Georgia2014 Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 I have a really bad sugar addiction. I am also bipolar and it is very common for a person with bipolar to be hooked on sugar. I can not fit into any of my jeans and I need to loose weight badly before cold weather. I don't want to buy new jeans just because I gained weight because of a sugar addiction. I would appreciate any tips on how to break my sugar addiction. It is also common to be really difficult for people with bipolar to have a hard time breaking the addiction. Link to post Share on other sites
HeartDesires Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 it is very common for a person with bipolar to be hooked on sugar. Hmmm...I've never heard of that before Link to post Share on other sites
Robert Z Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 (edited) I have a really bad sugar addiction. I am also bipolar and it is very common for a person with bipolar to be hooked on sugar. I can not fit into any of my jeans and I need to loose weight badly before cold weather. I don't want to buy new jeans just because I gained weight because of a sugar addiction. I would appreciate any tips on how to break my sugar addiction. It is also common to be really difficult for people with bipolar to have a hard time breaking the addiction. I had a sugar addiction. I was inadvertently using it to balance my blood sugar... and killing myself in the process. So the first thing that I would suggest is having your blood sugar checked. Hypoglycemia and metabolic syndrome can both produce cravings for sugar that form a feedback loop. The more you crave, the more you eat, the more you crave... I have a very hostile variant of metabolic syndrome and have all of my life. I gave up all carbohydrates, less fresh vegetables and some dairy. I went on the Atkins diet and haven't had bread, pasta, very little fruit, breakfast cereals, rice, potatoes and all potato products ,corn, wheat products, legumes, or sugar for years. And I don't miss it. Now, having a bit of an orange or an apple is like having a candy bar. So you can definitely change your tastes. I used to eat huge quantities of sugar every day, all day. But going Atkins takes as huge commitment. And you have to do your homework and follow the critical guidelines to the letter. You can seriously injure yourself if you cheat. The benefit is that you fundamentally change your metabolism in big ways. Splenda makes a pretty good substitute for sugar. So you might just start transitioning over to sugar substitutes. I use it in place of sugar now [a little] in addition to eating Dryers low-sugar ice cream [very good stuff! The only sugar is the natural milk sugar. Then splenda is added] Edited August 28, 2014 by Robert Z 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Art_Critic Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Someone here recommended this book to me years ago... love it... "Potatoes Not Prozac: Simple Solutions for Sugar Sensitivity" google it... 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Robert Z Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 I also suggest starting your day with a high-quality protein drink. Link to post Share on other sites
cerridwen Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 So, I did this cleanse and sugar was restricted. Though I've never liked or eaten much of it, once I did completely away with it, the craving came out of nowhere. Full force! What worked was chromium picolinate. I don't remember the dosage, and of course it would vary, but consider it. I had good results. Link to post Share on other sites
3blindmice Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 I have a problem with caffeine so it may be different for someone else. What I do when I want to eat candy is eat tic tacs. I can eat them like candy and not gain weight. Link to post Share on other sites
melodicintention Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 While I will admit I was a big soda drinker when I was an untreated bipolar, I didn't personally have any problem cutting sugar out of my life. I can't even drink more than 1 soda every two months without it gagging me it's too sweet now because I just hardly drink them anymore. My tip: Out of sight, out of mind. Stay away from it. Only you put sugary drinks in your hand, no one is forcing you to, so stop picking them up. Drink more water, green tea with honey or agave (remember all sugars are bad for you, but these taste better t me), natural fruit juices and the like. It may sound oversimplified, but thats the beauty, it truly is that simple. It all comes down to habits and the strength of your will. Once you get used to not eating sugary stuff it becomes gross to you. The sweetest I can do is less than a tsp of agave in my hot green tea. I also squeeze a full lemon and orange and sometimes mixing other fruits into some water and that's enough natural sugar for me that processed sugar is nasty syrupy icky to me now. Link to post Share on other sites
Kansas Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Stevia is what I switched to. It took a while to adjust to the taste, but I don't notice a difference now. And pickles for sugar cravings ... I know that sounds weird, but someone suggested it to me years ago and it actually works for me. It curbs the sugar craving. Link to post Share on other sites
HermioneG Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Addiction Science Research and Education Center: Drug Myths Sugar is not an addiction. Further information can be found with even bigger explanation and research cites at Weightology.net. Link to post Share on other sites
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