How did you beat your Sugar Addiction? - Page 2

greem101 · 08-26-2007, 01:06 PM

Some people have a sweet tooth, i've got a full set. I was doing ok and lost a few lbs. Now ive put it all back on again. I start off ok on a monday then by tue or wed my good intentions are out the window. I eat crisps, biscuits, cakes, sweets and chocolate. You name it. I have given up eating too much fried food, macdonalds ect. But if i go without sweets or chocolate i feel sick an dizzy and grumpy. I know i really should eat better but have no willpower, if ds is eing naughty or have had a bad day at work i need chcolate. If i am reading a book or magazine i need biscuits to much. Then i wonder why i cant fit into my favourite dress. I eat a bagel and youhrt for breakfast with some fruit then my day goes downhill from there. Think i need to sew my lips together

LadyNaomi · 08-27-2007, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greem101

Some people have a sweet tooth, i've got a full set. I was doing ok and lost a few lbs. Now ive put it all back on again. I start off ok on a monday then by tue or wed my good intentions are out the window. I eat crisps, biscuits, cakes, sweets and chocolate. You name it. I have given up eating too much fried food, macdonalds ect. But if i go without sweets or chocolate i feel sick an dizzy and grumpy. I know i really should eat better but have no willpower, if ds is eing naughty or have had a bad day at work i need chcolate. If i am reading a book or magazine i need biscuits to much. Then i wonder why i cant fit into my favourite dress. I eat a bagel and youhrt for breakfast with some fruit then my day goes downhill from there. Think i need to sew my lips together

Are you my twin? My sentiments exactly. Honestly, i have to have something sweet everyday. I love the russell stover sugar free sweets less than 1 carb ea. ....and the sugar free jello (0 carbs)...and the sugar free jello pudding (5 carbs)

I bought some sugar free cupcakes today (5 carbs each), because I have been having such a bad craving for a triple chocolate cake. I seen these cupcakes and thought I was in heaven. UGGGH. The frosting didn't stay on the cupcake-it stayed on the wrapper. Good thing too, it tasted like s--- and the cupcake tasted OLD and the filling in the middle was more like nasty chewy stuff than whipped filling. Oh well. Now I know. Get those pounds off and split a piece of cake with 4 friends!

Maddy · 08-27-2007, 04:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greem101

Some people have a sweet tooth, i've got a full set. I was doing ok and lost a few lbs. Now ive put it all back on again. I start off ok on a monday then by tue or wed my good intentions are out the window. I eat crisps, biscuits, cakes, sweets and chocolate. You name it. I have given up eating too much fried food, macdonalds ect. But if i go without sweets or chocolate i feel sick an dizzy and grumpy. I know i really should eat better but have no willpower, if ds is eing naughty or have had a bad day at work i need chcolate. If i am reading a book or magazine i need biscuits to much. Then i wonder why i cant fit into my favourite dress. I eat a bagel and youhrt for breakfast with some fruit then my day goes downhill from there. Think i need to sew my lips together

Just try eating 6 meals a day for a week. Or think of it was three meals per day with 2-3 snacks in between. The snacks can be celery spread with peanut butter or an apple and a slice of cheese etc.

It sounds as though your blood sugar is dropping which makes you reach for the sweets. The thing is - you eat sweets and your blood sugar will go up again but only temporarily - then you'll be reaching for the sweets again and so it goes.

Try the snacks idea for a week and see if it helps. It will keep your blood sugar stable and you'll be able to kick those sweets to the kerb

LadyNaomi · 08-27-2007, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maddy

Just try eating 6 meals a day for a week. Or think of it was three meals per day with 2-3 snacks in between. The snacks can be celery spread with peanut butter or an apple and a slice of cheese etc.

It sounds as though your blood sugar is dropping which makes you reach for the sweets. The thing is - you eat sweets and your blood sugar will go up again but only temporarily - then you'll be reaching for the sweets again and so it goes.

Try the snacks idea for a week and see if it helps. It will keep your blood sugar stable and you'll be able to kick those sweets to the kerb

Yup, I hope so! Why can't we just have the perfect bodies!

divainsneakers · 08-15-2009, 06:37 PM

I strongly believe that sugar is highly addictive. I've been there and the only thing that has worked for me is going cold turkey. It is difficult in the immediate, but as other posters have indicated after a few weeks your desire diminishes.

I am currently doing no sugar, no gluten, no wheat, and no dairy. I am in full cavewoman mode. I definitely feel better.

applebottomed · 08-17-2009, 04:01 PM

High fat and adequate protein is the only way I stay satiated long enough to fight off the sugar cravings. I had to give up almost all carbs to keep from bingeing and I now stay >20 net carbs/day and feel wonderful! Good luck to you!

moojones · 08-18-2009, 04:52 PM

I am loving this thread! I have been trying to cut out refined sugars and carbs, and there are definitely some great suggestions here.

