Hi. My name is Amy and I'm addicted to SUGAR!

Addicted to sugar? As Jillian Michaels once said "who isn't" ? :laugh:

Addicted to sugar? As Jillian Michaels once said "who isn't" ? :laugh:

So true...lol


As for quitting sugar... go cold turkey. The headache will only last a few days.

Eat more natural sugars...fruits!

Honestly, this is very unscientific advice, but I have found that the more water I drink, the less cravings I have for sugar. And for some reason, ice water helps even more. It may be completely psychological, but it works for me.

I am too. I get shaky and jitterey from it. I will eat brown sugar by the spoonfull (I know so weird and so gross!!)

I've never been a big sugar lover. But, whenerver I get a craving for sugar I go for a Yougurt, a cup off coffe w/Splenda or a Protein Bar (a Healthy one). Sugar cravings for me occur whenever I workout very hard. It is a like I NEED ME a piece of cake soon, or I'll die! But it passes, it only lasts a few minutes. This my work you....Good Luck!

Protein and fat will give you more satiety so if it's a hunger type feeling you're fighting, try foods higher in those. Eggs, nuts etc.

If it's the sweet tooth thing that's the problem. Maybe you could try stepping down to sugar substitutes? Truvia, Splenda etc. I wouldn't stay on them long term because there really hasn't been any good long-term studies on human effects yet but a few months won't hurt. There are some decent tasting snack bars out there flavored with them.

@the other poster that mentioned fruit: great idea! (better than substitutes for sure)

Cold turkey worked for me. Last fall, I decided to go cold turkey on any added sugars. So I still drank milk and ate fruit, but didn't add sugar to my coffee or oatmeal and stayed away from treats. The first few days sucked! But it started getting easier after that and after a couple of weeks, I was amazed at how sweet foods started tasting. Stuff I had never noticed before. It was pretty eye opening.

Then Thanksgiving hit and Christmas and all the treats that go along with the holidays. I did indulge a bit, but a lot less than in the past and I'm still finding it much easier to stay away from sweets. The cravings are almost gone and I'm not like a drug addict needing a "hit" of chocolate or something after dinner anymore.

Thanks for the advice guys and i'm glad i'm not alone in this struggle. I think I could try the cold turkey thing if I didnt have so much stress and had to work so much and you know what they say even if I did make it the two weeks "youre always only one cookie away from being back at the begining" ;P

Last week I started here and I realized in the first day of consciously cutting back (BACK, not OUT) sugars that I was completely exhausted. I started making black tea instead of reaching for a cookie, and that actually helped. Then with a birthday party last weekend and V-Day on Tuesday, I knew I wasn't going to be able to avoid it, so instead of bending over backwards killing myself to stay away from it I did three things:

- stopped putting sugar in my coffee. Seriously, I just stopped. If I felt like doing it, I stared at the sugar packets for about 20 seconds, mentally told them I was better than that, and resolutely walked away.
- allowed myself to have something: a bite of cake instead of a piece, a single chocolate instead of a few, etc. The most sugar I ate at once was a Cookiewich from Byrne Dairy and I felt like CRAP afterward, so I won't be doing that again.
- accepted small gifts of sugar graciously and didn't blame myself for eating them. I'm beginning to feel the difference and wonder why I ever ate as much sugar as I used to in one day... it makes me feel SO tired later on! I indulged slightly, but the second I realized I was reaching for a piece of candy or a cookie or another bite of cake I slapped my hand and backed off or I handed the candy which someone had slipped onto my desk to someone else who really visibly wanted it.

Ok, maybe that's more than three, or less - I'm not a mathematician! ;P The idea, though, is cut back. You'll start to break the addiction faster than you think you can.

I, too, am a sugar addict who's trying to kick the habit. SO- baby steps...

First, I vowed to eliminate 4 of my favorite sugar rushes from my diet for 2012 (cake, candy, shakes, ice cream)...so far, I've been doing great without them (although I miss them VERY much.) It's not easy to give up something you love for a year, but it's possible (and gets easier with time.) Last year, I gave up McDonald's (which resulted in shedding quite a few pounds!)

Second, I've been eating lots of fruit (mostly berries and tangerines) which has slowly been training my taste buds to prefer natural sugars over processed ones. I find that fruit keeps me satisfied (as opposed to Mr. Snickers who just begs for a Butterfinger chaser.)

Third, I've alerted my lovely students (I'm a middle school teacher) about my weight loss goals. They are not only supportive, but they also have stopped bringing me gifts of cookies and candy (which was the main reason for my snack attacks at work.) Letting the people you see everyday know about your goals can really help keep you motivated.

Good luck and best wishes!!

Artificial and natural sugars are both my worst migraine triggers.

Yet I keep reaching for that hunk of chocolate thinking..." This time, maybe this time it will be different." :noway: An hour later I'm moaning on the couch hugging a bottle of pain pills.