Sugar addicts first post-its a mental game for me

2

Replies

  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,455 Member
    I think asking me to be even better is so unrealistic. I want to be congratulated for the amazing change. and my original question was how do I deal with the mental aspect to not fall off the wagon and go right back to eating nothing but 100% junk all the time. I feel triggered right now- like if people tell me Im not doing good enough by having 1-2 servings of junk, well then I might as well just go back to eating all junk and nothing but junk, 100% if my current diet is not good enough for people. I thought I was doing so good. And basically yes I am in a coma practically cause I have been basically bedridden for many years now. I feel very hurt that you are saying that what I am doing is not good enough. I lost 6 pounds in 7 days but its not good enough. I cut out like 19 servings of junk food and started eating turkey on wheat and apples and bananas and almonds but that isnt good enough? Well I guess Ill just go finish all those 6 remaining packages of oreos I have. Bye.

    At least you are honest that what you really want is just affirmation - woo hoo, good job!

    However, if you are interested in actual helpful advice, I would pay attention to what @kommodevaran is saying. What you've done so far is a great start, no doubt, but it's been a week. Many of us that have been working on a healthy lifestyle for weeks, months, even years know that this is an iterative process where you constantly have to work to improve. Cutting back drastically on the "junk" is great but you aren't eating enough total calories to provide you energy and sustenance to keep this up for the long term, which is why she is suggesting eating more total nutrient dense foods. You are doing well, but this is a marathon not a sprint, so you need to have a strategy beyond the first 6 days...
  • bonniescheddar
    bonniescheddar Posts: 11 Member
    But you aren't doing amazing, you are having cravings like hell. And that is because you are still eating predominantly junk. 1/2 ounce of meat is not enough protein. Half a serving of fruit is not enough to provide the vitamins you need. Juice is not food, you could as well drink soda.

    You don't lose 6 pounds of fat in 7 days. You can lose 1-2 pounds in a week. You weigh less now because you are eating smaller amounts of food than usual. If you choose to try the plan I suggested, be aware that you initially will weigh a bit more because the food weighs more, but your weight will not continue to rise, it will drop. Maybe you will get more energy too.

    I get that this wasn't the answer you expected. But no affirmations in the world can help you unless you improve your diet, massively. The mental aspect lies in that you are afraid of change. I can understand that. But this eating plan is realistic and doable. It's a perfectly normal diet. Basic foods you can buy everywhere, no elaborate preparations necessary. You are not going to suffer. You will have to go out of your comfort zone. But it's either that or continue to struggle badly. Your current diet is extreme. You will not be able to continue that way of eating. You will fall off the wagon - although I can't really see any wagon.

    REALLY? CAUSE THE BIGGEST CRAVING I HAD ALL WEEK WAS AFTER YOU WROTE YOUT HURTFUL AND CRITICAL REMARKS. IT MADE ME WANT TO GO ON A BINGE AND EAT EVERYTHING IN SITE. YOU ARE NOT HELPING. YOU ARE ONLY HURTING.
  • bonniescheddar
    bonniescheddar Posts: 11 Member
    leejoyce31 wrote: »
    I don't have a tape measure to measure myself. I want to get one. Yes I am logging everything I eat. I actually do better when I am being strict then when I am giving myself more leeway. Also, fyi, I am VERY VERY sedentary. So basically I shouldnt need as many calories as other people.

    Just the fact that I am logging everything is more then I usually do. Usually I feel its very inconvenient to log everything. I think the fact that I am logging is helping me stay on track.

    My challenge right now is that my housemate left for a week and left behind her oreos so that basically gives me permission to eat them. She wont care. Also they are finally stale (yeah!) I LOVE them stale. They are softer that way. Mmmm. I want to eat all of the stale ones before my 3rd housemate gets them. Maybe I will just stick them in my closest so no one else will eat them but then I don't have to rush to eat them.

    So logging all my food helps. But I need other tricks to stay on track.

    I can't see your diary. It says that it's private. I don't see the button to view the diary. Did you make it public?

