Hi, I would like some support around sugar addiction. I used to go to OA but was too shy to share or reach out. I'm about 50 lbs. overweight, but I do work out and watch my sugar intake (no nighttime desserts!). I have the potential to be a real sugar/fat binger, but also have a super healthy side.

Any support is welcome!!

Hi luckypenny and welcome. I think you'll find the support you need here. I have some trouble with sugar also. Basically, I try to avoid it while dieting because if I have just a little, I'll binge on it horribly. You're not alone on this journey. Good luck.

Hi, luckypenny,

Glad you turned up.

You're doing great because you've identified your issue and are taking steps to control it by keeping track of your sugar intake and limiting nighttime desserts -- hope you gave yourself a pat on the back!! It's really hard to walk past things we love day after day after day. Do you think you have the potential to limit your intake, or are desserts just flat-out off limits for the time being? What sorts of sugary desserts do you in?

I think you're far along the right path -- keep on going!!

All the best, Rae

I love desserts too ... mmmm .... sweets. I dunno, I guess I just buckled down. Savour a fruit, dwell over the sweetness of baby carrots. The tastes will grow on you, honest.

find fruits that have a sweetness about them and savour that. Like strawberries HMMMm blueberries, cantaloupe, watermelon! Clementines (oranges) are very very sweet but SOOO GOOD for ya. its the oly fruit I can get Chris (DH) to eat LOL

You are not alone. I think 1/2 the weight I gained is Sugar the other 1/2 is carbs!
Good lluck and head up your doing it!!!

I agree that fruit is a great dessert substitute, but sometimes I can't even have that because it will set up cravings for more sugar! I am VERY sensitive to it. I do eat lower gi fruits like apples, but I have cheese or almond butter with it or else it just makes me really hungry.

RaebeaR- to answer your question, I think I can't have any binge foods at all. Mainly desserts that have fat,sugar, and white flour. I'm thinking of trying the old sugar-free/fat-free jello or pudding, but other than that I need to stay away. I literally cannot have a small portion and feel satisfied.

But you know what? Yesterday was the first day of my TOM so I decided to get some cookies as a treat. I didn't binge, but the ones I had made me feel super tired and down, so I threw the rest away. I think since I had watched my sugar intake for a month or so, my body couldn't handle the sugar overload. I then had a healthy snack with some protein and I felt way better. It's obvious I do so much better off of that junk!

Hi, luckypenny,

That's fantastic! Your body and tastes are changing, which is a great step forward. Keep paying attention to what your body is telling you!

I remember the last time I lost a significant amount of weight... 70 pounds... I was -- for the first time in my life -- comfortable with low-fat, reasonable portions of food. Then I went to visit my parents for Christmas. For dinner they served Chateaubriand -- a rib roast covered in goose liver pate and baked all together in puff pastry -- with Bernaise sauce for the main course, and for dessert they served English trifle made with full-fat cream and cake. This after a “noshing session” which included my father’s home-smoked salmon with cream cheese and rich, buttery crackers. They’d gone to all this trouble to make such a special meal and I didn’t want to disappoint them, so I literally forced myself to partake of all these (for me) poisonous things. I remember I felt just horrible afterward! I wish I had listened to my body screaming at me to stop, stop, stop.

Today these foods still sound good to me, but I’m looking forward to the day when they no longer do. The good thing is, I know the day is coming. You’re well on your way to controlling your addiction to sugar. Well done!

All the best, Rae

Hi Luckypenny,
I am addicted to sugar as well, I went cold turkey Dec 28 after an all out christmas sugar binge. I have found that even a little bit sets me off so. The good news is after a few week white knuckle sugar avoidance it got easy. I drank gallions of diet pop. It satisfied my psychological sweet craving while my body worked out of the physical cravings.
Good luck with your sugar avoidence

RaebeaR: Oh my God - that holiday food!! So were you able to get back on your lowfat diet? And thank you so much for the encouragement! I really need that.

Nighthawk: Congratulations on your abstinence!! Wow, that's a long time. Do you eat any sugar-free foods besides diet soda? I'm not sure if that will trigger cravings for me or not.

Sometimes I just wish I could get out of the habit of having to eat something sweet every night. It seems to be to be just as much habit as addiction.

Oh, I can definitely understand! Sweets are my downfall! Whenever I start (or re-start) a weight loss plan, I have to really limit my sugar intake because once I have a little bit, I *ALWAYS* want more.

I have found that a few chunks of fresh pineapple give me just enough sweetness, without having to go for the goodies. Of course, there are times when nothing but a chocolate cookie will do. On those days I try to adjust the rest of my calorie intake to accommodate my little indiscretion.

Good Luck!
Liz

snowgal, that's such a great strategy... I hope I learn to employ it one day!

luckypenny, that holiday marked the beginning of a downward slide back into poor eating habits that piled that 70 pounds -- and more -- back on. I don't blame my parents; the choice was mine, and I made a lot of bad choices after that Christmas, I'm afraid! But yes, I am at long last back on a low fat, limited-calorie diet, and I hope one day, perhaps a year or so from now, I'll be back to the trim self I recognize. Hate looking in the mirror and seeing that fat person I don't even know!

Happy to provide whatever encouragement I can. This is so hard, because it's every day, every meal that you have to stay on track somehow. We all need as much help as we can get!

You're doing so well -- I know you can accomplish your goals!

All the best, Rae