Addicted to Sugar

sunsetluvv
sunsetluvv Posts: 5 Member
edited November 16 in Health and Weight Loss
Help how can I stop?

Replies

  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    This probably isn't a true addiction. You just really love sugar and currently lack the willpower to moderate your intake. I agree with the previous poster. There are tons of existing threads about this topic (because it's such a common problem) with lots of good information. You aren't alone. Good luck!
  • Oh my! I tried to stay off sugar just for one day bc thinking about going off for a week (so that i can go back on a bit, but try to not CRAVE it as I do at present). My main things are sour soothers, hot tamales, and coffee drinks. I went through Dollarama to pick up some sweetener and some gum and even in impulse aisle leading to check-out, I was OK. A little later, I went to grab a honeycrisp apple in Farmer's Market - and I chewed gum as I did so I wouldn't buy any of the goodies I could smell.

    Then, when I was finished my beautiful salad with chicken on top, I could seriously feel the hard craving coming on. I was going to play euchre and thought I might need some caffeine as a pick-me-up (in my head) also. Even though I had just come from the gym, I stopped and had a latte...and a choc chunk cookie. I SERIOUSLY NEED SOMEONE TO TELL ME "NO"!!!! as afterwards I just make it worse by thinkng "ok, I'm already in a bad spot today so I will keep going and be better tomorrow". I then ate most of a box of Hot Tamales.

    Any suggestions about things that will make u feel satisfied but do not have sugar OR how to psychologically make yourself to stay away from it until u do not feel the craving automatically? or anyone that has words of wisdom to tell yourself when u feel these cravings to avoid eating.

    Jacs
  • agatathe
    agatathe Posts: 1 Member
    sunsetluvv wrote: »
    Help how can I stop?
    I try to stop sugar since one year. Its very difficult because its like a addiction!!!you must try little and little to stop and use sugar with a low glycémy. Try sugar coco or sirup agave...and move à lot!!!and eat fruits and vegetables more... :smiley:
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    i dont have any bags of sugar in the house
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    sunsetluvv wrote: »
    Help how can I stop?

    @sunsetluvv it varies from person to person.

    In Oct 2014 at age 62 with health failing very rapid I stopped using sugar and all forums of all grains cold turkey. It was a hellish two weeks then the cravings for sugar faded fast and still have not returned over two years later.

    Welcome to MFP forums.
  • cbelc2
    cbelc2 Posts: 762 Member
    Unfortunately, sugar is found in many processed foods and in abundance in restaurant fare. So even if you don't add sugar, you still may be getting some. I decided that I could largely live without it, and so I try really hard to do that. I don't crave it anymore and was able to completely ignore the large bag of candy in the break room at Valentines. This is part of my transformation process.
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
    Seek professional counselling for your behavioural problems with hyperpalatable foods.

    Always the sugar that gets blamed, not the fat it's paired with.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,412 Member
    cityruss wrote: »
    Seek professional counselling for your behavioural problems with hyperpalatable foods.

    Always the sugar that gets blamed, not the fat it's paired with.

    Dude. Haven't you ever eaten a whole bag of gummy worms, Sour Patch Kids, Red Vines?? I am perfectly happy to over eat on those things, and I could not care less about chocolate.

    mmm.Candy.
  • WVWalkerFriend
    WVWalkerFriend Posts: 575 Member
    Its not an addiction its a habit, which can sound like the same thing to the untrained. That said, try adding some additional fat to your diet as you decrease your sugar consumption. Eventually the cravings will let up, but you have to keep with that. Otherwise just track your calories and work it in somehow.
  • MayMinto
    MayMinto Posts: 4 Member
    Totally agree with lowcarb4me. I have been on Banting lifestyle for a short while now and eating real food, cutting carbs and introducing fat into my diet has really helped. I can eat below 1200 calories a day and not feel any hunger.
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
    cityruss wrote: »
    Seek professional counselling for your behavioural problems with hyperpalatable foods.

    Always the sugar that gets blamed, not the fat it's paired with.

    Craving a food, especially sugar, doesn't mean that there's a behavioral problem necessarily. While I don't deny most people probably need counseling it's not necessarily the issue. It's a lot of time either a sudden severe restriction, or lack of willpower. For me, it's lack of willpower and I know it is. I crave cheese too. And pasta. Ok carbs. ILU carbs!

