so here's the dilemma...

i love sugar. period. i find that if i allow myself a sweet "treat" i end up wanting & then usually eating more of said item or some other sugary treat. i am not happy with just a little bit bc i want more, more, more. yet....if i don't allow myself any "treats"/try to sub what i really want w healthy substitutions i just want "it"more & often eat the healthy substitutions & then end up eating the item im craving anyway. so it's like either way i lose.... do i eat "it" & crave/eat sugar for the rest of the day or do i try to avoid it but make myself nuts in the process by wanting it more?? BELIEVE me...i know i have major willpower issues but this is seriously derailing my efforts. i used be at a happy weight & it's like i don't even know who i am anymore bc i am allowing myself things that i havent eaten in forever & its almost like i dont even care about the cals (even though i am NOT happy w my weight right now). it's like i am sabotaging myself!! please help!

Sun. Feb 4, 8:49pm

ahh me too! i have EXACTLY the same problem!!!

Sunday, February 04, 2007, 9:13 PM

A protein or fat treat is less likely to bring on such strong cravings for more. Maybe you can find one of those that works for you as a substitute. Beef jerky is one that comes to mind, but I'm sure you can discover many others. Hope you come up with something that works.

Sunday, February 04, 2007, 9:45 PM

Ah, yes, I have this problem of sugar addiction as well. In general, I am doing a lot better these days but I still lose control at times. What used to be 3-4 times of binging during the week has now turned into maybe once a month or so. I'm not sure exactly what contributed to this positive change but here's what I do. Initially, I had to just break away from sweets for about 4-5 days. This was extremely tough, to say the least. Now for me, I didn't have to be too concerned about sugar content in other things (cereal, peanutbutter, etc)during this time. These things didn't trigger a desire for more sweets FOR ME, but everyone is different. After the 4-5 days of no candy/sweets, then I found myself much more sensible. I did try to find other things that I could appreciate that wouldn't make me want to binge. I switched to dark chocolate--more antioxidants, less addictive for me, and the higher the cacao %, the smaller the amount I would eat. I also eat nips (hard candy, chocolate or caramel or coffee flavored) which aren't too high in calories and can last a few minutes. One of the other things I like to eat at night are fudge bars. Skinny Cow makes some that are 100 calories, rather sizable, plus have fiber and calcium in them. I am pretty satisfied after eating one of these. I have also stirred cocoa into a vanilla yogurt to get the effect of eating something chocolatey. It's pretty good, plus you get the benefits of calcium, low calorie, and tasty! The bottom line, in my opinion, is try to find something that you like/can appreciate but don't feel the need to eat it ALL. And incorporate these things into your diet daily, if desired, so that you don't feel like you are depriving yourself. These are just your *new* kind of treat. There are things to this day that I should never buy, like Tootsie rolls or other small pieces of candy because I can't stop eating them. I will be unwrapping the next piece while I'm still eating the current piece! So try to make yourself aware of the things that are extremely difficult or tempting to you and then adapt a little bit. Hope this helps!

Monday, February 05, 2007, 9:35 AM

I have a similar issue....once I start eating something sweet, I can't stop. The only thing that has worked for me is to stop eating sweets cold turkey. It is really difficult, but just take it one day at a time and it will be a couple of weeks before you know it. I substitute fruit instead of sweets when I feel the need for something sweet and after several weeks was able to switch the craving from candy sweets to fruit. It wasn't easy...but was well worth it and I feel much better without eating all of that sugar. Best of lucK!!

Monday, February 05, 2007, 9:48 AM

take a look at this book

Link

Tuesday, February 06, 2007, 7:45 AM

when you say sugar what foods do you eat? if it's cake cookies, donuts etc. you might want to read The Carbohyrdrate Addict's Diet.

And the other posters are correct, you really need to detox for a week mabye two. I know it's tough but if you do it, sugar will lose it's grip on you.

Little Debbie's, cookies, donuts, candybars were the first things i dropped from my diet when i started losing weight 2 years ago. i had headaches, moodswings, it was a b*tch for two weeks then it got better. Now believe it or not, i get sick if i eat too much sugar. My stepmom makes peanutbutter pie at Thanksgiving, I always eat some, we are talking a 2"x2" piece and within 30 minutes i am lightheaded, nauseaous, sweating and weak.

I used to eat 3 candybars a day, now i have ONE once a week or every 2 weeks. I only eat cake at parties and stick to a 2"x2" piece. I eat fruit instead.

Give it a try and you will feel so much better and then you can tell sugar like i do "you have no power over me" lol!

