Help Needed for Sweets / Sugar Addict
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free skin care · Thu Sep 15, 2005 3:43 am

Hi guys, i really need help, i am addicted to sweets and sugar, for example this morning i had 6 mini jaffa cakes waiting for my porriage to cook! and then when i came into work i have had 6 pieces of real turkish delight!! it is only 11am - luckily i dont eat much in the real food side of things or i would be obese! I was just reading the the posts of people who tried to quit smoking and was wondering if anyone had any tips for cutting out sweets and chocs. Do u think hypnosis would work??? I know i need to stop this eatting pattern for my health and for my teeth - what also doesnt help is that i am vegetarian (well i only eat chicken) so most of my food is bland.

Any tips most apprectiated!

Nic

free skin care · Thu Sep 15, 2005 4:27 am

OMG, one of my friends has the same problem. She is so addicted! She tried to stop cold-turkey one day and had the worst mood swings and anger. It was awful. Now, she is working on it by limiting the times in one day she consumes sugar. At first it was hard, I think, and it required a lot of willpower. Now it seems as though it is getting better though. Trying to cut the portion size will be her next task. I am not sure about hypnosis...but there was a book mentioned a while back, and apparently it helps people stop eating so much and so much junk. It was in the review section...

Good luck!! Smile

free skin care · Thu Sep 15, 2005 5:15 am

Sorry, I don't have any tips for you but...there's not any chance that you're hypoglucemic (sp? - it's the opposite of being a diabetic) are you?

free skin care · Thu Sep 15, 2005 5:54 am

the 'best' way is to go cold turkey, like faith says it may be difficult. the quicker it's out your system the better. You've probably come to rely on it, it's good that you are having foods like porridge as that gives a steady release of energy, not so good that you scoffed the jaffa cakes but you know this already Laughing

If you need a sweet tasting fix you could have a handful of raisens, sweet & better for you than chocolate.

There are a few companies that sell products that are supposed to take the taste away, so the snack won't taste sweet, maximuscle had a spray and pukkaherbs have some herbal stuff that is supposed to help with cravings - haven't tried either.

Whatever you try-best of luck.

Thu Sep 15, 2005 11:44 am

Ok. I can relate. I recommend reading the book, "Breaking the Food Seduction" by Neal Barnard, M.D. I am also vegetarian and use to crave icecream, chocolate, and all sweets in general. Then one day I had a Dr.'s appt. and was told that my cholesterol was too high. Too much dairy in my diet I was told. I also ate and craved other foods like peanut butter and cheese that I found weren't that heathly to eat everyday. Anyways, I've changed my diet and no longer feel addicted to these foods. I started by giving up one thing at a time until I was comfortable with giving up the next addictive food. Also helpful, if you really crave something, tell yourself you can have it, but limit it to 2 or 3 bites, then put it away or throw it out.
And, exercise counteracts these cravings. Find a walking pertner or gym buddy and you will realize these cravings diminish when you exercise a good amount.

Thu Sep 15, 2005 11:48 am

Eating raisins... good suggestion. May sound wierd, but I found prunes also can be satisfying for sweet cravings.

Healthy Valley sells pkg. of chocolate bars and other fruit bars ( found in organic section of grocery store) and can be very satisfying without being addictive. Also healthy for you.

free skin care · Thu Sep 15, 2005 3:55 pm

ahhh yes, a fellow sugar-aholic!

i've spent the last 10 years having 2 teaspoons of sugar in my tea, having upwards of 5 cups a day and craving anything sweet that i could think of in between cups!

over the last few months however i've been backpacking through europe and have found that it was more difficult to get the stuff i really craved as a result i'm down to 1 or less tspns of sugar in my tea and am exercising my (fairly insignificant) will power in an attempt to control my NEED for sugar/chocolate etc.

for me the mood swings associated with having chocolate/sugar were quite significant and i found that i could tell how much sugar i'd had (or more importantly NOT had) by how badly i was treating my boyfriend! so i decided that it was time to change my habit, going from sugar high to sugar high wasn't okay anymore.
initially it was hard but i tried to limit the number of times during the day i had sugar so i was still having 2 tspns in my tea but i was only have 2-3 cups a day, slowly i cut that back until i could also limit the amount in my tea.

