Sugar addiction
lindamdrake7262
Posts: 1 Member
Hi my name is Linda and I have a sugar addiction. Because of this I am gaining weight. Does anyone have an idea to overcome this. Should I go cold turkey. Thanks.
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Replies
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First off it's NOT an addiction. Need to get over than mental aspect of it. You may crave it, but you won't go to extremes of robbing people, scooping it off the ground to eat it, or stealing from a friend or family to support that habit.
It's highly palatable which is why it's desired. What you need to control is HOW MUCH you eat and ensure you're not eating more calories than you need to, hence a calorie counting app.
Plan your meals ahead of time and try to eat more whole foods. Eat fruit (within reason) to help with sugar cravings.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Hi Linda! Sugar is definitely something that releases the happy hormones in our brains. Try replacing sugar with Monkfruit sweetener or even honey. Baby steps best of luck!0
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I found that my cravings for high-sugar sweets like candy and baked goods were decreased if I made it a point to eat at least 3 servings of fresh fruit daily. It took some time (couple of weeks? month? don't remember) to see the effect, but it did happen.
This was advice from a registered dietitian. In my understanding, her view was that we may crave sweets because we are getting sub-ideal amounts of micronutrients like vitamins/minerals/phytonutrients that are found in fruit, and that evolutionary adaptation has us perceiving this as a desire for sweets because fruit is the traditional sweet.
I don't know whether that explanation is right, but eating the fruit did help me limit added-sugar foods pretty painlessly. YMMV, but I'm not the only person here who's experienced this, so it might be worth a try.1 -
I did need to seriously limit my sugar (not, for example, a bit of sugar that was put into bread before being baked, but added sugar and sweets) and limit myself to a couple of times a week. I still think that is something I will need to continue to do, otherwise my taste buds sneak right into "Oh that is a delicious brownie and I think I will have three more!"0
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I call it an "addiction" but I know it is my body saying it is missing something nutrionally. I am struggle hard at making the right choices but am going to put 💯 into changing this. I like the idea above of adding more fruit or even sweeter tasting vegetables into my diet.2
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Honey is still sugar.sassafrascas wrote: »Hi Linda! Sugar is definitely something that releases the happy hormones in our brains. Try replacing sugar with Monkfruit sweetener or even honey. Baby steps best of luck!
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Hi Linda. Sugar is addictive and so is flour. I think there’s a combination for some people that just sets them up for a binge. Best to abstain completely.1
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Hi Linda. Sugar is addictive and so is flour. I think there’s a combination for some people that just sets them up for a binge. Best to abstain completely.
No, they aren't.
Some people may have a binge response to eating something sweet, but that does not mean the sugar (and or flour) are 'addictive'.3 -
Hi Linda. Sugar is addictive and so is flour. I think there’s a combination for some people that just sets them up for a binge. Best to abstain completely.
Universally? No. Some people find them hard to moderate. Not everyone. As you say, "some people".
"Addictive", when stated as a generality, is an oversell, despite what some scare-mongering books and web sites say about it. Defining it automatically as an addiction gives it more power than it deserves, by implying that our ability to manage what we eat is out of our control.
Anything we as individuals can't moderate, it's probably best to abstain from eating, at least until we break the habit. Exactly what foods those are will vary individually.3 -
Hey there!
I am Tracy and I just had to respond to this thread. Looking at the definition of addiction, I would agree that sugar is an addiction for many people, including myself. Addiction does not require you to become a criminal to be validated. But, the advice given is good.
I am nearly 63 and I am tackling my severe weight issue again. My doctor has prescribed an anti-depressant to stimulate the serotonin so I won't feel the need for excessive sugar. I don't think that is everyone's solution but it may be for some. I haven't been on it long enough to say it is working for me. I have not completely given up sugar. It is greatly reduced and I hope the reduce it even more down the road.
"Key aspects of addiction were measured for each reported behavior, including negative outcomes, emotional triggers (positive and negative emotional contexts), search for stimulation or pleasure, loss of control, and cognitive salience'
Take care!1 -
If someone is addicted to something they have to STOP it and not moderate it. If you're an alcoholic you don't moderate alcohol. If you're a drug addict, you don't moderate drug use.Hey there!
