Addicted to sugar??

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Hily81
Hily81 Posts: 24
in Food and Nutrition
It's only 11am and I've already exceeded my recommended sugar-limit for the day! Between the sugar in my skim milk and the sugar/creamer I put in my coffee, it all added up quickly.

I do have a sweet-tooth and enjoy sweet treats. But, I'm quickly realizing that there are sugars in foods I never would have considered before (like skim milk)

How do any of you cut back on your sugar w/o sacrificing taste? I'm not so sure if going the "fake-sugar" route is the best though (aspartame etc) b/c I've heard that's not healthy for you.

So, I guess I just need to cut back cold-turkey? Sometimes I feel as though my body is addicted to sugar and I just need to starve it from sugars to break the addiction. Have any of you done this before? Did it help you??

Also, will cutting out a lot of sugars help with my weight-loss in any way?

Thanks in advance for any tips you can share!

Replies

  • Sagelit
    Sagelit Posts: 78
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    Hello, my name is Laurel and I am a sugar addict. I've been an addict for 28 years now, and am slowly weaning myself off of it. The problem I've encountered is just like yours - there is sugar in food that I would never guess. So my only option so far seems to be to cut out things like pop, candy and anything else I KNOW there's sugar in, and hope for the best. Glad to meet you, and all the best.
  • jseeke
    jseeke Posts: 11 Member
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    I have an insulin resistance syndrome and I need to be very careful about sugary treats. If I have too many sweets I can get into trouble. I will have them on special occasions and I always feel like I have to "sugar detox" after those days are over.
    If I were you, I would not worry too much about the sugar in the skim milk or the coffee creamer. I would start small and cut back on the more sugary fruits. Like, pineapple, watermelon and mango.
    Google the glycemic index of foods and look at fruit specifically. Cut back on the fruits that have high glycemix values and concentrate on eating fruits lower on the glycemix index, like apples.
    Looking at the glycemix index is very helpful, there is a lot of sugar in a lot of foods that you would not even think have sugar in them. Like white bread and regular pasta.

    And, yes sugar intake will make a difference.
  • LivLovLrn
    LivLovLrn Posts: 580 Member
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    I have been addicted to sugar; to the extreme. I have cut sugar cane completely out of my diet; I check ingredients of everything I eat to make sure no form of sugar cane is in it....not an easy thing to do these days. Instead I eat things with other sugars to sweeten them: honey, sorghum, maple sugar, maple syrup. I too have a sweet tooth and don't think I'd be tolerable without any sweets!
  • emilyrthompson
    emilyrthompson Posts: 45
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    Ok. This is a problem I think I have too, but only to fake sugar, specifically splenda. Splenda does not have aspartime but I know it is not good for me because it is not natural. I can tell you that I go through a ridiculous amount of splenda in my coffee and my home brewed iced tea. In a regular cup of coffee, I put 3 or 4 packets in each cup. I also eat a ton of sugar free gum. I have been trying to battle this by drinking more plain water, I have it with me all the time now. I really think it is working. I have only been doing it for a couple of weeks now but my gum addiction is subsiding tremendously (only bought 1 pack in week, instead of one every day). Looking forward to hearing about how others have battled this!
  • LillysGranny
    LillysGranny Posts: 431
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    Personally, I make a distinction between the sugar that occurs naturally in foods (like the lactose in skim milk and plain yogurt) and sugar that has been added to foods. It is the added sweeteners that I try to avoid. You can look for anything that has sugar in the name or ends in -ose on the ingredients to give you a clue if sugar has been added. I don't think getting hooked on large amounts of artificial sweetener is particularly a better choice. Just start training your taste buds. It takes about 2 weeks of daily exposure to adapt to a new taste, so pick a food that you usually sweeten and make yourself eat or drink it unsweetened for 2 weeks, no matter what. I've done this successfully with coffee, which I now drink black, and yogurt. Good luck!
  • curryinahurry
    curryinahurry Posts: 83 Member
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    I really hate to admit this but i really have a problem with sugar as well.

    I am new to mfp and am scared by the sugars i consume.

    I do feel i will get better in time but for now my weakness are:

    1. Coffee made with milk 2% no water and like 3 teaspoons of sugar
    I have this daily, every morning because it makes me feel good in the AM.
    This must me 300-500 calories and i just count it as my breakfast.

    2. chocolate pudding cups. 130 calories each but soo darn good.

    3. watermelon, i eat a piece after the gym or when i am home from work.
    it's like my reward thing because i like it so much...

    so you all are not alone.

    Since i am new DOES ANYONE SEE ANY ISSUES WITH MY COFFEE INTAKE???

    i am going to try to cut it back to maybe a 1/2 cup instead of the huge mug i drink in now....
    but i need to do it slowly, it's hard enough for me to track all my calories in a day to make sure i am not
    eating way more than i need to...

    thanks all
  • kissandxmakeup
    kissandxmakeup Posts: 40
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    I have PCOS and insulin resistance, so I too am very addicted to sugar. I have been cutting back significantly and using Stevia instead of all other sugars, real and artificial alike. I have been reading a lot of books and articles on PCOS and sugar, and the tip I keep reading over and over again is to eat protein with any sugar/carb you eat. So if you're eating an apple, make sure you much on some almonds right before. It has really made a lot of difference. Protein takes longer to digest and break down, so while your body is doing that, it's going to help balance the blood sugar spike you would normally get from breaking down the sugars in the apple. Hope this helps you guys like it's helped me!!!
  • futurefitgirl88
    futurefitgirl88 Posts: 284
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    To be honest.... just give up sweet treats like chocolates, biscuits and **** like that. Eat fruits (there is only so much you can stomach!)...and d/w abt sugar in skimmed milk and freakin coffee creamer.... :) cut out sugary treats, chocolate bars, sugary drinks....that is what makes you over weight, NOT the skimmed milk or the coffee creamer. Trust me.

    I was addicted to chocolate (still am at times, its my classic trigger food)....if I eat it everyday and WILL HAVE TO eat it everyday. Now I only consume very tiny amounts of chocolate per week and am happy as a bird.
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
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    It's only 11am and I've already exceeded my recommended sugar-limit for the day! Between the sugar in my skim milk and the sugar/creamer I put in my coffee, it all added up quickly.

    I do have a sweet-tooth and enjoy sweet treats. But, I'm quickly realizing that there are sugars in foods I never would have considered before (like skim milk)

    How do any of you cut back on your sugar w/o sacrificing taste? I'm not so sure if going the "fake-sugar" route is the best though (aspartame etc) b/c I've heard that's not healthy for you.

    So, I guess I just need to cut back cold-turkey? Sometimes I feel as though my body is addicted to sugar and I just need to starve it from sugars to break the addiction. Have any of you done this before? Did it help you??

    Also, will cutting out a lot of sugars help with my weight-loss in any way?

    Thanks in advance for any tips you can share!

    To rid yourself of sugar addiction is to ditch it completely...........that includes artificial sweeteners also.

    If you were addicted to drugs, tobacco or alcohol you would cut it out completely to rid yourself of the addiction.

    Sugar addiction is no different.

    Go 30 days with a basic eating plan of meats, fats (coconut oil, butter, olive oil, avocadoes) and green leafy vegetables and you can break your sugar addiction.

    Anything that is starchy or sweet is sugar and to break the addiction should be avoided for the 30 days and then slowly re-introduce............
  • Hily81
    Hily81 Posts: 24
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    Thanks, everyone!!

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