Sugar addicted?
cstehansen
Posts: 1,984 Member
http://sweetfreedomsummit.com/?idev_id=22&idev_username=hto
I keep seeing posts about people struggling to avoid sugar so I thought I would post a link to this summit that is aimed at breaking sugar addiction. Having seen what I have seen over the years, I do believe sugar addiction is a real thing and for those it affects, it can be quite damaging.
I keep seeing posts about people struggling to avoid sugar so I thought I would post a link to this summit that is aimed at breaking sugar addiction. Having seen what I have seen over the years, I do believe sugar addiction is a real thing and for those it affects, it can be quite damaging.
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Replies
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Looks interesting. A bunch of people I'm not familiar with. Might be some new info or ideas and strategies here.
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Looks fabulous - and interesting. Shared it out on my wall!1
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cstehansen wrote: »http://sweetfreedomsummit.com/?idev_id=22&idev_username=hto
I keep seeing posts about people struggling to avoid sugar so I thought I would post a link to this summit that is aimed at breaking sugar addiction. Having seen what I have seen over the years, I do believe sugar addiction is a real thing and for those it affects, it can be quite damaging.
Man, thank you. It's a real thing, swear.3 -
I don't recognize any of the presenters either1
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This is interesting...part of my job is to educate patients on their prescribed diet. Limited concentrated sweets has to be the hardest thing to gain compliance with.2
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tinachris14 wrote: »This is interesting...part of my job is to educate patients on their prescribed diet. Limited concentrated sweets has to be the hardest thing to gain compliance with.
Do you have any go-to methods for trying to get various types of patients on board?0 -
tinachris14 wrote: »This is interesting...part of my job is to educate patients on their prescribed diet. Limited concentrated sweets has to be the hardest thing to gain compliance with.
Do you have any go-to methods for trying to get various types of patients on board?
Quite honestly, nothing special. I teach them to read food labels. For my diabetics I educate on the short term and long term risks of having high BG. I have had experiences that make me lean toward believing "sugar is addictive". I've had a patient look me in the eye and deny eating any sweets after their BG was 500, they "didn't know why" it was so high. Only to have the patients family tell me they were downing a 1lb bag of m&ms prior to my arrival. That type of denial looks a lot like what is seen in other types of addicts.8 -
It's real. At least for me, it is real. I have intense sugar cravings, unless I am eating very low carb. For me, I also believe hormones play a huge role in my sugar addiction.4
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It is definitely real! It's the only thing I am addicted too! I did a modified whole30 with the main emphasis being to have no sugar or artificial sugar for 30 days. I just finished but still feel nervous about sugar so I'll have to be careful I don't fall into it's grip!2
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When I quit drinking I turned to sugar and that wasn't helpful. I wasn't able to kick it till I started keto with great results.7
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Like Mark Twain said when his doctor told him to cut back on his smoking. He said he could quit, but he couldn't cut back.
Sugar, or anything that is addictive, needs to just be quit. You don't tell an alcoholic to drink less. You tell them to quit completely and forever. There is no benefit to added sugar. None. Zero. Nada.9 -
When I quit drinking I turned to sugar and that wasn't helpful. I wasn't able to kick it till I started keto with great results.
That was me exactly. I quit alcohol in 2013 when I started dieting seriously and haven't drank since but in 2015 I started bingeing on sugar and even said to my husband one evening, "It seems to be my new alcohol". Fortunately I seem to be over sugar too...Today.
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I remember when I was taking an opioid (Tramadol) during 2 years and I had exactly the same withdrawal symptoms as getting of that drug as I have getting of carbs (took a lot less time though) - body aches, flu-symptoms, etc etc. i.e. I am pretty sure that carbs have a similar drug-like effect...
