sugar addiction

[diamondsrock]

ok so I think I am addicted to sugar. I''ve always had a sweet tooth but lately it''s gotten out of control. I know I could probably lose 10 pounds (which I would like to do) by cutting this out completely but it''s like I need it!! I could eat brownies for breakfast (no lie). At one point I tapered off and then got to the point where it didn''t seem as appealing but then I had a bad day at work and had one cupcake and that was it. It started all over again. Any ideas how to handle this and has anyone else gone through this? I don''t drink, smoke or do drugs so this is really it (except for my diet coke addiction!!) It must be some sort of brain chemical thing because I get cravings. Help!!

 

[ame]

You and me both

 

[yellowfan]

I am addicted to coke classic and dr pepper. Really hard to avoid them

 

[ame]

I started buying the 10 cals per can LIGHT HAWAIIAN PUNCH...so far, a case a week. haha

 

[Blue824]

Sometimes I feel like all I eat is sugar! And then stick some frenchfries in tehre and that''s my diet hehe. I figure I should take advantage of it while I"m young wtiha good metabolism, but honestly, sometimes I do get grossed out by how much sugar I eat and I''ve a couple things I do whne I''m trying to be healthier.....

I spend more for individual servings because I''ll stop at one serving instead of reaching for another cookie from the pack.. I freeze grapes, they''re yummy....keep mini lollypops around, they''re small and last a long time... the funpacks of m&ms, they''re only about 100 cal... the 100 cal packs from nabisco, or reach for fruit or yogurt instead of an ice cream, have a bowl of a slightly sweetened cereal instead of a brownie in the evening....its just trying to look for more nutritional options for me...then I don''t feel bad when I really do splurge! Oh, and sometimes if I''m really trying to be good, I use listerine or brush my teeth, who wants to eat anything after that? Esp, listerine. Bleh.

 

[ame]

Chocolate goes with Listerine...mmmm mintchocolate.

Im gross.

 

[diamondsrock]

Thank you for the suggestions. I will try them out. I''m going grocery shopping Sunday so I''ll have new items on my list now. At this point I''ll try just about anything to kick this habit. Oh, and by the way, the whole thing that started my new dieting dilemma is a co-worker came up to me today and said, "can I ask you something? I don''t want to offend you but..." First of all if you even have to say that before asking you shouldn''t ask the question. You guessed it. She thought I was pregnant.

Which I''m not. I said, geez, I know I''ve got a bit of a pot belly but you think I look that fat???? Then she kept going on how it was because I was wearing baggy clothes and she thought I was trying to hide something. Not that she thought I was fat (yeah, right!! Why else would someone ask if you were pregnant unless they thought you were fat???) I''ve seen a lot of women who I thought might be but I always bite my tongue and don''t ask if they are because I know that after age 30 metabolism slows down and some women collect weight around their middle. (I''m in my 30''s). Boy am I glad, too, I never asked because this one girl who I thought was ends up she wasn''t. That''s why I''m so annoyed with this coworker coming out and asking me that today. Nice way to ruin someone''s day. Like work is just so fun anyways and then I need that. And by the way I walk about 2 miles a day, not a lot but all I can fit in my schedule right now, so I am trying which is why this really hurt. Some people are so rude!! Of course, stupid me didn''t even tell her how offended I was but you would think she would know by the look on my face. Funny thing is I don''t think she even knows she offended me. That clueless. I thought it was an unwritten rule you just don''t ask those questions until someone is so huge that it''s really obvious they''re expecting or you already know they are. Guess I was wrong!!

 

[ame]

I get that ALL the time. I have a "Swayback" that causes me to almost stick out. My weight is stored right there so that makes it horrible. I can''t manage to train my back to hold me up but gymnastics made it worse. I am not even that horribly chubby but I sure look it, couple that with a huge rack...I look like Im 6 months. I need some SERIOUS posture work. And to not be lazy and a piglet.

If someone asks out of spite I say NO, Im just a fatass. But if someone genuinely asks, I play along. haha. I am having a girl in 2 months. hahahaha!

 

[diamondsrock]

ame you are too funny!!

I have pretty bad posture too so that doesn''t help the stomach situation. I''ve tried standing up straight and it''s so straining on my back I give up and go back to my old slouch. Sometimes I think I should wear a brace or something to keep my posture straight. Although I''m sure that would be attactive....

 

[ame]

Ok you just read my mind. haha. I find myself wondering if folks would notice a piece of plywood strapped on my back

 

[DiamanteBlu]

Sounds like you need to regulate your insulin response. This can be done via supplements [I started taking a product with chromium picolinate in it back in the early 1990''s and noticed that I no longer craved sweets]. It can also be done by sticking to low glycemic index foods [that don''t make your insulin spike after you eat them].

