Addicted to Sugar... Need help to kick it.

Stop the sodas! Get ready to take medicine for the pending caffeine headaches. I quit drinking Mountain Dew 3 months ago.

It really depends on the person. I hate to deprive myself because when I do get whatever I wasn't getting, I binge eat. When could've just ate that cookie or piece of candy and stayed in my calories. But you definitely have to be strong enough to do moderation.If not it's best to stop cold turkey.

Im right there with you. Last night I had a sweet tooth bad and decided to have a hot cup of honey chamomile tea with creamer/splenda and it hit the spot. I say allow yourself to have a treat now and then. Personally I have found that when I deny myself something it results in failure. Maybe a bag of your favorite mini size treats and put them in the freezer? I have swapped ice cream for frozen yogurt, added in marshmallows and rice krispie treats in place of candy bars and cookies. Little changes make a big difference. Good luck to you.

I love sugar but found that you don't have to give it up completely - just substitute. I substituted fruits as a 'dessert' (no sugar added). I love mango with lemon juice or cut up strawberries and kiwi. That way, you don't have the guilt of eating badly, plus you still get a sweet taste.

The thing that cut my cravings the most is green smoothies. I really think cravings are our body's confused way of telling us it's missing some vitamins and minerals.

When I don't have my green smoothie, I crave like crazy, when I do have it, I'm totally calm. It's weird.

I read somewhere that sugar is as addictive as cocaine... I can't verify that information, but it's at least making some kind of point. I tried the cold turkey method and it worked short-term, but when I finally let myself have a little taste of something sweet.... let's just say it wasn't pretty.

I'd say a slow and gradual removal of sugar, as well as things with sweetener that are keeping you in the mood just as much as the real thing, is what has worked best for me. Good luck!

I find that if I start the day with carbs (toast, bagel, muffin) I crave sugar all day. I used to NEED a piece of coffee cake or chocolate by mid-afternoon. When I switched to starting my day with protein, then my cravings were in check. Usually breads send me right off the deep end.

I've slowly weaned off of sugar... worked well that way, rather than cold turkey-so-to-speak.

I started by not buying flavored coffee creamer and changing the size of spoon in my sugar bowl. I cut about 10g of sugar per cup out of my morning coffee just by doing that. I found when I didn't start the first thing in my mouth being a sweet thing, the sweet cravings during the day subsided.

Here is the article I was referring to:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?pagewanted=all

Its a GREAT read! Educate yourselves

Look at it like a nutritionist... Your body needs very little sugar, but if your used to eating tons of it, your body will adapt to be able to process it and you will continue to crave it and give you the "sweet tooth"! You need to cut back on how much you eat, pay attention to the sugar that is hidden in other foods as well (cereal, sauces etc) After some time has passed you will find yourself craving sweets less and less. It works...I did it and i used to eat sweets all the time!

i agree cut back slowly if you can get away from the soda fast then start cutting down. the first few days are the hardest. i stopped dring booz that was easy compared to the sweets. good luck you can do it

I love sugar but found that you don't have to give it up completely - just substitute. I substituted fruits as a 'dessert' (no sugar added). I love mango with lemon juice or cut up strawberries and kiwi. That way, you don't have the guilt of eating badly, plus you still get a sweet taste.

I do this too. Especially honeycrisp apples. They are sweeter than some candy

Gradually cutting back worked best for me. Trying to cut it too drastically at first made me feel so bad I just couldn't function. Seriously, it was like having withdrawal; massive headaches, nausea, shakes, no energy.

So I just made small changes. I started using one less teaspoon of sugar in my coffee. Then after a month or so I cut back a bit more. Now I just use 1 teaspoon of sugar for a 16 oz cup of coffee.

At the beginning I set myself the goal of one sweet treat per day (instead of the many I was having previously). That way I still had something to look forward to and enjoy, but started teaching myself to make better choices. Things like "If I have that cookie from the break room then I can't have the slice of cake that's waiting at home." Gradually it got easier.

Your taste buds will adjust. I still like sweets, but I can't eat nearly as much of them, and I like them to be less sweet now. I'm at the point where I just add fresh fruit and a sprinkle of cinnamon to my plain Greek yogurt. And a bowl of oatmeal only needs 1 teaspoon or less of brown sugar, or add blueberries and skip the processed sugar all together.

You definitely can do this. Just take it one day at a time and work on making better choices today than you did yesterday.

I read somewhere that sugar is as addictive as cocaine... I can't verify that information, but it's at least making some kind of point. I tried the cold turkey method and it worked short-term, but when I finally let myself have a little taste of something sweet.... let's just say it wasn't pretty.

I'd say a slow and gradual removal of sugar, as well as things with sweetener that are keeping you in the mood just as much as the real thing, is what has worked best for me. Good luck!

Agreed. I am also a reformed sugar junkie. I have been working on it since April and it has taken me 6-7 months to get my addiction under control. Do not give up.

I found replacing Sugar with Agave syrup was excellent, Well worth it, Agave is healthy and only 20 calories and no fat. You can put it in anything!. great for those of us who love sugar. Only one teaspoon and thats all you really need.

^^ Totally agree. With me it was trial and error until I found what I prefer over sugar. I use Ideal. It's Xylitol, found naturally in fruits and veggies and calorie free. Sometimes though, I will use allow myself something with sugar in the raw in it.