Sometimes when I have a cheat meal or snack I get this rush when I eat e.g. chocolate, or new baked bread, pasta and I cannot simply stop eating...so better to avoid...:-)
nice article
https://authoritynutrition.com/10-similarities-between-junk-foods-and-drugs/6 -
Sugar... not good with it. Thanks for posting this.1
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Sugar addiction is real for me and it's definitely my drug of choice! I've never done drugs and rarely drink alcohol, but sugar sends me into a downward spiral that I can only assume is comparable to what drug or alcohol addicts go through. I had not had any significant sugar last year from January 10 until the middle of October. I gave in and allowed myself a sugary treat and proceeded to go on a 2 1/2 month binge and gained 30 lbs! The worst part was when I tried several times to get back on track I had significant physical withdrawal symptoms. I was shocked! My symptoms were similar to what I've seen described by heroin addicts! I had a headache, body aches, sweating, nausea and trembling. It was awful! It was so awful that I swore I would NEVER go through it again. I clearly can't control my sugar addiction any more than a drug addict can control their addiction. What I can do is make sure I never make the choice to start again. I'm back on track and have been sugar free since the beginning of January. I haven't gotten all of the 30 lbs back off, but am well on my way. The most important thing isn't the weight loss, it's being in control of my eating habits. Thanks for sharing the link. It looks interesting!4
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llbreuer2006 wrote: »Sugar addiction is real for me and it's definitely my drug of choice! I've never done drugs and rarely drink alcohol, but sugar sends me into a downward spiral that I can only assume is comparable to what drug or alcohol addicts go through. I had not had any significant sugar last year from January 10 until the middle of October. I gave in and allowed myself a sugary treat and proceeded to go on a 2 1/2 month binge and gained 30 lbs! The worst part was when I tried several times to get back on track I had significant physical withdrawal symptoms. I was shocked! My symptoms were similar to what I've seen described by heroin addicts! I had a headache, body aches, sweating, nausea and trembling. It was awful! It was so awful that I swore I would NEVER go through it again. I clearly can't control my sugar addiction any more than a drug addict can control their addiction. What I can do is make sure I never make the choice to start again. I'm back on track and have been sugar free since the beginning of January. I haven't gotten all of the 30 lbs back off, but am well on my way. The most important thing isn't the weight loss, it's being in control of my eating habits. Thanks for sharing the link. It looks interesting!
Almost 20 years ago, I had a woman working for me who was all of 5'1 maybe and, because I had to order her uniforms, I knew she was a size 34, and continually getting bigger. She was diabetic, but she would bring in a full bag of those Hostess Donettes, a 2 liter of Coke, and several other sugar filled foods to eat during her shift each day.
At the time, I just couldn't understand how she could do this to herself. She knew this was bad for her. It wasn't until I understood the addiction power of sugar that it clicked. In hindsight, I wanted to beat myself upside the head for not realizing it sooner because my BA is in psychology. I understand addiction, and she showed every classic symptom.
She needed an intervention every bit as much as a heroin addict does or a crack addict. I have since moved multiple times for work and have no idea what happened with her. I will say, that unless she did have that intervention, I am certain she is now dead. I am also certain that addiction killed her.
These are the types of people and experiences which make me so vocal about the topic of health. I know I can't change everyone. I can make sure I do my part to make sure others who want to do what is right have the right information and the right options to make the right choices.
In the end, I believe in free will. Many will make bad choices. However, I choose to do what I can to help who I can when I can.10 -
llbreuer2006 wrote: »The most important thing isn't the weight loss, it's being in control of my eating habits.
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SuperCarLori wrote: »Trust me, sugar withdrawal is nothing, and I repeat NOTHING like heroin withdrawal. It's not even close. Just stop.
It's more like crack withdrawal, which is more psychological and sneaky.
Good to know. I wasn't aware that headaches, body aches, sweating and trembling were just sneaky psychological symptoms. Thanks for validating my personal experience.1 -
SuperCarLori wrote: »llbreuer2006 wrote: »SuperCarLori wrote: »Trust me, sugar withdrawal is nothing, and I repeat NOTHING like heroin withdrawal. It's not even close. Just stop.
It's more like crack withdrawal, which is more psychological and sneaky.
Good to know. I wasn't aware that headaches, body aches, sweating and trembling were just sneaky psychological symptoms. Thanks for validating my personal experience.
You're welcome. It's nothing like heroin withdrawal. Thanks for minimizing my experience, and thousands of others.