    I've found that while I still have sugar (coffee creamer, maybe ice cream or a cookie in the evening), I don't crave it as much as when I used to snack on candy also throughout the day (even if it fit in my calorie deficit) as I just lowered the amount of sugary 'treats' slowly (and unintentionally). When I really want something, I have a little in moderation, as you should with most things, and that also helps me from getting a bad craving.
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    VoeWm.gif

    Every time I tell myself 'just don't click on it'. And every darn time I get sucked in sigh....
  • WVWalkerFriend
    WVWalkerFriend Posts: 575 Member
    Afura wrote: »
    cityruss wrote: »
    Seek professional counselling for your behavioural problems with hyperpalatable foods.

    Always the sugar that gets blamed, not the fat it's paired with.

    Craving a food, especially sugar, doesn't mean that there's a behavioral problem necessarily. While I don't deny most people probably need counseling it's not necessarily the issue. It's a lot of time either a sudden severe restriction, or lack of willpower. For me, it's lack of willpower and I know it is. I crave cheese too. And pasta. Ok carbs. ILU carbs!

    I've found that while I still have sugar (coffee creamer, maybe ice cream or a cookie in the evening), I don't crave it as much as when I used to snack on candy also throughout the day (even if it fit in my calorie deficit) as I just lowered the amount of sugary 'treats' slowly (and unintentionally). When I really want something, I have a little in moderation, as you should with most things, and that also helps me from getting a bad craving.

    I've found personally its not a matter of willpower so much a physical need for a particular macro/s. Moderate protein + fat kills the sugar cravings completely. I'm not arguing with you as I think everyone is different in what works for them. I do agree that the OP is unlikely to need counseling but I'm pretty sure that comment was sarcastic.
  • leejoyce31
    leejoyce31 Posts: 794 Member
    Oh my! I tried to stay off sugar just for one day bc thinking about going off for a week (so that i can go back on a bit, but try to not CRAVE it as I do at present). My main things are sour soothers, hot tamales, and coffee drinks. I went through Dollarama to pick up some sweetener and some gum and even in impulse aisle leading to check-out, I was OK. A little later, I went to grab a honeycrisp apple in Farmer's Market - and I chewed gum as I did so I wouldn't buy any of the goodies I could smell.

    Then, when I was finished my beautiful salad with chicken on top, I could seriously feel the hard craving coming on. I was going to play euchre and thought I might need some caffeine as a pick-me-up (in my head) also. Even though I had just come from the gym, I stopped and had a latte...and a choc chunk cookie. I SERIOUSLY NEED SOMEONE TO TELL ME "NO"!!!! as afterwards I just make it worse by thinkng "ok, I'm already in a bad spot today so I will keep going and be better tomorrow". I then ate most of a box of Hot Tamales.

    Any suggestions about things that will make u feel satisfied but do not have sugar OR how to psychologically make yourself to stay away from it until u do not feel the craving automatically? or anyone that has words of wisdom to tell yourself when u feel these cravings to avoid eating.

    Jacs

    I love hot tamale candy.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    For me it's a habit, my brain or myself expects something sweet after dinner because I've been doing it for so many years, it's just become a deeply ingrained part of my day.

    I've been having watermelon and rockmelon (canteloupe) every single afternoon for the last few months, and waddayaknow I've started to crave it around the same time each day.
    In winter i swap out the above fruit snack for roasted broccoli and cauliflower, and once again, i start craving that on the daily.

    Speaking for myself, it's cravings which come out of routine and habit and a massive dose of i simply love the taste of them. There's no deep seated mental or emotional problem.
  • Medusa1591
    Medusa1591 Posts: 17 Member
    I think I've gotten to a point that I'm sick and tired of being literally sick and tired
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  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    VoeWm.gif

    Every time I tell myself 'just don't click on it'. And every darn time I get sucked in sigh....

    What gets me is asking how to stop.

    I'm going to be really blunt here.

    When I was younger, I had problems with alcohol. I wasn't an alcoholic, but I knew that how I used booze was a problem. I felt "icky" about how I dealt with it, how much I over-consumed it and felt out of control around it.

    There was only one answer and that was to ...

    JUST STOP.

    There's no how.

    You just stop.

