Any serious sugar addicts manage to quit? - YouLookFab Forum

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Any serious sugar addicts manage to quit?

Mochi

Veteran

By which I mean, rid yourselves of the compulsive desire to eat sweets? Either completely, or else managing to curb in your cravings for the most part.

I'm on the Lean Eating program and while the exercise is going great, my progress is really hindered because I'm not stopping the sweets.

I just had a major insight on this today. I realized that one of the big reasons I give in to cravings is because I don't want them to take over. Can I go without eating sugar and simple carbs? Of course I can. I've gone as much as six weeks on an extremely low-carb, no sugar diet. Three or four times. The more time passed, the more I began to obsess over all these "evil" foods. I even started dreaming of them (waking up feeling terrible, because I wasn't sure whether I had really gone off my diet). As I said, the cravings only got worse, rather than decrease, until I finally went off the program, in spectacular fashion.

So now even for a day, if I start to want something, I know it will only loom larger and take up more space in my head if I try to put off eating it. It's as if I just want to get on with my day by eating the junk food so that I won't be thinking about it the whole day.

I don't know what to do about this. I think most of the other women in my program are now on track but I don't know if they had as serious an addiction as I do. I also feel very calm and good after having some sweets and coffee. I can literally feel the serotonin being released in my brain, heh. It's true, though.

I can ask on their forum, but I thought I would try here too. This is such a deep-seated problem for me, and I suspect that some of the other people have different reasons for having gained weight and not as severe an addiction as I have.

Thanks.

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69 replies

Latest reply was from ironkurtin

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I have never really had a weight problem but do have some serious sugar cravings. I find I need to end each meal with something sweet so I keep a large bag of raisins and take a handful once my plate is empty.

I also allow myself the occasional cocoa in the evening.

ETA - I have a lot of type 2 diabetes in the family so I really do try to watch the sugar intake for health reasons.

Anonymous

What your describing sounds like a psychological battle where the side of you that craves sweets is winning because there's nothing stronger than that craving from which you can draw strength and willpower. My experience is that you have to want to be healthy and lose weight MORE than you want the chocolate. Perhaps your mind isn't there 100%.

That said, how do you handle moderation? I have a hard time with moderation myself. Do you feel as though you need to go the all-or-nothing route with carbs and sugar in order to be successful or could you handle a weekly, limited indulgence?

Mochi

Veteran

Roseandjoan, there's also a risk of diabetes in my family and I'm embarrassed to say it wasn't enough to get me off sugar.

Anne, I think you're right because our coach asked me the same thing. I feel bad that I'm not prioritizing this. I also am not sure how moderation would work for me.

In the past when I lost forty lbs, I literally woke up one morning and had no desire to eat unhealthy foods. It was really easy and the weight melted off me, but that isn't happening now.

Thanks for your comments.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I have trouble with this too. I am going to really, really need to watch it after I have my surgery because I will be unable to run for six weeks afterwards while I heal and recover!

I try to just have little indulgences -- a Peppermint Patty or two in the afternoon, or a cookie or two after dinner. But it's been really hard with the stepsons staying with us -- too much of the wrong kind of food around here lately.

I think I'm having a hard time lately because I'm having a bit of stress and anxiety, as well as hormonal havoc. Ugh. I'm going to try to jumpstart my reduced sugar habit when I am out of town over the next couple of weeks (going on a photo trip to New Mexico) -- sometimes I find that a change in routine and scenery helps me stay on track because I'm too busy and engaged to indulge.

I wish I had some good advice for you, but really just empathy. I doubt I would ever go so far as to cut out sugar completely. I enjoy dessert too much. I just want to be sure I'm indulging in a small-to-moderate way.

Raisin

Veteran

Mochi I am seriously addicted to sugar as much as a person can be. It is an intense desire for me and my body does crave it. It's often the first thing I eat in the morning, gross I know. Well not now, but it was up to a month ago. My body goes through major sugar cravings and I often feel like I'm on a roller coaster of blood sugar. Diabetes is rampant on my father's side, they all get it young and then it turns to dementia and they die young. I don't really want to end up like that.

I cannot say that anything has worked permanently for me yet, but so far doing a Paleo diet has helped the most. I have learned over years of trying to quit that I cannot do sugar in moderation. If it's around, I will consume it all in a short time period.

It's funny, when I was a teen I was a vegetarian for about 7 years. I remember having boxes of chocolate in my closet from Christmas for a whole year! I had no desire to eat them. So I know I *can* do it.

