Seriously Addicted to Sugar!

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  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    cerise_noir wrote: »
    Ugh.... please don't start the 'sugar is a drug, sugar is like *insert drug of choice*' crap.

    Yeah, I agree, and I don't think the argument is helpful to OP either. Talking about what specifically leads to him or her feeling out of control and what we all did to help us cut back on foods we tended to overeat probably is what would be helpful.

    I understand that some people for whatever reason really want to argue that it is an addiction, but I don't see how that helps OP.

    Good point. I'm sorry I went there.

    Okay, I'll share. I'm at a point where I can't moderate right now, so here's what I'm doing. I'm just not buying things. That's easy for me to do because I have to eat a special diet and need different treat foods than my family does. I really have no other advice. If it's not around, you can't eat it.

    Back in the days when I had a job and there were office treats, I just ignored them. I have the ability to draw a line in the sand and say no more. A sort of cold turkey approach.

    I've been able to moderate treats in the past, and I expect to be able to do so again. I don't know what's going on with me right now and am working to get through this phase. I suspect it has to do with cutting body fat, but that's me.

    What are you feeling? Do you just feel out of control? Like once you start you can't stop? Do you feel like since the food is bad you might as well eat the whole bit and then you're never eating it again?
  • walterm852
    walterm852 Posts: 409 Member
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    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    walterm852 wrote: »
    zyxst wrote: »
    walterm852 wrote: »
    manther88 wrote: »
    I've been addicted to sugar my whole life and I'm 28 years old now. I've tried giving it up many times in my life and just go back to it. Im 5'8.5 and have never weighed more than 210 lbs. I currently weigh 199 lbs and jump back and forth from 193 - 199.

    I need advice on how to kick sugar to the curb for good!! I eat so much that I'm scared I'm eating myself to death! I need help but don't know where to go.

    People who have never had addiction problems will never understand.
    Actually, most of the time it's people who have addictions that scoff at sugar addiction (especially when the sugar = cocaine comparison crops up).

    FTR, I have a drug addiction. The only way I stopped was to stop taking the drug. Can't really do that with sugar because you would starve to death.

    I know people scoff at it, and I described in my post, its not as scary as alcohol...for me.

    I also know in my experience with addiction and addiction recovery, people use comparisons but it doesn't make the situation any better. "I was more of a drunk than you" or "Coke addiction is worse than alcohol addiction" so blah blah blah. Because cocaine addiction is "worse" doesnt make the original poster feel any better about what he is feeling and going through right now and his ability to stop.

    Cool that you mock me with your Gif, the 5k+ mega posters and experts on all issues have driven a lot of good people out of the community rooms.

    Did you miss her mentioning that she's a drug addict and that's why she posted that gif?

    Your understanding of the issue is limited because you're using rat studies, and they don't necessarily translate to humans. They only, when it comes to this sort of thing, call for further research.

    In a recent meta-analysis of human studies, it was concluded that there's no evidence of physical addiction to sugar in humans.

    This isn't to say the some people don't struggle with certain foods. And this seems to be the OP's case.

    The problem with calling it an addiction to "sugar" is that sugar is present in foods like fruits, vegetables and dairy, and that if sugar were truly a substance of addiction, those foods would need to be avoided. That would not be healthy. Before you try to say those are different than processed sugar, think again. They are not. When your body breaks everything down and digests it all, sugar is sugar.

    The solution for the OP is simple. OP has a problem with certain trigger foods. He has two options. Restrict the foods that cause issues. Go cold turkey. Don't buy them. There's really no way around it. Just don't eat them. If he wants them on occasion, buy them in single servings.

    Or, he can try to learn to moderate by repeating something simple like "this food is not leaving the planet, if I only have 2 cookies, the rest will be there for me to have 2 more tomorrow."

    I never said I use rat studies???????????
  • walterm852
    walterm852 Posts: 409 Member
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    Treece68 wrote: »
    walterm852 wrote: »
    zyxst wrote: »
    walterm852 wrote: »
    manther88 wrote: »
    I've been addicted to sugar my whole life and I'm 28 years old now. I've tried giving it up many times in my life and just go back to it. Im 5'8.5 and have never weighed more than 210 lbs. I currently weigh 199 lbs and jump back and forth from 193 - 199.

