Sugar Addictition

vargasmicaela68
vargasmicaela68 Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello, I have tried this app multiple times but never follow through with it. I cannot stop eating chocolate and it is a serious issue. How can I find ways to eat chocolate in a healthier way or find healthier chocolate options?

Replies

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,349 Member
    I found that I can devour a whole block of milk chocolate, but will savour and be satisfied with only a 20g serve of really dark chocolate, so that's what I do. 20g of 70% cocoa chocolate with my tea of an evening.

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,617 Member
    FWIW, most milk chocolate has more calories from fat than sugar, if we're talking just chocolate (as opposed to candy bars with a lot of other stuff in them like nuts and nougat and caramel). Hershey's milk chocolate snack size (2 pieces) has 72 calories from fats, 60 from sugars, for example. But that's a quibble.

    I like my chocolate, though I wouldn't call myself addicted to chocolate or sugar. It's quirky, but if I break out a whole bar or bag, I'll keep eating. But if I choose individually wrapped single-serving small but really good quality chocolate, I can savor just one or two - whatever fits in my calories while still getting adequate nutrition otherwise - and be satisfied. That may not apply for you, dunno.

    If it really were a sugar issue, one thing that helped me reduce cravings for calorie dense sweets like baked goods and candy was making it a point to eat at least 3 servings of fruit daily. It took some willpower at first to eat that and skip the more sugary things, but in a small number of weeks, the effect kicked in. That doesn't work for everyone, but I'm not the only one here who's reported that experience, so it might be worth a try.

    This next may sound mean, but I swear I don't intend it that way. As background, I'm pretty much of a hedonist. I ate too much food, including treat foods, because food is pleasurable, and I like pleasure.

    For myself, I needed to viscerally accept that I pretty much have 100% control over what I put in my mouth, chew, and swallow. If I eat too many calories, that is a choice on my part, and I need to own the consequences of that decision. If I want to be at a healthy weight - which I have been for 8+ years now, after about 30 years of overweight/obesity pre-loss - I need to eat the right number of calories, and balance in some treat foods for enjoyment and sustainability . . . also a decision.

    After reaching a healthy weight, it got easier, because there were so many quality of life benefits from being at a healthy weight, more than I would've guessed up front. YMMV.

    Best wishes for success!
  • AdahPotatah2024
    AdahPotatah2024 Posts: 2,447 Member
    edited December 20
    When asked the secret of her longevity, Beatrice Wood would simply say “art books, chocolates and young men” & Jeanne Louise Calment who lived to be 122 years old — ate chocolate and drank wine every day!
  • Corina1143
    Corina1143 Posts: 3,832 Member
    Two suggestions.
    Tootsie roll midgees. The tiny ones. Let it melt in your mouth. Don't chew. Lasts about 30 minutes. About 10 calories. 5 hours of chocolate for 100 calories.
    Dark chocolate. As dark as you can. A little darker next week. Still chocolate, but it seems the sugar and butter is the addicting part, not the chocolate.
  • lisakatz2
    lisakatz2 Posts: 572 Member
    Nugo coconut chocolate bars don't work for me. They are made with cane sugar and in my mind are glorified candy bars, despite the protein. They send me into a sugar feeding frenzy. I prefer RX bars. Their sweetness comes from dates so not much "rush". My favorite is the chocolate peanut butter but the chocolate sea salt is good too.
  • patriciafoley1
    patriciafoley1 Posts: 171 Member
    1. if you go on a keto diet, you can break the sugar addition habit. Once you are off sugar, those compulsive cravings will go away. Bad news is, at least for me and others, going back on even a little sugar may mean you have to deal with cravings again , so you have to break the habit again.
    2. If you have to have chocolate, DARK is best.
    3. One solution is the Russell Stover sugar free chocolate (or any sugar free, I guess, but Russell Stover is good and inexpensive, and readily found). They are Not calorie free. 2 caramels are 100 calories. But they are sugar free. The sweetness comes from some sugar alcohols that some people are sensitive to. The limit seems to be 2 candies before some people experience sensitivity. OTOh, that can be a useful limited to make you stop at 2. It's not hard to fit 100 calories into even a 1200 calorie a day diet.
  • lisakatz2
    lisakatz2 Posts: 572 Member
    patriciafoley1 wrote: »
    1. if you go on a keto diet, you can break the sugar addition habit. Once you are off sugar, those compulsive cravings will go away.

    I find that when I swear off sugar, the cravings never go away, and I end up binging at some point. I wish I had a dollar for every time I told myself that I'd never eat chocolate (or any carb/sweet combination) again. Maybe the keto strategy will work for some people, but not everyone.

    I don't understand your sugar free chocolate strategy. As you mentioned, the calories are still there, plus there is the risk of G.I. upset for sensitive individuals. And they don't taste nearly as good as the sugary stuff!

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,349 Member
    lisakatz2 wrote: »
    patriciafoley1 wrote: »
    1. if you go on a keto diet, you can break the sugar addition habit. Once you are off sugar, those compulsive cravings will go away.

    I find that when I swear off sugar, the cravings never go away, and I end up binging at some point. I wish I had a dollar for every time I told myself that I'd never eat chocolate (or any carb/sweet combination) again. Maybe the keto strategy will work for some people, but not everyone.

    I don't understand your sugar free chocolate strategy. As you mentioned, the calories are still there, plus there is the risk of G.I. upset for sensitive individuals. And they don't taste nearly as good as the sugary stuff!

