Sugar addiction
hayleyf6051
Posts: 52 Member
Hi,
I'm a massive sugar addict. I can't go several hours without sugar or diet soda. I want to get some control back. Any ideas? Is cold turkey best?
I'm a massive sugar addict. I can't go several hours without sugar or diet soda. I want to get some control back. Any ideas? Is cold turkey best?
0
Replies
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Get ready for some controversy on this one. Good luck!
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Then just drink diet soda (in arbitrary amounts). No sugar in it.5
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Diet soda generally doesn't have any sugar, how does it help with your addiction?8
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It tastes similar.
Try it. You might find it's just the sweetness you are craving rather than the actual sugar
1 -
My recommendations:
(1) Structure -- whether you go "cold turkey" or not, have a plan for when and what you will eat in a given day. It makes it less likely you will just grab something sugary without thinking about it. You can also remind yourself if you are wanting to eat that you will have something soon that you will enjoy.
(2) Related to that, Enjoyment -- make sure you are eating food you like. (This could include some sweets or not, depending on what you want to try.)
(3) Sleep -- try to get enough and if you don't remind yourself that you aren't wanting sugar, just energy and have some caffeine or do something else that wakes you up.
(4) Probably the most important -- have a concrete reason in mind for why you are doing what you are doing, including a way to focus on the longer term and remember why individual decisions matter.
(5) Don't be too restrictive or low cal -- makes it harder than it needs to be and can backfire. Eat a reasonable number of calories for your activity level.
(6) Get enough protein and a satisfying diet (related to (2).
(7) If you are a stress/emotional eater be aware of that and ready for an alternative thing to turn to.
(8) Remember the first few days of changing a habit are the hardest and it will get easier. Don't beat yourself up if you aren't perfect.16 -
Yeah or treat sweet like a reward. Still count the calories. But, if you are sticking to your diet reward yourself a little here and there. Diet soda is my God send right now. No cal, no sugar. Just drink it in moderation.0
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(I agree that for many it's not worth trying to quit diet soda when also focusing on changing eating habits, and if you do remember that the effect of quitting caffeine can make you tired/low energy/headachy at first if you don't sub with some other caffeine. But if you think it might be affecting your palate or want to see how you feel without it or just want to quit, I think the same advice applies. You might want to try cutting back more gradually, though.)1
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Just remember that artificial sweeteners tend to cause the same reactions in the body as sugar does, then, when there isn't any sugar it freaks out and craves more. This is coming from another sugar addict btw. Sugar is one of the things I'm tracking on MFP because I need to get that monkey off my back before it kills me. About to have to start medications for being pre-diabetic and I have NO desire to live my life like that. Personally, I've found that when I have a craving its best to have something small and sweet. If you wait, the craving only gets worse and that's when a binge is possible. I've been known to eat a full half pound bag of M&M's or a half gallon of ice cream within a day or two. Do what you can control.3
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Well first don't buy any,dont have sweets in your home at all.
Second plan things you will buy so you won't have any extra money too spend on sweets.
Third try to eliminate the triggers that cause your sugar craving ( maybe emotional stress).
Fourth drink a lottttt of water and a eat a lot of apples they can fill you up and it should go away6 -
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When I do the following, I don't have 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
7. Stay hydrated
8. Have a calorie deficit that is appropriate for the amount of weight I need to lose. An overly aggressive goal can definitely lead to cravings.
9. Eat at maintenance when my appetite goes up premenstrually.9 -
Ps - if your sodas have caffeine, going cold turkey will bring on caffeine withdrawal. If you want to stop drinking soda be prepared for that. You can get caffeine elsewhere, or plan to suffer.3
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Jabbarwocky wrote: »Just remember that artificial sweeteners tend to cause the same reactions in the body as sugar does, then, when there isn't any sugar it freaks out and craves more. This is coming from another sugar addict btw. Sugar is one of the things I'm tracking on MFP because I need to get that monkey off my back before it kills me. About to have to start medications for being pre-diabetic and I have NO desire to live my life like that. Personally, I've found that when I have a craving its best to have something small and sweet. If you wait, the craving only gets worse and that's when a binge is possible. I've been known to eat a full half pound bag of M&M's or a half gallon of ice cream within a day or two. Do what you can control.