We don't follow Paelo super strict, but the reason we do it is because it promotes us to eat healthy meats and veggies, it does allow for fruit (unlike Atkins or something similar), and to me, it just makes sense to eat what I'm meant to eat. I know some people don't agree with the fact we are not meant to consume grains, but I do like the theory, and so far it works for me. I have had terrible digestion issues my whole life, and not consuming grains and sugars this past month or so has helped tremedously.

So I'm not pushing Paleo, but it was the means to getting rid of the sugars, processed foods and grains for me (us). I can say that after about a month your palette changes and you do adjust to lower sweetness levels. Fruits do seem very sweet, and we enjoy 90% chocolate as a treat. It's very bitter, but I like that chocolate flavor.

All I can say is this is the best I've done at eliminating it in a long time. Some things that really affected me to change were reading several books on the evils of sugar, including those by Gary Taubes. Getting rid of ALL processed food in my house so I can't get at it and learning that fats, yes even saturated are good for you and keep your energy level in check. Once my blood sugar is checked, my cravings are much lower and easier to handle. When it's off, I'm a mad woman searching for sugar! We converted to organic, farm raised meats, which we're lucky to get easily since we have a great market on the weekends. And I buy as much organic fruit and veg as we can afford. If I have a sugar treat I look forward to it and plan for something VERY tasty, not just a crappy kids granola bar that I would usually eat by the half-dozon.

All I can say is it takes A LOT of planning, but once you get going it's worth it, and when you go through a few days with blood sugar levels balanced all day, you will feel 100x better, and actually feel like you can do it. Whether you follow an actual Paleo or Primal or whatever diet fad, it doesn't really matter as long as the sugar and processed is gone, and the natural and good food AND fats are there. Fats keep you happy and healthy.

It's really, really, really hard. Even with all the risk factors in my family, and all that's I've learned, I still stumble all the time. I do feel committed this time, and I know a mistake doesn't ruin everything, you just gotta keep going.

Sorry....did I write a book?

Anonymous

I think the key is portion control. I think you can still afford a little indulgence here and there. Life would be too boring without sweets

I do not have a sweet tooth but my vice is ice cream. I plan my entire food for the day, based on the friggin' ice cream I'm going to have.

I have a very modest weight loss goal, 7 pounds, out of which I lost 3.

I will never agree to live without it. No way !

Mona

Veteran

I have serious sugar cravings and though I have never had any issues with my weight, my skin does not like sugar at all. At 37, I still get cystic acne if I eat a lot of sugary stuff and carbs. One thing that has really helped me is not to have any sugary stuff lying around in your kitchen. I don't bring any sugary snacks even for kids. They can eat fruit if they want or an occasional ice cream cup.

Jonesy

Veteran

Mochi, I can relate to what you are saying! For me, my physical addiction to chocolate was WAAY more powerful than to nicotine. I used to smoke about a pack a day (back when I was a teenager and young adult) and quit cold turkey, no problem. But chocolate!? I used to have intense cravings for chocolate throughout the day, so much so that I would be thinking about having to eat lunch so I could then get to the chocolate afterwards! Same thing with dinner. If I were at work and had lunch but no chocolate, I would get almost obsessive about finding some.

This is what worked for me: I decided I wanted to cut out chocolate and sweets during the day, but I could have some in the evening, after dinner. I thought this would be manageable, and break the constant stream of sweets going into my bod throughout the day, and thus break the physical addiction. OTOH, I am not the type to say I'm going to have chocolate once a week or some insanity like that--no way :)! So I cut it out during the day. At first it was really, really hard. I used artificially sweetened gum as my "methadone," as it were, for several weeks, until my body adjusted. I still eat sweets after dinner (mostly chocolate, of course!) and now I am not ruled by sweets during the day, and I feel like my blood sugar crashing, etc. isn't an issue. I'm not addicted anymore, either, and I really don't crave it or think about it during the day. Once in a while (maybe once or twice a year), I will have something chocolate/sweet during the day, but it's really rare.

So, maybe this could work? Dunno, but I thought I'd throw it out there as a sort of moderate, middle road approach. Good luck!

ETA: I should add that my general diet is the Mediterranean diet: Lots of veg, beans, low-fat dairy, some grains, a little bit of fish and fowl, olive oil, red wine, but I'm not super hardcore about it (except the no-mammals thing).

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

I am also into portion control. I love sweets (gummy candy), especially when I am tired. I can go through a tub of gummy berries like no one's business, and I have been known to carry around a tub of gummy peach rings when I'm on call and eat the whole thing.