    I had made it public but yesterday after Kommodervan made hurtful remarks I changed it to friends only.
  • bonniescheddar
    bonniescheddar Posts: 11 Member
    edited August 2016
    Wow some of you guys are so unrealistic. You cant expect people to go from eating 20 servings of junk food every day to eating ZERO overnight. That is a surefire way to fall off the wagon. I think going from 20 servings of junk a day to 1-2 servings is a wonderful improvement. You have to consider where a person is starting out from. You guys were already eating pretty healthy. I was not. This is a HUGE change for me. I think its pretty sad that I was doing WAY better on my own before so many people starting telling me Im not doing good enough. Im not coming back to this thread because there are too many perfectionists on here who are triggering me like crazy. I did not have one single binge all week on my own but as soon as I read hurtful remarks then I was crying for like 3 hours and I did have a binge. Your "support" is not helpful. It may be the right tactic for you to be perfectionists but I cannot deny myself THAT much and will fall right off the wagon if I listen to some of your comments. Thanks for nothing. I am proud of myself for the changes I have made and I dont care if people want to sarcastically mock me for my positivity toward my improvements or call me weak for wanting to stay positive and for going with changes that are maintainable instead of trying to make the perfection Olympics.
  • sfcrocker
    sfcrocker Posts: 163 Member
    I *LOVE* sugar of all kinds, especially real Vermont maple syrup. For me, the key has been cutting back but not giving it up. I'm finding that substitutes and lightly sweetened stuff just doesn't cut it for me--I'd rather save the calories and just eat less of the real thing.

    My point is that if you love sugar and give it up entirely, your diet may work for awhile but not as a lifestyle, so find ways to work it in. Maybe instead of a chocolate bar (400 calories) or half a container of Ben & Jerry's (600 calories or more) have a Tootsie Pop (60 calories AND takes longer than the cake to eat).
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,455 Member
    Wow some of you guys are so unrealistic. You cant expect people to go from eating 20 servings of junk food every day to eating ZERO overnight. That is a surefire way to fall off the wagon. I think going from 20 servings of junk a day to 1-2 servings is a wonderful improvement. You have to consider where a person is starting out from. You guys were already eating pretty healthy. I was not. This is a HUGE change for me. I think its pretty sad that I was doing WAY better on my own before so many people starting telling me Im not doing good enough. Im not coming back to this thread because there are too many perfectionists on here who are triggering me like crazy. I did not have one single binge all week on my own but as soon as I read hurtful remarks then I was crying for like 3 hours and I did have a binge. Your "support" is not helpful. It may be the right tactic for you to be perfectionists but I cannot deny myself THAT much and will fall right off the wagon if I listen to some of your comments. Thanks for nothing. I am proud of myself for the changes I have made and I dont care if people want to sarcastically mock me for that or call me weak for wanting to stay positive and for going with changes that are maintainable instead of trying to make the perfection Olympics.

    I don't think we are reading the same thread. People aren't saying you should never have "treats", at least I'm certainly not. I'm an advocate for eating all foods in moderation, but it is important to make sure you are eating enough total food (energy) and a good balance of both macro and micro nutrients, and then work in the indulgences with the room you have left...

    If there are particular foods that trigger binges for you, many people find better luck with abstaining altogether, rather than moderating, at least initially.

    No one has been hostile or hurtful. People are giving you advice from experience... If these type of advice and suggestions trigger a binge for you, then I don't believe you are in a good mental place to be participating in these or any other forums. Are you seeing a doctor for Binge Eating Disorder?
  • mrmeza123
    mrmeza123 Posts: 34 Member
    Try and find alternatives. It is a "life or death situation" and you need to leave the house. Get rid of the sweets when others are done and have them do it. Only buy the amount you need for the night. You shouldn't be eating them any time other than dessert. Soda is a big one. Buy the smallest size just to take the edge off or buy a coffee with sugar cream.
  • mrmeza123
    mrmeza123 Posts: 34 Member
    If you start eating the sweets, don't think the game is over for you. It is a continual fight with intake. Stop as soon as the craving goes away and you had the "good feeling" go away. You'll be surprised where you'll be in a couple weeks from where you started. Pretty soon you'll be missing out more than you'd think. Another good idea is to make plans for the day in between meals, and don't take any money with you. And fight through it, it don't matter as long as you get what you needed to get done without taking in snacks.
  • AnabolicMind2011
    AnabolicMind2011 Posts: 211 Member
    But you aren't doing amazing, you are having cravings like hell. And that is because you are still eating predominantly junk. 1/2 ounce of meat is not enough protein. Half a serving of fruit is not enough to provide the vitamins you need. Juice is not food, you could as well drink soda.

