I Need Lots Of Help To Eat Less Sugar - Have Eaten Too Much For Years And Years
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CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »arabianhorselover wrote: »First of all, most endocrinologists don't understand thyroid issues. They should, but they don't. believe this woman does. She feels that grains and dairy are contributing to some problems that she thinks I have such as adrenal fatigue.
I do not plan on making any drastic changes to my diet right now other than trying to cut down on the sugar. That will be hard enough for me, and I've pretty much expressed that to her already. As far as my husband keeping his sweets in a drawer - I don't think that is going to happen. Also, I have one son still at home who eats sweets.
I am going to try to eat more fruits and vegies, leaving less room for sweets. It would probably be best for me not to snack between meals, but I have such a long history of doing so, and I just can't do everything at once.
Do you have a thyroid issue? and if so, why is a NP (who is not fully qualified in most cases to deal with these issues) telling you what to avoid? how do endocrinologists not understand thyroid issues? they go to medical school to become a specialist in the endocrine system. they deal with thyroid issues,diabetes,insulin resistance and other issues. And if one endocrinologist doesnt suit you you find another.they all arent going to be the same. some are awful and should not be doctors and other ones are great. where do you live that you would have to drive 125 miles to see one? I live in the middle of my state which is a rural area and it only takes me 60 miles in any direction to get to an endocrinologists office and I live in a poor state at that.
First of all, she is not telling me to modify my diet due to my thyroid issue. Secondly, yes, I really would have to go 125 miles to get to an Endo. Not even sure there is one that close. I live in the U.P. of Michigan. 400 miles from a major airport.
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maybe start off with baby steps. create little bags with 1 portion of the treats and only let you have 1 bag a day. Make sure you log it though. If over eating the snacks is the problem, then try take control of the situation and how much your eating of it. I personally have to avoid the junk food aisle, but when i have a treat, i log it and try to stay as close as possible to my goals for the day.0
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It all really comes down to making decisions. You can choose to make changes, or not. Go cold turkey, go slowly, or not. The thing to remember is this: "If you want something different, you need to do something different." When YOU are ready to make changes, you will. If you're not ready yet, or ever, then things won't change yet, or ever. It took me (and many many others here) a very long time to finally be ready to lose weight and be healthy(er). All the times before, my head wasn't in the game - so I lost and regained. A year ago, I wasn't ready. You may need to wait until your personal "lightbulb moment" occurs. You'll know it when it happens, and that alone will make the hard changes a little easier to handle.0
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The idea to buy sugary foods that your family likes but YOU don't is a great one. Today I bought vanilla sandwich cookie for my husband - they don't tempt me at all. Same with fig newton-type cookies. I buy ice cream flavors that don't interest me much for my son. I buy dark chocolate for myself, and eating dark chocolate isn't half the fun of eating Nestle crunch bars, so I tend to eat a lot less of it. Turkey Hill cold churn ice cream is fairly low calorie, and I never eat the (laughable) half cup serving. I eat a good amount and count the calories.
Perhaps you could try that for a while - just buy the "treats" that your husband and son really like, but that don't tempt you. Keep a little dark chocolate around for yourself. Might help.0 -
rachelmarie1 wrote: »maybe start off with baby steps. create little bags with 1 portion of the treats and only let you have 1 bag a day. Make sure you log it though. If over eating the snacks is the problem, then try take control of the situation and how much your eating of it. I personally have to avoid the junk food aisle, but when i have a treat, i log it and try to stay as close as possible to my goals for the day.
Oh, I've continued to log my treats all along. I figure if I'm going to eat it, I'm going to log it.
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It all really comes down to making decisions. You can choose to make changes, or not. Go cold turkey, go slowly, or not. The thing to remember is this: "If you want something different, you need to do something different." When YOU are ready to make changes, you will. If you're not ready yet, or ever, then things won't change yet, or ever. It took me (and many many others here) a very long time to finally be ready to lose weight and be healthy(er). All the times before, my head wasn't in the game - so I lost and regained. A year ago, I wasn't ready. You may need to wait until your personal "lightbulb moment" occurs. You'll know it when it happens, and that alone will make the hard changes a little easier to handle.
