PCOS/Insulin Resistance Support Support for us with any of the following: Insulin Resistance, Syndrome X, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or other endocrine disorders.

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 01-26-2013, 11:46 AM   #1  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
misstheoldme's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 7

Default Overcoming Sugar Cravings/Emotional Eating

I'm new to this site and forums in general, but I felt like this would be a way to find support for PCOS. I have people who support me, but no one understands what I'm going through. I know I just seem crazy to other people and even to myself at times, but i hope this is where I'll be able to find a group of people who understand. I was diagnosed with PCOS 2 years ago but wasn't given any advice or medication to treat it. They put me on birth control but that only made things worse. Now I'm in the process of getting a new bc pill and will be put on metformin. Has anyone had any success stories with metformin that they would like to share? I'm desperate to kick my sugar cravings and get back to my old life after 2 years of a constant day to day struggle to stay away from sugar. I've never had a problem controling my weight and use to be a competitive athlete but this has truly taken over my life and I feel like a completely different person. I need advice and support and I would greatly appreciate anyone will to help!
misstheoldme is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2013, 11:59 AM   #2  
Junior Member
 
Phoenix4's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 9

S/C/G: 210/210/150

Height: 5ft 8

Default

Well, I've been on metformin for a few years. Has it helped, I would say it gives you a Edge, but I don't think it magically takes anything off. Though this is only my personal experience. What has worked for me has been the following: meditation, the insulin resistance diet, not passing into your hunger threshold, and it has to be constant. If I don't do it, I simply gain it back. So, metformin is no magic pill for me. I used to think I'd lose it and that would be it. Now I realize I will either take care of my body and mind everyday or face the inevitable joy of diabetes. Talk about a reality check.
Phoenix4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2013, 12:48 PM   #3  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
misstheoldme's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 7

Default

Thanks so much for your response! What do you do when you get a sudden sugar craving? I feel like I've tried everything I know how not to give in and sometimes I'm successfull but most of the time I'm not. Has there anything specifically that works for you in those moments?
misstheoldme is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2013, 01:54 PM   #4  
Member
 
Aianah's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Texas
Posts: 36

Default

I just started metformin this week. I didn't want to. The title of your thread says it all, for me. I have a longstanding love affair with comfort food- and have learned the hard way that, for me, it is the devil incarnate.
I also learned today that diabetes goes further back in my family than I knew. I treated myself pretty badly through my twenties and thirties, and have struggled with health issues through my forties.

The only way I know to reduce the cravings is to very nearly eliminate what causes them. And what I do have, I have with either a meal or at least a decent, clean source of protein. Shove them off til dinner, so I won't be eating them all day. Want a peppermint? Okay, have a handful of nuts with it. The more sweets or starches I have, traditionally, the more I want. It's that much harder when you don't feel good.

Now that I'm on this medicine, I may have to reassess things and figure out what works from here on out.
Aianah is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2013, 03:58 PM   #5  
Senior Member
 
Rana's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,206

S/C/G: 189/186.8/160 (restart)

Height: 5'5"

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by misstheoldme View Post
Thanks so much for your response! What do you do when you get a sudden sugar craving? I feel like I've tried everything I know how not to give in and sometimes I'm successfull but most of the time I'm not. Has there anything specifically that works for you in those moments?
I eventually found out that my cravings for sweet stuff was also a craving for fresh fruits and veggies (not frozen, not canned).

You may want to try grapes, strawberries, bananas, as a substitute when you have a craving. It also teaches your body/mind that you're not going to give it a chocolate bar or a cookie when you have that craving.
Rana is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2013, 06:43 PM   #6  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
misstheoldme's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 7

Default

Thank ya'll again for your responses! And I so know what you mean when you say it's even harder to stay away from sugar when you're feeling bad! The good news is that I am now able to differentiate between physical cravings and emotional cravings. Now I just have to learn to say "no" to the emotional part. Somehow I end up convincing myself that for one reason or another it will be ok if I give in this once..I always regret that, but in the moment it makes all the sense in the world! I'm also writing in another column and have a similar conversation going and would like to post my response from that one into this reply so I could get a few more opinions.......