for foods i also limited the number of times during the day i had it and kept myself busy when i REALLY wanted to have a chocolate bar or sugary tea (went for a walk, did something with my hands like go on the internet etc.) so that i found i was craving it less.

janelle is also right about prunes, they are sooo deliciously sweet and fulfil that craving without it actually putting you on a sugar high - although be careful not to eat too many!!! so try and find alternatives for you, actually sweets and sugar are not very filling so i always found that i wasnted more and more, whereas after about 3 prunes i've had enough.

now, this is not to say that i'm totally cured but for me i'm down at a more manageable level of sugar intake!

hth

Kiwigirl.

free skin care · Thu Sep 15, 2005 4:07 pm

Dried fruit like raisins are NOT a good idea for a sugar addict. They are very high density in sugar and fructose invokes similar responses to sucrose in your body.

You need to take frequent snacks of slow release energy foods (like turkey, seafood, nuts, hard low fat cheese, hard-boiled eggs, high fiber bread only (white flour will give you the same sugar craving). Eat small snacks of these throughout the day.

Exercise also helps with sugar craving.

free skin care · Thu Sep 15, 2005 4:33 pm

Hi Nicky

I have the same problem as you. And because of my fast metabolism my bad eating habits went unchecked for years and years. I used to open a packet of candy and it'd be gone in an hour...

The biggest problem I found was when I got hungry, I'd eat things like choc biscuits, etc instead of real food because I was too lazy to cook.

Now I suffer the same bad mood swings, I'd get really angry at my bf if he didn't take me to the supermarket for junk food, and I'd pretty much throw tantrums until I got it..

At the moment, I am having a big plain breakfas t which is really filling, like jumbo oats with corn millet in milk. I also eat nuts and fresh fruit as well for flavour.

My only advice is to NOT buy any junk food when you're shopping. And you do end up regretting it when you get your cravings... but at least you won't be able to get your hands on it...

free skin care · Thu Sep 15, 2005 6:49 pm

I have quite a sweet tooth, myself. If you can get through a few days without any sugar, you really do stop missing it. If you ever get the flu and don't feel like eating, it is good to take advantage of that.

free skin care · Thu Sep 15, 2005 9:08 pm

Im pretty much the same way as you with sugars. I have low blood sugar (Hypoglucemic(probably mispelled)) and i get dizzy if i dont have a sugar in my system. Problem is, when i do get sugar in my system i eat more than i probably should..

free skin care · Fri Sep 16, 2005 1:02 am

sharky wrote:

Dried fruit like raisins are NOT a good idea for a sugar addict. They are very high density in sugar and fructose invokes similar responses to sucrose in your body.

You need to take frequent snacks of slow release energy foods (like turkey, seafood, nuts, hard low fat cheese, hard-boiled eggs, high fiber bread only (white flour will give you the same sugar craving). Eat small snacks of these throughout the day.

Exercise also helps with sugar craving.

trust me if she craving she's better having 10 raisins than 10 jaffa cakes, yes it contains sugar, a different kind, it's natural if push came to shove she would be better eating grapes which are very sweet rather than raisins but it's more convenient to carry them round with you.
All the food you've suggested in high protein bar the bread, she may not want to be eating chicken legs every 3 hours.
The very fact she's eating porridge which is a high energy slow release food suggests - to me - that the pull is more mental than phsyical. We don't know what the rest of diet is like. No matter what she does it's going to take will power.

free skin care · Fri Sep 16, 2005 2:45 am

OMG i never thought i there would be so many posts on this topic! i already feel stronger with all ur positive comments and suggestions -thanks for all the posts. After reading just a few replies yesterday, i was initially gonna say well i wll started tomorrow, but thought that was weak thinking on my part so i started just before lunch and didnt have any biscuits at my moms which i always do and that was tough and yesterday evening nothing sweet after dinner - although i danced around the room in frustration but i kept strong and this morning i had my plain wheat cereal with no sugar and have bought a sugar free wheaten loaf to have a slice of later. This isnt gonna be easy but i know i have to do it, and i think for me cold turkey is the only way.

