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I'm addicted to sugar


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I don't smoke and almost never drink. Sugar is my one vice, but a really bad one at that.

 

I don't always eat to excess. I just eat a lot of crap. You wouldn't be able to tell by looking at me, because I have a fast metabolism and have enough self control to maintain a healthy weight.

 

Problem is almost all of what I eat is total garbage. I really do feel that I'm addicted to sweets. I have insane cravings that I don't know how to control. I can't go through a day without having something sweet.

 

My binge eating peaked the first year of college. I remember having five servings of desert in a row, racking up 11,000 calories a day (I'm not joking). Then I would cut back for a week and lose most of the weight.

 

For about a year and a half I ate religiously healthy and then it all fell apart.

 

I feel like I'm rotting inside from all the crap I eat and will die an early death.

 

How do I stop?

 

Whenever I've satured myself I have this determination that I will never eat unhealthy again. But once the feeling of fullness and sickness dissipates, my cravings return. I think to myself, "I'll just have one cookie. What harm could just one do?"

 

Btw, my mother has a binge-eating disorder as well as bulimia, so I may have inherited it from her.

 

Anyone battled and eventually overcame a sugar addiction? How?

 

Did you find you had to cut sweets out completely or were able to eat in moderation?

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Detoxing from sugar (sucrose) is the same as any other substance you feel addicted to. Cold-turkey and sweat the headaches and sweats and racing thoughts. Usually takes a week or so for me. I've experimented with this to better understand my brain chemistry :)

 

Also, if you like sodas, be careful with the high fructose corn syrup they use. It is, IME, addictive as well.

 

Adding fruit to one's diet can ease the burdens, bringing a mix of fructose and other nutrients and fiber to bear, lessening the impact of lack of sugar "deprivation", but delivering it to the system in a healthier way.

 

Lastly, falling off the sugar "wagon" depends on one's brain chemistry. If you have a "addictive" personality, you likely would not ever be able to eat sugar products in moderation if you've identified this as an addiction (lack of willful control) for you.

 

I'm curious...have you had a fasting blood glucose/hemoglobin and TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) panel run in the last year? If so, what were your results? I doubt you have any issues but I'd be curious to see how your body is processing your "addiction" :)

 

Oh, regarding your metabolism...enjoy your 20's :D

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Detoxing from sugar (sucrose) is the same as any other substance you feel addicted to. Cold-turkey and sweat the headaches and sweats and racing thoughts. Usually takes a week or so for me. I've experimented with this to better understand my brain chemistry :)

 

Also, if you like sodas, be careful with the high fructose corn syrup they use. It is, IME, addictive as well.

 

Adding fruit to one's diet can ease the burdens, bringing a mix of fructose and other nutrients and fiber to bear, lessening the impact of lack of sugar "deprivation", but delivering it to the system in a healthier way.

 

Lastly, falling off the sugar "wagon" depends on one's brain chemistry. If you have a "addictive" personality, you likely would not ever be able to eat sugar products in moderation if you've identified this as an addiction (lack of willful control) for you.

 

I'm curious...have you had a fasting blood glucose/hemoglobin and TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) panel run in the last year? If so, what were your results? I doubt you have any issues but I'd be curious to see how your body is processing your "addiction" :)

 

Oh, regarding your metabolism...enjoy your 20's :D

 

Thanks for the advice!

 

I have way too much soda. It's rare that a day goes by without me having a sugary drink. The problem is I've gotten so used to having a sweet drink with every meal that food becomes tasteless and dry without it.

 

I don't know if I have an addictive personality. I've had alcohol and cigarettes before, but they never became habits for me. In both cases the initial taste grossed me out and I stopped (or rarely) sought them out from then on. But I do have addictive tendencies toward other things. I feel that I am addicted to the computer, and I can get addicted to people.

 

I guess going cold turkey is the only way. The problem is often I feel like a juicy dessert is the only pleasure I have to look forward to in my life or day. I feel this empty, dry feeling without it. I think if I could get into a healthy-eating rhythm I'd be okay. I just don't know how to get over that first big hump.