Tuesday, February 06, 2007, 10:33 AM

OP here. Thanks for your comments & suggestions! I actually did read Intuitive Eating & I do believe in some of the principles (feeling fullness, etc) but I am scared to go though the phase where you let yourself "eat whatever" so you realize those foods will always be available instead of depriving yourself entirely. It's such a delicate balance! I did try south beach phase 1 just to break the sugar cycle but I felt like CRAP bc I wasnt eating ENOUGH carbs. Maybe I should just stick to carbs from fuit/whole grains..(duh!). The truth is that I just need to be more strict about it. I was at a point where I had only allowed myself dessert 1x/wk & I got used to it so much so that one time I did eat a "big" dessert..it was sickening to me. I want to get back to that, to not even WANT it. Oh and to answer your question... I don't buy snack foods to keep around the house (other than protein/cereal/granola bars) bc I dont binge on them & if those trigger foods arent there I won't eat them. But I have been having weakness w ice cream, my mom's baked goods & desserts when going out to eat. I want to be the person who can take a bite of dessert & NOT WANT anymore! But that one bite ruins me & I just keep eating it bc it's SO YUMMY even if I'm full :(

Tuesday, February 06, 2007, 3:18 PM

I have the same problem and in the past if I have been off of that stuff and go on vacation somewhere and start having treats then it starts all over again. It is like all or nothing. Also I can't have that stuff in the house to be successful I will eat it, cookies, candy ice cream,ect. Once I get the junk out of the house then I only have one thing like sugar free jello just so I have something or sfree fudge pops. I listened to a talk on binging and heard binging and being out of control can be because there is an issue in your life that you can't control and we are self medicating ourselves with food. Also food is sometimes binged as a reward to ourselves or punishment. To deal with the problem we need to learn to move. I'm not really sure what that means but I think it means to ha,ha get the food out of the house! To work-out! Can anyone clarify that? Also she said to pay attention to the clues you are giving yourself. Are there issues? Are you rewarding yourself? Do you feel deprived? You need to replace your bad treats with good ones. Tell yourself you can do this! Move your body. First start by moving the corners of your lips in an upward motion. :) Try new things. Dream of the great shape that your getting in and how healthy you are. Remember we are all here for you! Hope this helps.

Tuesday, February 06, 2007, 4:57 PM

keeping it out of the house is the only thing that has worked for me. if i go to a party or out to eat i can have just a small piece of a dessert and consider it a treat. if i bring it into the house i am going to eat the entire box, bag, whatever.

and this is after 2 years of successful dieting so I dont if there is a cure for the sugar thing other than avoidance.

Tuesday, February 06, 2007, 9:27 PM

I am also a sugar addict. What the above poster said about tootsie rolls gave me goose bumps, I am worse, though, because it sounds like he or she would only eat one at a time. I would pop 4 or 5 of those little rolls in my mouth at the same time. I now eat gobs of fruit, and thawed frozen peas.

What is helping me is I am working on my mindset. The following is something I wrote to my team a while back.

My mind is either my best friend or my worst enemy in this fight. I am actively training it to be my best friend.
Take foods and health issues, like sugar and diabetes, or potatoes and arthritis. All us lasses like a fine looking lad (if you are a lad, then you like fine looking lasses.) We want him. That is normal and healthy, and is nothing to blush at. If however, that fine looking lad is coming at you with a knife in hand, and intent to kill you in the eyes, we no longer want him. He is an enemy, and we want to be far away from him. Some foods are like that lad. They want to kill me.
I will use the power of my mind to make those foods an enemy, rather than a treasure. No more "deprivation" thinking for me. I will stop thinking of those foods as something that is desirable, but as something that will harm me. I will be able to keep things in the house that are harmful to me, but not to others, like pie, because they will not be something I want, but I can still keep the hospitality norms, and keep Gerry from feeling he has to only have what I will allow myself. Gerry is in FINE shape. It is not his fault I have made the choices I have.

Granted, I still slip up. Over the weekend,when i was alone, I rationalized making brownies when i was alone. I threw almost all of them out when I realized what was happening.

Having said that, though, I really am getting better at not wanting that sugar poison in my body and brain. It wants to kill me, and it is not deprivation to not have it. It is life to not have it.

Best of luck to you.
mariarose

Wednesday, February 07, 2007, 3:41 AM

OP again. to 4:57... i do think part of the problem is stress eating. i hate my job & i think i do use food to "cheer me up" which is weak, but a common thing & i know i'm not alone. fortunately i only have ~10 lbs to lose but i always have the "everyone tells you you look fine the way you are" running through my head when i reach for something "bad". the truth is that i am not happy w my weight i know i can look better. i CAN do this..i must!

Wednesday, February 07, 2007, 7:35 PM

I have this same problem as well. One thing to keep in mind is that if you do end up binging, forgive yourself and get back on the right path the next day. I tend to think, "Well, I just ate two cupcakes, what difference does it make if I eat some cookies now too?" I sort of give myself a "permission slip" to keep eating once I've started and that isn't right thinking. I think it's important, if a binge happens, to not be so hard on yourself and just move on from it.

Thursday, February 15, 2007, 6:00 PM

It's Good to Share

Thanks to everyone for sharing. It's great to know that I'm not alone in this struggle to have a good, healthy normal relationship with food. Thanks for the great tips too.

Saturday, February 17, 2007, 1:26 AM

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