Source please.9 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Ps - if your sodas have caffeine, going cold turkey will bring on caffeine withdrawal. If you want to stop drinking soda be prepared for that. You can get caffeine elsewhere, or plan to suffer.
Ditto to this. Up to last week I was a 4+ cans a day diet soda drinker. Decided to cut it out after I discovered the awesomeness of coffee I'm a 30+ year soda drinker (regular or diet), and I cut it out no problem last week-but I'm now getting my caffeine from the coffee. To cut out soda without replacing the caffeine is going to most likely cause headaches and such for a few days. 0 -
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If diet soda satisfies your cravings, you are not addicted to sugar. It has none.15
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crzycatlady1 wrote: »Jabbarwocky wrote: »Just remember that artificial sweeteners tend to cause the same reactions in the body as sugar does, then, when there isn't any sugar it freaks out and craves more. This is coming from another sugar addict btw. Sugar is one of the things I'm tracking on MFP because I need to get that monkey off my back before it kills me. About to have to start medications for being pre-diabetic and I have NO desire to live my life like that. Personally, I've found that when I have a craving its best to have something small and sweet. If you wait, the craving only gets worse and that's when a binge is possible. I've been known to eat a full half pound bag of M&M's or a half gallon of ice cream within a day or two. Do what you can control.
Source please.
Google is your friend, but here's a good link to get you started:
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/artificial-sweeteners/
From Harvard, School of Public Health. Here's a clip of the article.
Our bodies all respond differently. You may not be able notice that your sugar cravings increase after drinking diet soda. Or maybe you're just lucky and your cravings don't increase at all. I have to avoid diet soda like the plague, if I have a diet soda I spend the next week on a huge sugar binge. However, artificial sweeteners and an increase in sugar consumption tend to go hand in hand.
I try as much as possible to limit sweets to only the weekends and special occasions. Though with all my friends getting married and/or having baby showers I've now started to limit myself to only the treats I truly enjoy.
Same thing goes for going cold-turkey or slowly weaning yourself off of sugar. What are you actually capable of doing? You have to figure out what works best for your body and your level of self control. Personally, I would like to be able to go cold turkey, but I'm weak and cave when out to dinner with friends and they want to order dessert. I have SUCH a hard time saying 'no.' Though I have noticed the more often I make it to the gym in a week the easier it is for me to say 'no' to sweets. I try to eat as much fruit, especially berries, whenever I have a sugar craving. That has helped me quite a bit.
3 -
The crucial thing is not to become fatalistic or let the idea of "I'm addicted" become an excuse. If one approach doesn't work for you, try another. But never believe you are fated or powerless. You can change your habits, you can lose weight, and if you're persistent and forgiving of yourself, you will figure this out.6
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It's not a true addiction, though I'm not here to open that can of worms but changing how you think of your behaviours around sugar and how they are driven can help with changing what you perceive as a negative habit.
Your sugar snacking is habitual behaviour. You're just used to reaching for a sweet snack at certain times. Perhaps you have a mid afternoon lull and the calorie dense burst of energy in chocolate or candy peps you up. Or the caffeine in the diet soda also gives you a little lift. It's not an addiction, it's just a learned response. You could instead switch out the candy for an apple. You'll still get the perk up from sugar but with fewer calories and a few extra nutrients. No need to ditch the diet soda as it has no sugar and no calories.
3 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »My recommendations:
(1) Structure -- whether you go "cold turkey" or not, have a plan for when and what you will eat in a given day. It makes it less likely you will just grab something sugary without thinking about it. You can also remind yourself if you are wanting to eat that you will have something soon that you will enjoy.
(2) Related to that, Enjoyment -- make sure you are eating food you like. (This could include some sweets or not, depending on what you want to try.)
(3) Sleep -- try to get enough and if you don't remind yourself that you aren't wanting sugar, just energy and have some caffeine or do something else that wakes you up.
(4) Probably the most important -- have a concrete reason in mind for why you are doing what you are doing, including a way to focus on the longer term and remember why individual decisions matter.
