Evil Sugar-Somebody Stop Me!

K

Kath

Cathlete
Okay here's the story. I did weight watchers last year, lost 14 pounds, looked great but was miserable the whole time, was just starving. It also stirred up some bad eating habits that I don't want to continue. And my weight was creeping up because I was tired of being hungry all the time.

So I dumped weight watchers for Intuitive Eating and am still 10 pounds lighter than last year...but now I have a sugar addiction.

Back on weight watchers, I would crave good food like soup and sandwiches. Now I don't have an appetite for the good stuff, just sweets, and I've been having way too much of them. I would ruin my health this way if my brain didn't override my instinct sometimes.

I need to kick the habit. Has anyone done this recently or have any advice? How did you do it? I believe I could eat whatever I wanted and stay slim if sugar were not part of the picture.

Someone told me last week that the parasites that live inside all of us, feed on sugar just like bacteria in a petrie dish do...and that this can lead to sugar cravings and imbalances too. Mine must be thriving down there!!! Ew gross.

Hope someone has some tips. Maybe there's a patch for people like me.

Thanks-Kath
 
My "cure" for a sugar craving...Diet Swiss Miss. Doesnt help much I know, but just my two cents :)

Stacy
 
I tried the Intuitive Eating method via another book called Overcoming Overeating and just wound up with a big fat sugar addiction too. I really gave it a long time too like several years b4 giving up on it. I no longer feel that approach is for everyone like I used to.:-rollen

Here is how I got out and I hope it will assit you too. I'll give you the website addy and you can judge for yourself.

http://www.radiantrecovery.com
 
Hi Kath,

I know EXACTLY how you feel because I have the same cravings all the time. This is what I try to do. I only let myself eat dessert once a week. Whatever I want but just one time a week. I try try try to keep any and all sweets out of my household because I will devour them. This has been working ok for me but I have alot of setbacks. When I go to parties etc. I always end up eating dessert. I try to make that my weekly dessert but it just gets difficult sometimes. Around the holidays everything gets completely discombobulated(is that a word or what) and I eat sweets daily. I know that eating less sweets takes alot of willpower but it is soo hard because I loooooove sugar just like you. I feel your pain I really do!

Take care,
Kristie
 
Hi Kath - Have you tried eating sweets only after a high fiber meal? I find that eating a piece of dark chocolate immediately after lunch a lot more satisfactory than a single cookie or muffin on its own. The problem with carbs and sweets is that you can always eat 'more' of them. However combining them with foods like fiber and protein helps you apply those brakes.
 
Oh Kath,
If you only knew how I crave sugar.Not particurly choclate or ice cream but candy.I love candy.
AS of last week, I am trying to follow a 1200 calories diet.So I know that by the time that I count in all the stuff I've picked at through out the day I have probably eaten more like 1500.But I have had to try to cut back on the sugar.
But stupid me ,I picked up a bag of candy at the mall on sunday.(they are all gone)I had no trouble passing the cookies and cakes though.(well, i did but kept on walking)
I find it easier not to even start eating sweets cause then once you have started, thats it, game over.But last week I bought some puddings and they stopped my cravings and they were only about 100 cals.But half way through the week I was craving candy.But at that time I didn't give in...and it did go away.
Anyway good luck on the journey....but then again you could always look at it like this...life is to short to worry about that little bit of sugar.
Lori
 
Hi, Kath! I don't know if this will help or not, but I too used to have a massive sweet tooth - in my case it was more of a fang, and it always roared in the evening, after my main meal. Prior to summer 2000, I was teaching 4 aqua classes a week and only doing one land workout with upper body strength training once a week.

However, in the summer 2000 I changed my schedule, and increased my land workouts to 3 per week, and that included lower body progressive strength training as well as upper body strength training, and reduced my aqua classes/workouts to 2 per week.

Over the past two years, as I've increased body musculature and strength capacities, my appetite for refined sugars has gone way, way down, and my appetite for good fibrous fruits (apples, oranges, grapefruits, red and green grapes) has increased. In fact, strengthening and muscling up has totally changed my relationship with food, in that it now tells me what it wants/needs (especially good proteins and complex carbs) rather than me telling it what it wants.

Maybe, what you could think about doing is upkicking your strength training.

Just my $.02 -

Annette
 
I cannot eat sugar! I become Dr. Jenkyl (or is it Mr. Hyde?) Whatever, once I have the slightest bit of sugar I can't stop. The only way I could do it was to eliminate sugar entirely. Radiant recovery is really helpful--any of those sugar buster type things are. The first week was hard when I eliminated sugar, but now when I end up going out and having some sugar I don't even like it as much, it's as if I've lost my taste for it. Also, what I have found helpful is not to keep any sugar in the house other than fruit (like grapes, watermelon, canteloupe, or desserts with the natural "fructose" e.g., the fruit icepops like Eddy's strawberry bars, or Trader Joe's caribbean pops. Somehow those don't trigger it for me in the same way.

Hope this helps.
 
I'm another sugar lover (I wish I was one of those people who didn't like sweets!). I just eat sweets when I want because when I try to 'ban' then, I just crave more and more. So my mind and body are happier just eating when I want them. Things usually even out if you only eat the sweets when you want them.

But if you really want to lose weight (I gain/lose the same 5 lbs so I don't diet much), you may have to try and give it all up. It works for some. This is REALLY hard if you live with people not dieting (you can't make them give up cookies too!) or work at a place where people bring in sweets.

I would definately keep a food diary and make sure you're eating enough. My downfalls are when I come home from work starving (I did this today and had 3 cookies) and early in the day when I don't eat between meals (vending machines!). It's better to eat a big lunch if you know you won't be able to snack. This will at least keep you full and prevent sugar attacks.

It takes time to figure it out!
 
Thanks for all the great replies. I decided to eliminate sugar entirely, since it does me no good and when I've been off it a while I don't miss it. So often I eat something sweet just for entertainment, not even for hunger. I wish I could do 100% Intuitive Eating but it becomes intuitive donut-seeking.

I really liked the radiantrecovery site and got my hands on a book already too. Sounds like I'm not the only one to have sugar issues. Thanks for all the suggestions! Kath
 
Kath,
Have you tried Nestle nonfat chocolate milk? I buy it for my kids but I also drink it for sugar cravings! Sometimes that's all I need and then I can go on with my life LOL! Maybe it can work for you. I do not know how to get rid of a sugar craving except to give in to it in moderation sometimes. Good luck!
Candice
 
Kath, I've been sugar free since 2/26/02 and I'm lovin' it. No more out of control eating. www.sugarbusters.com is a good place to get info/recipes/support.

For me 'no sugar' doesn't just mean 'no sweets'. I can't eat anything refined or I start getting cravings. Also, too much corn in my diet will do the same thing. Sugarbusters says that potatoes will increase cravings, but so far they do not affect me. Course, I don't eat them 5 days per week anymore.

BTW, Sugarbusters has a great ice cream. YUM!!

The first 3 days are the hardest and then it's all downhill. Good luck. It's worth every withdrawal pang.

Robin http://www.smilies-world.de/Smilies/Smilies_klein_1/flower.gif
 
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