I am Tracy and I just had to respond to this thread. Looking at the definition of addiction, I would agree that sugar is an addiction for many people, including myself. Addiction does not require you to become a criminal to be validated. But, the advice given is good.
I am nearly 63 and I am tackling my severe weight issue again. My doctor has prescribed an anti-depressant to stimulate the serotonin so I won't feel the need for excessive sugar. I don't think that is everyone's solution but it may be for some. I haven't been on it long enough to say it is working for me. I have not completely given up sugar. It is greatly reduced and I hope the reduce it even more down the road.
"Key aspects of addiction were measured for each reported behavior, including negative outcomes, emotional triggers (positive and negative emotional contexts), search for stimulation or pleasure, loss of control, and cognitive salience'
Take care!
You CAN'T moderate sugar because ANY carb gets broken down to it's simplest form........sugar.
Just because something may make people feel euphoric doesn't necessarily mean it's an addiction. Petting a puppy usually raises dopamine in people. And they may love to do it often. But it doesn't make it an addictiion.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Hey there!
I am Tracy and I just had to respond to this thread. Looking at the definition of addiction, I would agree that sugar is an addiction for many people, including myself. Addiction does not require you to become a criminal to be validated. But, the advice given is good.
I am nearly 63 and I am tackling my severe weight issue again. My doctor has prescribed an anti-depressant to stimulate the serotonin so I won't feel the need for excessive sugar. I don't think that is everyone's solution but it may be for some. I haven't been on it long enough to say it is working for me. I have not completely given up sugar. It is greatly reduced and I hope the reduce it even more down the road.
"Key aspects of addiction were measured for each reported behavior, including negative outcomes, emotional triggers (positive and negative emotional contexts), search for stimulation or pleasure, loss of control, and cognitive salience'
Take care!
No you don't have to be a criminal for it to be an addiction, but there are some behaviors that go along with the 'addiction'. I would be willing to bet that when the urge, binge or whatever you want to call it happens, you do not run to the sugar bowl on the table (or the sugar container in the pantry) and start scarfing down the contents... I'm betting that you go for candy bars, snack cakes, cake, ice cream, cookies, etc. which are all very carefully crafted combinations of sugar, fat and salt that tick all of the 'happy' hormones in your brain - and often don't contain a very significant amount of sugar.
If you were truly 'addicted' to sugar, then any form of sugar would satisfy the craving - including sweet fruit like grapes and sweet vegetables like corn - and I am again willing to bet that you don't eat any of these types of things ('healthy' foods that contain sugar) to satisfy your 'addiction' urge.
Yes, you personally and many other people on the planet may have problems moderating things like cake, cookies etc. but that does not make it an 'addiction'.5 -
Whether or not you use the A-word, sugar has been shown to produce a temporary increase in dopamine resulting in a slight lift of mood for most people. Added to that perk is the fact that we are hardwired from birth to seek out sweet foods, as that instinct helped our ancestors stay away from poisonous plants and go for the sweeter fruits and veg. We can still eat those because the fiber in the plants slows down the sugar and keeps our insulin from going nuts.
So what do we do? I sit at the computer in the evening, slightly depressed, knowing a big bowl of ice cream will give me a temporary high, but I try to remind myself that it truly is only temporary, will cause me to go over my calorie limit, prevent me from losing weight and possibly even lead to esophageal cancer, diabetes and other health complications.
So I find if I manage to resist the temptation, over time, I lose the habit and lose some weight and that in itself lifts my spirits.
Good luck, Linda!0 -
Slowfaster wrote: »Whether or not you use the A-word, sugar has been shown to produce a temporary increase in dopamine resulting in a slight lift of mood for most people. Added to that perk is the fact that we are hardwired from birth to seek out sweet foods, as that instinct helped our ancestors stay away from poisonous plants and go for the sweeter fruits and veg. We can still eat those because the fiber in the plants slows down the sugar and keeps our insulin from going nuts.
So what do we do? I sit at the computer in the evening, slightly depressed, knowing a big bowl of ice cream will give me a temporary high, but I try to remind myself that it truly is only temporary, will cause me to go over my calorie limit, prevent me from losing weight and possibly even lead to esophageal cancer, diabetes and other health complications.