(5) Don't be too restrictive or low cal -- makes it harder than it needs to be and can backfire. Eat a reasonable number of calories for your activity level.
(6) Get enough protein and a satisfying diet (related to (2).
(7) If you are a stress/emotional eater be aware of that and ready for an alternative thing to turn to.
(8) Remember the first few days of changing a habit are the hardest and it will get easier. Don't beat yourself up if you aren't perfect.
Cosigned.3 -
Anecdotes aren't evidence. There are peer reviewed studies refuting the statement here.Jabbarwocky wrote: »Just remember that artificial sweeteners tend to cause the same reactions in the body as sugar does, then, when there isn't any sugar it freaks out and craves more. This is coming from another sugar addict btw. Sugar is one of the things I'm tracking on MFP because I need to get that monkey off my back before it kills me. About to have to start medications for being pre-diabetic and I have NO desire to live my life like that. Personally, I've found that when I have a craving its best to have something small and sweet. If you wait, the craving only gets worse and that's when a binge is possible. I've been known to eat a full half pound bag of M&M's or a half gallon of ice cream within a day or two. Do what you can control.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
3 -
crzycatlady1 wrote: »Jabbarwocky wrote: »Just remember that artificial sweeteners tend to cause the same reactions in the body as sugar does, then, when there isn't any sugar it freaks out and craves more. This is coming from another sugar addict btw. Sugar is one of the things I'm tracking on MFP because I need to get that monkey off my back before it kills me. About to have to start medications for being pre-diabetic and I have NO desire to live my life like that. Personally, I've found that when I have a craving its best to have something small and sweet. If you wait, the craving only gets worse and that's when a binge is possible. I've been known to eat a full half pound bag of M&M's or a half gallon of ice cream within a day or two. Do what you can control.
Source please.
Google is your friend, but here's a good link to get you started:
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/artificial-sweeteners/
From Harvard, School of Public Health. Here's a clip of the article.
Our bodies all respond differently. You may not be able notice that your sugar cravings increase after drinking diet soda. Or maybe you're just lucky and your cravings don't increase at all. I have to avoid diet soda like the plague, if I have a diet soda I spend the next week on a huge sugar binge. However, artificial sweeteners and an increase in sugar consumption tend to go hand in hand.
I try as much as possible to limit sweets to only the weekends and special occasions. Though with all my friends getting married and/or having baby showers I've now started to limit myself to only the treats I truly enjoy.
Same thing goes for going cold-turkey or slowly weaning yourself off of sugar. What are you actually capable of doing? You have to figure out what works best for your body and your level of self control. Personally, I would like to be able to go cold turkey, but I'm weak and cave when out to dinner with friends and they want to order dessert. I have SUCH a hard time saying 'no.' Though I have noticed the more often I make it to the gym in a week the easier it is for me to say 'no' to sweets. I try to eat as much fruit, especially berries, whenever I have a sugar craving. That has helped me quite a bit.
Most of the studies linking diet soda consumption to weight gain are correlative, not causative. That includes this one. What this study didn't account for is the people who order a diet soda with a couple of burgers and a double order of fries because they're being "good" getting a diet soda.
If you are conscientiously controlling calories, diet soda has no impact whatsoever on weight.17 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »crzycatlady1 wrote: »Jabbarwocky wrote: »Just remember that artificial sweeteners tend to cause the same reactions in the body as sugar does, then, when there isn't any sugar it freaks out and craves more. This is coming from another sugar addict btw. Sugar is one of the things I'm tracking on MFP because I need to get that monkey off my back before it kills me. About to have to start medications for being pre-diabetic and I have NO desire to live my life like that. Personally, I've found that when I have a craving its best to have something small and sweet. If you wait, the craving only gets worse and that's when a binge is possible. I've been known to eat a full half pound bag of M&M's or a half gallon of ice cream within a day or two. Do what you can control.
Source please.
Google is your friend, but here's a good link to get you started:
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/artificial-sweeteners/
From Harvard, School of Public Health. Here's a clip of the article.