I take the time enjoy just one gummy these days, and I find that I enjoy the candy a lot more and I don't really crave them in the same way. I also make sure I'm well hydrated, as I crave more when I'm low on fluids.

Good luck!

Mochi

Veteran

No, Raisin, thank you for going into detail as that's exactly the kind of thing I want to hear. And still it's interesting to hear how different people tolerate different amounts of sugar (or none at all). I personally think it's a very problematic substance and for me it is SO hard to ignore, as it's obviously everywhere and constantly being pushed on us. And I'm probably one of those people whose brain has adapted to react very sensitively when sugar hits all those pleasure centers.

I think I need to try at least short-term to give it up or cut back drastically. I feel like I'm developing toxic overload in my body. I'm not sure whether it's to wheat, sugar, or both (with dairy possibly thrown in) but very recently I've started feeling sinus-type of pressure in my nose and head that seems tied in with my diet. I have been feeling crappy.

I could give Paleo a try. I really do love healthy food and if it weren't for sugar and starch, most of what I eat would be otherwise very good: overall it's non-processed, cooked from scratch and high in vegetables, which I love. I'm not that fond of meat but I could eat some, or eat a lot of fish and some chicken.

I don't just want to stop eating sugar. I want to stop WANTING it. Maybe this will get me closer. Fruit is pretty sweet, actually.

The combination of pastry and coffee is really the most dangerously pleasurable one for me. That will be hard to give up.

Thanks for all your experiences and suggestions.

Raisin

Veteran

Glad I can help Mochi. I sometimes hold back on these types of conversations because in real life when I talk about needing to cut out sugar because I am addicted, people usually give me the queer eye, and say oh shut up, you're 117lbs, you can eat all the sugar you want. Then I feel a bit ashamed, and mad that it seems like I shouldn't take my health seriously. But like you, I don't want to be dependant on it. My health is worth more to me than my weight, and I know I am unhealthy (or was). It was shocking to me when I really thought about what I ate in the run of a day. Me, who prides myself on being a good runner, trying to make healthy meals for my family, and stuffing my face with sugar all day to get through it.

If you want to talk more about how we transitioned over to eating this way or anything, PM me. It's something we're really happy to be embarking on in this household, and having support with it helps a lot! I've also tried out some good recipes in the last month!

Mochi

Veteran

Raisin, I guess Paleo would not want you eating sweet potatoes.....?

Oh, and cross-post. Yes, you are definitely not overweight and yet I understand you could be creating future health problems that people would not acknowledge. Good for you for understanding that health is not all about weight and size.

For background, I grew up with parents who were ridiculously strict about sugar and in my (and sister's) case it backfired. It was a forbidden fruit and I wished they'd just treated it like a normal, occasional treat. I probably would have grown tired of it. But yeah, can't keep blaming the parents in my late forties!

Mochi

Veteran

I will do some reading on Paleo and Primal and if I have questions, definitely PM you. Thanks!

Raisin

Veteran

Well like I said we don't do it 100% strict. We do have sweet potatoes in a couple recipes. I am not trying to eliminate all carbs, and go all ketosis or anything, to me just eating naturally and healthfully makes sense. Check out Mark's daily Apple. He is sort of a pioneer of Paleo, but he has a much more rounded approach. He does advocate "starchy tubers" he calls them, like sweet potatoes. I just use them in moderation, like as one of the veggies in a soup. We also allow dairy, but if you think that's something that bothers you, you may want to eliminate it just for a while and see. Check out some of the success stories, they are very motivating, and he has some good starting out info. Overall I found that by balancing my satiety and blood sugar using fats, meats and veg/fruit, I am much less dependant on sugar and my cravings are way down. Just a tip if you try it, don't go overboard on the coconut products or nuts like I did in the beginning....it, er, will make you need to frequently visit the ladies room... it takes some time to get recipes down and things changed over though, and we tended to lean on these for snacks in the beginning.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

Raisin

Veteran

Yah have fun researching!

I grew up with a mom that fed us sugar all the time, and always bought us lots of "treats". So I guess having it in abundance is not the answer either, lol.

Mochi

Veteran

That's extremely helpful, Raisin. (That's got me wondering whether dried fruits are out Probably....no need to answer that one.)

I've seen that blog but I'll take another look. I was doing some Paleo type of eating for a real short time, maybe less than a week, and I would test for ketosis. I wouldn't want to start overrestricting my veggies but I think I can find some balance. We're supposed to be pretty conscious of eating small portion sizes of everything anyway.

Thanks again.