I don't think anyone intended to minimize your experience. There are many types of addiction. Most have similar characteristics, but for some crazy reason we are not all prone to all of them. I am fortunate that I do not seem to possess the gene(s) or whatever it is to make me prone to much in the way of addiction. Given the things I tried, much of it in great excess, during my youth and what I saw happen to many of my friends, I truly do know how blessed I am in this regard. Well over half of my friends from those years did not survive to see 30 yo.
My comments were intended to show there are addictive properties to sugar, at least for some. As such, telling someone with this addiction to just cut back will never work. It goes much deeper than just a matter of simple will power.4 -
cstehansen wrote: »SuperCarLori wrote: »llbreuer2006 wrote: »SuperCarLori wrote: »Trust me, sugar withdrawal is nothing, and I repeat NOTHING like heroin withdrawal. It's not even close. Just stop.
It's more like crack withdrawal, which is more psychological and sneaky.
Good to know. I wasn't aware that headaches, body aches, sweating and trembling were just sneaky psychological symptoms. Thanks for validating my personal experience.
You're welcome. It's nothing like heroin withdrawal. Thanks for minimizing my experience, and thousands of others.
I don't think anyone intended to minimize your experience. There are many types of addiction. Most have similar characteristics, but for some crazy reason we are not all prone to all of them. I am fortunate that I do not seem to possess the gene(s) or whatever it is to make me prone to much in the way of addiction. Given the things I tried, much of it in great excess, during my youth and what I saw happen to many of my friends, I truly do know how blessed I am in this regard. Well over half of my friends from those years did not survive to see 30 yo.
My comments were intended to show there are addictive properties to sugar, at least for some. As such, telling someone with this addiction to just cut back will never work. It goes much deeper than just a matter of simple will power.
I agree. Cutting back doesn't work. At least for me.
It's not a biggie, it just bothers me a bit when people who haven't been through heroin withdrawal compare it to food withdrawal. It's taking away from survivors and it's *kitten*. It's not even relative, c.
Thank you for caring enough to soothe my ruffled feathers. 4 -
I struggled to give up sugar, but have conquered the beast, thank goodness for my health's sake. My uncle quit drinking alcohol but greatly increased his intake of dr. peppers and candy after that. He has already had a major heart attack and is only 50 y.o. His Dr. has talked to him about sugar and I talked to him about how addictive it is and that it is not good for his health. He is now trying to give up sugar but has said that it has been harder for him than giving up alcohol.4
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allie2girlz wrote: »I struggled to give up sugar, but have conquered the beast, thank goodness for my health's sake. My uncle quit drinking alcohol but greatly increased his intake of dr. peppers and candy after that. He has already had a major heart attack and is only 50 y.o. His Dr. has talked to him about sugar and I talked to him about how addictive it is and that it is not good for his health. He is now trying to give up sugar but has said that it has been harder for him than giving up alcohol.
It's very hard to give up sugar.. It was and still is my drug of choice.
My bf got acute pancreatitis as a result of alcohol consumption, and they told him he had to stop eating fat, he said it was harder to give up pizza than alcohol. He quickly went back to his high fat high carb eating habits, but has maintained his sobriety.
It's not easy to quit any addiction, that's for sure. But high five to us rocking it!! And high five to those of us who fall down and get back up!! It'll stick at some point!3 -
llbreuer2006 wrote: »SuperCarLori wrote: »Trust me, sugar withdrawal is nothing, and I repeat NOTHING like heroin withdrawal. It's not even close. Just stop.
It's more like crack withdrawal, which is more psychological and sneaky.
Good to know. I wasn't aware that headaches, body aches, sweating and trembling were just sneaky psychological symptoms. Thanks for validating my personal experience.
Those can also be symptoms of electrolyte imbalance or falling blood glucose levels.
When carbs are lowered, insulin goes down, and insulin is what causes water and electrolyte retention. When most start low carb they lose a few pounds of water and lots of sodium causing feelings of fatigue, brain fog, headaches, muscle aches, muscle spasms, nausea, and BM issues. If you proactively take 3000-5000+ mg of sodium per day as you reduce carbs, those symptoms can be avoided, or at least stopped within hours. One teaspoon of tablesalt is 2300 mg sodium.
