How to battle sugar addiction

Options
12357…10

Replies

  • Tonkajoe
    Tonkajoe Posts: 14 Member
    edited April 2017
    Options
    Protein and Water are the balance for sugar cravings. Eat LOTS of it. At minimum 1g protien per pound of your target body weight per day. Water - drink 32oz first thing in the morning and then another 32oz over the rest of the day. I would bet 2 bux if you do this you wont have sugar or carb cravings. B) Good Luck!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    Options
    danigirl1011 wrote: »
    First of all, anyone saying it's not a battle or addiction has never had an addiction to it. It is one of the most addictive things out there and is in damned near everything! I know it can be rough. I've been there for 36 years. One thing i have learned is 80/20. Don't beat yourself up on cheat days. I try to stay away from sugar and unhealthy foods while i'm at work and have to pack food to bring in, then saturday is a cheat day. I try to be stubborn enough to only have it that day. You can also try cutting it out slowly. Try getting natural sugars from fruit and honey. I think that really helps me. And i am not overly religious AT ALL and it may sound crazy, but i seriously pray about it. I ask that he help me with my food addiction make me strong when i want to eat bad and give me the energy and motivation to work out. It really can help.

    [edited by MFP moderator]

    if it is so addictive and bad then why is it OK to have it 20% of the time. IF a heroin addict told you that they went through rehab and were clean but still did heroin 20% of the time you would look at them like they sprung two heads.

    I never understood this dichotomy that on the one hand sugar is bad and addictive, but on the other hand it is still OK sometimes...

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    Options
    TheRambler wrote: »
    kaizaku 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.

    The FDA also used to say that fat was bad for us and should be avoided, and look where that ended up.

    Sugar can be a part of an overall healthy diet, what matters is context and dosage.

    If you are meeting calorie, micro, and macro goals then there is nothing wrong with sugar; if sugar is crowding out other nutrients and/or macros then it should be reduced.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Options
    MoiAussi93 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    MoiAussi93 wrote: »
    prattiger65 wrote: »
    jmp463 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.
    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.
    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
    9285851.png

    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.

    Ah the myth of the keto athlete advantage! :)

    Actually performance does suffer and there is a huge disadvantage unless you are prepared to be a slow plodder - the best athletes, including endurance, use all available energy sources. By the way the few keto endurance athletes tend to suffer a large drop out rate or actually fuel on carbs for the event.

    Keto is also only one way to be better adapted for fat usage, training protocols and/or fasted exercise for example.

    Carbs are also protein/muscle sparing.
  • dfwesq
    dfwesq Posts: 592 Member
    Options
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    The FDA also used to say that fat was bad for us and should be avoided, and look where that ended up.
    Was it the FDA (or some other government agency, like the USDA)? I had the idea that it was diet gurus, not public health agencies. The old 4-4-3-2 and food pyramid guidelines included some fats, I think.
    Sugar can be a part of an overall healthy diet, what matters is context and dosage.

    If you are meeting calorie, micro, and macro goals then there is nothing wrong with sugar; if sugar is crowding out other nutrients and/or macros then it should be reduced.
    In the average American diet, sugar crowds out nutritious foods and also provides too many calories. I think that's the reason for the recommendation to limit added sugars to no more than 12.5 teaspoons, or roughly 10% of calorie intake, per day. I think you're right that there are some people with unusually high calorie needs who can have more than that and still be OK.

  • 3rdof7sisters
    3rdof7sisters Posts: 486 Member
    Options
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    3rdof7sisters wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    3rdof7sisters wrote: »
    ndj1979 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.

    No, there is no evidence of physical addiction from sugar in humans, that is my stance. Show me a peer reviewed source that shows otherwise and we can talk.

    You can go Google "Aliens run the government" and find all kinds of sources on that, so no thank you. If you have any peer reviewed studies that counter my argument then feel free to post them.

    So you unequivocally claim there is no possibility for any human to be psychologically addicted to sugar.

    Pretty certain of you to know this for a fact, for everyone throughout all of the human population.

    Amazing



  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    Options
    dfwesq wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    The FDA also used to say that fat was bad for us and should be avoided, and look where that ended up.
    Was it the FDA (or some other government agency, like the USDA)? I had the idea that it was diet gurus, not public health agencies. The old 4-4-3-2 and food pyramid guidelines included some fats, I think.
    Sugar can be a part of an overall healthy diet, what matters is context and dosage.

    If you are meeting calorie, micro, and macro goals then there is nothing wrong with sugar; if sugar is crowding out other nutrients and/or macros then it should be reduced.
    In the average American diet, sugar crowds out nutritious foods and also provides too many calories. I think that's the reason for the recommendation to limit added sugars to no more than 12.5 teaspoons, or roughly 10% of calorie intake, per day. I think you're right that there are some people with unusually high calorie needs who can have more than that and still be OK.

    it may have been the USDA; my point is that one should not be relying on government agencies for advice about health, nutrition, and food.

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    danigirl1011 wrote: »
    First of all, anyone saying it's not a battle or addiction has never had an addiction to it. It is one of the most addictive things out there and is in damned near everything!

    It just is NOT in everything. Why do people say this. It IS in lots of nutrient dense foods like fruits and vegetables, sweet potatoes, etc., and yet people don't claim to be unable to stop eating carrots. Other than those foods and things that are specifically sweets, it's in almost nothing I eat, and I don't eat in any special way (I do tend to mostly cook from whole foods). Foods I buy and which are most of my diet that aren't sugary (and don't have any meaningful amounts of sugar): eggs, pasta, oats, potatoes, meat (including fish), tofu, tempeh, other legumes, nuts.
    One thing i have learned is 80/20.

    This is a reasonable approach (so is cutting out trigger foods, depending on the person). Don't know what it has to do with the "addiction" claim.

    I also like the advice to eat fruit (but again that would be bad advice if we were talking about an addiction).

    Ugh, I'd really rather not get into a debate about whether it is an addiction or not, as I don't think that helps OP and is kind of beside the point, but I find it irritating that you assume that anyone who rejects the addiction model doesn't understand feeling out of control about food. I think understanding the specifics of OP's out of control feelings and the surrounding circumstances are required to give good advice, though.
  • TheRambler
    TheRambler Posts: 387 Member
    Options
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    TheRambler wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    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/
    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.

    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
    9285851.png


    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.

    I totally disagree that people are "fooled" by these things. If they are interested (most people are not), it's incredibly easy to find out.

    I'd personally never start the day with juice and a flavored yogurt because I wouldn't find that filling, but if someone does it can be part of a balanced diet. (I do think it's best to eat fruit whole vs. only the juice, but a moderate amount of juice if you enjoy it can be fine.)
    TheRambler wrote: »
    The problem with sugar is, it's so hidden. A lot of times people think they are being healthy, but they're not.

    It's not hidden. People like this argument because it pretends like people had NO IDEA they were eating unhealthfully, but it's not consistent with the actual stats. If you look at where the sugar in the US diet comes from, something like 35% is from sugar sweetened drinks, another big chunk is from pastries and other sweet baked goods, candy, ice cream, etc. Then a chunk from sugary cereals (and the sugar is cereals is NOT hidden, everyone knows about it). Not that much from yogurt overall (although that's obviously not hidden either), and not much (as a percentage) from savory foods that most mean when they talk about so-called hidden sugar.

    I don't think this has anything to do with OP's issue, though.

    Do you not think that the average kid, before school, had juice and cereal? And more juice at school?
  • RedSquadronLeader
    RedSquadronLeader Posts: 84 Member
    Options
    I always laugh a bit when someone says "you don't eat sugar out of the bag with a spoon do you?" because I totally have. I have also driven to the grocery store at 2 am to get candy/sugar/chocolate. I have also, when trying to cut down but feeling desperate, eaten truvia with a spoon. A mistake in the extreme, just makes the cravings stronger and does very bad things to digestion. I highly recommend against this. =) So anyway, it really doesn't matter to me if people want to call this addiction or not. That's not the point. My habits surrounding it were unhealthy, and needed to change.

    Of course veggies - carrots, peppers, etc - all contain some sugar, but I think it's that they don't taste so sweet and thus don't trigger the strong cravings in those of us that have trouble moderating sugar. I think there's definitely a threshold effect too -- if I eat a lot of fruit in a day, I'll start craving more sugary and sweet things.

