A question about sugar

[Andrea]

I find myself craving cookies or chocolate and sometimes candy A LOT lately. It's not a hormonal thing as it has been going on for about a month. Can sugar be addicting? I crave these things about the same times everyday and have been indulging myself. I have also been having more headaches that feel like sinus headaches and am wondering if the sugar is attributing to that. I know you are not all nutritionists, but I would like you to share any information you may have. I'm afraid if I keep this up, I will be working out and gaining weight, besides the fact that it is not too healthy. Luckily that hasn't happened yet, but I would like to get this under control so I can show more of my Cathe-made muscles!
tia
Andrea

 

[Heather Y]

sugar/carbs

Andrea, I experience the same thing if I don't watch my diet. If I haven't eaten enough food earlier in the day or if I haven't eaten enough protein, fat, and/or complex carbohydrates (i.e. whole wheat bread, oatmeal, etc.) I will definitely be on a cookie/chocolate binge the rest of the day. And yes, those days I usually end up with a headache around my sinuses (a headache that won't go away and I usually just have to go to bed early).

Try to make sure all of your meals/snacks are balanced protein/complex carbs. This will help reduce your cravings and prevent your headaches.

 

[sugar20]

sugar

I can relate completely! It seems the past couple weeks I am sugar-crazy. For the past 2 weekends, I've bought a half-gallon of choc chip cookie dough ice cream and finished them in 2 days each! I don't know why this happens. I think maybe whenever I try to watch what I eat, I make healthy choices, but I'm used to filling meals at Burger King, so later in the day I'm hungry earlier and grab the M&M's. It's a tough one. I guess eat more filling meals to try and ward off cravings. Maybe it's a phase so just add 10 minutes to your workouts or something.
Good Luck!

 

[ErinF]

Can I ever relate!

<center><font size="1" color="#ff0000">LAST EDITED ON Apr-01-00 AT 12:12PM (EST)</font></center>

If it was just cravings for cookies and chocolate and stuff, I would think it might be just a matter of breaking or toning down the habit. But since you're also experiencing headaches, it could be a sign that your blood sugar levels are dropping ( I'm not a nutritionist, but this happens to me if I'm not eating regularly or the wrong stuff. ). Other signs can be feeling grumpy, light headed, and having trouble staying focused mentally. A couple of things you could try are instead of doing the "3 square meals" approach, have 5 or 6 mini-meals, so you're having the same AMOUNT of healthy food, but more spread out over the day. You might also want to experiment with the foods you eat to see if they are the right thing for you. There are lots of different kinds of diet recommendations out there, and not everything works for all people. I find that I don't do well on as low fat a diet as most books recommend. I also find that I have to have a little bit of fat and protein in every meal, or I'm ravenous the rest of the day. ( I would be eating healthy stuff like celery and carrots, but I would be eating them ALL DAY LONG. ) That doesn't mean I go hog wild and stuff myself on junk. But I do allow myself a tablespoon of peanut butter on my bagel, for example. And I found that I lost the post-baby weight I was trying to, and have kept it off. Also make sure you're drinking plenty of water. Dehydration can also cause you to feel like you're hungry when you really aren't, as well as headaches.

Another thing to think about is that you now have a habit of eating some sweets at certain times of the day. If you try to cut yourself off cold turkey, you may set yourself up. If you're craving sweets, don't necessarily refuse yourself the treat. But pick something you can have just a small amount of, and then savor it. 1 Hershey's kiss or Dove bite-sized chocolate do it for some people. I'm more of an M & Ms gal myself. It's amazing how satisfied I can feel eating 10 or 15 M & Ms slowly.

Like I said, I'm not a nutritionist. This is just what I have found that works for me. Good luck!

Erin

 

[RebeccaU]

Me too!!!

Wow! I'm so glad I checked out this conference. I have the same experience as the others who responded--I need to have a little bit of fat and protein even with snacks or else I'm hungry and craving sugar. I find that it's very important for me to have a balance of protein and complex carbs at lunch. If I have too much of one or the other, I will get cravings within a couple hours. I used to get cravings at the same time in the afternoon every day until I figured that out.

I'm sorry you have sinus headaches but I'm glad you mentioned them, since I have recently suspected that I have more sinus problems when I eat more sugar. I thought I was nuts or imagining things!

I posted the other day in Ask Cathe with a similar question, although I thought I was overtraining because I was constantly hungry for carbs, which was a problem I thought I had fixed (as I mentioned in the first paragraph). I think what really happened is that increasing the intensity of my training after discovering Cathe (mixed with hormonal changes!) changed my needs and I'm working on finding that new level of balance. I mention my post because a couple people posted some good snack/meal ideas (including Erin) in it, which should help with the cravings. Good luck!

 

[Amy Steppe]

Sugar Cravings

Andrea,

The older I become the more I crave sugar. I think yes, sugar is an addiction. My doctors think I'm crazy when I tell them my body is needing something. They run the requisite tests and tell me I'm very healthy for the most part.

 

[Sabrina]

Cravings

I have same cravings, but nothing else rids of them unless I give in for that chocolate!!! I find especially after my egg & whites in morning I crave something sweet. I have tried substituting other healthy snacks and it does not work.

 

[ErinF]

Sometimes you just NEED chocolate

When you're having a craving and nothing else will do, maybe you really do need some chocolate ( or the sugar indulgence of your choice ). No food is evil. The trick is to just have a small amount of it, and to enjoy it completely.

Erin

 

[Sabrina]

Easier said

Ha!, I wish I could do just that, if I have one little bit of chocolate, look out!!!, I eat it all until it's gone!
I don't know why I get these stong cravings, and yet I heard grab fruit instead, that does not work for me.

 

[step22]

chocolate

I agree, fruit does NOT satisfy me like chocolate. Luckily, my mom sends me packages of candy (m&ms, Hershey's minis, etc) to my college apartment every few weeks. It's weird because some people like my mom and roomie don't crave chocolate ever, instead they like things like mac & cheese. I guess you get your calories either way!