Need to crack this sugar addiction.....if I could just do that I know I would succeed !
Replies
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Try chromium picolinate, a mineral supplement available everywhere. It works for my sugar craving.
http://www.womenshealthmag.co.uk/weight-loss/healthy-eating/1139/no-sugar-challenge-chromium-supplements/16 -
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Cold turkey, white knuckle is the way to go. You can do it! It doesn't last that long in the scheme of life.16
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i was a smoker for 28 years. I quit cold turkey and haven't smoked in now 7 years. I have a sugar addiction. It is much harder to kick sugar addiction. I can avoid smoking because i can stay away from people places and things that trigger the urge. (even today after 7 yrs - still get urges to smoke). You cannot do that with sugar. Sugar is such a large part of this culture, it is extremely hard to avoid. I always have bad days where i want to eat mounds of sugar. I can fight a lot of the cravings by eating sweet fruits. the sweeter the better, but be careful as this can sometime trigger the overwhelming desire to eat sugary foods.16
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i was a smoker for 28 years. I quit cold turkey and haven't smoked in now 7 years. I have a sugar addiction. It is much harder to kick sugar addiction. I can avoid smoking because i can stay away from people places and things that trigger the urge. (even today after 7 yrs - still get urges to smoke). You cannot do that with sugar. Sugar is such a large part of this culture, it is extremely hard to avoid. I always have bad days where i want to eat mounds of sugar. I can fight a lot of the cravings by eating sweet fruits. the sweeter the better, but be careful as this can sometime trigger the overwhelming desire to eat sugary foods.
This is the thing that really gets me about the folks that claim to have a sugar addiction - how can you fight an addiction to sugar by eating sugar (since the sugar in the fruit is what makes it sweet)?!? This sounds to me like telling a smoker to fight the urge to smoke by having a smoke or telling an alcoholic to have a drink to fight the urge to drink.17 -
kommodevaran wrote: »
It's not "just silly", you think it's silly, and that's ok.Carlos_421 wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »
White sugar is destilled from plants. So the sugar is the same. But so called junk food is very easy to eat (practically predigested, simple, strong flavors, it offers no resistance) and has little nutritional value besides the sugar/fat. So there is no "stop" to junk food. Fruit has flavors you have to learn to like, it isn't that intensely sweet, and you get enough. Fruit isn't vilified AND heavily marketed, either.CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »for those who say its a craving,do you crave fruits,diary,etc? because all those things have sugar in them. wouldnt those things make you crave more and more of those things because of sugar? and table sugar,HFCS and so on all come from natural sources(mostly veggies and some fruits).
The idea that junk food is practically predigested is just silly. Highly palatable? Yes (due largely to the fat content).
Also, sugar is naturally white. People seem to think it's bleached or processed to get it that way but nope, that's its natural color.
I don't think sugar is bleached in order to be white. "White sugar" could be the wrong term, is it "table sugar"?
But how does "junk food" being highly palatable (simple, strong flavors) render it practically predigested? Your digestive system still has to break it down and absorb it.8 -
i was a smoker for 28 years. I quit cold turkey and haven't smoked in now 7 years. I have a sugar addiction. It is much harder to kick sugar addiction. I can avoid smoking because i can stay away from people places and things that trigger the urge. (even today after 7 yrs - still get urges to smoke). You cannot do that with sugar. Sugar is such a large part of this culture, it is extremely hard to avoid. I always have bad days where i want to eat mounds of sugar. I can fight a lot of the cravings by eating sweet fruits. the sweeter the better, but be careful as this can sometime trigger the overwhelming desire to eat sugary foods.
This is the thing that really gets me about the folks that claim to have a sugar addiction - how can you fight an addiction to sugar by eating sugar (since the sugar in the fruit is what makes it sweet)?!? This sounds to me like telling a smoker to fight the urge to smoke by having a smoke or telling an alcoholic to have a drink to fight the urge to drink.