    I need advice on how to kick sugar to the curb for good!! I eat so much that I'm scared I'm eating myself to death! I need help but don't know where to go.

    People who have never had addiction problems will never understand.
    Actually, most of the time it's people who have addictions that scoff at sugar addiction (especially when the sugar = cocaine comparison crops up).

    FTR, I have a drug addiction. The only way I stopped was to stop taking the drug. Can't really do that with sugar because you would starve to death.

    I know people scoff at it, and I described in my post, its not as scary as alcohol...for me.

    I also know in my experience with addiction and addiction recovery, people use comparisons but it doesn't make the situation any better. "I was more of a drunk than you" or "Coke addiction is worse than alcohol addiction" so blah blah blah. Because cocaine addiction is "worse" doesnt make the original poster feel any better about what he is feeling and going through right now and his ability to stop.

    Cool that you mock me with your Gif, the 5k+ mega posters and experts on all issues have driven a lot of good people out of the community rooms.

    I have watched a loved on withdraw from Alcohol abuse, and I myself have cut out sugar previously. They are not the same. They can not even compare. I craved apples. They shiver, and puke, and sweat, and hallucinate, have blood pressure 202/145. IT IS NOT THE SAME!

    With information and education, some people realize they have an issue before it gets to the level that your love one regretfully went through (everyone has their own bottom) . Circling back to a previous comment, if a person feels really bad about themselves, but feel mentally or physically like they cant stop, its an issue.

    We agree, as I said in a previous post "With sugar, the downside isnt that bad (compared to alcohol) so I indulge ... not to binge, but its only a matter of time before I need dessert after every meal and then I am eating 2 pints of ice cream at night every night until I break free. If this sugar issue has done anything for me beyond simple enjoyment, its served as an awesome suggestion to continue not drinking.
  • walterm852
    walterm852 Posts: 409 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    cerise_noir wrote: »
    Ugh.... please don't start the 'sugar is a drug, sugar is like *insert drug of choice*' crap.

    Yeah, I agree, and I don't think the argument is helpful to OP either. Talking about what specifically leads to him or her feeling out of control and what we all did to help us cut back on foods we tended to overeat probably is what would be helpful.

    I understand that some people for whatever reason really want to argue that it is an addiction, but I don't see how that helps OP.

    Awesome, I agree the posts should be about helping the OP, per my first post, I offered my experience.

    I dont think "calling it a drug crap or the addiction" issue started the argument, it was his first sentence "I've been addicted to sugar my whole life" ... that I responded too.
  • ConnieT1030
    ConnieT1030 Posts: 894 Member
    edited December 2016
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    walterm852 wrote: »
    Cool that you mock me with your Gif, the 5k+ mega posters and experts on all issues have driven a lot of good people out of the community rooms.

    This. I know this is tangential, but I rarely even venture into the forums anymore, because everything becomes a earth-shattering argument and hairsplitting semantics. Some of my friends on here refuse come in at all anymore. I tend to be more stubborn though and sometimes can't look away from the trainwrecks. =P

    Back to the subject, I also have a sweet tooth, and although I know and understand all the cico, I absolutely notice that when I indulge in some very sugary sweets, my weight will not budge for some time* after that, despite my calories not being over my limit. And I am *sick and tired* of the "youre not logging correctly" crap. My exact same "incorrect" logging was working fine before, and regardless, I am rarely less than 100-200 below my target, so I have plenty of room to for small errors. Weight loss is definitely not linear, but I can tell you when it's gonna take longer, its when I eat something very (refined) sugary. Some days it is really harder to stay moderate on sweet goodies, but if you can make yourself avoid it for a few days, the desire does go down. Until you indulge in it again. =P

    *for some time, meaning longer than other periods of eating the same amounts.