If I recall correctly, the phase I of the South Beach Diet focuses on reducing cravings for high glycemic index foods [eg brownies]. You may want to suffer through that for a couple of weeks.

It has been a while since I have been able to give chapter and verse on this subject. Let me know if you would like for me to spend some time refreshing my memory so I can pass what I used to know along to you.

Blu

 

[ame]

I tried Atkins and thought I might DIE.

 

[diamondsrock]

blu, whatever info. you can give would be helpful. Even if there''s a book on this particular subject I''d read it (not general diet books - there''s a million of those).

 

[ame]

There is an actual book for The South Beach Diet

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Hi,

I''m totally addicted to sugar, but I DID quit for seven weeks after reading a whole foods book which lectured on the evils of sugar. The deal with sugar is that it''s SO addicting that if you even have ONE tiny bit, you''ll end up craving more. So, the deal is you have to go all or nothing. Any time you have one tiny bit of sugar, you''re going to crave more, so you have to eliminate ALL sources forever!

When I tried an absolutely no sugar diet, I went through serious withdrawls for about a week or two and then I didn''t crave anything sweet - and in fact, when I watched others consume coke or ice cream, it literally made me sick to watch such indulgences. But, then after eating super healthy - no refined foods AT ALL, I cheated and since then haven''t been able to stick to such a strict diet (lol!). . .

If you want to go no sugar, you really should research the whole food diets because from what I''ve read, unless you eliminate all refined foods, you''re always going to crave junk - so you''re best bet is to learn about which foods are whole and to stick with these foods.

On a whole foods diet you CAN have honey & fruit, so possibly try switching your cupcake for an apple or some strawberries.

And, to add to the glycemic index suggestion, this is a really good idea. Some foods, like corn or white rice, react EXACTLY like sugar on your system/weight. A few weeks back, after dinner, my two little children (ages 3 and 4) ate popcorn at 9 pm and they were bouncing off the walls for a few hours afterwards. It was a nightmare! lol Worse than if I had given them a bit of ice cream!

 

[jorman]

I think it is normal to have those phases, especially if we are going through something stressful.
My mom went through a phase a few years ago where all she ate was Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla with Strawberries (icecream for those who don''t live in Texas).

She''s all better now.
I say if you crave it to the point you can''t stop thinking about it- you deserve it.
Like right now, I am craving that Ben & Jerry''s pint in the freezer.
See ya.....

 

[Mara]

sugar is like the silent evil in most of our foods...too bad we all love it so. i used to basically have some tea with my sugar and people were always goggle-eyed when i poured in like 10 sugar packets. i realized that usually with sugar i am trying to compensate for some lack of taste. for example i can't really drink plain lipton iced tea without sugar, it's too bland and thin. but tejava, that stuff you can buy bottled at the stores, its' just black tea... SO GOOD chilled with absolutely no sugar. so i drink that instead if i want something flavored. i don't drink ANY coke or anything except like 1-2 a week at dinner. this was cutting back from something like one 16 oz a DAY previously. it's so addictive!

for me what helps me NOT want to overdose on sugar is knowing how bad it can be for you. sugar is not fat but if you don't burn it, it turns into fat. YIKES! like i need more of that floating around? no way jose. so unless you drink a big ole coke then do 10 laps around the track, chances are your sugar consumption is busy turning itself to fat. esp if you work at a computer at a desk like so many of us do. you know that movie theatre coke? the 32 oz'er? well it has something like THREE DAYS worth of your daily sugar amount that you should be ingesting (max). scary huh. one drink! of course i still get one sometimes but it's certainly not something that i get all the time. i can't drink anything diet either, which i think is good because in reality i am doing myself a good thing when i don't have coke or diet coke and instead have bottled water.

i've definitely cut back on alot of sugars...the one thing i do have each morning still is my coffee with alot of sugar in it. but since i have cut out sodas and the big time sugar/tea consumption, i feel like that's my one little allowed evil, a cup a day kind of thing. dessert? not an option to remove! i'm a big believer in compromise.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 9/9/2005 8:11:00 PM
Author:diamondsrock
ok so I think I am addicted to sugar. ...I know I could probably lose 10 pounds (which I would like to do) by cutting this out completely but it''s like I need it!! I could eat brownies for breakfast

Think dark chocolate or honney soaked rye bread covered with reisins & expresso for breakfast and fruit and cheese for the rest of the day... Under streass, random timezone changes, all nighters or the like, it has to be small, sweet and fat to keep me going because large volumes of food literally don''t work. Think dried fruit & nuts, dark chocolate and lots of honney in various forms of aggregation - quite a bit of that for days on end.