 

No, I don't believe I've had those tests.

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Gatormaniac

I also had an addiction to sweet junk. Mine stemmed from the depression of being in a bad marriage. Once I was separated, and finally divorced, my depression lifted and the cravings for all that nasty stuff seemed to disappear. It's been several years and even the thought of all that junk makes me a bit nauseous. I used to eat sweet snack foods constantly. It even got to the point where I would eat sweet crap then eat salty potato chips so the next sweet thing I ate tasted better. I was eating the worst of the worst, too. Processed sweets ( Hostess, Little Debbie, etc. ) that were just loaded with trans fat and sugar. If I wasn't eating sweet junk, I was at McDonalds, BK, or Wendys. I haven't eaten at a fast food place in years and don't miss it at all. I still eat sweets, but not anything processed or from a bakery. A bit of ice cream or dark chocolate satisfies me. A company named " Voortman " also makes flax seed cookies that are sweet and healthy!!

 

Basically, you have to find the root of your addiction. Mine was pretty simple, but I'm not sure yours is. You may not find the answer you're looking for here, but you have to find it, and that might mean seeking professional help. The stuff you're eating is having an effect on you, you just haven't seen any outward signs...yet.

 

Good luck and best wishes...Ziggy Stardust

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The problem is often I feel like a juicy dessert is the only pleasure I have to look forward to in my life or day. I feel this empty, dry feeling without it. I think if I could get into a healthy-eating rhythm I'd be okay. I just don't know how to get over that first big hump.

 

As a solitary male, I've always done this on my own, through sheer intellectual will. However, my wife has had great success using the "buddy system" with a girlfriend or group of friends who support each other in their dietary and lifestyle choices.

 

My first suggestion would be to only stock non-sugar items and throw some sugar-free (sucralose or aspartame) popsicles into the freezer (since it's summer now). If it isn't in the house, it's hard to impulse eat. Try iced tea (decaf if necessary) instead of soda. Fruity teas can be interesting variety. Use lemon and sucralose if you need something "extra".

 

Second, during your detox period, avoid eating out as much as possible and avoid alcohol. It's easier to "slip" when out with friends/family. Set a hard timeline, like a month, and stick to it.

 

If you can take or leave alcohol and cigarettes (and have been honest about that), you likely do not have an addictive personality. I know I can get pretty buzzed with friends when drinking and then go a month without anything at all and not even desire it. I do have this thing for sour gummy worms, though :D Cutting sugar out ended the "desire" for them. I can now eat them in moderation without "losing it".

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Have you tried to establish a specific time for junk food? If you make Saturday Junk Food Day, e.g., you might find it easier to avoid it the rest of the week, because you will know that you'll have it soon anyway. So binging isn't necesary.

 

It helps me with chocolate cravings.

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shadow, it's also pretty common for ADDers to consume massive amounts of sugar and caffeine to help keep the body chemistry regulated.

 

Another low-profile consideration is that you may be having sugar cravings because you're dehydrated at certain points in the day. You could try spacing out your fluid intake with non-sugary (no artificial sweetening either) non-caffeinated drinks and see if that helps at all.

 

Good luck!

Carrot

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Lauriebell82

I had binge eating disorder, which goes along with sugar addiction when I was a teenager. I still have urges to binge. What I do is eat some low carb food, and try to keep my diet healthy (fruits, veggies, lean meats). When I do eat sweets I eat low carb sweets. The reason for doing this is so that if I do end up binging (I haven't relapsed in like 8 years) a little bit it wont make me sick or make me gain as much weight.

 

If you are going to give up sweets do it fast. Just pick a day and say "thats it!" And do anything to combat the cravings..I know how hard they are. It's like being a drug addict. Distract yourself by going for a walk, watching a movie, calling a friend. Personally, if I am going to eat something sweet I pick it out to eat and then leave the house and go do something else. DON'T sit in your house when you are eating junk food..you will just eat more of it since it is there.

 

Another tip..don't keep anything you don't want to eat in your house. Don't buy things that you know you will binge on/over eat. Why temp yourself?

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