How to battle sugar addiction
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Subjective. What if you're an athlete or a an active endurance person? Carbs are essential for better PERFORMANCE. Not having them CAN result in less efficient performance.MoiAussi93 wrote: »prattiger65 wrote: »I have noticed that when I cut way back on sugar (candy, cakes, Ice Cream) after a week or so I dont really miss them. When I go through periods where I eat a lot of those things- I find I want more. So if that is not an addiction then I dont know what is. But what do I know?? You are going to get the "sugar is not bad" 100s of times in this thread. Some people can eat it in moderation others cannot. My advice to break your your non-existant "Addiction" is to not have it around the house. There really is no other way. If you know you over-eat something and cannot moderate - then you only choice it to not go near it. This is true of booze or cigarettes or gambling or drugs -- things that become addictions. So while people can argue positives and evils of sugar (and they will) - I would tell you to avoid. Its not like you are going to hurt yourself in any way by giving up foods with large amounts of sugar.
The bolded is nonsense. And further, comparing something that you absolutely have to have to exist (sugar) to alcohol, cigarettes and gambling is disingenuous at best.
You don't need to eat sugar to exist. Eliminating it will not hurt you at all.
A no carb/sugar diet doesn't help with muscle building either since hormonal pathways for hypertrophy get disrupted.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Sometimes the Sugar Demon is on fire! It can be hard to battle. For me I had to do some substitutes until I got it under control. And you CAN get it under control. Gum was helpful to me in the beginning. Something sweet... mouth is busy... can be a good tool to use. I also got a few of those Sparkling Ice beverages. Sometimes just a sip on those now and then will curb it. Now I can be satisfied with just a fruit wedge. When I tried to just cut it ALL out in the beginning, I ended up on the floor of my closet eating all my son's fruit snacks while crying... so that tactic didn't work for me. But the gleaning did.3
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Subjective. What if you're an athlete or a an active endurance person? Carbs are essential for better PERFORMANCE. Not having them CAN result in less efficient performance.MoiAussi93 wrote: »prattiger65 wrote: »I have noticed that when I cut way back on sugar (candy, cakes, Ice Cream) after a week or so I dont really miss them. When I go through periods where I eat a lot of those things- I find I want more. So if that is not an addiction then I dont know what is. But what do I know?? You are going to get the "sugar is not bad" 100s of times in this thread. Some people can eat it in moderation others cannot. My advice to break your your non-existant "Addiction" is to not have it around the house. There really is no other way. If you know you over-eat something and cannot moderate - then you only choice it to not go near it. This is true of booze or cigarettes or gambling or drugs -- things that become addictions. So while people can argue positives and evils of sugar (and they will) - I would tell you to avoid. Its not like you are going to hurt yourself in any way by giving up foods with large amounts of sugar.
The bolded is nonsense. And further, comparing something that you absolutely have to have to exist (sugar) to alcohol, cigarettes and gambling is disingenuous at best.
You don't need to eat sugar to exist. Eliminating it will not hurt you at all.
A no carb/sugar diet doesn't help with muscle building either since hormonal pathways for hypertrophy get disrupted.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
It depends what sport you are pursuing. In some cases... body building and sprinting, for example.. that is true based on what I have read. However, in other cases, not only are carbs NOT essential, you may actually perform better if you don't eat them. If you are an endurance athlete, a keto adapted person is at no disadvantage at all to somebody who eats carbs. In fact, if you are keto adapted you don't need to constantly refuel with gels as often as other people do. Your body becomes efficient at taking fuel from fat stores instead.Performance does not suffer. Note: this is once you are fully keto adapted which can take weeks or even up to two or three months in some cases. If you start keto today and try to run a marathon next week, you will have problems.
Also, a ketogenic diet is muscle sparing. For people trying to lose weight, and even more so for those on low calorie diets, you lose less muscle with keto than you do with a high carb diet. Not everybody is actively into body building...many people are happy to just keep the muscle they have. You don't need carbs for that.0 -
I think some people can do the portion control with sweets, but for me, I think I have to pretty much cut it out, unless it's a special occasion.
Maybe it helps to buy it already portion controlled, like Ghirardelli Squares. Individually wrapped, and 70 calories each. I buy a bag and it lasts for a week or two, eating at most 1 a night.0 -
3rdof7sisters wrote: »3rdof7sisters wrote: »Addictive behavior, is it hard wired into us, or something we choose?
