sugar addict here

Hello, my name is Karina and I'm addicted to sugar. Lol but seriously. I was doing so good for a while, but life happened. My dad passed away, I started up my college classes again, on top of working full time at a job I hate. Not to make excuses, I just think those are contributing factors to my recent downfall. Anyone have any tips? Or good low calorie dessert recipes?

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,419 Member
    At some point we all had to make some decisions about what kind of food we could eat and still lose weight while feeling satisfied.

    Since one Oreo will lead to me eating the whole sleeve in one sitting, I made the decision that Oreos had to go.

    I also stick to the Rule of, "Only-on-very-Special-Occasion desserts." For me that means Rarely.

    On regular days I'll have Greek yogurt with fresh fruit and nuts if I want something sweet. That doesn't trigger me to keep eating, but any other actual dessert-y type thing does.
  • saraonly9913
    saraonly9913 Posts: 469 Member
    Cottage cheese or ricotta cheese with stevia and cinnamon (nuts too if you like) or stevia and unsweetened cocoa powder. Berries. Sugar free jello. Hummus (Sabra is great) with baby carrots (carrots are actually sweet). Salad/lettuce with Skinny Girl salad dressing. ( Sweet, low cal and you can eat a lot). Unsweetened almond milk with DaVinci sugar free syrups.
  • aimjolie
    aimjolie Posts: 60 Member
    A while back there was a book out called « Sugar Blues » The whole focus of the book was that Sugar is addictive. The more sugar you eat the more you want. Some people like me are more sugar addictive than other people. I can eat one cookie with lunch and then all day it sets me off that I want more cookies and more junk. I can’t even buy a gallon of ice cream. It sets me off that I want to keep eating it, resulting in the box being eaten in 2 nights. So the answer for me is just don’t buy it. The book said it takes a good 30 days to stop the sugar craving if you stop eating sweets. I tried that and you definitely start losing the sugar cravings. But slip up one time for me by eating cookies will begin the sugar cravings. Yes, sugar is highly addictive for some people!!
  • jacesmom4930
    jacesmom4930 Posts: 25 Member
    I really struggled with sugar addiction too. I feel your pain. Especially when it comes to using sugar to cope with stress.

    I thought about it as a drug. If a person is addicted to drugs or alcohol would they be able to safely “have a little” and not slide back into their addiction? I don’t think so. I decided that I had to completely abstain from sweets of any kind until I could get it under control.

    Now I eat something high in fat instead. It’s more satisfying. I also found it important to fill up on whole foods to stave off the sugar monster!!!

    I’m doing so much better now. I can have very small amounts of sweets and it’s enough.

    Feel free to friend me!
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,458 Member
    To the person who disagrees, if you haven’t been there, you just really don’t understand. I think all the strategies above are excellent coping strategies.

    It’s the same reason I don’t understand one family member’s alcoholism and another’s drug addiction. For me, it’s sugar or sweet carbs or whatever it is. One bite triggers a snowball effect and I no longer *kitten* care about the consequences. I sincerely believe some families are prone to addiction, in whatever form it takes.

    I can stay off sweets for weeks. I go to a social event, and if there’s a bowl of my vice on the table, all bets are off. It starts with just one and then I eventually realize I’ve downed the whole dish. I would stop going to social events, but after years of hiding behind my weight, I cherish them now.

    Kudos to the woman last night who served lots of fresh vegetables, shrimp and salsa. I ate heartily in an attempt to kill the desire for the rest. It didn’t work. One look and I went all weak kneed. I guess I need blinders.
  • Sadie2PointOh
    Sadie2PointOh Posts: 34 Member
    Don't really have any tips, so my post is kind of pointless or at the least, not going to be very helpful I guess.
    Just wanted to add that I too am totally addicted to sugar. Like a few of the other posters, I don't seem to be able to moderate sweets & treats. If I have one of something, I want more. Maybe one day I will be able to control it (I certainly hope so because the idea of never having some of my favorite things again is beyond utterly depressing)

    Do you always have a hard time moderating sugary items? You mentioned a lot of changes being a contributing factor, perhaps if you are able to handle your intake normally, it's large changes in your life/schedule that are your struggle? Again, I don't have solid advice to give but if you noticed your downfall coinciding with those events, being aware of that is helpful and at least a step in the right direction in terms of identifying when/why your struggle began. That's always a good first step in formulating a plan: awareness.
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  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,458 Member
    dodea48 wrote: »
    make a list of problems that are solved by eating sugar --- it will be very short

    LOL. You win today!
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    My condolences about your father.

    There are two types of "dieters", moderators and abstainers.

    Abstainers have to completely cut out their trigger foods, like @cmriverside described above with Oreos. One taste and they freak out and eat them all.

    Moderators work a little bit of those foods into their day. I'm this one. If I tried to completely cut chocolate and ice cream out of my diet, I would freak out after about 8 days and binge on them. I allow 200-300 calories and have dessert every night. That is enough for me to feel satisfied and not deprived.

    Some people are a mix of the two. They can moderate some trigger foods and have to abstain completely from others.

    You will have to experiment and find what works for you. In the meantime, this thread is amazing to help get you started.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

    Yup! Sugar addict you say? Guess I am fruit addict. Ask @quiksilver296. She has seen my logs! I like my sugar to, but I can get 3 juicy plums for the cost of a snickers bar. I don't think sugar is the problem, but the package it comes in.Lol
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    edited September 2019
    Hello. And I'm very sorry about the loss of your dad.

    One of the things that has helped me with my sugar vravings is to make sure I eat a lot of high-protein nutrient dense foods during the day. Then I am less hungry and less likely to crave something sugary.

    I never thought I'd be one of those people... But now I eat plain nonfat Greek yogurt mixed with defrosted frozen fruit. I get unsweetened sliced strawberries or unsweetened blueberries. The little ones because they are more flavorful than the big ones. And I let a serving or a serving and a half thaw. As it thaws it creates a delicious juice from the fruit. Then I mix that in with a serving of the Greek yogurt. It's not as sweet as I *used* to like my yogurt. But I've gotten used to it. And now I eat it almost every day. Because it is high protein I'm not craving more food after I eat it like I used to with a cup of regular yogurt with sweetened fruit it.

    I make sure I have watermelon in the house to snack on. It is a low calorie but very sweet fruit. It has nutrition and the sweetness that I like.

    And every meal I try to have something high protein like eggs or chicken breast. It keeps me satisfied. And makes me less likely to go hunting in the cupboard for a sweet snack.

    I say this to reinforce this with myself. I sometimes go off the rails. And then my problem is once I go off the rails, I go off the entire path Into the Woods never to return for weeks at a time LOL. I need to get back on the rails immediately if I get derailed. LOL!