Thank you Last year I was also diagnosed with candida albicans which is a yeast overgrowth in your intestines and is fueled by sugar and carbs. Because of that and my background as an athlete, my typical day to day diet already consists of zero sugar or carbs (atleast refined sugar/processed carbs) in it. I actually stick very closely to the paleo diet and on "good" days this is very easy for me to do. However, I will still get sugar cravings about twice a week regardless and they are seemingly out of the blue. At the same time, I know about the time in reference to the craving before when I should be expecting it because this has been happening for so long (I know that got super confusing). I'm only 20 years old and not what you would call overweight but it takes way too much effort to stay at a weight that I'm still not happy with and I know I can be better. Because my usual diet is already consistent with the insulin resistant diet, do you think that going on metformin will help me have less frequent/ less intense cravings? Also, will the addition of a BCP (which is suppose to give me a period) help regulate my hormones and consequently reduce cravings? I'm sorry for the book I just wrote. I'm just really excited about talking to people who can relate to me not just empathize with me.
misstheoldme is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2013, 08:31 PM   #7  
Member
 
Aianah's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Texas
Posts: 36

Default

I find that telling myself "later" works better than telling myself "no". I've never been good at restriction- I grow to resent it, but if I tell myself I can have that later, more often than not, I forget about it.
Aianah is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2013, 09:47 PM   #8  
Junior Member
 
Phoenix4's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 9

S/C/G: 210/210/150

Height: 5ft 8

Default

Hmmm, now I'm thinking. I'll respond to my personal experience with metformin. Has it helped with cravings. I don't feel that it has any effect on it. I have had The best
Success with cravings with eating more meals. Statistically I think they say eating a minimum of five times helps keep weight off. I believe this has thus far been the most effective theory thus far. If I pass into the hungry zone it's all over, and I'm highly attracted to binge eating and bad carbs.
Phoenix4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-27-2013, 10:14 AM   #9  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
misstheoldme's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 7

Default

OK those all sound like good things to try! Basically, should we follow the same diet and eating pattern as hypoglycemics?
misstheoldme is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-27-2013, 08:31 PM   #10  
Junior Member
 
Phoenix4's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 9

S/C/G: 210/210/150

Height: 5ft 8

Default

I think you should start on the plan you would like to keep, maintain, and love for the rest of your life. I guess as you have likely gleened from this site we don't always have the same answer. I personally have poycystic ovaries, though my blood test never showed that. Many doctors later it was found via ultra sound.

I'm a mood eater, I have to eat more often to control my blood sugar and to prevent binges, and mood swings due to low of a sugar. I take metformin, and meditate because of my emotional issues that culminate in obesity issues. I do follow and like the insulin resistance diet and if I follow it losing weight is no problem. It does help with cravings. I eat every two hours, when I'm doing that it's a cinch and the weight just comes off. But...life being life some days hours and hours pass and I'm starving which usually results in a weight spike.
Phoenix4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-28-2013, 10:47 AM   #11  
Senior Member
 
Rana's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,206

S/C/G: 189/186.8/160 (restart)

Height: 5'5"

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by misstheoldme View Post
OK those all sound like good things to try! Basically, should we follow the same diet and eating pattern as hypoglycemics?
Yes and no.

You are eating Paleo, as well as you can, and that limits your amount of crappy carbs. But you may need as often as Phoenix4 does or you may find that your insulin response is better when you don't eat at all.

I hate to say, it's going to have to be an experiment to figure out what works for you.
Rana is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-31-2013, 06:36 AM   #12  
Unstoppable Force
 
Novus's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 878

S/C/G: 225/ticker/137

Height: 5'6"

Default

Carbs increase the production of serotonin - the "feel good" chemical - in the brain. So a lot of times a sugar craving is your body's way of alerting you that your serotonin is low because you've taught it that carbs are the best way to remedy this. So, basically, you have to retrain your brain.

Tryptophan, found in protein sources, also convert to serotonin, though it happens more slowly than with carbs. Often when you're eating a lot of pasta/bread/rice/sweets, you're not eating as much protein as you need. Try cutting back on the carbs and increasing your protein and see if that helps the cravings.

Exercise is also very important for brain chemistry. Exercise stimulates the production of serotonin and dopamine (another "feel good" chemical) in the brain. More exercise = more happy chemicals = less sugar cravings.