Carekate, i have googled hypoglycemia and i realise i have alot of the symptoms associated with this, and i thank u for making me aware of this. I have suffered for a couple of years with heart palpitations and just learned to live with them but i see this is also a symptom so i hope to see an improvement in the next couple of months, and am trying to ignore the choc bar my workmates have placed in my drawer!

Thanks again everyone for all ur posts

free skin care · Fri Sep 16, 2005 4:09 am

Yes, oatmeal with flax in the morning is good for you and will stave off hunger but there are plenty of studies that show eating high sugar fruits and dried fruits will only make you want more. For some people anything sweet even artificially sweetened makes you want to eat more. Nuts, soy nuts etc. are very easy to carry around.

High fructose corn syrup is from very NATURAL things but new studies show it is one of the more dangerous things you can have in your diet equivalent to transfats.

Yes it is a hard road to hoe but the only way you reduce the real cravings is to frequently eat protein/good fat/complex carbs. Anything else simply will not work in the long run.[/b]

free skin care · Fri Sep 16, 2005 4:10 am

Good luck!

free skin care · Fri Sep 16, 2005 4:13 am

sharky wrote:

.

High fructose corn syrup is from very NATURAL things but new studies show it is one of the more dangerous things you can have in your diet equivalent to transfats.

is 'from' it's processed. Not quite picking fruit of a tree.

Anyhooo Nicky you stick with it and throw that chocolate bar at your workmates - the buggers! Laughing

free skin care · Fri Sep 16, 2005 5:20 am

Blood sugar spikes that trigger cravings are more or less equally affected by fructose and sucrose. It is the load that makes dried fruits so bad. I love dried apricots but I've been on a low glycemic index diet for 2.5 yers now and I do not have cravings, my blood pressure and sugar are great without meds (they were miserable before on many meds, Ive lost 40 pounds and kept it off (I'm around 50 and I can now wear my cillege clothing) and I lost my wrinkles without any creams (likely from my high Omega 3 loading).

Again many people who have severe sugar cravings can not eat anything sweet tasting
without wanting to eat more. Eating protein/good fat/complex carb snacks stpos the cravings. Why fight your body when you can make it work for you? It is much easier.

You can also experiment with foods to see what are triggers for you. Berries and Granny Smith apples are good fruit choices. If, however, I eat a cookie at a reception I go crazy (keep eating more) so I know what you are going through.

Some other things I do. My house has no bad treats no chips, no store cookies and only good high fiber/protein breads. We are lucky to have a local baker that make great sugar free flax and bran breads that are out of this world. Thomas's however (a national company) makes "light" English muffins with 8gms of fiber and 7 gms protein that taste great and stick with you for a long time (fore carekate these English muffins also contain vinegar Razz

). They are also easy to transport and can be spread with nut butters or cream cheese for a super snck or lunch.

free skin care · Fri Sep 16, 2005 6:03 am

that's fine it worked for you.

I've tried high protien I even stopped being a vegetarian for a while to try it - that killed me since I hadn't touched meat since school, know what - didn't work. I still wanted to eat the junk food. The response was emotional NOT physical. We can deal with being grouchy while we don't eat chocolate but mentally it's screaming eat me, eat me. Only my opinion though.

free skin care · Fri Sep 16, 2005 6:50 am

There's both components as I mentioned above there are several studies that show sweetners that do not cause blood sugar spikes also can cause cravings, it is emotional yes but it caused a true biochemical response.

Everyone is different. If you do a blood test and have high triglycerides you are really harming your health by not keeping low glycemic. If you have high HDL and low triglycerides that's perfect; you have great genes and can probably eat nearly anything. Most people who have sugar cravings have high triglycerides and are at risk for diabetes.

A last note, exercise definately improves sugar control.

P.S. Even a vegetarian shouldn't eat a lot of sugar of any kind, white flour and transfats. Also most vegetarians have a very high Omega 6/Omega 3 intake (this causes inflammation problems). You can get Omega 3 from flax but it is not efficiently converted to the most desirable form in most people (I still eat a lot of flax).

free skin care · Fri Sep 16, 2005 8:09 am

well I try and avoid artificial sweetners anyway and I wouldn't recommend anyone to eat a lot of sugar, processed food or transfatty acids regardless of them being meat eaters/vegetarians.