Our bodies all respond differently. You may not be able notice that your sugar cravings increase after drinking diet soda. Or maybe you're just lucky and your cravings don't increase at all. I have to avoid diet soda like the plague, if I have a diet soda I spend the next week on a huge sugar binge. However, artificial sweeteners and an increase in sugar consumption tend to go hand in hand.
I try as much as possible to limit sweets to only the weekends and special occasions. Though with all my friends getting married and/or having baby showers I've now started to limit myself to only the treats I truly enjoy.
Same thing goes for going cold-turkey or slowly weaning yourself off of sugar. What are you actually capable of doing? You have to figure out what works best for your body and your level of self control. Personally, I would like to be able to go cold turkey, but I'm weak and cave when out to dinner with friends and they want to order dessert. I have SUCH a hard time saying 'no.' Though I have noticed the more often I make it to the gym in a week the easier it is for me to say 'no' to sweets. I try to eat as much fruit, especially berries, whenever I have a sugar craving. That has helped me quite a bit.
Most of the studies linking diet soda consumption to weight gain are correlative, not causative. That includes this one. What this study didn't account for is the people who order a diet soda with a couple of burgers and a double order of fries because they're being "good" getting a diet soda.
If you are conscientiously controlling calories, diet soda has no impact whatsoever on weight.
Exactly! I used to always order diet soda with my oversized fast food orders because I preferred the taste, not because I was controlling my calories.4 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »crzycatlady1 wrote: »Jabbarwocky wrote: »Just remember that artificial sweeteners tend to cause the same reactions in the body as sugar does, then, when there isn't any sugar it freaks out and craves more. This is coming from another sugar addict btw. Sugar is one of the things I'm tracking on MFP because I need to get that monkey off my back before it kills me. About to have to start medications for being pre-diabetic and I have NO desire to live my life like that. Personally, I've found that when I have a craving its best to have something small and sweet. If you wait, the craving only gets worse and that's when a binge is possible. I've been known to eat a full half pound bag of M&M's or a half gallon of ice cream within a day or two. Do what you can control.
Source please.
Google is your friend, but here's a good link to get you started:
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/artificial-sweeteners/
From Harvard, School of Public Health. Here's a clip of the article.
Our bodies all respond differently. You may not be able notice that your sugar cravings increase after drinking diet soda. Or maybe you're just lucky and your cravings don't increase at all. I have to avoid diet soda like the plague, if I have a diet soda I spend the next week on a huge sugar binge. However, artificial sweeteners and an increase in sugar consumption tend to go hand in hand.
I try as much as possible to limit sweets to only the weekends and special occasions. Though with all my friends getting married and/or having baby showers I've now started to limit myself to only the treats I truly enjoy.
Same thing goes for going cold-turkey or slowly weaning yourself off of sugar. What are you actually capable of doing? You have to figure out what works best for your body and your level of self control. Personally, I would like to be able to go cold turkey, but I'm weak and cave when out to dinner with friends and they want to order dessert. I have SUCH a hard time saying 'no.' Though I have noticed the more often I make it to the gym in a week the easier it is for me to say 'no' to sweets. I try to eat as much fruit, especially berries, whenever I have a sugar craving. That has helped me quite a bit.
Most of the studies linking diet soda consumption to weight gain are correlative, not causative. That includes this one. What this study didn't account for is the people who order a diet soda with a couple of burgers and a double order of fries because they're being "good" getting a diet soda.
If you are conscientiously controlling calories, diet soda has no impact whatsoever on weight.
I was going to say the same...3 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »crzycatlady1 wrote: »Jabbarwocky wrote: »Just remember that artificial sweeteners tend to cause the same reactions in the body as sugar does, then, when there isn't any sugar it freaks out and craves more. This is coming from another sugar addict btw. Sugar is one of the things I'm tracking on MFP because I need to get that monkey off my back before it kills me. About to have to start medications for being pre-diabetic and I have NO desire to live my life like that. Personally, I've found that when I have a craving its best to have something small and sweet. If you wait, the craving only gets worse and that's when a binge is possible. I've been known to eat a full half pound bag of M&M's or a half gallon of ice cream within a day or two. Do what you can control.
Source please.
Google is your friend, but here's a good link to get you started:
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/artificial-sweeteners/
From Harvard, School of Public Health. Here's a clip of the article.