You are right, of course. Back in 2013 I was ready, and I did well. I stayed within my calorie limits and I exercised most every day. I was still eating too much junk, however. Recently a lot of things have been going on in my life that I have used food to try to cope with. A very old pattern for me. I have kept up with most of the exercise, though.
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arabianhorselover wrote: »Wheelhouse15 wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »arabianhorselover wrote: »First of all, most endocrinologists don't understand thyroid issues. They should, but they don't. believe this woman does. She feels that grains and dairy are contributing to some problems that she thinks I have such as adrenal fatigue.
I do not plan on making any drastic changes to my diet right now other than trying to cut down on the sugar. That will be hard enough for me, and I've pretty much expressed that to her already. As far as my husband keeping his sweets in a drawer - I don't think that is going to happen. Also, I have one son still at home who eats sweets.
I am going to try to eat more fruits and vegies, leaving less room for sweets. It would probably be best for me not to snack between meals, but I have such a long history of doing so, and I just can't do everything at once.
Do you have a thyroid issue? and if so, why is a NP (who is not fully qualified in most cases to deal with these issues) telling you what to avoid? how do endocrinologists not understand thyroid issues? they go to medical school to become a specialist in the endocrine system. they deal with thyroid issues,diabetes,insulin resistance and other issues. And if one endocrinologist doesnt suit you you find another.they all arent going to be the same. some are awful and should not be doctors and other ones are great. where do you live that you would have to drive 125 miles to see one? I live in the middle of my state which is a rural area and it only takes me 60 miles in any direction to get to an endocrinologists office and I live in a poor state at that.
"Functional medicine", "adrenal fatigue", "doctors don't understand x" those are all terms that red flag it for me.
Please don't comment if you have no knowledge of the subject.
If you want to waste time and money on shaman medicine feel free. You don't know what I know and your mind is closed so I'll just say have fun and have a nice life.0 -
You know, I just remembered something that helped me stop mindless snacking. I learned to knit. It's a pain in the neck to put down knitting to pick up food every 30 seconds. And it's too messy to knit while eating greasy chips. So I snack less AND have a lot of scarves. Win-win.0
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There was something on the BBC a while back about the being no "off switch" for some people eating foods with equal amounts of sugar and fat. The theory is that if it's all sugar, or all fat, you're less likely to overeat.
I try moderating biscuits/chocolate that have the sugar/fat mix, but otherwise don't avoid either foods in their own right.0 -
arabianhorselover wrote: »It all really comes down to making decisions. You can choose to make changes, or not. Go cold turkey, go slowly, or not. The thing to remember is this: "If you want something different, you need to do something different." When YOU are ready to make changes, you will. If you're not ready yet, or ever, then things won't change yet, or ever. It took me (and many many others here) a very long time to finally be ready to lose weight and be healthy(er). All the times before, my head wasn't in the game - so I lost and regained. A year ago, I wasn't ready. You may need to wait until your personal "lightbulb moment" occurs. You'll know it when it happens, and that alone will make the hard changes a little easier to handle.
You are right, of course. Back in 2013 I was ready, and I did well. I stayed within my calorie limits and I exercised most every day. I was still eating too much junk, however. Recently a lot of things have been going on in my life that I have used food to try to cope with. A very old pattern for me. I have kept up with most of the exercise, though.
It would seem that would be your best bet then - to concentrate on changing that pattern. Try to find another coping mechanism. Something else that makes you feel like you're taking extra special care of yourself. I don't think cutting out sweets will be helpful unless you address the source of the problem. Once that's taken care of, the sweets will either resolve on their own or become much easier to deal with.