Right? It's like swapping cigs for chewing tobacco and claiming you beat the habit...5 -
GrammiJano wrote: »No I haven't but thank u for the idea -)
I buy sugarless candy when I want sugar i pop a sugarless candy and desire for candy is gone works for me3 -
i was a smoker for 28 years. I quit cold turkey and haven't smoked in now 7 years. I have a sugar addiction. It is much harder to kick sugar addiction. I can avoid smoking because i can stay away from people places and things that trigger the urge. (even today after 7 yrs - still get urges to smoke). You cannot do that with sugar. Sugar is such a large part of this culture, it is extremely hard to avoid. I always have bad days where i want to eat mounds of sugar. I can fight a lot of the cravings by eating sweet fruits. the sweeter the better, but be careful as this can sometime trigger the overwhelming desire to eat sugary foods.
This is the thing that really gets me about the folks that claim to have a sugar addiction - how can you fight an addiction to sugar by eating sugar (since the sugar in the fruit is what makes it sweet)?!? This sounds to me like telling a smoker to fight the urge to smoke by having a smoke or telling an alcoholic to have a drink to fight the urge to drink.
While I never claimed to have a sugar addiction (I don't personally think that's a thing), I did at one point - long before losing weight - decide I was eating more high-calorie but not terribly nutritious things than I wanted to eat (baked goods, candy).
I found eating fruit instead very helpful in making that change without needing white-knuckled will power (not my long suit). Fruit tends to be lower calorie and more nutrient dense for those calories than baked goods and candy (though I'm sure you can come up with counter-examples).
That's why I suggested the fruit strategy up thread.
I think it's possible for those of us who don't believe in "sugar addiction" to over focus on arguing that it's not a real addiction, and under focus on trying to help the OP, a strategy that tends to get threads (or parts thereof) banished to the debate forum for yet another tiresome round of same-old same-old.
Some common foods that get a fair fraction of their calories from sugar are also highly palatable to many people, are temptingly ubiquitous, are culturally put on a bit of a pedestal as "treats" (who doesn't deserve a treat?
), may tend to encourage blood sugar swings that trigger cravings in some, are tightly habit-linked for some, and other factors that can make them a challenge to moderate.
It's not an addiction, but it can be a problem. Why not suggest something that can help solve the problem? Just because someone misconceives it as a "cure" for an "addiction" doesn't invalidate the strategy.7 -
i was a smoker for 28 years. I quit cold turkey and haven't smoked in now 7 years. I have a sugar addiction. It is much harder to kick sugar addiction. I can avoid smoking because i can stay away from people places and things that trigger the urge. (even today after 7 yrs - still get urges to smoke). You cannot do that with sugar. Sugar is such a large part of this culture, it is extremely hard to avoid. I always have bad days where i want to eat mounds of sugar. I can fight a lot of the cravings by eating sweet fruits. the sweeter the better, but be careful as this can sometime trigger the overwhelming desire to eat sugary foods.
This is the thing that really gets me about the folks that claim to have a sugar addiction - how can you fight an addiction to sugar by eating sugar (since the sugar in the fruit is what makes it sweet)?!? This sounds to me like telling a smoker to fight the urge to smoke by having a smoke or telling an alcoholic to have a drink to fight the urge to drink.
While I never claimed to have a sugar addiction (I don't personally think that's a thing), I did at one point - long before losing weight - decide I was eating more high-calorie but not terribly nutritious things than I wanted to eat (baked goods, candy).
I found eating fruit instead very helpful in making that change without needing white-knuckled will power (not my long suit). Fruit tends to be lower calorie and more nutrient dense for those calories than baked goods and candy (though I'm sure you can come up with counter-examples).
That's why I suggested the fruit strategy up thread.
I think it's possible for those of us who don't believe in "sugar addiction" to over focus on arguing that it's not a real addiction, and under focus on trying to help the OP, a strategy that tends to get threads (or parts thereof) banished to the debate forum for yet another tiresome round of same-old same-old.
Some common foods that get a fair fraction of their calories from sugar are also highly palatable to many people, are temptingly ubiquitous, are culturally put on a bit of a pedestal as "treats" (who doesn't deserve a treat? ), may tend to encourage blood sugar swings that trigger cravings in some, are tightly habit-linked for some, and other factors that can make them a challenge to moderate.
It's not an addiction, but it can be a problem. Why not suggest something that can help solve the problem? Just because someone misconceives it as a "cure" for an "addiction" doesn't invalidate the strategy.
