking baby steps. Don't try to dive right in to a perfect diet. Make one change at a time. Your first change should be to log what you eat. (You figured that out on your own, which is awesome. It seems like you have good instincts for this.) Don't try to modify your diet at all. After two weeks, cut your calories by 10% or so. Stick with this for a couple weeks, then cut back by another 10%. If it starts feeling painful, uncomfortable, or too difficult, stick with it for an extra week.
Only move forward in challenging yourself when you feel awesome about it. Wait until you feel confident and excited to improve your progress, until you feel like you can do it with little internal resistance. Keep doing this until you're around a 1 lb per week loss according to MFPs calculations. Or if you notice that these numbers aren't really working for you, eat a little more or a little less. MFP's calculations aren't perfect, but you're going to be so aware of your own body and the changes being made that you'll know if you need a little more or a little less.
Also, you need to confront your emotional attachment to food. I'd highly recommend reading Brain Over Binge. I've come close to eliminating my binge eating disorder thanks to the perspective this book gave me.yarnaholicamy wrote: »Also, think I'm a sugar and carb addict. For real. It haunts me. When I try to lower/cut my sugar intake, my body craves it like nothing else. I fixate on it. I cave in and feed the beast. How can I get past this seemingly hard-wired compulsion?
It's by no means a requirement to cut back on sugar and carbs to lose weight, but it will be a lot easier if you can get past the initial resistance and learn to cut back on it. Fat and protein fill you up a lot more effectively. I say "initial resistance" because after a few days to a week of cutting back, the beast is dead! If you really want to cut back, do it gradually. For example, don't eat the last three bites of the donut. (By which I mean, throw it in the trash and pour dish soap on it, let's be honest.) This doesn't have to be super hard if you let it happen gradually. My advice would be to not worry about it and focus on doing the stuff above and you'll probably find that you'll naturally be able to cut back more easily.yarnaholicamy wrote: »*my baby step* Today I commit to writing down what I eat. Including that damn jelly-filled doughnut that someone brought into work that I couldn't resist.
Your support, and encouragement is helpful, especially if you have some tips on how to turn off the cravings and comply with a diet.
You can do this. Seriously. The hard part is getting through the fear and resistance. But I think you have it in you.
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here is my advice.
start today, not a day from now, not a month from now.
Do the following:
1. enter all your stats into MFP and set for one pound per week loss
2. get a food scale
3. use the food scale to weigh all solid foods.
4. make sure that you log everything that you eat into MFP.
5. try not to use the generic entries but use the ones that are USDA.
6. go into custom setting and set your macro percent = Protein/Fats/Carbs to 35p/35c/30 fats
7. this is not necessary but I would suggest finding an active activity that you like, like running, walking, bicycling, lifting, etc and do something so that you move more..
8. This is the most important one. Please stop assigning moralistic values to food. Food is not "good," "bad," or "crap", it is just something that your body uses to get energy for bodily functions. Yes, this means that you can have foods like pizza, ice cream, cookies, bagels etc incorporated into your day. Just make sure that you hit your calorie/macor/micro targets for they day. when you boil it all down weight loss comes down to calories in vs calories out...Overall diet and dosage is what matter, not individual food choice.
9. repeat all this until you get to desired results..
good luck to you ...
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Stumbled over the great advice. I'm stealing it!0
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I wouldn't even add the word 'Diet' to your vocabulary at all. I'm the same way when I think I need to not eat or so certain things. I'm trying to just set monthly goals to better myself. Like my first month I ate more fruit because I wasn't eating any. This month I'm eating more vegetables because although I had some it wasn't enough. I'm March I'm going to make an effort to get 1 exercise session a week at least, if not more as well as consistently hit 2500 calories or less. Smaller goals make me a little lest angsty against it all.0
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