    edit again: To help, I use stevia in some things, I use lightly sweetened things with splenda for example, fiber one brownies instead of deli brownies. I try to substitute as well as cut back. Just something Ill probably always have to deal with, because I really love chocolate, and very sweet and very rich foods. I cut out regular pop about 6 years ago, with rare exceptions, and these days, the regular pop just doesnt even taste good. Especially since the "no aspartame" diet pepsi, which i think tastes great. I had also switched to very dark chocolate back then, but I never did like it. Id rather have a smaller piece of chocolate i like than a big chunk of bitter chocolate. Its all choices :)
  • walterm852
    walterm852 Posts: 409 Member
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    zyxst wrote: »
    walterm852 wrote: »
    zyxst wrote: »
    walterm852 wrote: »
    manther88 wrote: »
    I've been addicted to sugar my whole life and I'm 28 years old now. I've tried giving it up many times in my life and just go back to it. Im 5'8.5 and have never weighed more than 210 lbs. I currently weigh 199 lbs and jump back and forth from 193 - 199.

    I need advice on how to kick sugar to the curb for good!! I eat so much that I'm scared I'm eating myself to death! I need help but don't know where to go.

    People who have never had addiction problems will never understand.
    Actually, most of the time it's people who have addictions that scoff at sugar addiction (especially when the sugar = cocaine comparison crops up).

    FTR, I have a drug addiction. The only way I stopped was to stop taking the drug. Can't really do that with sugar because you would starve to death.

    I know people scoff at it, and I described in my post, its not as scary as alcohol...for me.

    I also know in my experience with addiction and addiction recovery, people use comparisons but it doesn't make the situation any better. "I was more of a drunk than you" or "Coke addiction is worse than alcohol addiction" so blah blah blah. Because cocaine addiction is "worse" doesnt make the original poster feel any better about what he is feeling and going through right now and his ability to stop.

    Cool that you mock me with your Gif, the 5k+ mega posters and experts on all issues have driven a lot of good people out of the community rooms.

    Yeah, because your alcoholism and counseling experience is much better than my drug addiction. Yes, you know what you're talking about. I know nothing at all.
    yaar.gif
    OP still hasn't said what foods are causing his/her overeating, aka the "sugar addiction". I still bet it's basic "junk" foods that can either be eliminated or moderated without the need for complete removal of all sugars.

    Where did it say I was a counselor?
    Again, with the mocking Gif, why ridicule?

    But I know, as my wife, I am not always right :-)



  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    cerise_noir wrote: »
    Ugh.... please don't start the 'sugar is a drug, sugar is like *insert drug of choice*' crap.

    Yeah, I agree, and I don't think the argument is helpful to OP either. Talking about what specifically leads to him or her feeling out of control and what we all did to help us cut back on foods we tended to overeat probably is what would be helpful.

    I understand that some people for whatever reason really want to argue that it is an addiction, but I don't see how that helps OP.

    Good point. I'm sorry I went there.

    Okay, I'll share. I'm at a point where I can't moderate right now, so here's what I'm doing. I'm just not buying things. That's easy for me to do because I have to eat a special diet and need different treat foods than my family does. I really have no other advice. If it's not around, you can't eat it.

    Cool, and I hope helpful to OP. I'll add mine: I've been struggling with moderation some too (emotional eating stuff), and what works for me is getting back to my original plan of focusing on three main meals, no snacking. I can have a dessert after dinner and fit in the calories, but if I start snacking on office stuff I have no control lately.

    When I first started, I cut out all sugary snacks (added sugar in general) because I wanted to see if that made a difference and because I wanted to teach myself not to go to them for emotional reasons. I still enjoyed having a little something after dinner, and would have cheese (really good cheese) or other non sweet things, and now I try to alternate; my dessert is not always sweet (and I sometimes don't have it).

    Adjusting to not snacking always takes a few days, but then I mostly don't think about the stuff on offer. (Harder now since what's on offer is better, so I usually do work more stuff in around Christmastime.)

    Oh, and beyond this, what I said about having a plan is important, OP. You can't just say "I'll eat less" but should (or it helps me to) have a plan of how you want to eat and how to accomplish that (when you will make meals, foods on hand, that sort of thing). Logging helps with that too.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    WinoGelato wrote: »
    manther88 wrote: »
    I've been addicted to sugar my whole life and I'm 28 years old now. I've tried giving it up many times in my life and just go back to it. Im 5'8.5 and have never weighed more than 210 lbs. I currently weigh 199 lbs and jump back and forth from 193 - 199.