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It all really comes down to making decisions. You can choose to make changes, or not. Go cold turkey, go slowly, or not. The thing to remember is this: "If you want something different, you need to do something different." When YOU are ready to make changes, you will. If you're not ready yet, or ever, then things won't change yet, or ever. It took me (and many many others here) a very long time to finally be ready to lose weight and be healthy(er). All the times before, my head wasn't in the game - so I lost and regained. A year ago, I wasn't ready. You may need to wait until your personal "lightbulb moment" occurs. You'll know it when it happens, and that alone will make the hard changes a little easier to handle.
This is so true! Need to prioritise what you want, unlimited biscuits or a fat Arsenal!!
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arabianhorselover wrote: »It all really comes down to making decisions. You can choose to make changes, or not. Go cold turkey, go slowly, or not. The thing to remember is this: "If you want something different, you need to do something different." When YOU are ready to make changes, you will. If you're not ready yet, or ever, then things won't change yet, or ever. It took me (and many many others here) a very long time to finally be ready to lose weight and be healthy(er). All the times before, my head wasn't in the game - so I lost and regained. A year ago, I wasn't ready. You may need to wait until your personal "lightbulb moment" occurs. You'll know it when it happens, and that alone will make the hard changes a little easier to handle.
You are right, of course. Back in 2013 I was ready, and I did well. I stayed within my calorie limits and I exercised most every day. I was still eating too much junk, however. Recently a lot of things have been going on in my life that I have used food to try to cope with. A very old pattern for me. I have kept up with most of the exercise, though.
It would seem that would be your best bet then - to concentrate on changing that pattern. Try to find another coping mechanism. Something else that makes you feel like you're taking extra special care of yourself. I don't think cutting out sweets will be helpful unless you address the source of the problem. Once that's taken care of, the sweets will either resolve on their own or become much easier to deal with.
Well, I have been working on that for a very long time, but in the meantime I've been killing myself with food. The issues may never be resolved, so the food has to be.0 -
OP, I'm not going to comment on all the other stuff because we would probably not agree!
But as far as the sugar issue, sometimes the best way to break a bad habit is to replace it with a good one. Habits are basically pathways in your brain that it creates because it can't pay attention to everything all at once. So look at WHY you reach for sugary snacks, determine either something else you can eat or do at that moment, and then pick something to remind you to make the better choice at that moment, like a sticky note, a hair band on your wrist, an object that doesn't belong, like a neon cat toy on the kitchen counter. Something to grab your attention any time you would normally go for sugar. Maybe that will help, good luck.0 -
arabianhorselover wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »arabianhorselover wrote: »First of all, most endocrinologists don't understand thyroid issues. They should, but they don't. believe this woman does. She feels that grains and dairy are contributing to some problems that she thinks I have such as adrenal fatigue.
I do not plan on making any drastic changes to my diet right now other than trying to cut down on the sugar. That will be hard enough for me, and I've pretty much expressed that to her already. As far as my husband keeping his sweets in a drawer - I don't think that is going to happen. Also, I have one son still at home who eats sweets.
I am going to try to eat more fruits and vegies, leaving less room for sweets. It would probably be best for me not to snack between meals, but I have such a long history of doing so, and I just can't do everything at once.
Do you have a thyroid issue? and if so, why is a NP (who is not fully qualified in most cases to deal with these issues) telling you what to avoid? how do endocrinologists not understand thyroid issues? they go to medical school to become a specialist in the endocrine system. they deal with thyroid issues,diabetes,insulin resistance and other issues. And if one endocrinologist doesnt suit you you find another.they all arent going to be the same. some are awful and should not be doctors and other ones are great. where do you live that you would have to drive 125 miles to see one? I live in the middle of my state which is a rural area and it only takes me 60 miles in any direction to get to an endocrinologists office and I live in a poor state at that.