    You don't lose 6 pounds of fat in 7 days. You can lose 1-2 pounds in a week. You weigh less now because you are eating smaller amounts of food than usual. If you choose to try the plan I suggested, be aware that you initially will weigh a bit more because the food weighs more, but your weight will not continue to rise, it will drop. Maybe you will get more energy too.

    I get that this wasn't the answer you expected. But no affirmations in the world can help you unless you improve your diet, massively. The mental aspect lies in that you are afraid of change. I can understand that. But this eating plan is realistic and doable. It's a perfectly normal diet. Basic foods you can buy everywhere, no elaborate preparations necessary. You are not going to suffer. You will have to go out of your comfort zone. But it's either that or continue to struggle badly. Your current diet is extreme. You will not be able to continue that way of eating. You will fall off the wagon - although I can't really see any wagon.

    REALLY? CAUSE THE BIGGEST CRAVING I HAD ALL WEEK WAS AFTER YOU WROTE YOUT HURTFUL AND CRITICAL REMARKS. IT MADE ME WANT TO GO ON A BINGE AND EAT EVERYTHING IN SITE. YOU ARE NOT HELPING. YOU ARE ONLY HURTING.

    Whoa! I don't think anyone here ever intended on hurting you. People where being honest. We're all adults here. You created a thread and people gave your their highest opinions. You can't expect the world to be all lolly pops and gum drops. You won't always get a pat on the back, that's life. I happen to agree with the other members, your diet needs some changes. I personally would never eat that way. You can have some treats but not every food you consume should be a treat. People are being honest. It's your body, eat what you want. But you can't expect people to say "good job! "When they don't really believe you've done a good job. So buck up buttercup!
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    This is my first post. Junk food is all I think about all day long every day. Im a sugar addict (chocolate mostly). I have never met someone with cravings like mine. I have about 35 extra pounds and 100% of it is in my stomach. Therefore normal clothes dont fit me. Im on day 6 now of a new diet and can use some advice on how not to keep falling off the wagon. The mental aspect is most important- maybe positive affirmations, maybe advice from other sugar or food addicts?

    I'm wondering if you might not want to put the weight loss on the back burner until you've achieved a more balanced diet. If you are drastically changing your diet AND your calories at the same time, that sounds like a lot of stress, and at the moment it sounds like achieving better dietary balance would be more beneficial to you, mentally and physically. I recently read an article on cultivating good habits and/or eliminating bad ones and I think the principles it mentioned were excellent: 1) Don't try to change everything at once. 2) Set up your environment for success (i.e., no Oreos in the closet). 3) Take a long-range view. We will backslide at times, but need to shake it off and keep looking ahead. Wish you the best!
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    And BTW, I like my sweets and junk food, so I'm not suggesting abstinence, just improving the ratio of nutritious to non-nutritious food for a while without having to worry about calories. :)
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Bonnie, is it that you dislike food? Only junk has taste? I used to feel that way. I thought to myself - eating vegetables, sticking to meals, that's not a life for me, I'd rather be overweight. But that's the "addiction" talking. Are you not even a little bit ambivalent? Knowing deep down, that although the junk tastes good, it doesn't really do anything good for you? There is no right way to do a wrong thing. You are eating mainly junk as before, but now also too few calories. You body is screaming for sustenance. You don't have to log your food. You don't have to eat vegetables. You don't have to do anything - but if you want to overcome the "addiction", you have to stop the abuse. You need to remove yourself from the substance. And you need an alternative that is better, or else you'll relapse. Is there any food you like? Anything, if you could choose anything on the planet? Treat yourself. No matter what changes you implement, your life will be better than what you are going through now. Food has great taste, you just can't sense it because you are so used to junk. Try?
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    What you are saying about us already eating pretty healthy when we started, isn't necessarily correct. Fall 2013, when I decided I needed to lose weight and get in better eating habits and start moving, I ate and reasoned just as you do now. But I was fed up and had decided to change, and so I did. I started by having breakfast and lunch every day - a set menu of "dry oatmeal and milk, fruit and veg for breakfast, 2 crispbread, milk, fruit and veg for lunch", and aiming to make dinner "most days". Exercise? Goal was to walk for 20 to 30 minutes every day. And I threw out all the trigger foods.