Rapidly falling blood glucose can cause hypoglycemic symptoms of cold sweats, tremors, brain fog and mild confusion, and falling blood pressure. Once your body adapts to low carb, that does not often happen anymore. If you are a T2D on medication, it is usually a sign that insulin and metformin may need to be lowered.
Those symptoms all feel really bad, but it isn't really all due to a sugar withdrawal, although I do believe some foods can cause withdarawl like symptoms when you stop them.3 -
llbreuer2006 wrote: »SuperCarLori wrote: »Trust me, sugar withdrawal is nothing, and I repeat NOTHING like heroin withdrawal. It's not even close. Just stop.
It's more like crack withdrawal, which is more psychological and sneaky.
Good to know. I wasn't aware that headaches, body aches, sweating and trembling were just sneaky psychological symptoms. Thanks for validating my personal experience.
Those can also be symptoms of electrolyte imbalance or falling blood glucose levels.
When carbs are lowered, insulin goes down, and insulin is what causes water and electrolyte retention. When most start low carb they lose a few pounds of water and lots of sodium causing feelings of fatigue, brain fog, headaches, muscle aches, muscle spasms, nausea, and BM issues. If you proactively take 3000-5000+ mg of sodium per day as you reduce carbs, those symptoms can be avoided, or at least stopped within hours. One teaspoon of tablesalt is 2300 mg sodium.
Rapidly falling blood glucose can cause hypoglycemic symptoms of cold sweats, tremors, brain fog and mild confusion, and falling blood pressure. Once your body adapts to low carb, that does not often happen anymore. If you are a T2D on medication, it is usually a sign that insulin and metformin may need to be lowered.
Those symptoms all feel really bad, but it isn't really all due to a sugar withdrawal, although I do believe some foods can cause withdarawl like symptoms when you stop them.
I have lived a low carb lifestyle for most of the last decade. I know the symptoms don't last once you get your blood sugar regulated. The fact that the PHYSICAL symptoms are due to blood sugar dropping because sugar intake has stopped is the very definition of physical dependence (aka addiction).1 -
SuperCarLori wrote: »llbreuer2006 wrote: »SuperCarLori wrote: »Trust me, sugar withdrawal is nothing, and I repeat NOTHING like heroin withdrawal. It's not even close. Just stop.
It's more like crack withdrawal, which is more psychological and sneaky.
Good to know. I wasn't aware that headaches, body aches, sweating and trembling were just sneaky psychological symptoms. Thanks for validating my personal experience.
You're welcome. It's nothing like heroin withdrawal. Thanks for minimizing my experience, and thousands of others.
I was not in any way trying to minimize your experience, but that's exactly what you did to me by attacking my comment. I have no idea what heroin withdrawal feels like. I only know that my physical symptoms were similar in definition, not necessarily intensity to those I've seen others describe with heroin withdrawal. There are scientific studies that back that up. I'm in no way saying that they are exactly the same. I'm sure that heroin withdrawal is much more intense. My point was that there were actually physical withdrawal symptoms just like there are for heroin. I didn't say it was the same, just that there are similarities. I would never want to minimize anyone's personal experience. It would be nice if you could do the same. Just because your experience isn't the same as mine doesn't mean mine should be minimized. You are doing exactly what you say you don't want others to do to you. I was not trying to insult you or anyone else who has battled addiction. I am amazed by those who have battled drug addiction and am very thankful that I have never had to. I hope this is coming across the way it's intended. I know that sometimes the message gets lost in translation when typed.
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https://authoritynutrition.com/10-similarities-between-junk-foods-and-drugs/SuperCarLori wrote: »llbreuer2006 wrote: »SuperCarLori wrote: »Trust me, sugar withdrawal is nothing, and I repeat NOTHING like heroin withdrawal. It's not even close. Just stop.
It's more like crack withdrawal, which is more psychological and sneaky.
Good to know. I wasn't aware that headaches, body aches, sweating and trembling were just sneaky psychological symptoms. Thanks for validating my personal experience.
You're welcome. It's nothing like heroin withdrawal. Thanks for minimizing my experience, and thousands of others.