First of all, she is not telling me to modify my diet due to my thyroid issue. Secondly, yes, I really would have to go 125 miles to get to an Endo. Not even sure there is one that close. I live in the U.P. of Michigan. 400 miles from a major airport.
if she is not telling you to modify your diet then why did you say-"Well, I really like whole grains and dairy, but right now the nurse practitioner I am seeing is trying to get me to cut them out" that IS modifying your diet by cutting those things out. why does she feel that those things are causing issues? did she elaborate why they are? why does she think you have "adrenal fatigue"? there is no scientific fact it exists ,its also not a proven medical condition. therefore, no test for it,but you can have an adrenal issue which can be diagnosed with a blood test. There might be an endo closer to you if you check into it.but it seems like you rather put your faith into someone who thinks they know more than a dr or endo at that. she is trying to diagnose a condition that doesnt exist.she is also saying grains and dairy is causing issues, how does she know when she is not a specialist? you can continue seeing her if you think she knows what she is talking about, and you can believe her advice is legit if you want. Thats up to you. lots of the people here have given you some great advice,you asked for help and we gave you ideas for help.0 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »arabianhorselover wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »arabianhorselover wrote: »First of all, most endocrinologists don't understand thyroid issues. They should, but they don't. believe this woman does. She feels that grains and dairy are contributing to some problems that she thinks I have such as adrenal fatigue.
I do not plan on making any drastic changes to my diet right now other than trying to cut down on the sugar. That will be hard enough for me, and I've pretty much expressed that to her already. As far as my husband keeping his sweets in a drawer - I don't think that is going to happen. Also, I have one son still at home who eats sweets.
I am going to try to eat more fruits and vegies, leaving less room for sweets. It would probably be best for me not to snack between meals, but I have such a long history of doing so, and I just can't do everything at once.
Do you have a thyroid issue? and if so, why is a NP (who is not fully qualified in most cases to deal with these issues) telling you what to avoid? how do endocrinologists not understand thyroid issues? they go to medical school to become a specialist in the endocrine system. they deal with thyroid issues,diabetes,insulin resistance and other issues. And if one endocrinologist doesnt suit you you find another.they all arent going to be the same. some are awful and should not be doctors and other ones are great. where do you live that you would have to drive 125 miles to see one? I live in the middle of my state which is a rural area and it only takes me 60 miles in any direction to get to an endocrinologists office and I live in a poor state at that.
First of all, she is not telling me to modify my diet due to my thyroid issue. Secondly, yes, I really would have to go 125 miles to get to an Endo. Not even sure there is one that close. I live in the U.P. of Michigan. 400 miles from a major airport.
if she is not telling you to modify your diet then why did you say-"Well, I really like whole grains and dairy, but right now the nurse practitioner I am seeing is trying to get me to cut them out" that IS modifying your diet by cutting those things out. why does she feel that those things are causing issues? did she elaborate why they are? why does she think you have "adrenal fatigue"? there is no scientific fact it exists ,its also not a proven medical condition. therefore, no test for it,but you can have an adrenal issue which can be diagnosed with a blood test. There might be an endo closer to you if you check into it.but it seems like you rather put your faith into someone who thinks they know more than a dr or endo at that. she is trying to diagnose a condition that doesnt exist.she is also saying grains and dairy is causing issues, how does she know when she is not a specialist? you can continue seeing her if you think she knows what she is talking about, and you can believe her advice is legit if you want. Thats up to you. lots of the people here have given you some great advice,you asked for help and we gave you ideas for help.
I think OP was told to eliminate whole grains and dairy because the NP thinks they will cause some other kind of harm (it's pretty vague), not for the thyroid issue.
It seems like the NP may give everyone a blanket recommendation to eliminate those foods.0 -
Medical doctors practice evidence-based medicine. They learn how to research topics using solid, peer-approved information based on research that can be duplicated with the same, or very near the same, results by any researcher anywhere. Alternative practitioners do not. They often use anecdotal evidence, which means that somebody somewhere once said "this worked for me", so now they try it on you. Believe me, thyroid issues are very well understood by medical doctors. They know how to correctly interpret what the lab studies show them, although some forget that they need a TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone from the pituitary gland) level along with the T3 and T4 levels.
But go ahead and spend money with the alternative practitioner if you want to. Part of healing is believing, and if you believe in her, then at least you've got part of the equation right.
