Addicted to sugar ;(

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  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    @liby_dee23 a year ago I cold turkey left sugar and all grain because I was not able to taper off of carbs. Just finished Dr. William Davis' Wheat Belly Total Health and medically speaking I am leaning to the science behind his books that the carb addiction comes from eating wheat products in many of us. He has several Youtube videos that will let you see and hear his research on the subject. Last week or two I added back some sugar as a test. It does not make be feel better or even as good but it was not the end of the world. I plan to stay off sugars and grain because I did gain weight eating them. :)

    We are all somewhat different and over time we can learn what works and does not work in our personal cases.

    Best of success.

    That book is nonsense.

    OP, when you say you lose control when eating a scoop of icecream, does that mean you then eat a bowlful, or a freezer full?

    It's just that we get people who think they're worse than they really are because for some stupid reason society thinks to be a woman you must have an eating disorder.
  • Debmal77
    Debmal77 Posts: 4,770 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    @liby_dee23 a year ago I cold turkey left sugar and all grain because I was not able to taper off of carbs. Just finished Dr. William Davis' Wheat Belly Total Health and medically speaking I am leaning to the science behind his books that the carb addiction comes from eating wheat products in many of us. He has several Youtube videos that will let you see and hear his research on the subject. Last week or two I added back some sugar as a test. It does not make be feel better or even as good but it was not the end of the world. I plan to stay off sugars and grain because I did gain weight eating them. :)

    We are all somewhat different and over time we can learn what works and does not work in our personal cases.

    Best of success.

    ignore all of this.

    wheat belly is not "science"…

    no it's definitely not...just another restricting diet book that puts you in a calorie deficit making you believe it's the wheat with no clue it's actually the deficit. ugh
  • sinbadfxdl
    sinbadfxdl Posts: 103 Member
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    @liby_dee23 a year ago I cold turkey left sugar and all grain because I was not able to taper off of carbs. Just finished Dr. William Davis' Wheat Belly Total Health and medically speaking I am leaning to the science behind his books that the carb addiction comes from eating wheat products in many of us. He has several Youtube videos that will let you see and hear his research on the subject. Last week or two I added back some sugar as a test. It does not make be feel better or even as good but it was not the end of the world. I plan to stay off sugars and grain because I did gain weight eating them. :)

    We are all somewhat different and over time we can learn what works and does not work in our personal cases.

    Best of success.

    There are studies on how sugar affects the pleasure center of the brain . It's best to stay away from breads and processed foods. Eat clean.
  • Debmal77
    Debmal77 Posts: 4,770 Member
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    sinbadfxdl wrote: »
    @liby_dee23 a year ago I cold turkey left sugar and all grain because I was not able to taper off of carbs. Just finished Dr. William Davis' Wheat Belly Total Health and medically speaking I am leaning to the science behind his books that the carb addiction comes from eating wheat products in many of us. He has several Youtube videos that will let you see and hear his research on the subject. Last week or two I added back some sugar as a test. It does not make be feel better or even as good but it was not the end of the world. I plan to stay off sugars and grain because I did gain weight eating them. :)

    We are all somewhat different and over time we can learn what works and does not work in our personal cases.

    Best of success.

    There are studies on how sugar affects the pleasure center of the brain . It's best to stay away from breads and processed foods. Eat clean.

    another post to ignore
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    sinbadfxdl wrote: »
    @liby_dee23 a year ago I cold turkey left sugar and all grain because I was not able to taper off of carbs. Just finished Dr. William Davis' Wheat Belly Total Health and medically speaking I am leaning to the science behind his books that the carb addiction comes from eating wheat products in many of us. He has several Youtube videos that will let you see and hear his research on the subject. Last week or two I added back some sugar as a test. It does not make be feel better or even as good but it was not the end of the world. I plan to stay off sugars and grain because I did gain weight eating them. :)

    We are all somewhat different and over time we can learn what works and does not work in our personal cases.

    Best of success.

    There are studies on how sugar affects the pleasure center of the brain . It's best to stay away from breads and processed foods. Eat clean.

    clueless
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    andyluvv wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    you are not addicted to sugar, lack of will power/self control does not equal addiction.

    do you binge on fruit, vegetables, and bread too?

    BPZ857z.gif

    you forgot to mention - sugar isn't the devil!

    Ahm...this confused me :neutral:
    He didn't say that, did he? O.o

    No. But a few who do not believe that sugar can affect some people in an addictive like way tend to bring up that "sugar is not the devil" with a great deal of consistancy. I think that was a preemptive strike. lol
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
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    @liby_dee23 a year ago I cold turkey left sugar and all grain because I was not able to taper off of carbs. Just finished Dr. William Davis' Wheat Belly Total Health and medically speaking I am leaning to the science behind his books that the carb addiction comes from eating wheat products in many of us. He has several Youtube videos that will let you see and hear his research on the subject. Last week or two I added back some sugar as a test. It does not make be feel better or even as good but it was not the end of the world. I plan to stay off sugars and grain because I did gain weight eating them. :)

    We are all somewhat different and over time we can learn what works and does not work in our personal cases.

    Best of success.
    I think the science behind this is the Dunning-Kruger effect.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
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    sinbadfxdl wrote: »
    @liby_dee23 a year ago I cold turkey left sugar and all grain because I was not able to taper off of carbs. Just finished Dr. William Davis' Wheat Belly Total Health and medically speaking I am leaning to the science behind his books that the carb addiction comes from eating wheat products in many of us. He has several Youtube videos that will let you see and hear his research on the subject. Last week or two I added back some sugar as a test. It does not make be feel better or even as good but it was not the end of the world. I plan to stay off sugars and grain because I did gain weight eating them. :)

    We are all somewhat different and over time we can learn what works and does not work in our personal cases.

    Best of success.

    There are studies on how sugar affects the pleasure center of the brain . It's best to stay away from breads and processed foods. Eat clean.
    Actually, if you care to understand what it means that food (all food, not just sugar) affects neurotransmitters, and why a heck of a lot of lay reporting on science misrepresents this as food addiction, I have a decent thread on it.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10218216/sugar-and-carb-addiction-addiction/p1
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    sinbadfxdl wrote: »
    @liby_dee23 a year ago I cold turkey left sugar and all grain because I was not able to taper off of carbs. Just finished Dr. William Davis' Wheat Belly Total Health and medically speaking I am leaning to the science behind his books that the carb addiction comes from eating wheat products in many of us. He has several Youtube videos that will let you see and hear his research on the subject. Last week or two I added back some sugar as a test. It does not make be feel better or even as good but it was not the end of the world. I plan to stay off sugars and grain because I did gain weight eating them. :)

    We are all somewhat different and over time we can learn what works and does not work in our personal cases.

    Best of success.

    There are studies on how sugar affects the pleasure center of the brain . It's best to stay away from breads and processed foods. Eat clean.

    Complete rubbish...

    Those same centers light up when one pets a puppy , are we now going to compare cocaine to petting puppies??????
  • andres0691
    andres0691 Posts: 26 Member
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    Is anyone else eating Nutella right now?
  • Pandalove_goes_vegan
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    I have a horrible sweet tooth myself. I find chewing a minty gum or brushing my teeth helps. Brush your teeth and then try eating something sweet not the best taste. Lol. It's helped me a lot. :)
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
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    lily_dee23 wrote: »
    Think I'm one of those that will have trouble here. Either that or my Will power needs more power ;(! An occasional treat turns bad quick. Go overboard and can't stop

    A couple years ago, when I'd been on MFP for a few months, had lost weight, was eating lots of nutrient dense foods, grown much more fit, and felt unstoppable, I had a piece of birthday cake. Not having had any cake in quite some time, and it was such GOOD cake, I decided "hey, one tiny slice more should be ok". And suddenly, after all that time making good choices and developing good habits, I was fighting a strong desire to grab the rest of the cake and lock myself in the bathroom. My family was sitting around the table talking and I kept looking over the cake, wondering how I could eat more of it. I ended up sneaking other sweets, in quantity, to satisfy my sudden overwhelming desire for cake.

    My husband, otoh, NEVER has the urge to overeat sweets. He doesn't understand what the heck is wrong with me. I don't think it's that I am "weak willed" in general. In fact, I am generally pretty good at things like delayed gratification.

    About a year ago, I tried having a piece of cake before lunch (which was to be chicken and vegetables). As before, I wanted cake MORE after having a slice than I did before having the slice. I forced myself to eat the chicken I had prepared for lunch et voila! Cravings evaporated. So I know for me at least, eating meat takes away my cravings. I can have a greek yogurt that has a fair amount of sugar in it without triggering cravings so maybe any protein will do.

    Not long after that I had chocolates right before a tennis match. Instant energy that I could well use, I thought. I felt that rising desire again, to the point of distracting me during the warmup, but it wasn't long before all cravings went away and stayed away. So in my case, vigorous exercise is also effective in taking away cravings.

    I have had a small piece of cake buried in strawberries or blueberries, and not had that over the top craving triggered. Could it be that combining fibre helps too? Not certain about that one.

    I'm back in that "unstoppable" mindset once again. Getting slimmer and fitter and making good food choices each and every day. But I will continue to be VERY careful around sweet treats. I think I'm better off treating my reaction to things like cake as though it were an addiction. I need to either abstain completely, (which is easiest), or have them in a pre-planned, controlled fashion.