People choose to smoke, drink, use illegal drugs, gambling, or whatever the addiction may be, it certainly is not a necessity of life, none the less, truly addictive to some, while others can try something once, or never, and not feel any need to ever try it again.
You can not live without eating. It seems to me that, at least technically, we are all addicted to food. If you do not eat, you can put your health seriously at risk and will die if you don't eat at all. It could be psychological addiction to certain types of foods, ie sweet, salty, but does that make it less real? So much is really unknown, even by so called experts. We know ourselves best. What will trigger our reactions and how we can, or can not, handle it.
if you don't breath you will die too, are we also addicted to breathing..
doing something to sustain bodily function and life does not equal addiction ...
It isn't exactly a bodily function, nor is it involuntary, as breathing is. I also happen to believe that it is not an addiction (craving and overindulging in sugary foods). I have lived long enough to know that I can speak for no one else besides myself. There is no possible way to know for a fact that people that believe that they are addicted to sugar, or anything for that matter, aren't. There are experts who disagree on both sides of the issue. All I am saying is that I believe there are people who are convinced that they are addicted to sugar. What makes you so sure that they are not? Where is your expertise on this? How can you possibly know for a fact?
Show me a study of humans showing linkage to sugar and physical addiction and we can talk.
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MoiAussi93 wrote: »Also, a ketogenic diet is muscle sparing. For people trying to lose weight, and even more so for those on low calorie diets, you lose less muscle with keto than you do with a high carb diet. Not everybody is actively into body building...many people are happy to just keep the muscle they have. You don't need carbs for that.
All except for the pesky little fact that carbs and insulin are both anti-catabolic.
Please post a peer-reviewed study showing that keto is more muscle sparing than diets higher in carbs. Because everything I've ever seen says the exact opposite. Keto diets are (obviously) lower in carbs and also usually significantly lower in protein (since protein is as insulogenic as carbs are), so how is eating tons of fat muscle sparing?5 -
How many KETO endurance Olympians are there? I'm betting none. Why? Because almost any coach who is knowledgeable in nutrition won't let any of their athletes train that way. Sorry not buying it. Feel free to link any studies that show KETO diet as effective for sports performance versus one where carbs are utilized.MoiAussi93 wrote: »
Subjective. What if you're an athlete or a an active endurance person? Carbs are essential for better PERFORMANCE. Not having them CAN result in less efficient performance.MoiAussi93 wrote: »prattiger65 wrote: »I have noticed that when I cut way back on sugar (candy, cakes, Ice Cream) after a week or so I dont really miss them. When I go through periods where I eat a lot of those things- I find I want more. So if that is not an addiction then I dont know what is. But what do I know?? You are going to get the "sugar is not bad" 100s of times in this thread. Some people can eat it in moderation others cannot. My advice to break your your non-existant "Addiction" is to not have it around the house. There really is no other way. If you know you over-eat something and cannot moderate - then you only choice it to not go near it. This is true of booze or cigarettes or gambling or drugs -- things that become addictions. So while people can argue positives and evils of sugar (and they will) - I would tell you to avoid. Its not like you are going to hurt yourself in any way by giving up foods with large amounts of sugar.
The bolded is nonsense. And further, comparing something that you absolutely have to have to exist (sugar) to alcohol, cigarettes and gambling is disingenuous at best.
You don't need to eat sugar to exist. Eliminating it will not hurt you at all.
A no carb/sugar diet doesn't help with muscle building either since hormonal pathways for hypertrophy get disrupted.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
It depends what sport you are pursuing. In some cases... body building and sprinting, for example.. that is true based on what I have read. However, in other cases, not only are carbs NOT essential, you may actually perform better if you don't eat them. If you are an endurance athlete, a keto adapted person is at no disadvantage at all to somebody who eats carbs. In fact, if you are keto adapted you don't need to constantly refuel with gels as often as other people do. Your body becomes efficient at taking fuel from fat stores instead.Performance does not suffer. Note: this is once you are fully keto adapted which can take weeks or even up to two or three months in some cases. If you start keto today and try to run a marathon next week, you will have problems.