And yes - I know a lot about this from having been a medical transcriptionist for multiple specialties over 38 years, now in medical assistant training. I've done quite a bit of personal research regarding health issues because it interests me. I've learned what differentiates a good source of information from a bad one. Believe me - there's a lot of very bad information floating around out there (and in here).0 -
Believe it or not the NP that I am seeing has genuine medical training from a real school and everything. The practice that she is in with a doctor has just a little different approach. They are into prevention rather than just handing someone a pill, if possible. I happen to like that idea. I do not plan to give up entire food groups, and I've pretty much already told her that. Therefore, she is simply suggesting that I cut down on sugar for now. Good advice, I think.
[edited by MFP Moderator]0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »[
I think OP was told to eliminate whole grains and dairy because the NP thinks they will cause some other kind of harm (it's pretty vague), not for the thyroid issue.
It seems like the NP may give everyone a blanket recommendation to eliminate those foods.
I didnt say that the NP said to cut those out due to thyroid issues, no where in my reply did I say that. she said they told her to cut them out because it might be causing other issues one being adrenal fatigue
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Mapalicious wrote: »What I do (sometimes I have to re-do it over after holidays and my sweet tooth has come back to rear it's ugly head) is just have no added sugar AND no fake sweeteners or many sweet-tasting things for 7-10 days. This means no honey/sugar/sweetener in my coffee or tea, no soda (not even diet), no wine/beer, no oranges/bananas (maybe a couple berries if you have them), no desserts, no chocolate, no scones, no muffins, etc etc etc. I let myself have things like ketchup (just a bit) and pasta sauce, even though they do have tons of sugar in them. I may let myself have a few (literally 3-4) raisins in the evening if I'm feeling really deprived. The point is to not taste anything very sweet for that 7-10 days.
I have no science to back it up, just my own experience and my friends' stories. But it does three things for me: 1) It balances out my daily energy swings (I personally can feel the difference of having so many ups-and-downs due to vacillating sugar levels in my body during the day). 2) It also decreases my desire for sweet food. The first 2-3 days are particularly hard, but by the end I just don't really crave it anymore. Then I can go to my usual - 1/2 tbsp of honey in my coffee in the morning, and a few squares of chocolate after dinner, with a few other small treats thrown in every couple weeks. 3) It helps me be aware of my habits around sugar. Cutting it out means building new habits. I realized I would reach for sugar whenever I felt stressed about something...it was emotional/psychological and physical. It was great to become aware of that.
I had a similar experience, although as I said above for me it ended up being more about snacking than sugar (and my love for savory foods has always exceeded my love for sweets, so that makes sense).
But when I first started I cut out added sugar (not fruit, but I don't eat a lot of fruit in the winter and it was January), and also found that I felt more balanced (I think this is more because I'd been eating pretty badly right before starting and was eating really well in general apart from the no added sugar thing), once I broke the habit I stopped wanting food outside of meal times (and I don't eat sweet foods at meal times), and I was able to focus on the ways I was using snacks and sweets to deal with emotional stuff, stress, wanting to waste time.
I found that after a couple of weeks I could add it back in without problem, and although I don't think everyone needs to do this I did it again after Christmas 2014 and again after a bike trip where we'd been riding 50-100 miles a day and so also snacking all day. For me it ends up being more about not eating outside of mealtime, again, but I will also replace my usual post-dinner dessert with cheese or something not sweet.0 -
Yeah nothing negative that I can remember.....i wanted to change my habits and stop sabotaging the efforts I was making by binging on sweets and food in general. I watched a documentary, Sugar: The Bitter Truth and that was my catalyst. It struck a chord with me. It's available on YouTube for free https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=intent://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM#Intent;scheme=http;package=com.google.android.youtube;S.browser_fallback_url=http%3A%2F%2Fm.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdBnniua6-oM;S.android.intent.extra.REFERRER_NAME=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com;launchFlags=0x8080000;end&ved=0ahUKEwisvseQr4LLAhVB1RQKHcuLB_sQjjgIIzAC&usg=AFQjCNHuPgLxpfgxiK2JyWYSX5NUYRxoaQ&sig2=SKiG9fI_6uEr8RBt14VzAw0
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Sorry link doesn't seem to be working. It's available on YouTube
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Ummm are you trying to lose weight? I'm no expert, nor do I know your height and weight and all that, but speaking personally, 2000 calories is too high for me and I would gain weight on that calorie goal.
