sugar addiction?

Now, let's not start tossing the word 'addiction' around here like we do with 'starvation mode'.

Addictions are very complex things involving very complex processes in your body and brain. If your craving of sugar gets in the way of your normal life or hinders your ability to stay happily functional throughout the days, then you should consult a specialist who'd have more knowledge in this area. If you find yourself binging and/or going out of your way to consume food as a coping mechanism, then gee wilikers, you *might* have a problem.

But what would the internet know? I'm not a specialist. I can't say if you have an addiction or not.

The one thing I can say about myself, and many others on this forum, that the more I eat better foods, the less I crave 'junk food'. Eventually, candy or cake doesn't take as much priority as cherries do. And that's pretty swell.

Listen to your body? Sugar is not bad, enjoy some.

Is is possible to be addicted to sugar? I find myself having uncontrollable urges to eat candy every day. I don't crave anything else.

Has anyone else dealt with this? and how long did it take to stop craving sugar when you stopped eating it?

I feel a ton better when I stay away from high fructose corn syrup, table sugar and artificial sweeteners. I do fine with sugars that are naturally present in food and vegetables.

Table sugar and high fructose corn syrup set off a craving mechanism in me.

Jack Lalanne NAILED this 60 years ago...
WATCH: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJVEPB_l8FU

I have a terrible sweet tooth. I've tried to go cold turkey, but restricting just doesn't work for me. I started reading on here about people just eating a square or two of dark chocolate (high %) to keep their craving satisfied. Trying it this week.

I consider my self to be addicted to sugar my Dr. told me to cut down on sugar bc it ache the bones. Sugar keeps me hungry for more sugar and I become moody when I don't get it. Different strokes for different folks but I say hell yes its addictive

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400899/Can-You-Be-Addicted-to-Sugar.html

It is possible to be addicted to sugar.. If your interested, you hould read "Sweet Poison" by David Gillespie. It's all about sugar. I have only read a little but if it, but it is interesting

Thank-you so much for this video. Jack had more sense than most of these Dr.s today have. He is so right. Thank-you again.

Two weeks seemed to be the turning point for me too. Strangely I found that the two day fast that I did to start off on my new eating path seemed to change my taste buds a little. Food had more flavor and I could actually taste the sweetness more in naturally sweet foods like fruit after those few days. I still allow myself a little splenda in my tea, but find that a little Splenda goes a long way for me now. I dont get the overwhelming cravings. For me weaning didn't work-I had to go cold turkey too. I do plan on still indulging on occasion, just not every day.

I crave sweets everyday and it's always after I eat dinner. It's like I've trained my body to automatically want chocolate at that time. This week I'm trying to keep myself busy so I don't think about it. Actually being on here and responding to posts keeps me so preoccupied I havent really eaten any sweets at all Thank you MFP!!

Is is possible to be addicted to sugar? I find myself having uncontrollable urges to eat candy every day. I don't crave anything else.

Has anyone else dealt with this? and how long did it take to stop craving sugar when you stopped eating it?

You get all new tastebuds every 21 days - so if you can minimize processed sugar for a few weeks, you won't crave it, and when you do eat it, you will want less of it.

I find the more frequently I have sugar, the more it becomes a habit. I am not a binge eater, so my problem was frequency more than anything else.

My strategies to reduce sugar consumption happened over a few years:
1. I stopped buying full size sweets. If I wanted one, I needed to get a single serving one from somewhere.
2. I reduced the amount of sugar I put in my coffee.
3. I started eating plain yogurt. Initially with 1-2 teaspoons of sugar, now plain with fruit/granola/nuts
4. I switched to stevia for things I like to sweeten (mostly tea) at home
5. I stopped using sugar, mostly, at home. (I use it occasionally in baking and for some homemade salad dressings, but not very much)

Now, my taste for sweet has changed. I still like them. I target eating them about 2x-3x a week. Some weeks are better than others, when TOM comes to town, my cravings are in full force. But the amount of sweet I can handle is pretty low. If I want a "sugary" coffee drink, I ask them to cut the syrup in half. I drink most espresso drinks without sugar.

There are a few sweets I buy. But they tend to last a while, I am not tempted to polish of the bag within days. More like weeks or months.

Depending on how your cravings are, I recommend abstaining completely or gradually reducing. If you are the tye to overindulge constantly, then cutting it completely is best.

I think everything is toxic why not just enjoy all the toxicities in moderation.

because if everyone could enjoy everything they wanted in moderation some of us wouldnt have become overweight or obese in the first place. heck if people could enjoy things in, we wouldnt have things like alcohol or drug addiction, right?

You're right. Some people's brains are just wired differently and what is "moderation" for one person, may turn out to be a landslide for another. You wouldn't tell a recovering alcoholic that one drink a day will be just fine, would you?

Sugar sets off a mechanism in me that makes me crave carbs and more sugar. It upsets the way I feel physically and mentally. My wiring does not need it. Someone else may not have the same reaction.

I understand that this is a place for sharing but let's try and not be so dismissive of the fact that one person's meat can be another person's poison.