Most vegetarians/vegans I know, know little about nutrition, one I know, thin as a rake follows the 3 c's diet. Chips, cheese and chocolate. Laughing

there some very good books on amazon and various vege websites on the subject, it's the ratio of 3/6/9 that may lead to problems.

IMO eat simple (i.e not processed), fresh (when possible) and varied, that's it no special rules.

It's a shame our lifestyle has changed to make this less convenient.

Besides this is getting off topic, all because of raisins.

free skin care · Wed Sep 21, 2005 4:03 am

Hi, just an update on my sugar * spam alert *, well all ur post made me start my cold turkey on a positive note and i now have lasted approx 5 days and the cravings are subsiding, and i am trying to eat low GI foods if possible. I have found a good choice for my sugar craving -frozen raspberries - well when they have defrosted and they do the trick. I dont feel like i am depriving myself as i am not on a diet, and i know this is a lifestyle choice i am gonna have to try and stick with, but if i loose weight then that will be an added bonus.

Thanks again for all the input.

Nicola

free skin care · Thu Sep 22, 2005 2:55 am

I too am a fellow sugar junkie!! Although my downfall is biscuits not chocolate!

I once went for a whole month without any sugar, dairy or meat - god it was sooo hard!!

I now am a firm believer in 'everything in moderation'. I limit myself to only having a couple of biscuits at night with my cup of tea. I am a little more flexible at weekends and allow myself a cake with a coffee whilst in town!

I do exercise quite a lot and do Yoga so I kind of justify it in my head that it's my treat!

Don't get me wrong though, if I am craving a biscuit soooo bad during the day I will have it. I suffer with Crohn's Disease so I can't satisfy my craving with fruit - great excuse to grab the biscuit!!

Good luck Nicky1 Very Happy

T x

free skin care · Thu Sep 22, 2005 4:49 am

i can so relate to daily consuming heaps of sugar & sugary products. i tend towards hypoglycemia and can feel lighthead or shakey over my entire body if i don't have enough sugar in my system.

my worst enemy was morning coffee - 3 packets of sugar (luckly i can only handle 1 med. sized cup a day). over the last year i've started to use artificial sweetner (ick, bad stuff, but it kept the sugar out) and over the last 2 months i've gone completely without sugar.

since then, i've found that my mood is much more stabilized, i'm not totally starving come lunch time and i don't get shakey as much or quickly (the shakes used to really leap up on me). i've found that i really don't crave anything that i know will be really sweet - i much prefer a bit of really good organic dark chocolate over lots of convenience store milk chocolate now.

for snacking, i really enjoy dried apple slices (organic & unsulpherized) and almonds.

and my skin has never looked better!

my only suggestion for going cold turkey is don't do it if you have to go to work or do anything productive for a few days.

free skin care · Fri Sep 23, 2005 10:34 am

We dont consume any cane sugar in our place although we are both total sweet tooths.

I make all my own sweets and stuff and this is how I have helped myself:

For coffee, cereals etc. fructose is most definately better than sugar. yes, it aint the best thing for you but it has a MUCH lower GI than sugar.

An excellent, sugar derived, diabetic approved sugar substitue are the Whey Low products. They have everything from grain sugar, to ice-cream sugar, powdered and even a brown sugar substitue. It is excellent stuff and tastes great.

The only other substitute I use is Somersweet by Suzanne Somers in her Somersize program. It has no yukky aftertaste and no chemicals. I use it all the time for cereal and sometimes for coffee. I often use it for baking too.

It does not take long to get used to the bit of a taste difference between these and the "real thing" but trust me, soon you will find sugar filled foods way to sweet to consume in any quantity at all. Chocolate I used to consume a whole large bar of I can barely eat 2 pieces of now. Laughing

free skin care · Fri Sep 23, 2005 8:38 pm

OMG I've stumbled into Sugarholics Anonymous! I'm home Laughing

I'm not particularly fond of pastries or baked goodies, my nemesis is sugary drinks and from time to time, chocolate. I'm trying to cut down on and its not easy. I lucked out and found organic iced green tea near work that I can enjoy without sugar. That's pretty much all I drink now aside from water. I'll try the frozen raspberries (thanks nicky1!) to tame the cravings. I'm not considering going cold turkey at this point coz knowing me I will binge if I feel too deprived.

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