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Rapidly falling blood glucose can cause hypoglycemic symptoms of cold sweats, tremors, brain fog and mild confusion, and falling blood pressure. Once your body adapts to low carb, that does not often happen anymore. If you are a T2D on medication, it is usually a sign that insulin and metformin may need to be lowered.
Well, Metformin is an insulin sensitizer; it doesn't cause hypoglycemia, as do insulin and other oral meds (like Glipizide , among others) if the dose is not reduced. Generally, the recommendation is to work up to and maintain a full dose. But it's true that even the XR version will lower your blood sugar, though not terribly rapidly as far as I know.
(Of course, if you have GI "issues" from Metformin
, that's a great reason to reduce if you can!)
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For the sake of my great mood, I'm just gonna say, I hope we all kick the sugar habit and leave it at that.5
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llbreuer2006 wrote: »SuperCarLori wrote: »llbreuer2006 wrote: »SuperCarLori wrote: »Trust me, sugar withdrawal is nothing, and I repeat NOTHING like heroin withdrawal. It's not even close. Just stop.
It's more like crack withdrawal, which is more psychological and sneaky.
Good to know. I wasn't aware that headaches, body aches, sweating and trembling were just sneaky psychological symptoms. Thanks for validating my personal experience.
You're welcome. It's nothing like heroin withdrawal. Thanks for minimizing my experience, and thousands of others.
I was not in any way trying to minimize your experience, but that's exactly what you did to me by attacking my comment. I have no idea what heroin withdrawal feels like. I only know that my physical symptoms were similar in definition, not necessarily intensity to those I've seen others describe with heroin withdrawal. There are scientific studies that back that up. I'm in no way saying that they are exactly the same. I'm sure that heroin withdrawal is much more intense. My point was that there were actually physical withdrawal symptoms just like there are for heroin. I didn't say it was the same, just that there are similarities. I would never want to minimize anyone's personal experience. It would be nice if you could do the same. Just because your experience isn't the same as mine doesn't mean mine should be minimized. You are doing exactly what you say you don't want others to do to you. I was not trying to insult you or anyone else who has battled addiction. I am amazed by those who have battled drug addiction and am very thankful that I have never had to. I hope this is coming across the way it's intended. I know that sometimes the message gets lost in translation when typed.
I understand, and you're right, I shouldn't have minimized your experience. I'm sorry about that. I'm super sensitive certain days of the month. Peace?5 -
SuperCarLori wrote: »llbreuer2006 wrote: »SuperCarLori wrote: »llbreuer2006 wrote: »SuperCarLori wrote: »Trust me, sugar withdrawal is nothing, and I repeat NOTHING like heroin withdrawal. It's not even close. Just stop.
It's more like crack withdrawal, which is more psychological and sneaky.
Good to know. I wasn't aware that headaches, body aches, sweating and trembling were just sneaky psychological symptoms. Thanks for validating my personal experience.
You're welcome. It's nothing like heroin withdrawal. Thanks for minimizing my experience, and thousands of others.
I was not in any way trying to minimize your experience, but that's exactly what you did to me by attacking my comment. I have no idea what heroin withdrawal feels like. I only know that my physical symptoms were similar in definition, not necessarily intensity to those I've seen others describe with heroin withdrawal. There are scientific studies that back that up. I'm in no way saying that they are exactly the same. I'm sure that heroin withdrawal is much more intense. My point was that there were actually physical withdrawal symptoms just like there are for heroin. I didn't say it was the same, just that there are similarities. I would never want to minimize anyone's personal experience. It would be nice if you could do the same. Just because your experience isn't the same as mine doesn't mean mine should be minimized. You are doing exactly what you say you don't want others to do to you. I was not trying to insult you or anyone else who has battled addiction. I am amazed by those who have battled drug addiction and am very thankful that I have never had to. I hope this is coming across the way it's intended. I know that sometimes the message gets lost in translation when typed.
I understand, and you're right, I shouldn't have minimized your experience. I'm sorry about that. I'm super sensitive certain days of the month. Peace?
Thank you. Of course! We're all in this struggle together. I should have just clarified my intended message in the first place instead of reacting with sarcasm. Your comment caught me off guard and I reacted instead of thinking about the fact that the written word has a huge potential for misunderstanding . For that, I apologize.6
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