Hi I'm Kellie and I am a sugar feind....can't go a day without it. I'm drooling and thinking about what to eat next whilst reading this thread. I think with that I've said enough....
me too BUT I've cut sugar & diet coke out of my life this week, have lost a kilo already and I am sleeping better, my joints don't ache and I actually feel better already. Its hard, I would finish dinner and start eating sugar straight away - lollies, chocolate, pudding etc but now I'm grabbing a couple of handfuls of nuts and I feel full again. I also sip peppermint tea which is quite sweet but without added sugar.
I'm trying to get my hands on a book called Sweet Poison which is all about sugar addiction and ways to quit sugar. The guy who wrote it had been trying every diet under the sun for years and couldn't loose any weight but started researching, reading medical journals, putting together his research and he came up with this big thing about fructose ( a type of sugar) and how we have no 'off switch' - our bodies never signal that we're full when consuming fructose which means we eat a lot & then blood sugar levels spike, go low and we are hungry / craving sugar again. He lost 40kg and has kept it off without 'dieting'.
Until I get my hands on the book, I have set myself the task of reading the labels and only eating foods with 10% sugar or less. (Although I did slip up today and have an english muffin (2.4% so good) with honey (87% - bad!!)) But I only had the one, whereas before I would wolf down 4 honey crumpets without stopping for a breath. Washed down with a great big diet coke of course!!
It is such a nasty habit isn't it! All the negative health connotations and the guilt...
I was never a sugar addiction person, my weakness was fried food and chips! I could easily pass on a tray of mint slices and happily stop at one bite of chocolate. Since being pregnant, those days are gone! I think it was the low energy in pregnancy for me that led me down the rabbit hole so to speak, and once the stuff is in your system, you need more, and more.
I did manage to get off the 'stuff' accidently last year when I was trying to get pg for the 2nd time. I saw a TCM practitioner for fertility assitance and as she worked to balance my body with acupuncture and herbs, I found that I was naturally not looking for the daily sugar hit. It was amazing, I felt energetic, well slept and didn't fall for the 3pm sugar call! Fortunately I also fell pg, and then unfortunately I got tired again while building my baby and have fallen prey to sugars evil ways once again - especially now chasing a newborn and a toddler's needs. So my solution to beating back the demon is better diet, sleep, rest etc - ie putting myself first. Not easy!
I was going to recommend seeing an acupuncturist too. They can help with cravings and addictions and can also tape small beads to pressure points in your ears so you trigger the points when you feel the urge. DH (who is qualified but no longer practices) says the acupuncture can be very effective for many addictions.
What about a naturopath? I remember I was prescribed some fish oil tablets (nice strong ones) and some other supplements (that i can't remember the name of sorry) that really seemed to help with the sugar cravings, especially at night.
I think sugar cravings can be related to candida in the body too? (Correct me if I'm wrong anyone...)
I have to agree with MD with resetting your tastebuds! I have been following a low carb diet (to lose weight and stop the tired sugar crashes!) and it has worked. I no longer crave sweet things like I used to. It takes a couple of days (which are hard), but it does work. The scary thing is that when you do cut out sugar, you only then begin to realise how desensitised to sweetness you had become. Things like lettuce, cabbage and some vegetables start tasting sweet! How crazy is that?!! I cannot tolerate sugar in my tea now - it's just too sweet. It is scary!
Anyway, it is a big step to take and it took me while to do so because I just wasn't in the right headspace to make such an undertaking. Depression really can make you long for that comforting slice of cake and the thought of cutting it out used to give me major anxiety issues. I had to take the leap because my health was being impacted on by my weight gain, so it is different to your situation.
I hope you find a solution that helps you, but just thought I would share mine
Glamourcide, I really agree with you, it is an addiction, not just a craving. When you read about the biochemistry of getting a fix of sugar, it has everything to do with those brain receptors that are all about addictive behaviours. I think stress/depression really feeds into it too, I was reading another thread about sleep deprivation and how it prevents weightloss, those same stress-cortisol responses make you crave more calories (and lay them down as fat) then you have the brain receptor thing happening, it's no wonder so many people are hooked. I was thinking about what I posted yesterday (about connection etc) and I was thinking how that's a couple of parts of the 12 step program (for overcomign addictions) and I had a LOL moment.
Winter I just heard about the Sweet Poison book the other week, and Ive been trying to find a copy too.
Registered User
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks