My addiction to carbs and sugar...the struggle is real
tristansmommyx3
Posts: 19 Member
I have, for what seems like my entire life, loved foods loaded with carbs and sugar. I mean, really, bread and cake?! However, I have realized more so lately that I am overdoing it, meaning I am consuming farrrrr more carbs and sugar than I should, even on days where I keep a modest calorie count. So there-in lies my question:
How do you cut down (not necessarily eliminate) carbs and sugar from your diet? Any specific foods that will curb both carb&sugar cravings (which are in a round-about way one in the same)? If elimination is the way to go, as in cutting out all or almost all carbs&sugar, what is your advice about doing so?
Thank you all for your time!!
How do you cut down (not necessarily eliminate) carbs and sugar from your diet? Any specific foods that will curb both carb&sugar cravings (which are in a round-about way one in the same)? If elimination is the way to go, as in cutting out all or almost all carbs&sugar, what is your advice about doing so?
Thank you all for your time!!
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Replies
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My struggle with a sugar addiction, was everytime I would reach for doritos or candy, I'd grab an apple or celery, at first it was hard to swallow but for me I can eat more apples and sustain my hunger and not feel like crap while I work out, my body seems to function better and operate a lot better when I eat more natural foods. Hope this helps and good luck. And yes that was a Dr.oz tip. About the only useful thing that ever came out of that guys mouth.0
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Haha, thank you for that =] I'm trying to "sub" out my cravings with things like celery, grapes, etc. However, when it comes to how to substitute bread... I've got nothing.0
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tristansmommyx3 wrote: »Haha, thank you for that =] I'm trying to "sub" out my cravings with things like celery, grapes, etc. However, when it comes to how to substitute bread... I've got nothing.
Oh I know, I get these Portuguese buns and man........ Can't talk getting a craving, where's my damn apples.0 -
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I have a cheat day once a week. The rest of the week when I crave I tell myself to wait until then.
Also, don't keep the stuff in the house.0 -
tristansmommyx3 wrote: »I
How do you cut down (not necessarily eliminate) carbs and sugar from your diet? Any specific foods that will curb both carb&sugar cravings (which are in a round-about way one in the same)? If elimination is the way to go, as in cutting out all or almost all carbs&sugar, what is your advice about doing so?
Thank you all for your time!!
Well i started this diet in January. i used the same technique that i used before with success. I am a Huge addict to carbs especially i HAVE to have my morning muffin and coffee each day or else my day is not complete. i cannot just have something light like a yogurt and a fruit. so what i substituted for that is an egg fritata that they make for me in the deli where instead of my muffin i got that. the protein filled me up and a fritata is like a mini egg souffle so i get the heartiness of the muffin in that little egg souffle. the protein filled me up. but once a week or once every two weeks i may treat myself to that muffin. anyway, doing this for 3 weeks is what the experts say is the way to fight cravings. if you can do without the food for 3 weeks, then the cravings go away. and its true for me.
Try not having your fave carb for 3 weeks (or 4) and by then you will see a change.
anyway my success is i made one change at a time. i first eliminated Pepsi which i loved, and i started letting that go. not perfectly but little at at time.
some folks here believe everything in moderation and will make fun of you if you eliminate it, but i know that is, and so my method is cold turkey, and really if you finally let the cravings not control you, you might be able to have it once every few weeks and it will just be a tasty thing to eat, rather than a craving.
in the afternoon, i need something with flavor so water is not enough so i get a coffee with cream, or even a cup of hot chocolate. for 89 calories, that hot chocolate satisfies my sweet tooth and my taste for chocolate.
so in other words, just let go one thing at a time, and find another substitute, give it a few weeks and you will get over that. you wont be a slave to that food then.
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I did a quick and dirty 2 week elimination. Very much like the South Beach Diet phase 1. I got my cravings and blood sugar under control and then I could move on. It worked.
I then reintroduced healthier versions of many of the things I'd eliminated during the two weeks. Whole grains etc.
Best thing I ever did.0 -
i also for some reason dont eat a lot of different food, but i have Fage greek yogurt every day. sometimes twice a day.. when im eating it, its thick and creamy and its like eating ice cream (same reward as ice cream!). so thats helping me to fulfill my need to have creamy food in my mouth. so instead of pie, whip cream, etc.. i have a yogurt.. but not just any kind.. i eat the BEST.. so Fage is it.
i also see what food sustains me the most.. well friday i had a mcdonalds sausage egg mcmuffin, only about 300 calories, but i was not hungry all morning like i usually am with other things. so maybe that 300 calories is worth it!!! for me the trick is - dont let myself be hungry, but if i do get hungry i eat. so at 3:00 i have food in the work refrigerator to get me thru .. that way if im not starving, i wont tend to go for the carbo snacks.0 -
So basically you eat it now in moderation. Basically.tristansmommyx3 wrote: »I
How do you cut down (not necessarily eliminate) carbs and sugar from your diet? Any specific foods that will curb both carb&sugar cravings (which are in a round-about way one in the same)? If elimination is the way to go, as in cutting out all or almost all carbs&sugar, what is your advice about doing so?
Thank you all for your time!!
Well i started this diet in January. i used the same technique that i used before with success. I am a Huge addict to carbs especially i HAVE to have my morning muffin and coffee each day or else my day is not complete. i cannot just have something light like a yogurt and a fruit. so what i substituted for that is an egg fritata that they make for me in the deli where instead of my muffin i got that. the protein filled me up and a fritata is like a mini egg souffle so i get the heartiness of the muffin in that little egg souffle. the protein filled me up. but once a week or once every two weeks i may treat myself to that muffin. anyway, doing this for 3 weeks is what the experts say is the way to fight cravings. if you can do without the food for 3 weeks, then the cravings go away. and its true for me.
Try not having your fave carb for 3 weeks (or 4) and by then you will see a change.
anyway my success is i made one change at a time. i first eliminated Pepsi which i loved, and i started letting that go. not perfectly but little at at time.
some folks on here believe everything in moderation and will make fun of you if you eliminate it, but i know that is, and so my method is cold turkey, and really if you finally let the cravings not control you, you might be able to have it once every few weeks and it will just be a tasty thing to eat, rather than a craving.
in the afternoon, i need something with flavor so water is not enough so i get a coffee with cream, or even a cup of hot chocolate. for 89 calories, that hot chocolate satisfies my sweet tooth and my taste for chocolate.
so in other words, just let go one thing at a time, and find another substitute, give it a few weeks and you will get over that. you wont be a slave to that food then.
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The folks above have given you some good ideas about experimenting with eliminating foods. I will tell you I can binge with the best of them (and you can tell by my current weight). What has helped me lose 15 of the many pounds I have to lose, and to also eat much better, is simply being committed to staying in my calorie range with the goal of losing weight. I have quickly realized that some of these favorite carbs won't fill me up. If I eat them I will be very, very hungry later in the day, and then it is very hard to stay under my calories. I also keep many foods out of the house, because while I can rely on willpower a lot of the time, I know I cannot rely on it 100% of the time. I can moderate on some foods with planning. For example, I plan to eat pizza on Fridays. I get a thin, crust, vege pizza and log the calories in advance so I know it fits into my plan. Other foods are much more difficult to moderate.
You mentioned that you think you eat too many carbs even if your calorie count is low. You could try completing your food diary at the beginning of the day so that it meets your health goals, while keeping room for some treats. You will be helped by creating some sort of goal around your intake of treats, even if it is just baby steps.
Regarding eliminating foods I will say I was once on a diet where I eliminated sugary treats, flour and wheat. It was a good experience to do so just to see how my body felt, but not sustainable for me in the long run.
On the topic of whether certain foods block cravings, many people say that eating several small meals with protein can help control cravings and regulate blood sugar. I'm not sure of any specific foods that block cravings. For me, eating sugary foods seems to create an insatiable desire for more, so it is more pleasant for me to mostly avoid them, although I hope to get better at moderation.
Hope this helps. You'll find a lot of opinions on how to deal with cravings, and you just have to find what works for you.
Good luck!
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I see you mentioned grapes as as sub. This is only my experience with grapes. If I'm having a sugar craving and eat grapes I eat them and eat them and eat them lol. Grapes is one of the fruits that has more natural sugars in them. I feel better after eating my favorite apple, pink lady apples, I think because I get to crunch and they have more fiber in them.0
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GoPerfectHealth wrote: »The folks above have given you some good ideas about experimenting with eliminating foods. I will tell you I can binge with the best of them (and you can tell by my current weight). What has helped me lose 15 of the many pounds I have to lose, and to also eat much better, is simply being committed to staying in my calorie range with the goal of losing weight. I have quickly realized that some of these favorite carbs won't fill me up. If I eat them I will be very, very hungry later in the day, and then it is very hard to stay under my calories. I also keep many foods out of the house, because while I can rely on willpower a lot of the time, I know I cannot rely on it 100% of the time. I can moderate on some foods with planning. For example, I plan to eat pizza on Fridays. I get a thin, crust, vege pizza and log the calories in advance so I know it fits into my plan. Other foods are much more difficult to moderate.
I was once on a diet where I eliminated sugary treats, flour and wheat. It was a good experience to do so just to see how my body felt, but not sustainable for me in the long run.
