Sugar free Day # 12 begins. I'm using the last of my Walden Farms Italian vinaigrette dressing, which contains sucralose (splenda) and it tastes too sweet now. Same with my barely-sweetened Designer Whey vanilla shake.

Sugar free day #13. I walked past a restaurant while shopping and there was a delicious, rich aroma of grilled teriyaki. But after a second I noticed a sweet component that I didn't care for at all. It suddenly seemed like an aroma of grease & sugar. This was automatic--I wasn't trying to do anything.

Upcoming is a dessert I am assigned for July 4th, and it will be berries and ice cream/sorbet. Having the ice cream in my freezer overnight will be......interesting. Hoping no one cares if I skip it at the gathering.

Have a great 'early Friday, All!

Mars, I know this is old, but I have to tell you, this is ME all over! The day before I start a new plan is always a binge day, getting rid of all the "bad" foods. Why can't we just throw it away? Is it because of the starving children in China that we always heard about? LOL

Good job on your 13 sugar free days! For me it took a while, a month or so, before I realized that I no longer craved sweets. Not that I never indulge, I do occasionally, but it's no longer a trigger.

My problem is still too much food. Before this recent stint with low carb, I had a habit of eating within an hour of finishing dinner. I wasn't hungry, but there was something I wanted to eat so I ate it. I've noticed myself doing it lately. I think the reason is because I have more food that I like on hand than I need, and I just want to eat it. One of those things is deli turkey. I no longer eat it with bread. Now I like it wrapped in a romaine leaf. But I'm eating it when I'm not really hungry. I feel that I'm eating something healthy and that makes it OK. I think I have to stop buying the turkey, or maybe buy smaller quantities and only occasionally. It's still deli meat and still has way to much sodium. Another problem is leftovers. Normally my PLAN is to have them for lunch the next day but they don't always make it to the next day. I will heat them up and eat them just because they are there. When eating at a restaurant, I think I'm doing a good thing by only eating half my meal and bringing the rest home, but how good is it when I eat it as soon as I get home? It would kill me to leave that uneaten food on the plate to be thrown out. Why?

So those of you who feel addicted to sweets, realize that there are other food addictions other than sugar.

Sleep. When I was 130 lbs I didn't stay there naturally. I had to constantly work at it. One thing I did was never eat in the evening. I always went to bed with an empty stomach, and I just died until my alarm went off the next morning. It wasn't until I lost my resolve and gained all this weight that I started having poor sleep. I wake up several times during the night and many times can't fall back to sleep. I think if I could get back to going to bed on an empty stomach I would sleep much better. I have also heard that carbs will help you sleep, but for me it was always interrupted sleep, not deep sleep. And if I don't sleep well I am tired the next day, and it seems I keep wanting to eat something for energy, when what I really need is a nap.

What happened to Luckymommy? She posted on 6/13 then disappeared. Hope she's OK. I miss her posts. Even though I don't post here often, I read.

Mars, I want to add something. You need to learn not to be so nice. When someone offers you something, sweets, wine, learn to say "No thank you, I don't care for any." No explanation about sugar etc. That's not being rude, but if they continue to insist then they're being rude. In most circumstances there is something else acceptable that you can have, but if not, you don't have to eat something just because they want you to.

My mother-in-law was a food pusher. I remember one time she offered me pie after dinner and I said "No thank you, I don't want any." She cut it and put it in front of me anyway. I just left it, and then she said "You didn't eat your pie." And I told her, "Oh, I told you I didn't want any." That may have been harsh, but I was not going to let her bully me into putting something in my body that I didn't want.

Carol Sue My replies to disappeared. gah! That's interesting about your sleep pattern with carbs. Re tossing food, sometimes I can tell that the reason i'm doing it is to justify a binge. Other times, it helps me to focus on my WOE. After a while it can sure get expensive though. At least with Slow Carb, nothing is off the menu. But overall, I agree that reluctance has to do with instilled guilt about, or just an awareness of, others who are less fortunate.

In a similar vein, when I am in splurge mode, I don't check the price of those sweets I'm putting in my cart. In healthy mode, I get suddenly frugal. I obsess over whether I should buy the expensive organic mushrooms, and I still waiting for cauliflower to go on sale. I guess it's an all-or-nothing mentality.

Re your deli meat, that's me, too. Anything that I can pick up with my fingers does not last long! The roll ups sound great, though.

I have been 2 weeks off sugar. The ice cream in my freezer has not bothered me at all. And it's really good ice cream! I hope to get to your point where sweets are no longer triggering.

Wishing all an enjoyable holiday!

I can relate! Some of the food thoughts are drowning out other thoughts such as grief, worry or anxiety, but after having nearly lost my mind obsessing over food (wanting, wishing, denying every minute of every day) i went on the Ideal Protein diet and that helped me to tame the other side of addiction which is physical, and now (even though i gained my 40 pounds back over 4 years) i am strictly fighting the emotional eating.

Obsessive, intrusive thoughts about eating are so exhausting! They get worse though if the pancreas is fed sugar and bread. I like finding out about food addiction and being in this group is helping me to feel understood and less worn out. Did you get a chance to read that article about junk food abstinence? It really helped me. I can find it again or maybe someone has it handy and will post it.