HTH!
Novus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2013, 11:29 AM   #13  
Senior Member
 
allieballiebee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 135

S/C/G: 277/ticker/135

Height: 5'4"

Default

Hi there!

I was on Metformin for over ten years to help control my PCOS and IR, but I didn't really notice that it helped curb my sugar cravings. I've always had a major sweet tooth, and was hopelessly addicted to carbs.

When I got pregnant with my daughter in September of 2011, I was not "allowed" to continue taking Metformin after my first trimester. Once off of the Met, I was (not surprisingly) diagnosed with gestational diabetes and had to use a low-carb diet and insulin to control my blood sugar.

Anyway, the way I learned to eat while pregnant really helped me kick the sugar habit. I was forced to eat six small meals a day and plenty of high-quality protein. This really helped curb the physical carb cravings, as my blood sugar was stable throughout the day and I didn't have the dreaded "MUST HAVE CARBS NOW" response to a hypoglycemic dip. Emotionally, I still wanted the sweets like mad, but even that eventually went away. I know that I had a HUGE motivating factor -- an unborn child whose health was linked to my own -- but even now I get a huge benefit from eating something small every few hours.

As a rule, I don't eat sugar or refined carbs, but I've reached the point where I can indulge in a dessert once in a blue moon and it doesn't send me into a sugar spiral. This is not something that was possible for me in the past, as even one tiny diet misstep tended to completely derail my efforts.

Anyway, I guess I just wanted to let you know that it is possible to overcome those cravings. A good mantra to follow is "eat light, eat often." Also, I think others mentioned this: when you start wanting sugar, have some protein instead. It's helped me. If that doesn't work, and you're just craving them from an emotional level, try working out to get those good old endorphins flowing.
allieballiebee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2014, 05:53 PM   #14  
Junior Member
 
yoginess's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 1

Default PCOS cravings Metformin... and something new

Hello,
I have PCOS and food cravings are definitely an issue for me. I strongly believe they are 2 causes to that: a phsychological cause and physical cause.
In regards to PCOS, I am like most of you.... the diet is so important. I took metformin for 10 years. The doctor said that metformin on it's own doesn't work. You MUST exercise. Which I did. I think it did help a little.
WHen I got pregnant, I had to stop metformin. I had gestational diabetes (like the other person mentioned) and was put on a super strict diet.
The good news is that I only had 3kg to loose after giving birth! And the other great news is that I did not feel I needed metformin anymore!!!!
I am taking a natural gluco support thing which I think I could do without as well.
Now something interesting happening: I am 42 and I started having many migrains (didn't happen since I was 13 when I got my first periods), I was sweating a fair bit at night... and had more cravings. I felt something was going wrong... and I wanted to have another child.... so I went back to my endocrinologue (sorry I am French I don't know how to spell it in English). the results were amaising: I do not have PCOS anymore!!!
But the doctor explained to me that it is a transition period... I will have PCOS again in a few months. It's like the myope who sees very well just before getting presbit like all old people!!!!
The funny thing is that even the cysts on the ovaries go away during that period!!!!

In parallèle, I went to see a hypnotiseur to support me with the physycological aspect of things (I stopped smoking with a hypnotiseur, so I thought why not try for food cravings!!!).

Now that's amaising: it has been 8 weeks that I do not have ANY CRAVINGS! I just simply don't eat between meals and eat normal meals like everyone. It's amaizing: the horrible craving feeling, the fight in my mind between the craving and the willingness not to go for it, the feeling horrible afterwads because I feel guilty I gave in... oh well, you know what I mean.

At first I thought, WAOW, that's great that hypnotiseur thing! No more cravings. Now I start to worry because I am thinking the cravings might come back when the super hormonal transition period has gone!!!!!!

I will talk to my doctor about it and ask her to do some analysis if the cravings come back.... I so hope they won't!

Will let you know.
Whatever the answer, I am sure hpynotiseurs can help .. .same principle as medidation... but I think I will have to go back to the small meals regularily and all the rest of it to keep in control.

Good luck to you all ladies... it does feel good to know I am not alone!

Will keep you posted if you are interested

Take care of yourselves
yoginess is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-29-2014, 02:27 AM   #15  
PCOS/IR/Hypothyroid
 
astrophe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,855

Height: 5'8"

Default

Get a meter and check your blood sugar when you get a sugar craving.

