Need to crack this sugar addiction.....if I could just do that I know I would succeed !

Have you tried making sweets at home with artificial sweeteners? We've made a few desserts with artificial sweeteners that turned out quite well, including ice cream, chia seed pudding, and chocolate peanut butter bites.

I have had the same issue up until I completely cut out any added sugar or artificial sweeteners. First few days are rough but by day 5 I had more energy than I have had in probably a decade. On top of that I can smell things better than I used to, things taste better and I actually have to remind myself to eat because I stopped craving everything and things I do eat seem to stay with me longer. 40 days later and almost 20 lbs gone. It's been eye opening.

GrammiJano wrote: »

But I saw on t.v that they liken it to it

People on tv say a lot of things. Doesn't make them true.

Making your own sweets is definitely an option, I buy sorbet instead of ice cream. 80cal a serving, can't go wrong with that and for me at least it's a satisfying helping. Halo Top is supposed to be another good option, I've never had it. But if you still can't manage yourself with sweets it may be a good idea to just keep them out and away, and endure the cravings.

The food industry are liars, they don't care about us they only care about money and they want you as their slave

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=share&v=LPxIssabhTc

If you need motivation try reading Pure, White and Deadly

https://www.amazon.com/Pure-White-Deadly-John-Yudkin/dp/0241965284

or watch Sugar. the bitter truth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

If you want to get off the sugar habit you might also want to reduce your fructose consumption through fruits. Focus on fruits that give higher fiber and lower fructose.

Tomatoes and avocados (yes technically fruits!)
Lemons and limes
Cantaloupe melon
Raspberries, blackberries & strawberries
Clementine
Kiwi fruit
Grapefruit

and avoid dried fruits, Mango, Grapes, Watermelon and banana which have higher levels of fructose.

squatsnotsquat wrote: »

stevencloser wrote: »

squatsnotsquat wrote: »

Erythritol was a game changer for me. It's a sugar alcohol that doesn't spike your blood sugar like other artificial sweeteners, no calories, no bad side effects (aside from a laxative effect ). You just use it to cook and bake desserts with, or you can find desserts that are already sweetened with it. When mine came (ordered off Amazon), I literally thought I was ripped off because it tasted so much like sugar I thought it was just sugar. Never in my life have I thought I'd find a healthy sweetener that wasn't bitter, but this is amazing. Definitely agree with NessaR that just cutting out sweet foods will help you stop craving them-- you kind of just stop seeing certain foods as food when you stop eating them. But if you can't manage that (it's tough!), erythritol is a good way to go. Whatever you do though, don't turn to other artificial sweeteners besides stevia and sugar alcohols. Some spike your blood sugar worse than sugar, making you hungrier later than if you just ate sugar. I blame Splenda for a 10 lb weight gain a few years back...

No artificial sweeteners spike your blood sugar. That's kindof the point of them.

I should be more specific. The sweetener itself doesn't usually spike insulin or at least not very much, but the maltodexrin mixed in as a filler spikes blood sugar nearly twice as much as sugar. Splenda contains maltodexrin and dextrose which both lead to weight gain.

Too many calories lead to weight gain, period. Individual ingredients, individual foods, groups of foods like “sweets” do not cause weight gain.

OP as a couple of others have said - sugar isn’t physically addictive, and biochemically the refined sugar in your cereal bars or donuts is handled by your body the same as the sugar in foods like honey, agave, and even fruits and vegetables. For many people, understanding that it isn’t an addiction, that the substance doesn’t hold power over them the way that truly addictive substances do, is empowering.

Once you accept that, then you can move on to the “why” you tend to overeat certain foods and work to address those habits to achieve your long term goals. Some people find that they eat those foods when they are in certain emotional states - boredom, stress, sadness, anxiety, etc. they then work to find alternatives to cope with those emotions. Other people find that it’s truly just a habit, no specific triggers, and starting to build different habits - like logging accurately to know how the food impacts your total day, or going for a walk when a craving strikes - help them build overall strategies around how to deal with the foods they struggle with. Some people find that they need to stay away from their trigger foods completely, some find that they just need to remove them from home but can indulge in them in other situations, some buy only single servings of the foods - it’s not a one size fits all and you can try different strategies to see what works for you.

There’s a lot of misinformation out there about health, nutrition and weight loss - you tube and blogs are not good sources of information. People who want to sell you something often try to convince others that certain foods are inherently bad and that they must be cut out in order to be successful. In actuality, if weight loss is your goal - that comes down to a calorie deficit and you can achieve that eating a lot of different foods. What I found is that if I build a generally healthy diet around lean protein, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats - and log everything accurately - I know exactly how much wiggle room I have for things like a couple of Girl Scout cookies after dinner, or pizza on the weekends with my family.

Good luck.