Also, a ketogenic diet is muscle sparing. For people trying to lose weight, and even more so for those on low calorie diets, you lose less muscle with keto than you do with a high carb diet. Not everybody is actively into body building...many people are happy to just keep the muscle they have. You don't need carbs for that.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
5 -
How many KETO endurance Olympians are there? I'm betting none. Why? Because almost any coach who is knowledgeable in nutrition won't let any of their athletes train that way. Sorry not buying it. Feel free to link any studies that show KETO diet as effective for sports performance versus one where carbs are utilized.MoiAussi93 wrote: »
Subjective. What if you're an athlete or a an active endurance person? Carbs are essential for better PERFORMANCE. Not having them CAN result in less efficient performance.MoiAussi93 wrote: »prattiger65 wrote: »I have noticed that when I cut way back on sugar (candy, cakes, Ice Cream) after a week or so I dont really miss them. When I go through periods where I eat a lot of those things- I find I want more. So if that is not an addiction then I dont know what is. But what do I know?? You are going to get the "sugar is not bad" 100s of times in this thread. Some people can eat it in moderation others cannot. My advice to break your your non-existant "Addiction" is to not have it around the house. There really is no other way. If you know you over-eat something and cannot moderate - then you only choice it to not go near it. This is true of booze or cigarettes or gambling or drugs -- things that become addictions. So while people can argue positives and evils of sugar (and they will) - I would tell you to avoid. Its not like you are going to hurt yourself in any way by giving up foods with large amounts of sugar.
The bolded is nonsense. And further, comparing something that you absolutely have to have to exist (sugar) to alcohol, cigarettes and gambling is disingenuous at best.
You don't need to eat sugar to exist. Eliminating it will not hurt you at all.
A no carb/sugar diet doesn't help with muscle building either since hormonal pathways for hypertrophy get disrupted.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
It depends what sport you are pursuing. In some cases... body building and sprinting, for example.. that is true based on what I have read. However, in other cases, not only are carbs NOT essential, you may actually perform better if you don't eat them. If you are an endurance athlete, a keto adapted person is at no disadvantage at all to somebody who eats carbs. In fact, if you are keto adapted you don't need to constantly refuel with gels as often as other people do. Your body becomes efficient at taking fuel from fat stores instead.Performance does not suffer. Note: this is once you are fully keto adapted which can take weeks or even up to two or three months in some cases. If you start keto today and try to run a marathon next week, you will have problems.
Also, a ketogenic diet is muscle sparing. For people trying to lose weight, and even more so for those on low calorie diets, you lose less muscle with keto than you do with a high carb diet. Not everybody is actively into body building...many people are happy to just keep the muscle they have. You don't need carbs for that.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I'd like to see just ONE example of a keto Tour de France cyclist as well. Seems to me that if keto was such a huge advantage, every one of them would be doing strict ketogenic diets.
And before you say Chris Froome (because he pops up on numerous LCHF advocate sites), read his nutrition tips which came straight from his mouth: https://www.redbulletin.com/int/en/sports/chris-froomes-cycling-nutrition-tips3 -
MoiAussi93 wrote: »prattiger65 wrote: »I have noticed that when I cut way back on sugar (candy, cakes, Ice Cream) after a week or so I dont really miss them. When I go through periods where I eat a lot of those things- I find I want more. So if that is not an addiction then I dont know what is. But what do I know?? You are going to get the "sugar is not bad" 100s of times in this thread. Some people can eat it in moderation others cannot. My advice to break your your non-existant "Addiction" is to not have it around the house. There really is no other way. If you know you over-eat something and cannot moderate - then you only choice it to not go near it. This is true of booze or cigarettes or gambling or drugs -- things that become addictions. So while people can argue positives and evils of sugar (and they will) - I would tell you to avoid. Its not like you are going to hurt yourself in any way by giving up foods with large amounts of sugar.
The bolded is nonsense. And further, comparing something that you absolutely have to have to exist (sugar) to alcohol, cigarettes and gambling is disingenuous at best.
You don't need to eat sugar to exist. Eliminating it will not hurt you at all.
