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How do I do it? I am reaching out to see if anyone has some advice for kicking the sugar binges. I am borderline fanatic with eating healthy, vitamins, antioxidants, hydration, active life style, etc. My downfall, the sugar binges...once I start, theres no stopping. Any suggestions and how to stop the cravings? I was told that once the sugar is out of your system, its like any other addiction, you don't crave it any longer. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Jeannie
You just wrote my dieting life story!!! I don't eat sugary cereal, granola bars, don't drink any soda, eat only whole wheat bread, etc. It's really hard to stop eating sugar, though. I don't get it, either. So far, I've been doing better with the food journal we have going here. I don't want to admit to my CD buddies that I ate sweets again (except today), so I often don't do it. There was a point in college I stopped eating all sweets for a year. Literally. I never had dessert, a piece of candy, nothing. I read an article in some girly magazine that this woman gained weight because she was a secret at-home binger (like me... I have no problem saying "no" to sweets in public), and she started eating everything she ate at home in the nude in front of a mirror. Okay, I didn't go to that extreme, but I did keep a picture of myself in a bikini in my dresser drawer and forced myself to look at that picture if I wanted the Twinkie (btw - I don't even like Twinkies). Other than this, I try to substitute foods. Coffee always takes care of a sugar crave for me!
How do I do it? I am reaching out to see if anyone has some advice for kicking the sugar binges. I am borderline fanatic with eating healthy, vitamins, antioxidants, hydration, active life style, etc. My downfall, the sugar binges...once I start, theres no stopping. Any suggestions and how to stop the cravings? I was told that once the sugar is out of your system, its like any other addiction, you don't crave it any longer. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Jeannie
Before I met my husband I never ate sweets (okay, maybe a little sugar in my coffee). Then, my husband started bringing home the ice cream (which I never bought), and chocolates... I was hooked. It was over - I was a sugar junkie. I would eat something sweet every single day. After my last child though I decided to get back to my normal weight. So, I picked ONE sweet that I could have everyday but only one tiny serving - a dark chocolate square. I couldn't go cold turkey. After a while I was able to scale that back and now I eat ice cream occasionally and I don't crave sweets anymore. I think I just had so much in my system that I started to crave it... if that makes sense.
Sugar hides everywhere. In the form of carbohydrates. Let's say you eat a slice of whole grain wheat bread. Wheat is a carbohydrate. An enzyme called Maltase starts turning that carbohydrate into sugar in your mouth. And sugar is sugar. It matters very little if it comes from bread or a Snickers bar. That's why it's so hard to completely get off the sugar.
I do much better if I'm completely off sugar. I've found that eating sugar makes me want more sugar. It takes me 4 or 5 days to completely de-sugar myself.
I think eating meals and 3 small snacks a day that are a balance of carbs and protein is really helpful in decreasing urges to eat sugar....the other thing is to cut out all diet sodas - they are so much sweeter than sugar and even though they have no calories, they still set a precedent for expecting and craving really sweet foods.
First, don't buy any. If you buy sweets, or sweeten drinks "just in case" you will eat those goodies. No one else in the house does either, so just forego everything like that. Sugar for the coffee is enough. Forget the jelly for the toast.
I have found that for myself, a high protein diet with low carbs curbs that urge better. It satisfies hunger better. And last longer because it seems it takes longer to completly digest.
When you feel the urge, drink water. It really helps. Sometimes we just mis-interpret what the body needs.
I am the "out of site out of mind type"
So now instead of keeping my dark chocolate M&Ms in a jar on my desk I keep them in the pantry. That way if I want I take a few then put them away. The few take care of the craving.
Before I met my husband I never ate sweets (okay, maybe a little sugar in my coffee). Then, my husband started bringing home the ice cream (which I never bought), and chocolates... I was hooked. It was over - I was a sugar junkie. I would eat something sweet every single day. After my last child though I decided to get back to my normal weight. So, I picked ONE sweet that I could have everyday but only one tiny serving - a dark chocolate square. I couldn't go cold turkey. After a while I was able to scale that back and now I eat ice cream occasionally and I don't crave sweets anymore. I think I just had so much in my system that I started to crave it... if that makes sense.
It totally makes sense. Sugar is very addictive, it actually gets you feeling "high" so to speak. Thats what makes it so addictive. I know all the reasons not to eat it, the medical aspect of it, inflammation in the body, etc. etc., just can't kick it.
Sugar hides everywhere. In the form of carbohydrates. Let's say you eat a slice of whole grain wheat bread. Wheat is a carbohydrate. An enzyme called Maltase starts turning that carbohydrate into sugar in your mouth. And sugar is sugar. It matters very little if it comes from bread or a Snickers bar. That's why it's so hard to completely get off the sugar.
I do much better if I'm completely off sugar. I've found that eating sugar makes me want more sugar. It takes me 4 or 5 days to completely de-sugar myself.
I believe we all need some form of carbs, especially for brain functioning....I think my question is, when you de-sugar yourself, what can you eat?
I think eating meals and 3 small snacks a day that are a balance of carbs and protein is really helpful in decreasing urges to eat sugar....the other thing is to cut out all diet sodas - they are so much sweeter than sugar and even though they have no calories, they still set a precedent for expecting and craving really sweet foods.
That is a good point.......I think that would be a good place to start, cutting out the diet soda.....
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Any suggestions and how to stop the cravings? I was told that once the sugar is out of your system, its like any other addiction, you don't crave it any longer. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Jeannie