    This is not about being perfect, in fact, to get a better life, we have to let go of perfectionism. Trying to be perfect is a stumbling block for good health.

    Eating 6 packets of cookies isn't "not denying yourself", that's outright self harm. You think you are comforting yourself, it's your go-to coping mechanism, but it isn't helping you. Crying can in fact be better, and crying for three hours isn't dangerous to your health; eating the way you are now, is. Also, can you tell us which items are the 1-2 servings of junk? All the food I remember from your diary was 1/3 banana and what appeared to be single slices of turkey breast.

    Sarcasm? Mocking? Take a round around the forums and you'll see both sarcasm and lots of harsh fun. In this thread, all of us, even I, have been atypically patient and friendly. We ARE supportive. What we don't do, is cheer for harmful behavior. You are hurting your health by eating too little food and too few calories. Maybe you just aren't ready to change yet. That is OK. You are ready when you are ready. Nobody can force you to be ready.
  • MyriiStorm
    MyriiStorm Posts: 609 Member
    The title of your thread says it all - "it's a mental game for me." Part of you wants to eat better, lose weight and improve your health. Another part of you wants the Oreos. None of us can reconcile those two parts for you; only you can do that. You may need to seek outside help (coaching or counseling) to deal with the junk food addiction, but again, you are the only one who can seek help and commit to it.

    We can cheer you on as you embark on the journey (and I think cutting way back on the junk food already is awesome!), and encourage you to get back on the wagon when you fall off (as we all do at times), but you are the one who has to take the steps along the path. I hope you will decide that you are well worth the effort.
  • Alishia6606
    Alishia6606 Posts: 140 Member
    I saw something on Pinterest a while back and I can't remember all the facts on it. But it was a list of foods to eat based on what you're craving. Maybe Google can help out there?
  • llaurenmarie
    llaurenmarie Posts: 1,260 Member
    Might be worth it to add--

    Until I severely cut my sugar consumption, I had wildly unreasonable mood swings and depression.. triggering binges and vice versa. It's a vicious cycle.
  • Chrissypa69
    Chrissypa69 Posts: 1 Member
    edited August 2016
    I am new here too but have the same problem with WANTING (not actually doing so) to eat, not just sweets, but ANYTHING! I have been on and off diets since I had my first child 28 years ago. What I have done recently was to put shelves in my laundry room and put EVERYTHING in there that I have problems eating and then I put a new door handle on that locks and gave the key to my family and it gets locked every evening. My snacks are laid on the table for the day and once they are gone that is it. I know that is going to the extreme but I cannot eliminate the things from the house that my family eats so my solution was to lock them away so I can't get to them. I don't have any problem during the day because I work and am only at home at lunch time and don't feel the urge to binge. My hardest time is in the evening. Alot of people don't understand and say just don't eat it. I have an eating disorder just like someone else has a tobacco or drug habit and it is extremely hard to change this, so saying "just don't eat it" just makes me mad and doesn't help! Make changes in your house for your benefit. That is the only way I can do it. It sounds to me like you are doing much better! It's important you make small changes and not try to do it all at once. I'm talking from experience here! If I try to just cut everything out all at once I'm done for! And I believe that you can eat anything in moderation. But measuring is extremely important too! What you think looks like a serving can be alot more than one. Good Luck! HTH!

    P.S.There is no way I would have bought all those oreos unless they could be locked away! That is just asking for trouble. For me anyway!
  • Nads36
    Nads36 Posts: 108 Member
    Well for me I have small packs of popcorn raging from 76 cals to 95cals (yoghurt coated taste like white chocolate) and that does the trick...takes a while to eat unlike a chocolate bar...can scoff one of them in one sitting! lol - Good luck fellow sugar addicts...not easy dealing with these cravings! :wink:
  • Nads36
    Nads36 Posts: 108 Member
    Oh and if I am desperate I have a packet of sugar free sweets - especially the hard boiled ones...tricks the brain into thinking you are having a proper sugar fix...just be careful not too have too many in one go - may cause laxative effects!