I'm pretty sure without sugar (glucose) you will die.4 -
Lustig. Lol, yeah he's kinda of an extremist. When labeling sugar as a "toxic" or "poisonous" to the system, and then having people believe it means he's a good salesman. His book sales are off the charts.TheRambler wrote: »Also, here's an article with research on sugar from what some believe to be an expert doctor. https://www.rt.com/news/319954-sugar-dangerous-children-study/
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I'm a firm believer that it's important to read/listen to both points of view. I'm pretty sure that it's obvious that sugar isn't toxic and won't kill you if eaten in moderation. I think it's also obvious that sugar (as with most things) is very dangerous to your health if overdone. And it's VERY easy to over-do sugar.
If you have a glass of juice and a yogurt with "fruit" in it for breakfast, you're already near 20 tbsps. That's when you wake up. A day of that with soda/smoothies and normal eating can/will get you sick.
Obviously sugar is not bad for you. It's in fruit. I REALLY believe our kids need to be educated on what to look for when eating. How many people are fooled daily with smoothies/yogurt/juice? It's deceiving and dangerous.
I'm not even talking about weight, just overall health.2 -
This is what I told my brother when he said he was going to fast and eat only oatmeal for a week to get over his sugar addiction. Why would you set yourself up to fail like that? Get onto MFP eat the way you normally would and log everything every day truthfully. Because it's private no one is judging you but yourself. Just see how many calories you consume in a week. Then just try to cut back. Why deprive yourself of something that you want that you crave but fit it into your calorie goal for the day. Yesterday I ate three slices of cake. I logged it and was still good for the day.1
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How much sugar are we talking exactly?1
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How much sugar are we talking exactly?
Kai, in my example..let's say what SOME people may think a healthy breakfast is:
Apple Juice (minute maid) 49 G
Activia Blueberry Yogurt 19 G
Kashi Go Lean Crunch 16 G
That's 84 G of sugar, equivalent of 20 teaspoons of sugar. That's before you get DRESSED.
I guess my point is, I hope that kids become educated in excess and traps. To a lot of people they think "fruit juice! yogurt! go lean!!" and they think health. The truth is, it's not always that way.
FDA recommends 12.5 teaspoons for the whole day for a 2000 calorie diet.
Sugar is not the devil, but excess of most things are. The problem with sugar is, it's so hidden. A lot of times people think they are being healthy, but they're not.3 -
For me i have to treat it like alcoholism. They have a saying one is to many and a thousand is never enough. For me it is the first bite that will throw me into obsession and compulsion and the vicious cycle begins. i know some people can portion out some sweets and they manage and believe me i desperately want to be one of those people and i have tried and tried and the first bite sets it off. I have the disease of addition to sugar and i make every attempt to treat it with respect so i stay sane. Stay on course and it gets easier.1
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For me a low carb diet helps to block the cravings but those are not for everyone. Another thing you may find helpful is to use a couple of dates in the evening when you start to crave a sweet. They are intensely sweet and satisfying and may help you get past turning to pastries and such. Later you can move to other fruits.1
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TheRambler wrote: »How much sugar are we talking exactly?
Kai, in my example..let's say what SOME people may think a healthy breakfast is:
Apple Juice (minute maid) 49 G
Activia Blueberry Yogurt 19 G
Kashi Go Lean Crunch 16 G
That's 84 G of sugar, equivalent of 20 teaspoons of sugar. That's before you get DRESSED.
I guess my point is, I hope that kids become educated in excess and traps. To a lot of people they think "fruit juice! yogurt! go lean!!" and they think health. The truth is, it's not always that way.
FDA recommends 12.5 teaspoons for the whole day for a 2000 calorie diet.
Sugar is not the devil, but excess of most things are. The problem with sugar is, it's so hidden. A lot of times people think they are being healthy, but they're not.
Your numbers are off a bit-the yogurt actually has 13g of sugar and the cereal has 13g of sugar as well.
If someone actually had these three things though for breakfast they'd be consuming 490 calories, which is a bit ridiculous for what you get, especially for someone actively trying to lose weight. Poor macro ratios and high calories for not a lot of food. This ties into to why the WHO and such recommend cutting back on sugary foods, because most times high sugar content equals high calories. And it's the high amount of calories that leads to problems.
eta: here's the actual nutrition info on the 3 examples
http://www.minutemaid.com/products/variety-juice/apple-juice/
http://www.activia.us.com/probiotic-yogurt/nutrition/activia-blueberry
https://www.kashi.com/our-foods/cold-cereal/kashi-golean-crunch-cereal0 -
Whether or not sugar craving it's an actual psychological "addiction" is arguing over fine points when you have a person that's having a very hard time eating in a healthy way.
