How do I fix a sugar addiction?

I was in a cycle of eat sugar-pep up- wither- eat more sugar to pep up again, rinse repeat, until bedtime. I got a distinct energy POP from sugar.

I was going through at least a pound of candy, sometimes two or more, a day, feeding the cycle.

I’m afraid there’s no easy way. For me, logging daily and getting a fitness tracker forced me to face the fact that I was eating FAR more sugar calories than I could ever burn.

bt being aware and making an effort to make changes and eat more nutritiously, I cut back.

For me, sugar free products have been a godsend. I can make a delicious chai or coffee shop coffee for 50 calories or less. I make sugar free low cal ice cream. I cut or eliminate sugars in baked goods. Diet Coke Zero? 👍🏻 got used it- maybe too used to it.

Where there’s a will there’s a way.

I do now let myself have some chocolate or sweets but not to the massive extent I used to. Can’t do it anymore. I get nauseated, even physically sick if I overeat sweets now.

You’ve got to make the decision, do I control sweets or do sweets control me? I feel soooooooooooooooo much better now.

I know this is not a popular idea but water fasting for a couple days or more if ok and safe per your family doctor I think will resolve the issue.

Easier said than done but is possible.

wynona0315 wrote: »

I have a problem with sugar and always have I am a sugar addict and it makes it really difficult for me because my doctor says I need to stay away from it because I am a borderline diabetic. I need help!

If your doctor didn't give you any guidelines other than "stay away from it," shame on them. Ask for a referral to a registered dietitian or, better yet, a diabetes educator.

Meanwhile, here are some suggestions from this diabetes educator https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/prediabetes-diet

She mentions fruit a lot. Like Ann, I also find eating fruit makes me less interested in foods like baked goods or ice cream. I have two servings per day this time of year and more in the summer.

* Note that the World Health Organization guidelines for sugar are for ADDED sugar, which does not include the sugar in dairy, vegetables, and whole fruit.

paperpudding wrote: »

NotGvnUp_EJ wrote: »

I know this is not a popular idea but water fasting for a couple days or more if ok and safe per your family doctor I think will resolve the issue.

Easier said than done but is possible.

I dont think that will do any good for OP whatsoever.

OP , find ways to avoid sugar - dont have sugar or sugary foods in the house, train yourself to get used to smaller portions/ less frequency.
find other non sugary foods to help with cravings (try fruits as suggested) and/or find sugar replacements - ie artificially sweetener alternatives.

Oh wow. I forgot about this one!

In the past, I’d buy a lot of sweets for the “final binge” before I gave them up on Monday. Monday never came. Neither did Tuesday for that matter. I can’t even say how many times I did this.

When my brain finally snapped and I knew I had to do something, I cleared pantry fridge and freezer of everything I perceived (at that time- it will change) as junk or bad for me and gave it all to a neighbor with a hungry soccer playing son.

I made sure the fridge was stocked with fruit and foods I like but knew I wouldn’t binge on.

I pinned a list of available snacks to the fridge. Habit meant I reached for same old same old, but it wasn’t there anymore. Confusion would lead to me binging on anything I could find ASAP, so I had to make sure I knew what was readily available to snack on. (That hangry “gotta have something now!” will eventually fade, too.)

I began making meal and snack plans instead of planning on the fly as I shopped. I ate something filling before I went to the grocery store. I taught myself not to buy things that weren’t on the list.

I also changed grocery stores. My old one was big on BOGOs on candy, Pepperidge farm, Entenmanns, etc and those were particularly triggering for me. I changed to Lidl. Lots of fresh vegetables, no BOGO deals, and their sweets and snack aisle is fairly limited.

If I do buy sweets now, it’s something I love, usually chocolate marzipan. It’s expensive enough that even if I do go buck wild like I have in the past week, because I still can’t eat “just one chocolate”, it doesn’t ruin my weekly average.

I also discovered Nugo protein bars. No artifical ingredients and their coconut chocolate tastes even better than a Mounds bar, and certainly more fully. I eat it one teensy bite at a time to stretch it out- much to my dog’s chagrin, since he knows he gets a walk after Nugo.

I've heard having artificial sweeteners will also cause cravings, but I'm finding it hard to give up the stevia I put in my coffee or eliminate artificially sweetened drinks such as Crystal Lite. I'm trying to focus now on just drinking plain water with my meals.

whilst you certainly can't go wrong drinking plain water - this thing about artificial sweeteners giving you cravings is very individual.

If you find they do so for you - sure, factor that into your decision making.

However for most people they do not - so probably worth experimenting and seeing whether this applies to you or not.

roseym10 wrote: »

I'm currently trying to kick sweets too. Mine started with chocolate and moved onto chocolate plus other sweets. I've removed it from the house and started having a Werther's sugar free chocolate caramel hard candy after meals.

Having a sweet after a meal is my downfall. I've done this before and was able to control the cravings, plus eliminating the sugar helped me be less hungry in general. I just need to not slip up again.

I've heard having artificial sweeteners will also cause cravings, but I'm finding it hard to give up the stevia I put in my coffee or eliminate artificially sweetened drinks such as Crystal Lite. I'm trying to focus now on just drinking plain water with my meals.

paperpudding wrote: »

whilst you certainly can't go wrong drinking plain water - this thing about artificial sweeteners giving you cravings is very individual.

If you find they do so for you - sure, factor that into your decision making.

However for most people they do not - so probably worth experimenting and seeing whether this applies to you or not.

@roseym10 while studies do show that artificial sweeteners can cause cravings, in my unscientific observation of the posters here I have seen that those people are in the minority. So if they cause cravings in YOU, let that be your guide, and if not, enjoy.

It's not a dilemma for me as I think artificial sweeteners are the nastiest thing I've ever tasted. I think there's a gene for that, like the "despise cilantro" gene.

Zepbound if you qualify.