I Think I'm Addicted to Sugar

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Replies

  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    I'm another abstainer. I can't eat the foods that cause cravings & compulsive/impulsive eating on a regular basis and maintain my weight. No matter how in control I feel in the beginning it always results in the same thing - it's like I build up a tolerance and the moderate/portioned amount soon is no longer enough. I need and want more and the effort it takes to resist is unsustainable and I'd relapse.

    I much prefer saving these foods for the occasions when I'd truly miss them and then I can make a decision to indulge - or not - with a clear head and be prepared for the cravings that may crop up over the following weeks if I decide it's worth it. It's a compromise I can live - effortless abstinence the majority of the time and hyper vigilance for the few weeks needed not to allow myself to relapse when I do indulge.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    Renewed2008 wrote: »
    Thank you everyone for your kindness, insight and encouragement. I have learned a lot reading your replies and I will consult with my doctor. I'm also not going to do an all-or-nothing approach. I need to learn moderation and how to eat healthy. If I don't, then I'm dooming myself to repeat this cycle again and again.

    To be honest, I never thought I had a problem. I didn't think anything of it - but now that you've all forced me (in such a kind way) to examine myself and my habits I see that there's nothing normal about hiding food. There's nothing normal about eating until I feel sick and then eating more. I see that now. I don't want to admit it, but I do see it.

    I'm going to call the doctor in the morning and make an appointment. Thank you.

    The hardest step is the first one. I'm thrilled for you for having the courage and insight to do so.

    Know that everyone here will be cheering you on, and will be happy to support you in any way we can along the way. <3
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    edited October 2018
    Well.. I would make 2 final thoughts on my part, first, white knuckling anything is almost impossible long term. I have had to come to terms that Hyperpalitable food will always delve around me, as long as I live in a western/modern world. So I choose metered moderation. Second, maybe switch up some of your "sugar", I am still not convinced it's a sugar issue, more of a Hyperpalitable one, with more natural less calorie dense sweetness. Strawberries are about 130 cals for 400 grams. That's almost a pound of sweetness for less than 2 oreo cookies. They sell products that are sweet with farrrr fewer calories. Just my thoughts. Best of luck.
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
    I've been where you are. All the behaviors you mentioned I've done. I used to eat a couple bags of candy in a sitting most days and I don't mean treat size, lol. I'm sure I will get people arguing with me but I use sugarless substitutes for some things and abstain on the rest. I use a sugarless chocolate bar which has sugar alcohols in it for candy but I restrict it to 1/8 of a bar daily. I find the sugar alcohols don't set off my craving. YMMV (your mileage may vary). I also use koolaid drops in water for a sweet taste with no calories.

    For the most part I stay away from refined white sugar. I still use ketchup (sparingly) and other condiments but I'm careful. Once a year I allow myself cake on my birthday. Sometimes it's not a good thing. This year I made a keto cake that had no sugar in it but the calories aren't any lower so keep that in mind. I finally lost the weight and have maintained that loss for a year. I know I can never go back to eating the way I used to.

    The last thing I want to share with you is probably going to surprise you... After three years of sugar cutback I finally understand the concept of something being "too sweet"! I never used to understand that. Reducing the sugar in my diet has reduced my desire for it and when something is really sweet I notice. Good luck.
  • hjsportsed1
    hjsportsed1 Posts: 52 Member
    edited October 2018
    Ever since stopping Keto a couple of months ago, I have had ice cream cravings on a daily basis. Those cravings usually lead to me consuming ice cream. Luckily, for the most part, I have made sure those cheats fit into my calorie numbers.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    pinuplove wrote: »
    psychod787 wrote: »
    Well.. I would make 2 final thoughts on my part, first, white knuckling anything is almost impossible long term. I have had to come to terms that Hyperpalitable food will always delve around me, as long as I live in a western/modern world. So I choose metered moderation. Second, maybe switch up some of your "sugar", I am still not convinced it's a sugar issue, more of a Hyperpalitable one, with more natural less calorie dense sweetness. Strawberries are about 130 cals for 400 grams. That's almost a pound of sweetness for less than 2 oreo cookies. They sell products that are sweet with farrrr fewer calories. Just my thoughts. Best of luck.

