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NO!!! There is NO such thing as sugar addiction!!! Its yet another comfortable excuse for fat people to use to blame their obesity on.
The human body does not become physically dependent on sugar the way it does on tobacco, crack, alcohol, morphine, heroine, etc. Modern science has not come up with ANY clues that sugar is addictive - per Penn State College of Health and Human Development.
Just about any argument or website you'll find that talks about "sugar addiction" it'll more than likely be written by some fat/obese person than any school of medicine. All it is is that the person just cannot control his/herself when it comes to eating RIGHT.
NO!!! There is NO such thing as sugar addiction!!! Its yet another comfortable excuse for fat people to use to blame their obesity on.
The human body does not become physically dependent on sugar the way it does on tobacco, crack, alcohol, morphine, heroine, etc. Modern science has not come up with ANY clues that sugar is addictive - per Penn State College of Health and Human Development.
Just about any argument or website you'll find that talks about "sugar addiction" it'll more than likely be written by some fat/obese person than any school of medicine. All it is is that the person just cannot control his/herself when it comes to eating RIGHT.
What utter baloney! Glad you do not experience intense cravings; those of us who do know what we are talking about. Maybe the other addictive subtances you mentioned are worse, sure. Because science has not yet come up with proof does not mean something is not so. Besides, we are all very different in our biochemistry and perhaps only a small percentage of people can suffer from sugar addiction. By the way, I have beaten my sugar addiction and I eat right.
What utter baloney! Glad you do not experience intense cravings; those of us who do know what we are talking about. Maybe the other addictive subtances you mentioned are worse, sure. Because science has not yet come up with proof does not mean something is not so. Besides, we are all very different in our biochemistry and perhaps only a small percentage of people can suffer from sugar addiction. By the way, I have beaten my sugar addiction and I eat right.
You are exactly the type of person I am referring to. Trying to blame and addiction to sugar as the reason for your obesity.
In medical terms, a substance is addictive if it:
• induces a pleasant state or relieves distress,
• causes long-term chemical changes in the brain,
• leads to adaptive changes in the brain that trigger tolerance, physical dependence and uncontrollable cravings,
• causes dependence, so that abstaining is difficult and creates severe physical and mental reactions.
The way some fat people react around sweets may lead one to mistakenly think that sugar is addictive, but it isnt. Sure, Ive seen some fat women react like the above when it comes to doughnuts and/or unhealthy food but its just them being ignorant to their health and proper eating. People just need to learn how to eat properly.
Wow, Lao. That was... well.. a malicious, and abusive thing to say. First off, Escort Rider is male, not female (not that it really matters, and even though you didn't directly say he was female, the last part of your pst indicates you may think that). Secondly, to imply that sugar cannot be addictive is well... prove it to me how it couldn't be. Do you do this for a career? Would love to see your creditentials. Just because there haven't been alot of publicized topics on sugar, and possible addictions, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
In all fairness, I am open to the possibility of sugar addiction. Just like anything that gives the 4 points you outlined, it can have addictive qualities, and therefore be an addiction. Just like anything we do in life that we intensly enjoy... whether it be exercise, drinking coffee, collecting stuff, money, sex, etc, etc, etc. Just because you specifically denounce it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Wow, Lao. That was... well.. a malicious, and abusive thing to say. First off, Escort Rider is male, not female (not that it really matters, and even though you didn't directly say he was female, the last part of your pst indicates you may think that). Secondly, to imply that sugar cannot be addictive is well... prove it to me how it couldn't be. Do you do this for a career? Would love to see your creditentials. Just because there haven't been alot of publicized topics on sugar, and possible addictions, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
In all fairness, I am open to the possibility of sugar addiction. Just like anything that gives the 4 points you outlined, it can have addictive qualities, and therefore be an addiction. Just like anything we do in life that we intensly enjoy... whether it be exercise, drinking coffee, collecting stuff, money, sex, etc, etc, etc. Just because you specifically denounce it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Ian
I reject the sugar is addictive argument totally. When we were all kids, we had and loved all types of sugary snacks (candy, soda, ice cream, cookies, etc.) because of the taste. You never see an children developing any "addiction" to these things. As we got older and realized that sugar is bad for us, most of us curbed those bad habits and stopped eating so many candies, suckers, sugar powders, cupcakes, etc. Some of people, just choose to ignore the fact that its bad and they continue eating it just as they did when they were children. The result is obesity, fatness, diabetes, etc.