Food addiction is real...but it can be tamed! One day at a time. I absolutely believe that.

Hello! I just found this thread, so I think I'll jump in.

I don't know if I have a food addiction, but I do know that I like my comfort foods. When I feel stressed, all I want to eat is carbs, bread and butter, ice cream, muffins and hot cookies fresh from the oven, etc.

I was raised on cereal and milk, or toast and jam for breakfast. Once a week my mom would make what she called a farmer's breakfast. The sheer amount of food was fantastic. Bacon, eggs, sausage, ham, potatoes, fruit, pancakes or waffles, donuts or sticky buns. She would get up in the morning and spend a few hours cooking. We would eat around 10 or 11. We could eat that breakfast and feel full for the whole day.

It's hard to stay away from these foods that I love. I have fond memories of eating donuts on Sunday mornings. We did donut day with our kids too. We always have ice cream in the freezer. And often there is cookie dough chilling in the fridge just waiting to be baked.

I'm eating low carbs now, so my breakfast is usually eggs and berries, tea without anything in it, but there are days when I get up in the morning and I just want to eat a huge cheese bagel with butter and put a 1/4 cup of cream in my coffee. I feel so comforted and happy after eating these things, but within the hour I feel tired and I have to go back to bed to sleep off the effect.

Even though I've been eating well for a month now, and I am losing consistently, I still have trouble. Today I got up and wanted to eat a bagel, but I chose not to because I remembered it was the 4th and we are having ice cream this evening. I am going to eat my ice cream and I hope that it doesn't screw everything up.

Magistra to the thread!

Amyniagara

On my way out the door to BBQ and will check in later. Enjoy the day (and ice cream too, if it's on your menu!)

Magistra I enjoyed reading about your comfort foods & fond memories around food traditions. I don't think enjoying them in the way you described means you are addicted to them. It's natural to have a craving for something like a bagel, esp. when you are both low carb and low calorie.

I think where addiction comes into the mix is when eating those things triggers you to want to eat more, more, more, even when you are full. Imo, addiction is an extension of 'normal'; it's the behavior of repeating pleasurable experience and forming habits. Then there are the beliefs about the habits and the power we ascribe to them.

There is much research describing neurologic structures and chemicals involved in addictive behavior. For me, it's the way certain foods loom large in my day to day thinking. And the feeling that there is not enough of those foods on the planet to satisfy me, especially once I begin to eat them.

I firmly believe it's possible to find peace around triggering foods. I'm not sure what that looks like at this point, though! I'm working on abstinence from sweets for the time being. I'm finding I don't miss them nearly as much as when they were included in my WOE.

Note to self:


I had a little ice cream today, The good news is that I enjoyed it without being triggered to want more more more. There was no sweet binge afterward. The not so good news is that I ate it because of feeling social pressure, which was more in my own head than anything from my friends.

Sugar free resumes today. 15/16 days.

mars Thank you so much for your clear explanation of what food addiction is. It is a relief to know that I don't have a food addiction. But for those who do, I feel most empathetic. I'm sure my daily war with food is mild in comparison. After reading your kind explanation, I have to say that I am humbled and rather inspired by the great fortitude that you and others must practice in order to live with food addiction. The feelings that accompany it must be complicated.

I did have my ice cream yesterday too. My weight was up a little today, but I'm sure it will drop again in a day or too.

I wish you well. I wish you success in your healthy endeavors.

Thank-you for the lovely post magistra! Yeah, food addiction is not a picnic but at least the stuff is legal, lol. I actually feel good having it recognized and described. Understanding instead of being mystified is empowering--it allows for choice. And keeps me from wasting time on futile interventions like "just be strong" "moderation works" etc.

Best wishes to you and drop in anytime!

Sugar free 16/17 days.

Sugar free 17/18 days.

Hi everyone-

I think it is about time that food addiction has been recognized as seriously as the myriad of other addictions that people are dealing with. I know that if I have certain food items in my house I will not be physically able to stop myself from eating them. I can sit in front of a loaf of French bread and logically know that eating the entire thing is not healthy, and of course, 10 minutes later its gone. I have spent countless hours obsessing over food, so much so that I can often not concentrate on the tasks at hand. I worry about what to eat, how much to eat, how I can eat large portions privately to hide what I am doing. I often feel like I have control/anger/compulsive/ anxious feelings wrapped up in a carb sandwich with extra cheese. I have recently been given wellbutrin to help with the obsessive side of things, hopefully it will work.

Thanks to all for reading my post and also for sharing your own stories, it is great motivation to know I am not alone

Hi jule1973, No, you are definitely NOT alone! Your description of the experience of food addiction resonated with me. I would almost say that the most uncomfortable part is obsessing about a food, over and above the lack of having it. Shame & secrecy are hallmarks of addiction, even to legal substances like food.

It sounds like you are already in touch with an emotional component. That is fantastic, and quite an accomplishment, imo. Would you be comfortable sharing how you became aware of the feelings with the sandwich? I have a very hard time doing this. Food is a powerful anesthetic!

I hope the Wellbutrin works. Please keep us posted!