I agree with everything that you are saying here - the difference is that the person I quoted was very adamant that she has a sugar addiction and the way to deal with the addiction is to eat more sugar even tho she changes the delivery form of the sugar.2 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »
It's not "just silly", you think it's silly, and that's ok.Carlos_421 wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »
White sugar is destilled from plants. So the sugar is the same. But so called junk food is very easy to eat (practically predigested, simple, strong flavors, it offers no resistance) and has little nutritional value besides the sugar/fat. So there is no "stop" to junk food. Fruit has flavors you have to learn to like, it isn't that intensely sweet, and you get enough. Fruit isn't vilified AND heavily marketed, either.CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »for those who say its a craving,do you crave fruits,diary,etc? because all those things have sugar in them. wouldnt those things make you crave more and more of those things because of sugar? and table sugar,HFCS and so on all come from natural sources(mostly veggies and some fruits).
The idea that junk food is practically predigested is just silly. Highly palatable? Yes (due largely to the fat content).
Also, sugar is naturally white. People seem to think it's bleached or processed to get it that way but nope, that's its natural color.
I don't think sugar is bleached in order to be white. "White sugar" could be the wrong term, is it "table sugar"?
But how does "junk food" being highly palatable (simple, strong flavors) render it practically predigested? Your digestive system still has to break it down and absorb it.
I think the idea is that it gets digested and you feel the effect of it very quickly (which is true if we are talking things that are sugar and refined carbs -- it's why they are great for fueling just before or during exercise).
Whether that matters to someone is going to vary by person, and I don't think it has to do with "addiction," of course (but I don't think OP's choice of that work should determine what we suggest as possibly helpful for her).
That many people find fruit helpful in dealing with a desire to overeat sweet does suggest to me that the issue is not simply sugar, but more significantly I think fruit CAN BE helpful and many people who find sweets (or some sweets) hard to control find that fruit is no problem.2 -
I used to believe I had a sugar addiction. Turns out sugar is just delicious and I had a self control problem. When I was fat it was no big deal to have 4 more donuts anyway because I was already fat. Are you sure your 'addiction' isn't psychological? I am perfectly able to have just the 1 NOW. Enter personal accountability. It's easy to believe its a big bad substance that's to blame. When the pain of change was less than the pain of staying the same my sugar addiction cured itself. Go figure. Still smoke cigs tho! haha10
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Craving, yes
Addiction, nope
Lack of being able to control your cravings and justifying it in your mind as an addiction to make you feel better about your lack of self control.
Been there, done that. Learned to control my consumption of sugar as all other foods that I over indulged in. Better choices, moderation, portion control and adhering to calorie budget.7 -
Sugar consumption has increased exponentially over recent centuries. When refined sugar was first available the average amount people ate in the 1600's was a couple of lb a year. Over the next centuries the amount gradually increased to the devastating amounts many consume now. Its so difficult to get way from refined sugar, reading labels helps, yet remember the low fat salad dressings, laced with sugar to reduce the fat content. This was because all fat was seen as very bad and it still happens. Thankfully we are somewhat more enlightened now because fats are needed to make hormones and other things our bodies desperately need.
Many of us educated people know if we eat too much sugar our bodies will produce insulin in order to deal with it, we now know glucose is trap and stored for a rainy day when food is in short supply. Fortunately most of us are not undernourished. Regrettably it is often easier to reach for a doughnut than find ingredients for a good meal, which does not tax our systems.
Some where along our road to being so very civilised as we have become, so very far removed from the diet we used to have pre 1700, our foods are now full of highly refined sugar which favour yeast producing microbes the more sugar they receive the more they want.
Not everyone will have a problem with sugar, much depends on their personal range of digestive microbes. Native populations who keep to their ancestral diets have higher digestive microbe specie numbers and their societies do not suffer modern ailments we do. Treated well our bodies look after themselves.21 -
Sugar consumption has increased exponentially over recent centuries. When refined sugar was first available the average amount people ate in the 1600's was a couple of lb a year. Over the next centuries the amount gradually increased to the devastating amounts many consume now. Its so difficult to get way from refined sugar, reading labels helps, yet remember the low fat salad dressings, laced with sugar to reduce the fat content. This was because all fat was seen as very bad and it still happens. Thankfully we are somewhat more enlightened now because fats are needed to make hormones and other things our bodies desperately need.