I stopped eating goobers, chocodiles, snickers, lollypops, sodas, Fun Dip sugar powder, lemonheads, etc. when I got to my teen years because I learned that they were bad for me. Some people just dont learn or choose to ignore it claiming they are "addicted" or find "comfort" in this junk. I choose to use my intellect instead of lazy taste buds to guide me into eating right. And if I do do something wrong, I dont play the "im addicted to it" card.
Sugar addiction can be a very strong indication of a systemic yeast overgrowth. Yeast is a form of parasite and their preferred food is sugar. They can excrete a substance that will make the host eat more sugar for their own benefit.
You will find that if you eradicate the yeast you will no longer have any interest in sugar. My mother was addicted to sugar for a very long time - couldn't get enough - ever. Drank chocolate syrup, ok? I mean the woman was pathological in her longing for sugar. But she got rid of her systemic yeast overgrowth and now does not eat much sugar at all. In fact, she really does not care for dessert, but prefers having a nice cup of coffee or perhaps a piece of fruit instead.
Yes. It has been shown to do the same things chemically in the brain as cocaine.
I don't think its going to be much fun to go cold turkey. I also don't think that works well.
I went cold turkey a few years ago--it's the only thing that works for me, b/c a little sugar leads to more cravings for me. I did really well for several years too, but now am, alas, back on the bad habit and having a hard time controlling my weight b/c of it. When I quit sugar, I dropped 30 lbs in the first 3 months and kept it off with absolutely no effort--ate anything else I wanted, but didn't crave as much food over all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Escort Rider
After making lots of resolutions which lasted several weeks before being broken, I think I am finally off desserts (cookies, cakes, pies, puddings, regular sodas, etc.) unless they are "no sugar added". I liken these many different false starts to a smoker or an alcoholic who relapses several times before finally achieving sobriety. In my case, I know I cannot have even a small bite; I just have to avoid desserts completely. So "moderation" is totally out of the question for me.
I am aware that desserts are not the only source of sugar in our society heavy with processed foods - baked beans come to mind. So I still consume some sugar. But I find that it has been a great victory to avoid desserts entirely as a category.
I was the same way--if you drop the 3 C's--cake, cookies, and candy, you'll be much better off and can fit a little into your diet elsewhere--a lot of it is psychological.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cupcake77
Is there such a thing as sugar addiction? All my life I had a diet high in sugar yet far from overweight. People used to be jealous because I would always consume high amounts of sugar and stayed thin.
I think it can catch up with you--I've seen thin people get diabetic. Anyway, all that sugar can't be good for you, so I applaud you for trying to get back in line with your health, even though you don't have a weight problem. After all, weight problems are what motivates the rest of us.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LaoTzuMindFu
You are exactly the type of person I am referring to. Trying to blame and addiction to sugar as the reason for your obesity.
In medical terms, a substance is addictive if it:
• induces a pleasant state or relieves distress, check
• causes long-term chemical changes in the brain, check
• leads to adaptive changes in the brain that trigger tolerance, physical dependence and uncontrollable cravings, check
• causes dependence, so that abstaining is difficult and creates severe physical and mental reactions. somewhat check--the feelings are more physical
The way some fat people react around sweets may lead one to mistakenly think that sugar is addictive, but it isnt. Sure, Ive seen some fat women react like the above when it comes to doughnuts and/or unhealthy food but its just them being ignorant to their health and proper eating. People just need to learn how to eat properly.
Lao, read this study:
Quote:
The passive overconsumption of sugar-sweetened diets has often been compared to drug addiction, though this parallel was based until very recently more on anecdotal evidence than on solid scientific grounds. More recently, mounting evidence from experimental research on animals, especially rats, have unearthed deep commonalities between overconsumption of sugars and drug addiction [15]–[17]. First, both sweet tastants [18], [19] and drugs of abuse [20], [21] stimulate dopamine signaling in the ventral striatum, a brain signaling pathway critically involved in reward processing and learning [22], [23]. Second, both cross-tolerance [24], [25] and cross-dependence [26]–[28] have been observed between sugars and drugs of abuse. For instance, animals with a long history of sucrose consumption become tolerant to the analgesic effects of morphine [25]. In addition, naloxone–an opiate antagonist–precipitates in rats with sugar overconsumption some of the behavioral and neurochemical signs of opiate withdrawal [28]. This latter observation is important because it shows that overconsumption of sugar-sweetened beverages may induce a dependence-like state. Finally, recent neuroimaging studies in humans have recently discovered neuroadaptations in the brain of obese individuals that mimic those previously observed in individuals addicted to cocaine and other drugs of abuse [29], [30].