    You must have better strawberries than I have access to. Ours are little balls of strawberry-scented disappointment that need to be covered in sugar to be palatable :disappointed:

    I grow my own. Very easy to grow :) And they spread like weeds. Anyone south of Boston who wants some plants, DM me. You can have some spearmint roots too. And morning glory seeds.

    I buy frozen strawberries for smoothies. IMO supermarket fresh strawberries are only good when they are popping locally.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited October 2018
    psychod787 wrote: »
    Well.. I would make 2 final thoughts on my part, first, white knuckling anything is almost impossible long term. I have had to come to terms that Hyperpalitable food will always delve around me, as long as I live in a western/modern world. So I choose metered moderation. Second, maybe switch up some of your "sugar", I am still not convinced it's a sugar issue, more of a Hyperpalitable one, with more natural less calorie dense sweetness. Strawberries are about 130 cals for 400 grams. That's almost a pound of sweetness for less than 2 oreo cookies. They sell products that are sweet with farrrr fewer calories. Just my thoughts. Best of luck.

    Oh, good point! Increasing fruit has decreased my desire for higher calorie and hyper-palatable baked goods and ice cream.

    Last month peaches were in season and spectacular; now we are in apple season. I get all of these at the local fruit farm.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    DKG28 wrote: »
    as someone who has taken a spoon to a bag of sugar, after a period of trying to overpower my cravings with reason and failing, and realizing that no, i'm neither hungry, nor will I be satisfied with any other option other than a sugary treat, I can't do moderation. It is way harder for me to eat 2 cookies than to pass on them. I'm a strong-willed person, pretty self-aware, and I swear, once i've tasted something sugary, I have a response to binge that I can't control. Doesn't happen with yummy fried goodness or cheese, or any non-sugary indulgences. So I work to abstain, and use a little bit of sweetener when absolutely necessary (haven't noticed any negative effect from them). When your bag of sugar that sits next to the bag of flour and the baking soda, and the yeast, and the vanilla is a problem, there's something more going on.

    Now... that's sugar addiction....
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    Sugar tastes good to most people, as does salt. It's a wonderful preserving agent and quite effective at reducing microbes from forming.

    A common and effective weight management process is "resetting your sweet". Minimizing the amount of sugar you ingest for a few weeks so your taste buds adapt - effectively cleansing one's palate. Many people travelling abroad encounter this as the US adds a lot of sugar & salt to extend shelf life. When travelers return they become aware of how sweet and salty things taste and cut down their intake.

    There's no evidence to suggest that sugar is inherently bad, but it does make it easier to eat more.
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    It sounds like issues with binge eating, and sugary items happen to be the food you choose. Your actions are very similar to what I used to do when I was binge eating, except I tended to choose savory items like tacos and cheese. The only way for me to stop the binge eating was to figure out what was causing the binge eating. Making different choices with food didn't really make long-term difference. I would eventually return to the binge eating because the real problem hadn't been solved. And oh boy, were there some problems to dig through. It took a couple months before I stopped to binge, and probably two years (and a job change) until I could safely say that healthier coping mechanisms had become the default, and not the fail safe for my binge eating (i.e. I didn't have to consciously choose healthier coping mechanism anymore).
  • Evamutt
    Evamutt Posts: 2,689 Member
    My husband is totaly addicted to sweets. He was overweight for years & on insulin for 10+ years. Hes lost his weight & got off insulin!! He still eats sweets but works on limiting them. Sometime he'll substitute a fruit smoothie(home made) or he'll limit himself to say, couple cookies instead of half the container. He doesn't keep them in the house most times but will go get them. He likes the mexican sweets. He's goten so he can keep some at home most times but doesn't do it often. If he buys a pie, he'll have 3 pieces then ask me to go give the rest to a friend, etc. sometimes he fails & feels sick, but the point is he tries & makes it 80% of the time, which means he's a winner. He doesn't give up because he gave in a day. You can do this
  • teranga79
    teranga79 Posts: 202 Member
    Thank you to the OP for starting this thread, and for the many helpful replies. I'm really struggling with binge eating too and it's very reassuring to know that a) I'm not alone, and b) there are people that have worked out successful strategies to beat this. Not that I'd wish any of us into this situation of course - but it's always nice to know someone else knows what you're going through! I find one of the hardest aspects of binging is the secrecy and the shame. Having a place where we can post honestly and receive non-judgemental replies has got to help.
    Hope it goes (or went) ok with your doctor OP x.

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