So I find if I manage to resist the temptation, over time, I lose the habit and lose some weight and that in itself lifts my spirits.
Good luck, Linda!
I have NO idea why people continue to bring up the sugar-dopamine thing. ANYTHING that we do, see, hear, or experience that brings us pleasure will increase dopamine. Yes, eating something we enjoy will do this...so will petting a puppy, listening to music we like, viewing beautiful scenery, encountering an old friend, kissing your significant other, etc.
It may be a fact, but it's not at all relevant when talking about "addictions".2 -
Well, if you feel strongly enough about a food to say you are addicted, knowing what addiction truly means then… just like any other addict, cut it out entirely.
I, personally, need protein to feel full. I just don’t eat food that triggers something in me that I don’t like.0 -
SuzySunshine99 wrote: »Slowfaster wrote: »Whether or not you use the A-word, sugar has been shown to produce a temporary increase in dopamine resulting in a slight lift of mood for most people. Added to that perk is the fact that we are hardwired from birth to seek out sweet foods, as that instinct helped our ancestors stay away from poisonous plants and go for the sweeter fruits and veg. We can still eat those because the fiber in the plants slows down the sugar and keeps our insulin from going nuts.
So what do we do? I sit at the computer in the evening, slightly depressed, knowing a big bowl of ice cream will give me a temporary high, but I try to remind myself that it truly is only temporary, will cause me to go over my calorie limit, prevent me from losing weight and possibly even lead to esophageal cancer, diabetes and other health complications.
So I find if I manage to resist the temptation, over time, I lose the habit and lose some weight and that in itself lifts my spirits.
Good luck, Linda!
I have NO idea why people continue to bring up the sugar-dopamine thing. ANYTHING that we do, see, hear, or experience that brings us pleasure will increase dopamine. Yes, eating something we enjoy will do this...so will petting a puppy, listening to music we like, viewing beautiful scenery, encountering an old friend, kissing your significant other, etc.
It may be a fact, but it's not at all relevant when talking about "addictions".
Well since you have NO idea, let me explain. We bring it up, and it is perfectly relevant, because Linda says she has a problem with sugar. She isn't gaining weight because she spends too much time petting puppies or listening to music.
I specifically avoided calling it an addiction, so it's dishonest of you to put the word in quotes as though I was talking about addiction definitions. It doesn't really matter whether or not sugar fits your definition of an addiction. What matters is that Linda and many others have trouble giving up sugar.
I know I do, and it helps me to understand why I'm attracted to it in the evenings when I'm feeling low. I eat bread and many other things that have a gram or two of added sugar, but I find I do best if I avoid all the big ticket items like cookies and ice cream and the longer I go without it the less temptation I have, and the healthier I am.
Sorry if you find this discussion of sugar irrelevant. You might want to go lecture people on another thread that you feel meets your interests better.
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I don't use the word addiction for my sugar issues, for the reasons discussed in here, but I also fully acknowledge that unless I abstain completely from sugar-laden, highly palatable sweet foods, I will binge, to the point of and even beyond, feeling sick. I'm not mainlining raw sugar or jacking old ladies for the barley sugars in their purse, but if there's a bag of candy in the pantry, there isn't for long. I tried moderating but it doesn't work for me, so I've accepted being an abstainer and I'm cool with that.1
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Slowfaster wrote: »SuzySunshine99 wrote: »Slowfaster wrote: »Whether or not you use the A-word, sugar has been shown to produce a temporary increase in dopamine resulting in a slight lift of mood for most people. Added to that perk is the fact that we are hardwired from birth to seek out sweet foods, as that instinct helped our ancestors stay away from poisonous plants and go for the sweeter fruits and veg. We can still eat those because the fiber in the plants slows down the sugar and keeps our insulin from going nuts.
So what do we do? I sit at the computer in the evening, slightly depressed, knowing a big bowl of ice cream will give me a temporary high, but I try to remind myself that it truly is only temporary, will cause me to go over my calorie limit, prevent me from losing weight and possibly even lead to esophageal cancer, diabetes and other health complications.
So I find if I manage to resist the temptation, over time, I lose the habit and lose some weight and that in itself lifts my spirits.
Good luck, Linda!