  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
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    senecarr wrote: »
    @liby_dee23 a year ago I cold turkey left sugar and all grain because I was not able to taper off of carbs. Just finished Dr. William Davis' Wheat Belly Total Health and medically speaking I am leaning to the science behind his books that the carb addiction comes from eating wheat products in many of us. He has several Youtube videos that will let you see and hear his research on the subject. Last week or two I added back some sugar as a test. It does not make be feel better or even as good but it was not the end of the world. I plan to stay off sugars and grain because I did gain weight eating them. :)

    We are all somewhat different and over time we can learn what works and does not work in our personal cases.

    Best of success.
    I think the science behind this is the Dunning-Kruger effect.

    Not sure if that is the reason why many reported their health issues resolved when when they get off of all grain? Knowing cause and effect behind science can be tricky in some cases. I expect this is one case.

  • LastingChanges
    LastingChanges Posts: 390 Member
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    lily_dee23 wrote: »
    Think I'm one of those that will have trouble here. Either that or my Will power needs more power ;(! An occasional treat turns bad quick. Go overboard and can't stop
    I know this isn't a solution that works for everyone but what helps me break an addiction is to not allow it at all. There are treats that are always off limits to me because I know if I start having 1 ill crave more and other things.
    Also once you stop having it for several days you stop craving it, so you just need to get yourself through a couple of days.
    Keep those treats out of your house so you don't give into them and don't buy them. Maybe only eat them when you go out to eat or are at a party that way it would be
    impossible to go too much over board.

    There are people on here that will argue that a treat is an absolute necessity and everything is healthy in moderation. But for me because of willpower I know I need to just totally avoid certain things.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    I realize that, without knowing more about your actual circumstances, this is a shot in the dark, but:

    Maybe you're actually overresticting? Are you trying to altogether do without sweet or so-called "bad" foods? Because sometimes you can set yourself up for failure that way. Think about it this way. If you try to entirely give up ice cream/donuts/whatever, then you're likely to spend a lot of time thinking about how you can't have that food EVER AGAIN, which is likely to stir up cravings, which is in turn likely to lead to a binge.

    However, if you allow yourself small portions of these foods, on a regular basis, fitting it in your calorie deficit, then it doesn't set you up for that kind of thinking. Like, you may tell yourself that hey, you can't have it right now, but if you go to the gym in the morning, you can fit it into your calories tomorrow. Or you may eat a slightly smaller dinner in order to make room for popcorn while watching a late movie. Make sense?
  • lily_dee23
    lily_dee23 Posts: 4 Member
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    Hey everyone thanks for all of this advice. Not sure how to tag properly. But let's start with the *turns bad quickly comment. By this I meant, A scoop of ice cream could turn into three. Intially. But won't go back to it. Instead switch it up eg: cup of Milo. Spoonfuls of peanut butter lol. *not the jar. Basically till that sugar hit is satisfied anyways. Although, I'm starting to c a pattern here. A mixture of things eg: lack of sleep/gym day missed/healthy food stocks get low/over restricting certain foods. I'm probably way over analysing this :/. U guys/gals have given some really helpful advice here. Thanks everyone :)!
  • Aani15
    Aani15 Posts: 172 Member
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    Insulin resistance plus intermittent fasting. These two topics may be helpful here.
    I have a history of sugar frenzy and I mean absolute madness.
    I even lived on just two tubs of ice cream/day when going through blue moods (depression).
    The flop side of living on just sugar is that it does not help one's digestion (no fibre).
    I was extremely constipated and one time I felt like I was going to give birth to my colon.

    Not funny at that time though, I cried like a woman (during child birth).
    Sugar cravings are real and I have learned not to fight it anymore except it does not have to be real sugar.
    I rely on artificial sweeteners and keep a check on my sugar intake by adhering to Myfitnesspal app goals.

    On days, that I exercise my sugar goal is to stay under 94 g and 84 g on rest days.
    It will be different for others.

    Keeping active really helps (because I can eat 10 g of extra sugar, yey!, without putting on extra weight).
    I hope it would help.
  • LastingChanges
    LastingChanges Posts: 390 Member
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    Eat fruits to satisfy sugar cravings
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Eat fruits to satisfy sugar cravings

    so a sugar addict should eat more sugar to cure their addiction?? Would you prescribe cocaine to cure a cocaine addiction?
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Eat fruits to satisfy sugar cravings

    so a sugar addict should eat more sugar to cure their addiction?? Would you prescribe cocaine to cure a cocaine addiction?
    Don't be silly. It is in a different form, so this is clearly like curing cocaine addiction with crack.