Gaylene

Veteran

I really think that everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for another. When I had to lose weight, I thought long and hard about how I wanted to eat for the rest of my life because, in reality, that's what you have to do in order to maintain a weight loss. That's why the Mediterranean-style diet worked for me; it just appealed to me so it wasn't hard to follow. I lost the weight and now all I have to do is be more vigilant about portion size if the scale goes up a few pounds.

But I do adore chocolate, crusty bread, and the occasional dessert so I needed to have a way to incorporate these items into my plan. What worked for me was to divide whatever I was craving into four parts. I could eat the first section but had to deliberately chose to eat each of the remaining sections, waiting a bit before each section. If I didn't choose to eat any of the remaining sections, they went into the fridge for another time. Sounds funny, but I often found that just having 1/4 of whatever I was craving was often enough, especially if I knew I could have as much as I wanted, as long as I divided it into fourths and deliberately chose every section.

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

I totally understand how you feel. I haven't had sugar for close to a week but know if I stopped at DQ and had a blizzard, I would think about it every day until I bought some ice cream. I am an all or nothing person. I once quit smoking for a year and had a puff or two at a party. I started again the next day and it took a year to quit again. That time it was for good.

I believe everyone is different. Just as some people are able to be social drinkers or smokers, others cannot. I can't even quit eating ice cream if it is in my house. I bought a container last week and ate until I was feeling ill and then had to melt it down the drain to keep from eating more. I am a bit embarrassed to admit that but it is true.

I have read a number of books on the anti-inflammatory diet and find it is a good compromise for me when compared with paleo. I eat fish a few times a week, lean protein, eggs, and whole grains. I am also eating a lot of fruits and vegetables (raw and cooked). I do feel better when I am avoiding white flour and sugar.

It is tough. I hope you find the solution that fits for you.

Isabel

Veteran

I have a one word answer : No.

Anonymous

I just wanted to share something with you Mochi, I recently started to take a high dose multi vitamin which happens to contain added cinnamon extract. It wasn't until I looked it up that I realised how beneficial It was. Apparently Cinnamon interacts with insulin levels and controls glucose, thus helping with sugar cravings. I find that when I take it I don't get the mid morning munchies. I think you can get cinnamon tablets from health stores and online. Hope this info Is of help to you.

RoseandJoan

Veteran

That's really interesting Diane, I make cinnamon porridge most mornings and feel satisfies until lunch. I always thought it was the slow release carbs but perhaps it is the spice.

Raisin

Veteran

Cinnamon is supposedly very beneficial to those with diabetes because of it's insulin controlling properties.

Mochi

Veteran

That's really helpful, too, Diane. Thank you! I'll grind up some cinnamon and give it a try.

I woke up early today and averted my initial autopilot carb craving by having some yogurt and a tablespoon of almond butter, which is obviously fats but has a nice little touch of sweetness. That, and some hot tea. I feel very satisfied. (It's only been twenty minutes since I ate but hopefully this will leave me satiated and not desperate to go out for carbs and coffee (the cafe right by the entrance to my gym and their scones are really good--how messed up is that?)

I learn so much by participating on this forum.

Hil

(website)

Veteran

Hi Mochi - I can completely identify - Sugar is like crack for me - if I start, there is no stopping. Portion control - pffft! I am currently doing the HCG protocol and using the hunger scale to try and deal with my binge eating issues and hoping in the long run, I will be able manage my food issues with the hunger scale.

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

I am just like Pil. I've always had the cravings to some extent but the last few years (I turned 50 this year) have been MUCH worse. I am also an emotional eater and went through a very stressful year.

A friend sent me this link to a Dr. Oz recommended product. I picked it up on Sunday and have been using it this week. It is too early to tell whether it is effective but I have noticed that I seem to be eating less. I went out for dinner last night and wasn't able to finish my meal. Very rare occurrence.

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos.....mbogia-hca

I have also read that fat slows the absorption of sugar so eating a fat with the simple carb/sugar helps the body to minimize the insulin effect. I have been using coconut oil for about a month or so as it is considered by experts to be a very healthy source of fat. Tastes good too. If you try it, make sure to get cold pressed oil.