    Rat studies show rats responding "addictively" to sugar. They also show them responding that way to fat and hyperpalatable foods. Everyone who thinks sugar is addictive runs with these studies on sugar and ignores the other two findings and says "SEEEEEEE!!!! Sugar is addictive!!!!!"

    Rats aren't human.

    Meta-analysis of human studies show that sugar isn't addictive as a substance, so don't worry about small traces of it in this or that or the other thing.

    If you have trouble with certain foods and feel icky about your over-consumption of them?

    JUST STOP.

    Be an adult, own your behavior, and correct it.

    <3 you

    :blush:<3
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    VoeWm.gif

    Every time I tell myself 'just don't click on it'. And every darn time I get sucked in sigh....

    What gets me is asking how to stop.

    I'm going to be really blunt here.

    When I was younger, I had problems with alcohol. I wasn't an alcoholic, but I knew that how I used booze was a problem. I felt "icky" about how I dealt with it, how much I over-consumed it and felt out of control around it.

    There was only one answer and that was to ...

    JUST STOP.

    There's no how.

    You just stop.

    Rat studies show rats responding "addictively" to sugar. They also show them responding that way to fat and hyperpalatable foods. Everyone who thinks sugar is addictive runs with these studies on sugar and ignores the other two findings and says "SEEEEEEE!!!! Sugar is addictive!!!!!"

    Rats aren't human.

    Meta-analysis of human studies show that sugar isn't addictive as a substance, so don't worry about small traces of it in this or that or the other thing.

    If you have trouble with certain foods and feel icky about your over-consumption of them?

    JUST STOP.

    Be an adult, own your behavior, and correct it.

    To add on to this great post: if you have problems controlling what you eat, you CAN control what you buy and what is in your house. Until you feel in control, don't buy cake and candy and full sugar soda and fancy coffee drinks, etc. Until you feel more in control, just don't have sweets available.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited February 2017
    Agree with the JUST STOP!!

    If people can successfully give up heroin, Ice, Cocaine, alcohol etc etc then it should be a doddle to give up added sugar ffs :angry:
  • TheCupcakeCounter
    TheCupcakeCounter Posts: 606 Member
    So I gave up sugar 6 weeks ago and there are really two ways to succeed.
    I cut out all added sugars for a full two weeks. If it wasn't naturally occurring in a whole food I didn't eat it. It took several days of planning to make sure I had the right stuff in the house to make it work and the first day was ok. Day 2 was much harder and day 3 was a nightmare. Each day after that got easier until I didn't really think about it anymore (and I was 2 cups of coffee loaded with the fancy creamers plus tons of cookies and candy daily). I had to do it cold turkey to succeed by I know people who cut things more gradual and did well.
    I would pick one thing to cut out each day and then keep cutting until you have the cravings and habit more in control. I found date rolls and 70% dark chocolate to be great treats but I'm only allowed one or the other and only if I workout.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    edited February 2017
    earlnabby wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    VoeWm.gif

    Every time I tell myself 'just don't click on it'. And every darn time I get sucked in sigh....

    What gets me is asking how to stop.

    I'm going to be really blunt here.

    When I was younger, I had problems with alcohol. I wasn't an alcoholic, but I knew that how I used booze was a problem. I felt "icky" about how I dealt with it, how much I over-consumed it and felt out of control around it.

    There was only one answer and that was to ...

    JUST STOP.

    There's no how.

    You just stop.

    Rat studies show rats responding "addictively" to sugar. They also show them responding that way to fat and hyperpalatable foods. Everyone who thinks sugar is addictive runs with these studies on sugar and ignores the other two findings and says "SEEEEEEE!!!! Sugar is addictive!!!!!"

    Rats aren't human.

    Meta-analysis of human studies show that sugar isn't addictive as a substance, so don't worry about small traces of it in this or that or the other thing.

    If you have trouble with certain foods and feel icky about your over-consumption of them?

    JUST STOP.

    Be an adult, own your behavior, and correct it.

    To add on to this great post: if you have problems controlling what you eat, you CAN control what you buy and what is in your house. Until you feel in control, don't buy cake and candy and full sugar soda and fancy coffee drinks, etc. Until you feel more in control, just don't have sweets available.

    Excellent point.

    I had this thought today, that we didn't evolve in an environment where food was so plentiful.

    I didn't even, back in the 60's, grow up in an environment where food choice was as plentiful as it is now!

This discussion has been closed.