Overall, there are many behavioral and biological commonalities between sugar-sweetened beverages and drugs of abuse. However, the addictive potential of the former relative to the latter is much less clear. Previous research showed that concurrent access to highly sweetened water (saccharin plus glucose) can reduce self-administration of low doses of cocaine in non-dependent rats [31], [32], suggesting that sweetened water may surpass cocaine reward–one of the most addictive and harmful substance currently known [33].
Also Lao, if I quit eating sugar and lose weight and am not obese anymore, am I still using sugar addiction as an excuse? And I've known a few fat men who were also addicted to donuts.
Here's how to know if you're addicted to sugar. Imagine this scenario: someone gives you a box of something sweet, gooey and wonderful and they're so fantastic that you resolve to stretch out the consumption of them to a week. At the end of the first day, are there any left? Sugar addicts are squirming right now, and non-sugar addicts are saying, "Of course!"
I've been thinking about this thread some more, b/c I've been thinking of going off the sugar again, completely. For me it's like alcoholism--I can't have even a little and if I were an alcoholic, I'd be on skid row by now. I'm can't remember exactly why I started eating sugar again, b/c I had gotten to the point where I could walk into a donut shop or a church buffet and not even think about the goods. I think I just got overconfident and thought that after that long, maybe I could control it if I just had a little and at first I could--I could have a little goody and stop. But then it came back, a little at a time, until I was under the table again, rolling around in my pre-diabetic ecstasy. I'm feeling pretty icky right now b/c I had too much to eat last night.
So, just to remind myself, and hopefully to help some of you guys out too, I'll tell you how I did it. First I had to make up my mind to do it and then I had to have the self talk. This was the hard part, b/c myself kept saying things like, "Well what about Christmas? What about birthdays? What about when someone bakes me something special?" I reminded myself that Christmas is a disaster for me and I'm always sick to death after the holidays and candy isn't what Xmas is all about anyway. Anyway, I went thru each scenario and was stern with myself and thought about how I'd handle it. Then I told people--not every last person, but those who might be most likely to tempt me. Fortunately for me, my mother had set the precedent, and she can't cook anyway, but I had to head off my g-mother, who will give me trouble about my weight even while she's baking a cake for me. This won't necessarily stop people from giving you stuff, but once you've told them, it's easier to say no. If you have a b-day coming up, head them off by telling those most likely to get you a cake that you won't be needing one this year. The sad thing about this is you can't even eat your own b-day cake.
The glad thing about this is that it gets easier with time. The first 3 days are awful, as you can imagine, and I was having a real pity party until I reminded myself that I was being a baby and that there are many people who don't have enough to eat in this world, much less sweets. The first month you should probably stay away from any big temptations. If they put your favorite donuts in the break room at work, stay away all day, that sort of thing. After 1 month my weight started to drop off, and after another 3, it had settled, though not as low as I would have liked, but it came off quickly and easily--no dieting at all--30 lbs. After 3 months my cravings had subsided a lot and I was able to go to church buffet with few qualms, though I refused to look in the direction of the dessert table. After 6 months I could look at them without flinching.
The best part of all was that my appetite really settled down and I was much less likely to overeat, b/c my theory is that you're more likely to overeat when your blood sugar is whacked out. I craved healthier foods and salads tasted better to me. I could have lost more weight if I'd been exercising but I wasn't at that time. OK, if I start this now, I'll have time to get it out of my system before Xmas. Wish me luck guys and who else wants to come too?
If sugar was addicting, why dont we have rehab clinics for children who eat/love sugar? That is because sugar is NOT addicting.
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Utter baloney
He's totally tripping lol
Sugar addicts are squirming right now, and non-sugar addicts are saying, "Of course!"