I have NO idea why people continue to bring up the sugar-dopamine thing. ANYTHING that we do, see, hear, or experience that brings us pleasure will increase dopamine. Yes, eating something we enjoy will do this...so will petting a puppy, listening to music we like, viewing beautiful scenery, encountering an old friend, kissing your significant other, etc.
It may be a fact, but it's not at all relevant when talking about "addictions".
Well since you have NO idea, let me explain. We bring it up, and it is perfectly relevant, because Linda says she has a problem with sugar. She isn't gaining weight because she spends too much time petting puppies or listening to music.
I specifically avoided calling it an addiction, so it's dishonest of you to put the word in quotes as though I was talking about addiction definitions. It doesn't really matter whether or not sugar fits your definition of an addiction. What matters is that Linda and many others have trouble giving up sugar.
I know I do, and it helps me to understand why I'm attracted to it in the evenings when I'm feeling low. I eat bread and many other things that have a gram or two of added sugar, but I find I do best if I avoid all the big ticket items like cookies and ice cream and the longer I go without it the less temptation I have, and the healthier I am.
Sorry if you find this discussion of sugar irrelevant. You might want to go lecture people on another thread that you feel meets your interests better.
I didn't mean that the discussion of sugar was irrelevant...I meant that the reference to dopamine was irrelevant. People seem to equate a dopamine reaction only with addictive behaviours and substances. As if release of dopamine PROVES an addiction.
You may not have been specifically making that case, but by bringing up dopamine, you are alluding to it.
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SuzySunshine99 wrote: »Slowfaster wrote: »SuzySunshine99 wrote: »Slowfaster wrote: »Whether or not you use the A-word, sugar has been shown to produce a temporary increase in dopamine resulting in a slight lift of mood for most people. Added to that perk is the fact that we are hardwired from birth to seek out sweet foods, as that instinct helped our ancestors stay away from poisonous plants and go for the sweeter fruits and veg. We can still eat those because the fiber in the plants slows down the sugar and keeps our insulin from going nuts.
So what do we do? I sit at the computer in the evening, slightly depressed, knowing a big bowl of ice cream will give me a temporary high, but I try to remind myself that it truly is only temporary, will cause me to go over my calorie limit, prevent me from losing weight and possibly even lead to esophageal cancer, diabetes and other health complications.
So I find if I manage to resist the temptation, over time, I lose the habit and lose some weight and that in itself lifts my spirits.
Good luck, Linda!
I have NO idea why people continue to bring up the sugar-dopamine thing. ANYTHING that we do, see, hear, or experience that brings us pleasure will increase dopamine. Yes, eating something we enjoy will do this...so will petting a puppy, listening to music we like, viewing beautiful scenery, encountering an old friend, kissing your significant other, etc.
It may be a fact, but it's not at all relevant when talking about "addictions".
Well since you have NO idea, let me explain. We bring it up, and it is perfectly relevant, because Linda says she has a problem with sugar. She isn't gaining weight because she spends too much time petting puppies or listening to music.
I specifically avoided calling it an addiction, so it's dishonest of you to put the word in quotes as though I was talking about addiction definitions. It doesn't really matter whether or not sugar fits your definition of an addiction. What matters is that Linda and many others have trouble giving up sugar.
I know I do, and it helps me to understand why I'm attracted to it in the evenings when I'm feeling low. I eat bread and many other things that have a gram or two of added sugar, but I find I do best if I avoid all the big ticket items like cookies and ice cream and the longer I go without it the less temptation I have, and the healthier I am.
Sorry if you find this discussion of sugar irrelevant. You might want to go lecture people on another thread that you feel meets your interests better.
I didn't mean that the discussion of sugar was irrelevant...I meant that the reference to dopamine was irrelevant. People seem to equate a dopamine reaction only with addictive behaviours and substances. As if release of dopamine PROVES an addiction.
You may not have been specifically making that case, but by bringing up dopamine, you are alluding to it.
I'm not responsible for what you think "people seem to think." I brought up dopamine because it's a pleasure hormone. If you equate dopamine with addiction that's your problem and not anything I alluded to.
What interests me is that on a thread where people are simply trying to help one another with our food issues, you have come along with a list of rules, your own preferred definitions, and words you think we shouldn't be allowed to say because they allude to something you don't think we should talk about.
In short, who died and made you the boss?
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