Hope this helps. You'll find a lot of opinions on how to deal with cravings, and you just have to find what works for you.
Good luck!
Great post.0 -
tristansmommyx3 wrote: »Haha, thank you for that =] I'm trying to "sub" out my cravings with things like celery, grapes, etc. However, when it comes to how to substitute bread... I've got nothing.
Oh I know, I get these Portuguese buns and man........ Can't talk getting a craving, where's my damn apples.
My vote is for apples too lol.0 -
I eliminated added sugar and bread completely. I don't even buy them or bring them into my home. For about two weeks it was very difficult, then the cravings started to go away. Now I never get cravings for these things...it makes life much easier since I am not constantly thinking about food.
Every once in a while...like once a month..I will have bread at a restaurant if it is really good homemade bread and worth the splurge. Even less frequently,maybe every couple of months, I have something sweet at a restaurant or with a friend. I enjoy it much more since it is a rare treat, and I never feel deprived because I know I can have it on occasion if I really want to. It's just that occasion is extremely rare for me and I usually don't want to. Moderation may work for some people, but it does not work for me...unless you call every two months moderation. Experiment and find what approach works best for you. If trying one thing doesn't work, then try something else. Then stick with what does work.0 -
Btw, now that I have gotten used to not eating added sugar, naturally sweet foods taste much sweeter. Not just fruit, but even things like peas taste much sweeter to me than they used to. You can retrain your tastes...I even like my coffee black now while for years I couldn't stand it without LOTS of sugar and milk.
If you want something sweet that won't set off massive cravings, fruit really does work.
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MoiAussi93 wrote: »Btw, now that I have gotten used to not eating added sugar, naturally sweet foods taste much sweeter. Not just fruit, but even things like peas taste much sweeter to me than they used to. You can retrain your tastes...I even like my coffee black now while for years I couldn't stand it without LOTS of sugar and milk.
If you want something sweet that won't set off massive cravings, fruit really does work.
Snap peas are SUPER sweet.0 -
MoiAussi93 wrote: »Btw, now that I have gotten used to not eating added sugar, naturally sweet foods taste much sweeter. Not just fruit, but even things like peas taste much sweeter to me than they used to. You can retrain your tastes...I even like my coffee black now while for years I couldn't stand it without LOTS of sugar and milk.
If you want something sweet that won't set off massive cravings, fruit really does work.
Will add sweet potatoes to the list. I'm assuming most people aren't weird like me and won't eat thousands of calories of them in a sitting!0 -
Thank you all so much for your input!!
Though I know grapes are on the higher end of the sugary fruits, I like the taste of frozen grapes, and find that eating them frozen keeps me from eating the whole bag in one sitting! It also helps to curb my cravings slightly, though it hasn't been 100%.
As far as not having them in the house, I am in a household with my mother, my grandmother, and my boyfriend. Not the best living situation, but financially doable while I'm still in school. That being said, my grandma is a huge sweets fan, and regularly makes cakes and cookies. My self control is not as strong as I wish it was, and I know that even if I'm doing well all day, if she offers me a cookie, I'll take it. Then when one comes, I want another. Then another. Then I'm binge eating until I can't even move. Vicious cycle.
Anyway, I am taking the advice, and allow myself one cheat day a week, that way I can build up my will power. Maybe then I can space them out more, so the sugars and carbs are "treats" as some of you said as opposed to a craving.
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Good for you!0
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I too did the 2 week bust. No bread, refined sugar, starches. It eliminated the cravings. I very slowly introduced a wee bit in, but I never over do it. I rarely have bread anymore. I do In N Out protein style burgers....burgers between crisp iceberg lettuce wedges with tomato.....Yuuuuummm! Trying a burger with bread now tastes like .... bad.0
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I hope I'm posting this correctly. I walk off my cravings. I usually walk 100 minutes on my treadmill eveey day. One day i was ravenous. I jumped on the treadmill. By 40 minutes my craving was gone.
I eat grapes too. Water with Crystal Light helps sometimes. As for bread. I switched to a high fiber tortilla. Everything i put in them tastes good. Hope this helpstristansmommyx3 wrote: »I have, for what seems like my entire life, loved foods loaded with carbs and sugar. I mean, really, bread and cake?! However, I have realized more so lately that I am overdoing it, meaning I am consuming farrrrr more carbs and sugar than I should, even on days where I keep a modest calorie count. So there-in lies my question:
How do you cut down (not necessarily eliminate) carbs and sugar from your diet? Any specific foods that will curb both carb&sugar cravings (which are in a round-about way one in the same)? If elimination is the way to go, as in cutting out all or almost all carbs&sugar, what is your advice about doing so?
Thank you all for your time!!Good for you!
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