Sugar Addiction...

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msemotan
msemotan Posts: 23 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone,

I am looking for input on this issue. I have been on Atkins for about 9 months, following phase 1, and have had great success with this. I just recently reintroduced fruits and starting making protein shakes. Also, I am trying to eat leaner protein and not so much fats as I was while on atkins (nuts, cheese, etc.) because I am upping my carb intake. I eat frequently and eat a carb (fruit or veg, still off grains), a protein and a fat at every "mini" meal. I think this is a good healthy long term plan, BUT... Just having healthy carbs back in my life has causes me to make bad choices routinely with sweets (e.g. eating ice cream). I must be some kind of addict! Any advice or encouragement would be appreciated.

Replies

  • chellekoren
    chellekoren Posts: 273 Member
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    I get that. My mind and will power seems to work better when I tell myself I can't have that at all. If I say I can have such and such in small doses, usually I will keep saying one more is ok. And then I'm over my calories. So my weaknesses, I decide at the beginning of the week that on Saturday or Sunday (not both cuz that didn't work) I will have one of my weaknesses. But still try to be at a deficit or at least maintenance. So all week I will be good. Atkins taught me that about myself. However, I found that on Atkins, I couldn't exercise and be low carb. I had dizzy spells and generally no energy and I want to exercise while losing.
  • msemotan
    msemotan Posts: 23 Member
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    Thanks for the reply, exercise is actually the main reason I wanted to reintroduce healthy carbs! I wanted to have more energy during workouts and to build muscle.
  • msemotan
    msemotan Posts: 23 Member
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    I understand that having treats, such as ice cream, in moderation is ok. What I am expressing is my choices are not in moderation and I feel out of control when I make them. I am still trying to loose weight and this is a hinderance for me. I have noticed since I made these changes that I gaining some fat stores.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Just having healthy carbs back in my life has causes me to make bad choices routinely with sweets (e.g. eating ice cream).

    How does this happen? I get that maybe ice cream is something you can't moderate yet, but what's going on specifically (you don't need to tell us, I mean think this through) when you end up getting unplanned treats?

    It's helpful IMO to have a structure when it comes to eating. For me that means planning to have a certain number of meals (and snacks if you eat them) and to have a plan for those meals. This doesn't mean pre logging unless you like that -- for example, I usually have one of two breakfasts, lunch and dinner that follow certain patterns (based around protein and vegetables, but also with healthy fats and other carbs like a starch or fruit or a mixed item like dairy). Then IF I have extra calories I might add in a treat in the evening, which could be cheese or could be something like ice cream (I'd avoid anything that is a trigger food for you). Since this is structured, I only eat it as it fits in the calories.

    When I find I overeat is if I ignore structure and just graze. (For me it doesn't really matter what I graze on, but if you were cutting out all foods you tended to overeat and now have in your mind that you can add them back in, I can see how you'd think about them more again. My guess is that this might have happened at some point anyway, though, if you like these foods and come upon them on a regular basis.)
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
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    msemotan wrote: »
    I understand that having treats, such as ice cream, in moderation is ok. What I am expressing is my choices are not in moderation and I feel out of control when I make them. I am still trying to loose weight and this is a hinderance for me. I have noticed since I made these changes that I gaining some fat stores.

    But you're not out of control. You're just not exercising it.

    When eating ice cream, weigh it and log it before eating. See if that helps with discipline.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    msemotan wrote: »
    I eat frequently and eat a carb (fruit or veg, still off grains), a protein and a fat at every "mini" meal. I think this is a good healthy long term plan, BUT... Just having healthy carbs back in my life has causes me to make bad choices routinely with sweets (e.g. eating ice cream). I must be some kind of addict! Any advice or encouragement would be appreciated.

    If low carb isn't a sustainable option for you what about intermittent fasting? For some it has the same effect on compulsive eating that low carb does. At the very least I would try eating two or three larger meals a day instead of the mini meals and see how you make out.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited May 2016
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    If you like ice cream and you find yourself eating an excess amount, why not try bulking it up a bit? For instance, have one serving of ice cream, but add a small banana to it. It will feel like a bigger bowl but have a few less calories (just remember to weigh that banana!) :)
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
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    If it's making you feel out of control, and you don't like how it makes you feel, it's better to get rid of it. Read Allen Carr's Easy way to lose weight. He wrote the famous quit smoking book and this one helps you give up snacking and sugar. It has made a world of difference to me. I am actually enjoying the process of losing weight instead of it feeling like a ton of work and deprivation like it used to. There are some vegetarian things in it too but you don't have to become a vegetarian if you don't believe it.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,082 Member
    edited May 2016
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    AlabasterVerve wrote: »
    msemotan wrote: »
    I eat frequently and eat a carb (fruit or veg, still off grains), a protein and a fat at every "mini" meal. I think this is a good healthy long term plan, BUT... Just having healthy carbs back in my life has causes me to make bad choices routinely with sweets (e.g. eating ice cream). I must be some kind of addict! Any advice or encouragement would be appreciated.