    I need advice on how to kick sugar to the curb for good!! I eat so much that I'm scared I'm eating myself to death! I need help but don't know where to go.

    Let's take a deep breath OP. First, let's review some facts. You are 28 years old, 5'8 and currently weigh ~195 lbs? Are you male or female? Are you trying to lose weight? What is your goal weight?

    You seem to feel sugar is the source of your troubles, that you eat too much of it. Can you be more specific? What sorts of things are you eating? Do you track your foods here? How many grams of sugar are you consuming? When you are eating sugary foods (and I'm assuming you mean sweets not straight sugar or fruits/vegetables) do you feel out of control, like you are binging? Or do you just eat a little too much a little too often and feel that you should cut back?

    Sugar isn't actually an addictive substance, but it is in many tasty foods that people find comforting and may have difficulty moderating. The good news is that by gaining perspective on how much you are actually consuming and what the triggers are for overconsuming it, you can possibly learn to moderate these sort of foods so that you can achieve your goals and still enjoy the foods you love.


    I don't know if OP is coming back but I'm interested in the answer to some of the questions I posed, as well as understanding your original comment that you've tried giving it up many times and always go back to it. Can you elaborate more about that? Have you ever tried moderating your sugar consumption, rather than taking an all or nothing approach?
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited December 2016
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    Mega posters posts
    Sued0nim wrote: »
    History has shown you you can't eliminate so moderate

    Quit focusing on sugar, and focus on calories instead

    Get your calories right, eat foods you enjoy to your calorie limit and move more

    Sugar isn't keeping you overweight, your all or nothing mindset is (and your food intake and movement levels)
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    cerise_noir wrote: »
    Ugh.... please don't start the 'sugar is a drug, sugar is like *insert drug of choice*' crap.

    Yeah, I agree, and I don't think the argument is helpful to OP either. Talking about what specifically leads to him or her feeling out of control and what we all did to help us cut back on foods we tended to overeat probably is what would be helpful.

    I understand that some people for whatever reason really want to argue that it is an addiction, but I don't see how that helps OP.

    Good point. I'm sorry I went there.

    Okay, I'll share. I'm at a point where I can't moderate right now, so here's what I'm doing. I'm just not buying things. That's easy for me to do because I have to eat a special diet and need different treat foods than my family does. I really have no other advice. If it's not around, you can't eat it.

    Back in the days when I had a job and there were office treats, I just ignored them. I have the ability to draw a line in the sand and say no more. A sort of cold turkey approach.

    I've been able to moderate treats in the past, and I expect to be able to do so again. I don't know what's going on with me right now and am working to get through this phase. I suspect it has to do with cutting body fat, but that's me.

    What are you feeling? Do you just feel out of control? Like once you start you can't stop? Do you feel like since the food is bad you might as well eat the whole bit and then you're never eating it again?
    diannethegeek wrote: »
    ConnieT1030 wrote: »
    walterm852 wrote: »
    Cool that you mock me with your Gif, the 5k+ mega posters and experts on all issues have driven a lot of good people out of the community rooms.

    This. I know this is tangential, but I rarely even venture into the forums anymore, because everything becomes a earth-shattering argument and hairsplitting semantics. Some of my friends on here refuse come in at all anymore. I tend to be more stubborn though and sometimes can't look away from the trainwrecks. =P

    Back to the subject, I also have a sweet tooth, and although I know and understand all the cico, I absolutely notice that when I indulge in some very sugary sweets, my weight will not budge for some time* after that, despite my calories not being over my limit. And I am *sick and tired* of the "youre not logging correctly" crap. My exact same "incorrect" logging was working fine before, and regardless, I am rarely less than 100-200 below my target, so I have plenty of room to for small errors. Weight loss is definitely not linear, but I can tell you when it's gonna take longer, its when I eat something very (refined) sugary. Some days it is really harder to stay moderate on sweet goodies, but if you can make yourself avoid it for a few days, the desire does go down. Until you indulge in it again. =P

    *for some time, meaning longer than other periods of eating the same amounts.