Otherwise I am a vegetarian who hates eggs, loves havy breads, rough fruit and vegetables eaten from a stack behind the laptop, full fat rough milk dairy and japanese foods when eating out.

All in all, those sweets do not seem to have any effect whatsoever on my weight - it is not allot of food anyway. What does get me in trouble occasionally is... heavy, grainy and totally unavoidable German bread!

 

[icekid]

Sugar literally almost can be an addiction! When you eat sugar, it first spikes your blood sugar. But then, it drops it down even lower than it was to begin with. This causes you to crave more sugar! It''s a vicious cycle, which apparently you''ve learned. Also, that big drop in your blood sugar also makes you sleeeepy. So that''s why you get cravings. Nothing to do with your brain!

Also, it does make you gain weight if you are not burning enough calories. That insulin spike you get with sugar- not good! Insulin is an enzyme that also causes your body to store fat, as Mara mentioned. And insulin specifically makes you store fat around your abdomen, which is the area that is very high risk for heart disease.

I gave up sugar for the most part 5 years ago, when I was 19! I eat something with sugar perhaps 3 or 4 times a year, for something that is really worth the indulgence. Honestly, it makes me feel crappy so that''s more than enough for me. With diabetes running rampant in this country today, who needs it! I''m a little OCD about what I eat, but there are worse things to be obsessed with

Oh yeah, I am a med student, for what it''s worth, I know what I am talking about hehe

 

[moremoremore]

Hmmm, is it a bad thing that I was sitting here with a 3lb XXL bag of m&ms reading this?

Well, I just threw them in the garbage...I need to get my act together...Icekid- that is so true, for me, sugar is a total addiction. Not just sugars in candy, but bad carbs. Sometimes, the urge is so great, I think I'm like a crack addict or something. I have food issues to start with, couple that with some mild ocd and a sugar addiction, holy crap do I want it bad LOL....I don't know why this thread motivated me, few things do...but I just had a nice healthy lunch....I feel good now (from my mm high that I'm still on)..I hope I can resist when i crash and start to crave again...

My mom was the same way until she wa diagnosed with diabetes...she is controlling it without meds on a strict strict disciplined diet...she's amazing..and she lost 40 lbs...she is fitting into my clothes from high school...

Sugar makes me feel like crap and gives me headaches.... before I got married, I was super healthy and never craved...well, I remember the oreo that did me in on my honeymoon....it was all down hill from there...

So I think that cutting the bad carbs that you don't think of as being "sugar" as well as sugary foods is key to getting over the addiction...but if you're a disciplined person without weight issues and you only give in every now and then, it's no biggie to treat yourself! Sigh. There is no such thing as a "little" treat for me LOL.... I always worked out growing up and in school...running, tennis, weights, so when I literally ate 6 donuts in one sitting it was no big deal. My whole family must have multiple stomachs like cows or something. My sis is very very thin and can eat 6 slices of pizza. So can I. I could literally enter just about any eating contest LOL...

 

[AndyRosse]

Diamondsrock, you and me both!!

Brownies are for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!!!

hehe

Seriously though, I am exactly like you, and I seriously need some help! My cravings often get to the point that I could eat an entire cake if you let me. I''ve done Atkins twice, both times sticking to it for a couple months and losing at least 10 to 15 pounds each time. The first time after I stopped, I gained it all back, plus 10 pounds

. The second time, I took all the weight off, but just couldn''t handle eating eggs and meat all the time. The key is moderation and self control, and those are two concepts I apparently lack LOL.

I looked up info about the whole foods diet, and I''m thinking of giving that a try! I''m getting married in June and would certainly like to look my best

.

 

[Mara]

mmm have you tried any of those diets where you cut out the bad carbs and/or refined sugars? just wondering if they worked at all once you got past the first stage of the withdrawals. seems like if you could hold on for a few weeks, you'd be golden!

the sad thing about carbs and sugars for me is that i can literally SEE them packing onto my waist. aka waist is nice and unbloated in the morning and if i have my typical breakfast off egg white omelet and some coffee (with sugar!) it stays unbloated. lunch is a salad, okay still pretty unbloated. but if dinner is pasta or something, when i undress at night to go to bed, my stomach is huge and puffy! it's horrible. so this in and of itself is a good reason for me to not gorge on carbs other than MAYBE once a week. that's why these lower carb/sugar/fat things work for me so well, i know what my stomach looks like with and without it. it's not a pretty sight!

oh ETA that i have finally started to appreciate sugars in natural foods like fruits. originally when people would be like 'oh instead of a candy, have a fruit...' i was like...are you on crack?! but i love grapes and nectarines and my latest obsession is watermelon, it's so ripe right now. Portia loves it too. and it's mostly water so it's like a double good thing. funny how our bodies (or maybe it's our minds) change...a few years back a fruit would have seemed like a diet torture and now i actually look fwd to it.