BooNaeKar · 08-19-2009, 12:52 AM

I agree, thanks for all the great suggestions! I've battled with a sugar addiction most of my life, and it's the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with as far as giving it up. I try but then I always go back to eating it. And I can't allow myself just one bite of something to take the edge off, it will send me into full blown binge mode. I've heard it takes a few weeks to fully break the addiction, but I just wonder if I will ever be able to last that long-lol!

pzsept06mama · 08-20-2009, 01:06 PM

I definetly have a sweet tooth however since I noticed how I was feeling and FINALLY figured it out to be a drastic drop in my sugar levels I have been watching them very closely. Now when I eat anything with sugar in it I can feel the major sugar high and then I drop faaasst. After I finally realized this, I discovered Ive felt this way for MANY years and being uneducated about it I would eat some chocolate thinking that would help and then crash HARD. Ive also found when my blood sugar gets low (I can feel it) I crave junk food and just food in general, I feel like I am starving... when I am not. Its a vicious cycle!

jacquiej · 08-20-2009, 05:08 PM

This IS a great thread. I cut way back on my processed food consumption and sugar about two months ago because I got sick with an enlarged liver. That was kind of my wake up call to start taking better care of myself! I have been doing ok but I definitely notice that if I allow myself to have just a little bit - it ends up then being something that I have to have more of. The biggest AHA! moment for me was when I went to the grocery store to get a treat with my dd and normally I would get a candy or something too and standing there in the isle, I actually got sick to my stomach thinking about eating any of it! I have started taking chromium picolinate again recently and that seems to help too but it is hard.

I also have noticed that my youngest dd has very intense cravings for sugar and I really worried she is headed down the same path as me. Any suggestions on how to get her to have less? I don't have candy or cookies or things like that in the house and we use whole grain rice and breads when we use them.

abygol · 08-21-2009, 01:54 AM

this is a great thread. I used to thank i was crazy that i had to open up a pack of starburst and eat all of them in one sitting. or if i go to a potluck i had to finish all the brownies. like my mind said i have to eat that.

i feel alot better that my finances are limited that i cant afford sweet foods. i try to buy things that will be more nutritious otherwise i wont be able to control how much i spend. and i have more willpower when it comes to spending that i do to eating sweets.

what will happen when im rich? haha

blessedblogger · 08-21-2009, 02:15 PM

I was never a big sweets eater as a kid but after puberty hit and the PCOS started to kick in all I wanted was sugar. I used to make cup after cup of hot tea or coffee and load it up with sugar. Potatoes, crackers, French bread, donuts, you name it. Then I found out I have Celiac Disease and couldn't eat any traditional grains so there went all the bread, pasta and pastries and that helped but I could still get my sugar fix in other ways. My big thing used to be Starbucks Caramel Fraps or Godiva chocolates.

Last October I was diagnosed with Insulin Resistance followed by Endometrial Cancer from untreated PCOS and that was a major wake up call. I switched from white sugar to cane sugar and limited myself to 3 servings of sweet foods a day. Then I switched from cane sugar to honey. Then from honey to agave and lowered it to two sweet foods a day. I also eat seven small meals a day to keep my blood sugar levels steady. As a result of cutting the sugar I've had fewer headaches, I rarely get skin yeast infections anymore and I used to get them constantly, I almost never get crazy blood sugar crashes/spikes and I feel tons better. Also I've lost 50lbs (with diet and exercise).

My suggestion is to slowly wean yourself off so you don't have a huge withdrawal. Then start making smart choices and remind yourself that this is a serious medical problem! If there's no junk in your house then you can't eat junk. If you always have a healthy snack on hand for when you get hungry you won't resort to vending machine junk. Slowly start cutting down on sugar and carbs. If you drink three sodas a day, cut down to two. If you eat sandwiches for lunch every day start alternating between sandwiches and salads. If candy is your thing then switch from milk chocolate to dark chocolate. Deprivation will only make you crash, moderation is the key. Make sure you're getting enough exercise and drinking enough water. If you still have major cravings try cinnamon supplements (I take them and they help). Take small steps and you'll get there.

After ten months of slowly changing my eating habits I'm a changed woman. I never ate super unhealthy before but it was still a major change for the better. Now if I try to eat a Hershey bar or have a Pepsi it tastes sickeningly sweet and makes me feel ill. I can't even drink orange juice without diluting it. Same goes for salt and fat. I cut the salt and then last week we got a bag of chips while at Ikea and had to throw them away the salt was so overwhelming. This week we had GF pancakes for the first time in months and I felt heavy, bloated, tired, nauseas and just not good because the fat and carbs are just to much for me anymore. We have to reset our taste buds and our bodies to the way they were at birth before we got saturated with salt, sugar, fat, chemicals and all the junk in modern processed foods. You'll be amazed at how great food tastes again when you can actually taste the food and not the additives.

You can do this and you'll feel tons better when you do! Good luck hun

IslandChild · 08-23-2009, 06:12 PM

Im taking cinnamon to help my sugar cravings. and i have to say that it really works

hopeful40 · 09-08-2009, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IslandChild

Im taking cinnamon to help my sugar cravings. and i have to say that it really works

I have to strongly second this! I've been taking it since Friday and I can say I noticed an immediate difference. Before, if there were sweets within walking distance, I'd eat them all. I couldn't have just 2 or 3 cookies...I'd have to have 10 or 12. As much as I'd tell myself, "You don't need that," my cravings were too strong and I'd give it. Sugar really is an addiction, but since I've started taking cinnamon...I almost don't even WANT sugar, which was unheard of for me! If I do want something sweet, a cookie or two will do it and then I'm DONE. I don't even think about them again. I've had a bag of candy corns on my desk for 2 days and there are still some left. Before I would've completed that bag already and been on bag number 2. I highly recommend it!

Stacy

Happy Wife · 09-08-2009, 04:09 PM

I developed a really bad sweet tooth in my early 20's. I was always craving sugar. In July I had blood work done that showed I have elevated insulin levels (not daibetic) my doctor put me on metaformin 8/26 I no longer crave sweets/carbs and I have lost 10 pounds. My husband went to get ice cream the other night and I said no thanks! I have a bag of chips and cookies that have lasted over two weeks! I did not crave the cake in my fridge when I saw it this morning!