    That "you may have some common inaccuracies in your logging which many of us have fallen into over the years and it may help you to reassess" crap has help me and hundreds of others on this board. I stick it out around here because MFP has changed my life and I would like to help others have some of the success I saw as well, but calling my advice "crap" or denigrating those trying to help around here drives away far more helpful posters, ime.
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    cerise_noir wrote: »
    Ugh.... please don't start the 'sugar is a drug, sugar is like *insert drug of choice*' crap.

    Yeah, I agree, and I don't think the argument is helpful to OP either. Talking about what specifically leads to him or her feeling out of control and what we all did to help us cut back on foods we tended to overeat probably is what would be helpful.

    I understand that some people for whatever reason really want to argue that it is an addiction, but I don't see how that helps OP.

    Good point. I'm sorry I went there.

    Okay, I'll share. I'm at a point where I can't moderate right now, so here's what I'm doing. I'm just not buying things. That's easy for me to do because I have to eat a special diet and need different treat foods than my family does. I really have no other advice. If it's not around, you can't eat it.

    Cool, and I hope helpful to OP. I'll add mine: I've been struggling with moderation some too (emotional eating stuff), and what works for me is getting back to my original plan of focusing on three main meals, no snacking. I can have a dessert after dinner and fit in the calories, but if I start snacking on office stuff I have no control lately.

    When I first started, I cut out all sugary snacks (added sugar in general) because I wanted to see if that made a difference and because I wanted to teach myself not to go to them for emotional reasons. I still enjoyed having a little something after dinner, and would have cheese (really good cheese) or other non sweet things, and now I try to alternate; my dessert is not always sweet (and I sometimes don't have it).

    Adjusting to not snacking always takes a few days, but then I mostly don't think about the stuff on offer. (Harder now since what's on offer is better, so I usually do work more stuff in around Christmastime.)

    Oh, and beyond this, what I said about having a plan is important, OP. You can't just say "I'll eat less" but should (or it helps me to) have a plan of how you want to eat and how to accomplish that (when you will make meals, foods on hand, that sort of thing). Logging helps with that too.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    walterm852 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    cerise_noir wrote: »
    Ugh.... please don't start the 'sugar is a drug, sugar is like *insert drug of choice*' crap.

    Yeah, I agree, and I don't think the argument is helpful to OP either. Talking about what specifically leads to him or her feeling out of control and what we all did to help us cut back on foods we tended to overeat probably is what would be helpful.

    I understand that some people for whatever reason really want to argue that it is an addiction, but I don't see how that helps OP.

    Awesome, I agree the posts should be about helping the OP, per my first post, I offered my experience.

    As I understood it, your advice was give it up and said that you find that hard for 3 days?

    The problem is that we don't know what specific foods OP perceives herself or himself to have issues with, and of course you can't (or most shouldn't) give up all sugar -- it's in vegetables and things like sweet potatoes, it's in fruit in high quantities (like I said, more sugar in an apple than one of my chocolate chip cookies), and your body quickly converts starches into the composite sugars.

    You may be saying to give up added sugar or foods that one perceives as especially tempting or sweet, but if so it's worth noting that for some of us (probably most, although OP might be really into soda or hard candies, who knows), the tempting foods are items with sugar + fat and not all of them, just certain ones.

    Anyway, giving them up (or up for a while) could certainly be a good approach, but it also can be counterproductive as the little dialogue I presented was intended to show -- I think it has to do with how feelings of being out of control around food come about, although is not the only way that happens.

    (For the record, I know about addiction, and don't really care if we call feeling out of control around sweets addiction or not (well, I think it's inaccurate, but if someone finds it helpful doesn't bother me if they use it) -- I think that argument should be in another thread.)

    What I do think is important if someone feels out of control around some foods, which is generally what is communicated with the A word, is to stress that there are lots of different reasons this happens and specifics matter and typically help in finding how to deal with it for yourself. Just assuming someone must give up sugar (which isn't a good idea for most, many foods with sugar, like fruits and veg, are healthy) or even added sugar may not be the right answer.

    NOT criticizing you for saying it worked for you, although I am critical of the assumption that we don't understand.

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