anya

I quit sugar as in the white stuff ( i still eat tons of fruit ) 8 years ago. After a while you stop liking the oversugared foods . Now i'm a moderate sweets-eater, but i can't eat a "normal to the modern days and store bought" cake, i find it too sugary . I sometimes make my own almond meal fructose/honey muffins. But they aren't very sweet.
Back to the quitting. I started some years ago the Montignac lifestyle. He was a french dude that advocated basically a diet of vegetables and meats and avoiding to much fat and high-glycemic food ( white bread/ sugar/ potatoes/ etc). I loved that he "let me " eat small portions of dark chocolate. Now i've read much more about nutrition and i'm less fearful of carbs but still think his basic ideas were good. Eat something three times a day , eat "a meal" and the sugar needs lowers.
If i skip breakfast or dinner i tend to overeat in "sugars ( fruits, fresh or dried, too many almond muffins, etc) " . When I eat a nice bowl of soup and some roasted flavorful garlicky veggies, my cravings are much minimized.
So I guess my main advice would be:
1. Just stop . The longer you do it, the easier it gets
2. Eat consistently and pleasurably ( Soups , veggies) and regularly. Don't let yourself reach out in "mock hunger"
3. Spicy foods ( chilli, garlic, onion , mint, cinammon) . I need to keep my mouth interested
If you reaaly want sugar in your system now you can try
f you want to eat something sweet i recommend :
pears
apples
oranges ( not juiced )
raspberries/blueberries
and my favorite treat when i was quitting . A cored and grated apple, cooked in a pan a little bit and eaten with cinnamon and walnuts.
A small cup of youghurt with cinammon

I would end that yes indeed , sugar and starch in general is kinda like a drug. It's been years and while i don't crave junky sugar any more, i still sometimes dream i am eating sugar .

I don't mean to sound like i know everything about it, just wanted to say it can be done long term, that now i can eat a piece of birthday cake not overdo it and get over it. I eat unorganized . I just thought to give you some of what made me tick

Suz

(website)

Veteran

It seems that everybody is different on this, Mochi. You really have to experiment on yourself and see. When I was going through Lean Eating the first time KSD linked to an article about "moderators" and "abstainers" -- moderators being the kind of people who really do best with a little bit of [insert desired-but-not-supe- healthy food here] and abstainers being the ones who have to cut it out entirely or they will overdo it, no matter what.

I'm a moderator and my way of coping with my (admittedly minor) sweet tooth is simply to make room for it -- I eat a small square of dark chocolate most days, a glass of red wine most days, and a dessert of some kind once a week or so. I couldn't bear the thought of giving up the things I love entirely, and I get all rebellious whenever I think I can't have something ever again.

But my brother is the kind of guy who needs to start the day with sweets (sounds like Raisin) and he might end up needing to be an abstainer. He's more of an all-or-nothing type of person.

For me, getting enough fats is key. And yeah, I do a lot of what you were describing in your last post. The richness seems to be equally important to the sweetness.

I also agree with the cinnamon trick. I LOVE Anya's suggestions -- what she describes is really what I consider "dessert" most of the time. An apple with cinnamon or peanut butter. An orange.

And I sometimes use stevia essences and put them in plain Greek yogurt. http://www.jggroupstevia.com/cart/html/214.html

They flavour and sweeten it.

But I have heard that for some people, this just increases sugar cravings. So they have to go cold turkey and stop with ANY sweeteners. They might stop eating fruit and even sweet potatoes for a few weeks.

Ryan Andrews (PN staffer, male LE coach) cut out the sugar entirely. He wrote a blog about it on the PN site -- you can probably search for it.

KSD also gave up sugar completely for a while and now she eats almost none.

Mochi

Veteran

I suspect that for me, sugar is like crack. The only question is whether I would also need to abstain from any refined carbs like pasta and rice, or would be able to handle them in small quantities (I can say, for example, that my Japanese husband is incapable of eating one bowl of white rice. Definitely a trigger food for him, but I'm not so interested so maybe there's hope).

I think the key to success with overhauling my food plans lies in figuring this out. Everything else seems geared toward healthy eating (but that's practically like saying, if I wasn't eating a pound of chocolate a day, I'd be eating healthy....)

Thanks for all the suggestions and your personal experiences. Anya, you give me a lot of helpful details, and hope! I'm so tired of being obsessed with sugar.

Kristin L

Veteran

I can't say I've tried this yet, but I found this post on pinterest. It's yoga poses that are suppose to help with things like migraines and sugar cravings.

http://www.prevention.com/print/30541

I think it's at least worth a shot. If nothing else, hopefully you can feel a bit more relaxed.

For me, it's been more about slowly weaning myself off as opposed to going off cold turkey. I've stopped keeping cookies and things like that in my apartment. I still have sugar for cooking, but it stays put up. I also only "allow" myself a 1-2 of sweet drinks, like coke or sweet tea, per week. It's seemed to really help me.

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