If low? Drink a half cup OJ, half a banana, a hard candy or skittles, or glucose tablet to bring it on back to normal.

http://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/...w_blood_sugar/

That is the short term solution to jack it back up fast. Learn the chart, print it and tape in a kitchen cabinet. Keep something in your purse or learn to get a banana or OJ at a gas station.

http://mixturesrx.com/blog/wp-conten.../real-hypo.gif

But also eat something with a healthy protein/fat. So when the quick emergency fix wears off you have the slow release back up solution already in the system to keep you level.

To not get in a jam like that in the the first place? Eat every 4 ish hours when awake, 500 calories max, balanced carbs to protein. Not too much so you get a huge insulin dump. Cuz that can cause a big drop later because your system overdid it trying to process too big of a load in one sitting. Not too little calories because you cannot hold out til the next 4 hours and get low blood sugar wiggy because you are low. Like goldilocks.... You want it just right.

A meter can help you learn YOUR normal and what meals are just right And which ones jack you up.

Wheat makes me hyper and wanting more. Sends my blood sugar wacky. I do not test for celiac but it clogs up my nose and makes me want to eat the whole loaf so there is something there to me. 85% of pcos people have wheat issues. Try whole wheat or gluten free or skip it altogether. Resist buying once at the store is better than a hundred times at home. White bread is like sugar to me. I feel calmer skipping it or if I have it, two slices max with solid protein match like a 3 slices ham or turkey sandwich with lots of veggies not like toast with jam.

http://pcosdiva.com/2012/03/go-glute...r-pcos-part-1/

Take a good vitamin and get checked for deficiencies.... Metformin uses up b12 fast. Pcos people sometimes have vitamin D low. Deficiency can cause cravings.

Get a regular walk in. Exercise does not have to be fancy. It burns up the extra insulin floating your system which in turn can chill the cravings. Even march in place while you watch a 20 or 30 min episode. I did not have the energy for this til I solved my vitamin d deficiency problem. Energy slump to the max.

Metformin for me stops more weight gain from piling on. It does not lead to weight loss. Exercise does that for me. And it is my weak area, I admit it.

I feel calmer with hunger taking d-chiro-inositol. Used to be called vitamin b8 but no longer deemed "essential." Even so, pcos patients may benefit.

http://pcosdiva.com/2014/04/uncoveri...hiro-inositol/

You are on metformin because of insulin resistance or insulin impairment. Not every PCOS is also IR. We come in at least five main presentations.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/pcos...ent-you-4.html

Being an IR type, it might be helpful for you to check up on diabetic eating and how to deal with bold sugar wiggles. See if there is a class or check out this book or similar from the library

http://www.amazon.com/The-Insulin-Re.../dp/0071499849

http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_...etes_meal_plan

I got a lot output of Linda spangle "life is hard, food is easy" and do not really emotionally stress eat any more.

http://www.amazon.com/Life-Hard-Food.../dp/0895260573

I posted this bc article .... Not sure if that helps.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/pcos...ills-pcos.html

Do what you can from in five star or four star.

http://pcosfaq.com/

If you cannot afford to do anything else at this time? I would go with balance the meals, eat regular, take a multi, a d, a b12, fish oil, 30 min walk 5x a week while you save up money to go see an endoc and get labs to form a more detailed plan with your doctor.

Get regular labs at your endoc when you are able. Regular care is important.

Hang in there.

A

Last edited by astrophe; 08-29-2014 at 03:25 AM.
astrophe is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Related Topics
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Any else suffering from sugar addiction? helwa588 PCOS/Insulin Resistance Support 13 04-12-2012 03:47 AM
Beck Diet For Life/Solution – November 2011 – Support, Discussion, Buddy/Coach BillBlueEyes Beck Diet Solution 239 12-01-2011 07:01 AM
RECOMMENDED READING - Books, Articles & Links to Websites Debelli Sugar Shakers 63 08-14-2003 07:56 AM
Sugar Busters Weekly Support Board 3/11-3/17 Debelli Sugar Shakers 161 03-18-2002 06:05 AM


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:55 PM.


We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.