But, others can focus on that...I'm only chiming in with what works for me, and thats focusing on food as fuel or medicine. Sugar does not fuel me for longer than a sugar rush, nor is it good for me according to my doctor. I'm told whole grains are fine, but to limit dairy, limit, not exclude it.
I'm on 1200 calories. Every bite I take I think of "is this helping or hurting" will it fuel a workout or a recovery, is it nutrition? or is it just a fun food. People here can talk all they want about CICO, but when you're on such a limited calorie goal then those calories better be helping.
Also, I try to remember that limiting sweets does not mean I can never have them, I CHOOSE not to have them right now. Also, why do I have to have what a package says is a serving? Why can't I have just half of that so I get the flavor with lesser calories? For example, I love peanut butter, 2 tablespoons is a serving, but its so calorie DENSE that on a 1200 calorie day with no workout I simply can't fit it in and be satiated. However, pre or post workout, I CAN put ONE tablespoon on a half banana. Its sweet, its peanut butter, and its also a good pre or post workout meal. Depending on the exercise I can often have the whole banana and both tablespoons and just split them up before and after, or save half for that bedtime snack.
Growing up my father owned a Dairy Queen. When I worked there in my early 20's I was at my thinnest, even while exposed to all that deliciousness. Why? Because when I wanted a peanut buster parfait, I just put a bit of vanilla on a spoon, dribbled on some fudge and a few peanuts. Boom! Tiny parfait.
Perhaps portion control on the sweets is a good place to start. You can, and have been choosing to put 700 calories on sweets in a day, try cutting that in half and using the extra 350 for a larger portion of something more nutritious during an earlier meal, or a bedtime snack.
The choices are yours alone, while it would help to have a supportive spouse, you have to remember the choice is still yours alone. Now this is totally unscientific but it also helps me to picture the sugar feeding the fat and potential disease, and the fruits, veggies, protein and whole grain feeding that thin 20-something that I used to be, still am on the inside, and am working toward again. (almost 50 now) Those feed the slim and fit me.0 -
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successgal1 wrote: »Ummm are you trying to lose weight? I'm no expert, nor do I know your height and weight and all that, but speaking personally, 2000 calories is too high for me and I would gain weight on that calorie goal.
But, others can focus on that...I'm only chiming in with what works for me, and thats focusing on food as fuel or medicine. Sugar does not fuel me for longer than a sugar rush, nor is it good for me according to my doctor. I'm told whole grains are fine, but to limit dairy, limit, not exclude it.
I'm on 1200 calories. Every bite I take I think of "is this helping or hurting" will it fuel a workout or a recovery, is it nutrition? or is it just a fun food. People here can talk all they want about CICO, but when you're on such a limited calorie goal then those calories better be helping.
Also, I try to remember that limiting sweets does not mean I can never have them, I CHOOSE not to have them right now. Also, why do I have to have what a package says is a serving? Why can't I have just half of that so I get the flavor with lesser calories? For example, I love peanut butter, 2 tablespoons is a serving, but its so calorie DENSE that on a 1200 calorie day with no workout I simply can't fit it in and be satiated. However, pre or post workout, I CAN put ONE tablespoon on a half banana. Its sweet, its peanut butter, and its also a good pre or post workout meal. Depending on the exercise I can often have the whole banana and both tablespoons and just split them up before and after, or save half for that bedtime snack.