    If low carb isn't a sustainable option for you what about intermittent fasting? For some it has the same effect on compulsive eating that low carb does. At the very least I would try eating two or three larger meals a day instead of the mini meals and see how you make out.

    Yeah, I'm in this camp. I've had actual, for-real compulsion/addiction issues (not only food) and I can definitely trace my behavior issues back to early childhood and binge-eating ice cream, cookies, candy, soda pop, potato chips etc. So I believe there is a type of feedback loop in the brain's pleasure center that happens to some people with some foods - mostly carb-heavy ones.

    For me it took a few years to figure out, but I now limit my carbs to under 150g a day (1400-1700 calories total) and I eat two largish meals and one small snack in an eight hour window. So both lowish carbs and intermittent fasting are what work for me. That and a good, "No," response to treats. :( If I step outside any one of these three things, it sometimes takes me days to get back in line again.
  • endlessfall16
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
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    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    msemotan wrote: »
    I understand that having treats, such as ice cream, in moderation is ok. What I am expressing is my choices are not in moderation and I feel out of control when I make them. I am still trying to loose weight and this is a hinderance for me. I have noticed since I made these changes that I gaining some fat stores.

    But you're not out of control. You're just not exercising it.

    When eating ice cream, weigh it and log it before eating. See if that helps with discipline.

    I don't understand how they made binge into a disorder but not sugar obsession. When is something qualified as "out of control" and when not?

  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,135 Member
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    dragon_girl26 wrote: »
    If you like ice cream and you find yourself eating an excess amount, why not try bulking it up a bit? For instance, have one serving of ice cream, but add a small banana to it. It will feel like a bigger bowl but have a few less calories (just remember to weigh that banana!) :)

    Or use smaller bowls/plates.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
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    msemotan wrote: »
    I understand that having treats, such as ice cream, in moderation is ok. What I am expressing is my choices are not in moderation and I feel out of control when I make them. I am still trying to loose weight and this is a hinderance for me. I have noticed since I made these changes that I gaining some fat stores.

    I've learned that I can moderate the Ben & Jerry's mini cups, which do not come in my favorite flavors, but not the pints. So I don't buy the pints anymore. I have a big long list of treats I can moderate, and a smaller list of those I cannot. How I handle them is not having them in the house.

    The following eliminated my sugar cravings:

    1. Get sufficient sleep
    2. Exercise regularly - when I get the happy hormones from exercise, I'm not prone to seeking them from food.
    3. Get sufficient protein in relationship to carbs. I'm not low carb, but reducing carbs and upping protein worked for cravings for me. See also http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html
    4. Eat moderate amounts of fruit. This makes me less interested in higher calorie sweets.
    5. Take a magnesium supplement. This can be especially helpful for women premenstrually.
    6. Save foods like chocolate for after dinner, in small amounts
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited May 2016
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    I can moderate most things fine if I measure it out and put it on a plate or in a bowl. I think a lot of people get into trouble by thinking that they should be able to eat out of a pint or bag and stop when they don't want anymore and when they keep wanting more they say they can't moderate.

    I realize that's not what everyone is talking about, but sometimes I think people have unrealistic expectations.

    For me, eating out of a big bowl (including eating family style from the table and letting myself have seconds) isn't going to result in moderation without lots and lots of will power (will power that I often can exercise, but not always, and why make it harder than it needs to be). Measuring out the portions that are appropriate and putting the food away and telling myself this is it, well, that makes moderation much easier.
  • greentart
    greentart Posts: 411 Member
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    I would suggest buying single serve items if you really want something, but if you can't control yourself, don't buy any. You can't eat what you don't have in the house. Try having berries in heavy cream instead. Healthy fats, healthy carbs, healthy sugars, and freaking delicious.
  • msemotan
    msemotan Posts: 23 Member
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    Thanks for the comments everyone. I really appreciate the comments that gave advice for how to manage food cravings and moderate treats when you chose to have them. You have helped me to feel empowered and encouraged.

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