    Same for me, overly restricting (and keto is hugely restrictive) is not sustainable for me and my lifestyle.

    The sugar free strategy seems to me like training through punishment haha. Eat the less tasty version, and if you eat too much, you will be punished with gastric distress!
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,264 Member
    edited December 23
    Generally speaking for the people that have craving like this it's not necessarily the sugar, although for some, me included, sugar or sugary foods are especially suspect. It's the spiking in blood sugar that creates a big drop in blood sugar from the release of insulin making people hungry and creates a cycle where your body continuously craves quick sources of energy, leading to more spikes and crashes. For these people it's pretty much a hormonal imbalance and hopefully people begin to realize this and not beat themselves up blaming themselves too much.

    With keto, blood sugar spikes are pretty much non existent so those food cravings diminish and over time resting or base line blood sugar is also lowered for the vast majority of people. Back in the day my resting blood sugar was around 106, it's now in the low 80's and rarely does it go above 100 for any meal. When I wore a CGM it was fascinating to see how much of an increase in blood sugar from different carb sources would happen. When I ate a donut or 2 first thing in the morning with a coffee my blood sugar would end up over 220 and it took hours to come back to my based line of 106 and would hover around 130-140 for a few hours first. Yeah, sugar for me was a no no, one taste and I was off to the races for the day. I will also say, committing to keto is elusive and very difficult, and when people think they're conforming properly they're not even close and then say it doesn't work, it's a common theme. :)
  • patriciafoley1
    patriciafoley1 Posts: 171 Member
    lisakatz2 wrote: »
    patriciafoley1 wrote: »
    1. if you go on a keto diet, you can break the sugar addition habit. Once you are off sugar, those compulsive cravings will go away.

    I find that when I swear off sugar, the cravings never go away, and I end up binging at some point. I wish I had a dollar for every time I told myself that I'd never eat chocolate (or any carb/sweet combination) again. Maybe the keto strategy will work for some people, but not everyone.

    I don't understand your sugar free chocolate strategy. As you mentioned, the calories are still there, plus there is the risk of G.I. upset for sensitive individuals. And they don't taste nearly as good as the sugary stuff!
    the sugar free chocolate supposedly doesn't trigger sugar highs and lows, which cause cravings. so that's the reason. Some individuals are sensitive, but others aren't. If someone has a chocolate addiction, it's a way to get some chocolate without the additional sugar rush and crash. I don't agree that they don't taste good. I am surprised at how good the russell stover's sugar free chocolates are. They seem quite as good as the sugar ones.

  • patriciafoley1
    patriciafoley1 Posts: 171 Member
    Re keto, most days I stay under 50, but there are days when I hover around 100. I get most of my carbs from carrots, sometimes a little potato with dinner. I try to stay away from carbs that quickly spike blood sugar. So keto doesn't have to be absolute deprivation. It's also true that when you are off sugar, a little is enough.

    It's true everyone is different. Some are very triggered by sugar, and its best to wean oneself off it, otherwise you are continually subject to cravings as your blood sugar rises and crashes. For those that are plagued by constant cravings, if a low carb diet frees you from that, it may be worth the trade. only by trying it can you find out. For me, eating protein leaves me much more satisfied than eating carbs, which only make me want to eat more carbs.
  • patriciafoley1
    patriciafoley1 Posts: 171 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    lisakatz2 wrote: »
    patriciafoley1 wrote: »
    1. if you go on a keto diet, you can break the sugar addition habit. Once you are off sugar, those compulsive cravings will go away.

    I find that when I swear off sugar, the cravings never go away, and I end up binging at some point. I wish I had a dollar for every time I told myself that I'd never eat chocolate (or any carb/sweet combination) again. Maybe the keto strategy will work for some people, but not everyone.

    I don't understand your sugar free chocolate strategy. As you mentioned, the calories are still there, plus there is the risk of G.I. upset for sensitive individuals. And they don't taste nearly as good as the sugary stuff!

    [/quhote]

    Same for me, overly restricting (and keto is hugely restrictive) is not sustainable for me and my lifestyle.

    The sugar free strategy seems to me like training through punishment haha. Eat the less tasty version, and if you eat too much, you will be punished with gastric distress!

    The OP asked for a way to eat chocolate without suffering cravings. Most cravings are for carbs, as a result of the sugar rush and crash. So in suggesting sugar free chocolate, I was trying to be helpful. Many have found a low carb diet to be helpful in reducing cravings.
    If someone is binging on sugar repeatedly, they are risking becoming insulin resistant, which has serious consequences.
    It's useful to tell the OP that a keto or low carb diet may not help everyone, but it has certainly helped many and it is worth mentioning to the OP and may be worth a trial for them. And it doesn't mean (for many) never eating carbs again, that is non sustainable, and I think misleading for most on a keto diet. i can fit a few carbs in a low carb diet. And I do from time to time. No need to scare people off with absolutes.
  • lisakatz2
    lisakatz2 Posts: 572 Member
    Eating sugar/refined carbs is not always the source of cravings. Sometimes just being around said food is enough. Today was a case in point for me. The day before Xmas, and my workplace was full of different kinds of fine chocolates and cookies (some chocolate dipped!). I ate my usual high protein, moderate fat and carb foods but remained hungry the entire day. I couldn't wait to get home!

    Emotions/stress can also trigger cravings.

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