Growing up my father owned a Dairy Queen. When I worked there in my early 20's I was at my thinnest, even while exposed to all that deliciousness. Why? Because when I wanted a peanut buster parfait, I just put a bit of vanilla on a spoon, dribbled on some fudge and a few peanuts. Boom! Tiny parfait.
Perhaps portion control on the sweets is a good place to start. You can, and have been choosing to put 700 calories on sweets in a day, try cutting that in half and using the extra 350 for a larger portion of something more nutritious during an earlier meal, or a bedtime snack.
The choices are yours alone, while it would help to have a supportive spouse, you have to remember the choice is still yours alone. Now this is totally unscientific but it also helps me to picture the sugar feeding the fat and potential disease, and the fruits, veggies, protein and whole grain feeding that thin 20-something that I used to be, still am on the inside, and am working toward again. (almost 50 now) Those feed the slim and fit me.
Thank you for the suggestions. I have made up my mind to cut down on the sweets. For starters, and this is big for me, I am going to try to eat very little candy, cookies, etc. I will try to have no more than a couple of hundred calories of those types of things in a day.0 -
successgal1 wrote: »Ummm are you trying to lose weight? I'm no expert, nor do I know your height and weight and all that, but speaking personally, 2000 calories is too high for me and I would gain weight on that calorie goal.
But, others can focus on that...I'm only chiming in with what works for me, and thats focusing on food as fuel or medicine. Sugar does not fuel me for longer than a sugar rush, nor is it good for me according to my doctor. I'm told whole grains are fine, but to limit dairy, limit, not exclude it.
I'm on 1200 calories. Every bite I take I think of "is this helping or hurting" will it fuel a workout or a recovery, is it nutrition? or is it just a fun food. People here can talk all they want about CICO, but when you're on such a limited calorie goal then those calories better be helping.
Also, I try to remember that limiting sweets does not mean I can never have them, I CHOOSE not to have them right now. Also, why do I have to have what a package says is a serving? Why can't I have just half of that so I get the flavor with lesser calories? For example, I love peanut butter, 2 tablespoons is a serving, but its so calorie DENSE that on a 1200 calorie day with no workout I simply can't fit it in and be satiated. However, pre or post workout, I CAN put ONE tablespoon on a half banana. Its sweet, its peanut butter, and its also a good pre or post workout meal. Depending on the exercise I can often have the whole banana and both tablespoons and just split them up before and after, or save half for that bedtime snack.
Growing up my father owned a Dairy Queen. When I worked there in my early 20's I was at my thinnest, even while exposed to all that deliciousness. Why? Because when I wanted a peanut buster parfait, I just put a bit of vanilla on a spoon, dribbled on some fudge and a few peanuts. Boom! Tiny parfait.
Perhaps portion control on the sweets is a good place to start. You can, and have been choosing to put 700 calories on sweets in a day, try cutting that in half and using the extra 350 for a larger portion of something more nutritious during an earlier meal, or a bedtime snack.
The choices are yours alone, while it would help to have a supportive spouse, you have to remember the choice is still yours alone. Now this is totally unscientific but it also helps me to picture the sugar feeding the fat and potential disease, and the fruits, veggies, protein and whole grain feeding that thin 20-something that I used to be, still am on the inside, and am working toward again. (almost 50 now) Those feed the slim and fit me.
I forgot to answer your question about whether I'm trying to lose weight. I only need to lose about 9 pounds that I have put back on. Hopefully that will happen with eating less sugar. I actually lost most of my weight eating 2000 calories. And exercising most every day - about 9 hours per week.
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I had issues moderating sweets too. Jujubes and pop were problems for me. I felt like I needed one or the other almost every day. My problem was that I would eat the whole bag or drink more than one can. Huge cravings. It felt almost addictive like. It felt like if I ate I wanted more. I was eating every couple of hours. It got a bit crazy.
I switched to a very low carb diet to control it and improve my blood glucose. I was failing at cutting back on sugar so I decided to cut it out entirely, and limit my carbs very strictly since carbs are just sugar anyways.