Our bodies all respond differently. You may not be able notice that your sugar cravings increase after drinking diet soda. Or maybe you're just lucky and your cravings don't increase at all. I have to avoid diet soda like the plague, if I have a diet soda I spend the next week on a huge sugar binge. However, artificial sweeteners and an increase in sugar consumption tend to go hand in hand.
I try as much as possible to limit sweets to only the weekends and special occasions. Though with all my friends getting married and/or having baby showers I've now started to limit myself to only the treats I truly enjoy.
Same thing goes for going cold-turkey or slowly weaning yourself off of sugar. What are you actually capable of doing? You have to figure out what works best for your body and your level of self control. Personally, I would like to be able to go cold turkey, but I'm weak and cave when out to dinner with friends and they want to order dessert. I have SUCH a hard time saying 'no.' Though I have noticed the more often I make it to the gym in a week the easier it is for me to say 'no' to sweets. I try to eat as much fruit, especially berries, whenever I have a sugar craving. That has helped me quite a bit.
Most of the studies linking diet soda consumption to weight gain are correlative, not causative. That includes this one. What this study didn't account for is the people who order a diet soda with a couple of burgers and a double order of fries because they're being "good" getting a diet soda.
If you are conscientiously controlling calories, diet soda has no impact whatsoever on weight.
Exactly! I used to always order diet soda with my oversized fast food orders because I preferred the taste, not because I was controlling my calories.
Me too.
And people do use it to justify ordering the larger size or going for the McFlurry on top of their meal.3 -
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The big book is available free on line.1
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Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »Me at 252lbs: 3 Double big mac meals all with large fries, 2 with large chocolate shakes and 1 with a large diet coke.
Me at 135lbs: Controls calories, eats everything in moderation, still drinks diet coke.
3 guesses as to why i was morbidly obese lol
You weren't doing Keto.......18 -
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »crzycatlady1 wrote: »Jabbarwocky wrote: »Just remember that artificial sweeteners tend to cause the same reactions in the body as sugar does, then, when there isn't any sugar it freaks out and craves more. This is coming from another sugar addict btw. Sugar is one of the things I'm tracking on MFP because I need to get that monkey off my back before it kills me. About to have to start medications for being pre-diabetic and I have NO desire to live my life like that. Personally, I've found that when I have a craving its best to have something small and sweet. If you wait, the craving only gets worse and that's when a binge is possible. I've been known to eat a full half pound bag of M&M's or a half gallon of ice cream within a day or two. Do what you can control.
Source please.
Google is your friend, but here's a good link to get you started:
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/artificial-sweeteners/
From Harvard, School of Public Health. Here's a clip of the article.
Our bodies all respond differently. You may not be able notice that your sugar cravings increase after drinking diet soda. Or maybe you're just lucky and your cravings don't increase at all. I have to avoid diet soda like the plague, if I have a diet soda I spend the next week on a huge sugar binge. However, artificial sweeteners and an increase in sugar consumption tend to go hand in hand.
I try as much as possible to limit sweets to only the weekends and special occasions. Though with all my friends getting married and/or having baby showers I've now started to limit myself to only the treats I truly enjoy.
Same thing goes for going cold-turkey or slowly weaning yourself off of sugar. What are you actually capable of doing? You have to figure out what works best for your body and your level of self control. Personally, I would like to be able to go cold turkey, but I'm weak and cave when out to dinner with friends and they want to order dessert. I have SUCH a hard time saying 'no.' Though I have noticed the more often I make it to the gym in a week the easier it is for me to say 'no' to sweets. I try to eat as much fruit, especially berries, whenever I have a sugar craving. That has helped me quite a bit.
Most of the studies linking diet soda consumption to weight gain are correlative, not causative. That includes this one. What this study didn't account for is the people who order a diet soda with a couple of burgers and a double order of fries because they're being "good" getting a diet soda.
If you are conscientiously controlling calories, diet soda has no impact whatsoever on weight.
Exactly! I used to always order diet soda with my oversized fast food orders because I preferred the taste, not because I was controlling my calories.
Me too. I preferred the taste. I stopped drinking sodas 22 months ago though.0
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