Many of us educated people know if we eat too much sugar our bodies will produce insulin in order to deal with it, we now know glucose is trap and stored for a rainy day when food is in short supply. Fortunately most of us are not undernourished. Regrettably it is often easier to reach for a doughnut than find ingredients for a good meal, which does not tax our systems.
Some where along our road to being so very civilised as we have become, so very far removed from the diet we used to have pre 1700, our foods are now full of highly refined sugar which favour yeast producing microbes the more sugar they receive the more they want.
Not everyone will have a problem with sugar, much depends on their personal range of digestive microbes. Native populations who keep to their ancestral diets have higher digestive microbe specie numbers and their societies do not suffer modern ailments we do. Treated well our bodies look after themselves.
BEWARE!
THE HORRIBLE LOW FAT SALAD DRESSING FULL OF ADDED SUGAR!
How will I ever deal with that whole 1g more sugar which is most likely caused not by "being laced" but simple volume replacement?14 -
Sugar consumption has increased exponentially over recent centuries. When refined sugar was first available the average amount people ate in the 1600's was a couple of lb a year. Over the next centuries the amount gradually increased to the devastating amounts many consume now. Its so difficult to get way from refined sugar, reading labels helps, yet remember the low fat salad dressings, laced with sugar to reduce the fat content. This was because all fat was seen as very bad and it still happens. Thankfully we are somewhat more enlightened now because fats are needed to make hormones and other things our bodies desperately need.
Many of us educated people know if we eat too much sugar our bodies will produce insulin in order to deal with it, we now know glucose is trap and stored for a rainy day when food is in short supply. Fortunately most of us are not undernourished. Regrettably it is often easier to reach for a doughnut than find ingredients for a good meal, which does not tax our systems.
Some where along our road to being so very civilised as we have become, so very far removed from the diet we used to have pre 1700, our foods are now full of highly refined sugar which favour yeast producing microbes the more sugar they receive the more they want.
Not everyone will have a problem with sugar, much depends on their personal range of digestive microbes. Native populations who keep to their ancestral diets have higher digestive microbe specie numbers and their societies do not suffer modern ailments we do. Treated well our bodies look after themselves.
^
So has the consumption and production of all foods. How does that make sugar consumption an addiction?4 -
"Hidden" Valley, I SEE YOU6
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Pre 1700 human would be amazed by 2018 humans. Probably by everything that has evolved since, and the abundance and availability of food would be a part of that amazement.
Still doesn’t make sugar an addiction6 -
Its so difficult to get way from refined sugar, reading labels helps, yet remember the low fat salad dressings, laced with sugar to reduce the fat content.
No, it's really very easy to avoid added sugar if you primarily eat whole foods (or choose processed foods like dried pasta and canned beans and plain dairy, and many others, which have no sugar added).
Why do people claim it's hard when it's not? I think it's because there's a desire to claim that eating lots of sugar was somehow an accident.
Also, contrary to all this nonsense about hidden sugar, the NJS did an analysis and only 5% of the sugar in the average UK diet is from savory items (and even some of those obviously contain sugar). Note that 5% is less than half the percentage of sugar (11%) as the average UK diet gets from alcoholic beverages.
https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/Top-sources-of-added-sugar-in-our-diet.aspx
That aside, OP's question was not about hidden sugars, it was really more about how to deal with difficulty moderating sweets. I think she's gotten a huge variety of different ideas to try, and I'd be interested to see how it's going for her. Turning this into yet another thread ranting about evil sugar doesn't really allow it to serve that purpose, IMO.10 -
But see, it's much easier to call it an "addiction" because it takes away all that darn 'being responsible for your own actions' stuff (speaking in general terms, not singling anybody out).mrsnattybulking wrote: »I used to believe I had a sugar addiction. Turns out sugar is just delicious and I had a self control problem. When I was fat it was no big deal to have 4 more donuts anyway because I was already fat. Are you sure your 'addiction' isn't psychological? I am perfectly able to have just the 1 NOW. Enter personal accountability. It's easy to believe its a big bad substance that's to blame. When the pain of change was less than the pain of staying the same my sugar addiction cured itself. Go figure. Still smoke cigs tho! haha7
https://youtu.be/KKC5jjFkfgo
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