It worked. I had a few days of hunger and cravings but then it went away. I was a bit shaky with hypoglycaemia but it was not bad so I powered through. I felt a bit if fatigue as my body switched to relying on fat instead of sugar but it adjusted within a few days. The symptoms of headaches, extreme fatigue, moodiness, muscle soreness and nausea that is often associated with low carbs is usually an electrolyte imbalance. If sodium is increased to 3000-5000mg per day, and potassium and magnesium is supplemented then electrolytes won't get low and one would feel fine.
I have been eating under 20g of carbs per day for about 8 months. If I do indulge, like the carrot cake and veggies i ate while staying with family this past weekend, I do not regain water weight. All I regain is my cravings so it takes me some willpower to cut it back down and not over eat. If I keep carbs low, sugar cravings and habits are a complete non issue.
To be honest, thinking about giving up carbs was harder than doing it. I danced around it by trying moderation again and again and again for about a year. Then I would start lower carb, not fully commit and have more carbs and then it would fall apart. That dabbling in low carb and anticipating the loss of carbs was hard. Once I did it, it was not a big deal. Wish I had done it 20 years ago.
Good luck!0 -
I'm a firm believer in really understanding what the issue is, and then making a plan to tackle it. It seems like you need some information regarding sugar: both naturally occurring and added. And then make a plan. When I was cleaning up my own diet years ago I tried to learn as much as I could, then I decided what made sense to ME, in my context.
If it were me, starting now, I'd read up on sugars and carbs (simple and complex and refined). And make a game plan. For me it would include eliminating added sugars and heavily refined carbs for a few weeks. And then reassessing. Figure out what works for you.0 -
I had issues moderating sweets too. Jujubes and pop were problems for me. I felt like I needed one or the other almost every day. My problem was that I would eat the whole bag or drink more than one can. Huge cravings. It felt almost addictive like. It felt like if I ate I wanted more. I was eating every couple of hours. It got a bit crazy.
I switched to a very low carb diet to control it and improve my blood glucose. I was failing at cutting back on sugar so I decided to cut it out entirely, and limit my carbs very strictly since carbs are just sugar anyways.
It worked. I had a few days of hunger and cravings but then it went away. I was a bit shaky with hypoglycaemia but it was not bad so I powered through. I felt a bit if fatigue as my body switched to relying on fat instead of sugar but it adjusted within a few days. The symptoms of headaches, extreme fatigue, moodiness, muscle soreness and nausea that is often associated with low carbs is usually an electrolyte imbalance. If sodium is increased to 3000-5000mg per day, and potassium and magnesium is supplemented then electrolytes won't get low and one would feel fine.
I have been eating under 20g of carbs per day for about 8 months. If I do indulge, like the carrot cake and veggies i ate while staying with family this past weekend, I do not regain water weight. All I regain is my cravings so it takes me some willpower to cut it back down and not over eat. If I keep carbs low, sugar cravings and habits are a complete non issue.
To be honest, thinking about giving up carbs was harder than doing it. I danced around it by trying moderation again and again and again for about a year. Then I would start lower carb, not fully commit and have more carbs and then it would fall apart. That dabbling in low carb and anticipating the loss of carbs was hard. Once I did it, it was not a big deal. Wish I had done it 20 years ago.
Good luck!
Are you diabetic? Me me, I can't imagine not eating more carbs than that. Good carbs, that is.
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if you need to eat a cookie.. eat one don't eat the whole box.
you have to tell yourself and convince yourself that you don't want to do it. Try to stay away from people that have a habit of eating sugary stuff.
my suggestion would be eat a full balanced meal. 600 calories. lots of lettuce.. a good amount of protein and at least a cup of vegetables.
don't touch breads and rice... then an hour later.. go ahead an indulge on your cookie.0 -
My husband is a junk food master. He is not on a diet. He does have his own cupboard full of crap. No lock on it l'm a big girl if I go into it it's my own fault. I take responsibility for my actions. Granted he now loves having his own cupboard. Lol0
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