Eating less sugar can be REALLY REALLY hard because:
* We are wired to crave sugar
* We are creatures of habit-we crave consistency even if it's not good for us.
* You can't really separate the brain/body connection. There are body needs and mind needs and the two do not actually have a wall between them.
Sugar often is craved due to stress, because tasting sugar (even for babies) relieves stress and even pain. There are other ways to combat stress, including:
* Distraction: taking a 10 minute walk
* Meditation/Deep breathing: Use the Calm app for 5 minutes instead of candy
* Problem solving around the stress: Stressed about housework? Make a chore list with your housemates instead of arguing over the trash pick up.
Habits tend to serve some sort of need, and we need to get to what the need is and replace it with a better behavior. It also takes time, usually at least 6 weeks which is a rather long time.
A lot of these same sorts of things, of course, are the same as kicking cigarettes, alcohol, or even heroin. But the parallels are there. Whether or not you call it all addiction or not, it's still dealing with real cravings.1 -
Hi Crystal, I started my sugar battle by keeping up with my intake on a daily basis first. Then I researched the daily amount of sugar that is recommended. I got a mason jar and measured out what my daily intake should be and then I measured out what I did eat in a day and compared them at the end of the week. It was shocking! I then started reducing any amounts that I could by eating for example a 1/4 of a candy bar instead of the whole bar! Its nice to share with someone else also. I sometimes buy a piece of cake from Publix bakery and I take one bite and put the rest in the freezer until I have a craving for something sweet. One bite each day verses 1 piece everyday goes far! I like the chocolate covered blueberries and when I get a craving I may get about 3-5 and it satisfies my craving. Stay away from vending machines unless its for water. If you crave a soda buy the mini sodas. I also started documenting every time I bought a bag of sugar. I started paying attention to the things I actually made with sugar and have reduced the amounts in each gallon of tea I make or any recipe that calls for sugar. I now purchase less sugar a year and don't miss it. Don't deprive yourself completely just start slow and eventually the pounds will come off. Also log into fitness pal and enter your goals and track your food daily. At first it will be a challenge but as you educate yourself on what is high in sugars, fats... you will change your eating habits. Baby steps is a start... Hope this encourages you.0
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fitoverfortymom wrote: »I'm considering opening a rehab center for those afflicted with sugar addiction. Who's with me?
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3rdof7sisters wrote: »3rdof7sisters wrote: »Addictive behavior, is it hard wired into us, or something we choose?
People choose to smoke, drink, use illegal drugs, gambling, or whatever the addiction may be, it certainly is not a necessity of life, none the less, truly addictive to some, while others can try something once, or never, and not feel any need to ever try it again.
You can not live without eating. It seems to me that, at least technically, we are all addicted to food. If you do not eat, you can put your health seriously at risk and will die if you don't eat at all. It could be psychological addiction to certain types of foods, ie sweet, salty, but does that make it less real? So much is really unknown, even by so called experts. We know ourselves best. What will trigger our reactions and how we can, or can not, handle it.
if you don't breath you will die too, are we also addicted to breathing..
doing something to sustain bodily function and life does not equal addiction ...
It isn't exactly a bodily function, nor is it involuntary, as breathing is. I also happen to believe that it is not an addiction (craving and overindulging in sugary foods). I have lived long enough to know that I can speak for no one else besides myself. There is no possible way to know for a fact that people that believe that they are addicted to sugar, or anything for that matter, aren't. There are experts who disagree on both sides of the issue. All I am saying is that I believe there are people who are convinced that they are addicted to sugar. What makes you so sure that they are not? Where is your expertise on this? How can you possibly know for a fact?
Show me a study of humans showing linkage to sugar and physical addiction and we can talk.
So, you are of the opinion that "I don't believe it, so it isn't".
And you are saying "physical" addiction. I am not so sure that "psychological" addiction is not possible for some people, and that it can be very real.
Google "is sugar addictive" are you open minded enough to consider the possibility that for some, it may be?
I am not saying that it is or isn't addictive. I am not addicted to sugar, but I do love sweets and have learned to moderate my intake. I am however open to the possibility that for some people, they are convinced that they are addicted.0
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