 

[moremoremore]

I just have food issues and food ocd. My husband blames my father LOL... My sister was a string bean and I was porky...so he would always make such a big deal about it...and my mother would feel bad ad treat us both secretly to food that I'm totally obsessed with it. I dream of it. I can't imagine a life without it...and I can't do moderation so well...I can eat healthy but I can't eat a little. I eat a lot...Husband said he's never seen anyone who can eat like me (even when I was thin LOL)...Literally, he's amazed...gee, isn't he proud LOL...

I mean, I'm not like 300 lbs or anything LOL but I CAN eat a dozen donuts, an ENTIRE half gallon of ice cream (despite lactose intolerance)

And NOT be full! I can't chew gum either, only b/c it's a waste. I am so bad that I put a piece in, chew a few times, spit it out, and then repeat until they are all gone. They MUST be all gone for me to enjoy it. I'm sick people, sick ! LOL....


If I can do moderation I'll be golden. I think the less sugar and trigger foods I have, the more I can do moderation...i also need to start working out again...not so easy when I'm out the door at 7:30 am and home at 7:15 and then have to start cooking...But I have to do it.

You can do it diamondsrock! Cut out that sugar!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll give it a go too!

 

[AndyRosse]

Date: 9/10/2005 12:58:48 PM
Author: moremoremore

I mean, I''m not like 300 lbs or anything LOL but I CAN eat a dozen donuts, an ENTIRE half gallon of ice cream (despite lactose intolerance)

And NOT be full!

Oh MMM!! We are so similar!! LOL I love a good Entenmann''s cake too

.

 

[moremoremore]

you can come over for cake, I''ll buy TWO!!

I don''t like to share LOL...
We had cake for a birthday in the office. It was so fresh and good...he cut the teeny tiny pieces...everyone looked so full and satisfied...I just kept picturing me going face first into that thing...and no coming out until it was gone LOL

 

[AndyRosse]

Date: 9/10/2005 2:41:20 PM
Author: moremoremore
you can come over for cake, I''ll buy TWO!!

I don''t like to share LOL...
We had cake for a birthday in the office. It was so fresh and good...he cut the teeny tiny pieces...everyone looked so full and satisfied...I just kept picturing me going face first into that thing...and no coming out until it was gone LOL

LOL. I don''t like to share either

. I hate restaurants where you order "family size" dishes, so a couple of people can share the dish. I don''t think so....All I can think about is making sure I get what I want and enough of it, and it just stresses me out too much LOL. And I don''t get why people cut cakes and brownies so freaking small when there is plenty there. I want a good, "hearty" size

. hehe

P.S. I''m not 300lbs either, just a food loving person

 

[moremoremore]

I hear that! All this talk of food....the mind is weak...I''m being tortured tonight and have to go so exorcism of emily rose...there''s no way I can resist movie pcorn my favorite "food" in the world..I was actually just looking on ebay at those machines LOL

 

[valeria101]

...

 

[diamondsrock]

Thank you so much everyone for the words of wisdom and encouragement. I didn''t realize others suffered with this sugar problem like I do and it helps to know I''m not alone. I know it''s not healthy and I do want to change. I wish I was one of those people who just don''t crave sugar (like my husband) but unfortunately this is who I am. Sometimes after a particularly sugary snack (or two) I will actually feel guilty like I just failed myself. But the feeling I get when I''m eating it is usually worth more than the guilt!!! However, after, there is a letdown and I do get really tired. Especially when I eat something very sugary for breakfast (chocolate chip muffins are my favorite) I will feel very sluggish and have a hard time getting my act together. Come to think of it pretty much everything I eat for breakfast has sugar in it (pop tarts, sugary cereal, even peanut butter on toast has sugar). I should try just for kicks to find something without sugar for breakfast. Problem is I can''t think of anything besides bacon and eggs and I don''t have time to make that before work!

 

[diamondsrock]

I forgot to ask valieria, you mentioned dark chocolate. Is that healthier than milk chocolate? Does it come in a jar so I can spread it on my toast???