    OP, I'd cut it out entirely, including fruit and including any other "natural" (e.g. honey) and artificial (e.g. splenda, stevia) sweeteners or things that "taste" sweet -- for at least a couple of weeks, and then start reintroducing fruits in moderation, sweeteners if you so choose. I think your cravings will diminish the longer you go without these things, but they're kept alive and in full force when you continue eating sweet things. You have to experiment a bit with your own personal tolerance and ability to moderate: maybe you'll be able to eat a single serving of candy or whatever and put it away; I am incapable of that. But now, provided I watch the quantity, I can eat an apple or berries, provided it's in the context of fiber, and protein or fat, and be okay. Sometimes it still triggers cravings. But usually I can distract myself away from it and eat something else.

    Also, some thoughts I've had lately. People say it's really hard to get adequate nutrition on 1200 cals or whatever other very low goal and recommend against it. But then people eating in the range of 1300-1500 will say they can fit in a bit of a treat every day. I am completely on board with this being fine for weight loss, obviously it's calories that matter there. But if that's a 200-ish cal treat (fairly reasonable) that's quite nutrient-poor, then it's essentially the same as eating just eating very nutrient-dense food at 1200ish cals. I recognize that not everyone on a 1200 cal diet is going to plan out their day to be as nutrient dense as possible, and that's one of the primary reasons it's not recommended ... just saying, I definitely think now about how much protein-rich, or nutrient-packed food I could fit into 200 cals when I daydream about a roll of sweet tarts. Some nuts or chicken sausage or veggies and guac are going to be much better for my health and body composition.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    Options
    TheRambler wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    TheRambler wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    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/
    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.

    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
    9285851.png


    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.

    I totally disagree that people are "fooled" by these things. If they are interested (most people are not), it's incredibly easy to find out.

    I'd personally never start the day with juice and a flavored yogurt because I wouldn't find that filling, but if someone does it can be part of a balanced diet. (I do think it's best to eat fruit whole vs. only the juice, but a moderate amount of juice if you enjoy it can be fine.)
    TheRambler wrote: »
    The problem with sugar is, it's so hidden. A lot of times people think they are being healthy, but they're not.

    It's not hidden. People like this argument because it pretends like people had NO IDEA they were eating unhealthfully, but it's not consistent with the actual stats. If you look at where the sugar in the US diet comes from, something like 35% is from sugar sweetened drinks, another big chunk is from pastries and other sweet baked goods, candy, ice cream, etc. Then a chunk from sugary cereals (and the sugar is cereals is NOT hidden, everyone knows about it). Not that much from yogurt overall (although that's obviously not hidden either), and not much (as a percentage) from savory foods that most mean when they talk about so-called hidden sugar.

    I don't think this has anything to do with OP's issue, though.

    Do you not think that the average kid, before school, had juice and cereal? And more juice at school?

    What does what an average kid eats have to do with OP? Or with @lemurcat12's comments?
  • clairetjebibi
    clairetjebibi Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    Yes, it IS definitly an addiction. Cold turky for a month (I used the "I quit sugar" book). When I have a craving I eat 85% lindt chocolate and that does the trick :)
  • 3rdof7sisters
    3rdof7sisters Posts: 486 Member
    Options
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    3rdof7sisters wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    3rdof7sisters wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    3rdof7sisters wrote: »
    ndj1979 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.

    No, there is no evidence of physical addiction from sugar in humans, that is my stance. Show me a peer reviewed source that shows otherwise and we can talk.

    You can go Google "Aliens run the government" and find all kinds of sources on that, so no thank you. If you have any peer reviewed studies that counter my argument then feel free to post them.

    So you unequivocally claim there is no possibility for any human to be psychologically addicted to sugar.

    Pretty certain of you to know this for a fact, for everyone throughout all of the human population.

    Amazing



    nope, I said no peer reviewed studies show a connection to physical addiction.

    I never once mentioned anything about psychological, that is something that you just keep adding to move the goalposts.


    I am saying that it may be possible to be psychologically addicted to sugar, and you are quoting my posts.
    Why quote me if you are not acknowledging what I am saying? Doesn't make much sense to me.

    I am not trying to move any "goalposts", I am trying to be open minded and maybe acknowledge other people's very real concerns about their issues with sugar.

Categories