I fell of the wagon last year and gained back some weight and am back at it again! This time I mean business! Especially with finals being over in a week so I can stop sleeping weird hours and eating nonsense things (bad habit of mine).
One of my biggest problems is sugar. I love sweet things, you could call it a sugar addiction - sorta. Except that I'll get random cravings for something sweet and I don't really sit around eating sweet things all day..
What are some ways you guys have dealt with sugar cravings? Or how have you replaced/cut out (or reduced) sugar in your diet?
My nutritionist told me that dried fruit is not so good for you, whereas fresh fruit is. She explained that you should allow yourself two tennis ball sized servings of fruit every day (Fresh, not dried)
She says once the fruit is "dried fruit" it is mostly starch/sugar
(It's still better for you than candy, of course!)
I have an insane problem with sugar. Just mind-boggling. The ONLY thing that works for me is to cut it out. It is rough, let me tell you, but you do reach a point where it's not a struggle anymore.
And yeah, sugar tastes good. But it is way more worth it to me to not feel controlled by it than it is to continue trying to cling to "moderation" (which I have spent nearly 30 years failing at).
I try and not eat things with added sugar. I have been doing this for while so things with natural sugar seem sweeter. I eat fruit and it just seems so sweet and good. Eventually, your taste will reset and you won't crave it as much.
Yeah, sugar is from da'devil!!! (but then, so is sodium, IMHO)
I did completely give up all processed sugar foods twice in my life - the longest I lasted was 8 months... but sooner or later, I always gave in to either my favorite dessert (pumpkin pie! cheesecake!!) or some other something that presented itself when I was having a "weak" moment. And then before I knew it, I was in the downward sugar spiral, eating it once a day, twice a day, anytime I could get my hands on it... Le'Sigh!!!
After years & years & years of self-involved diet-diagnostics, I've come to the conclusion that "all things in moderation" - HOWEVER, sugar is one of those things that is HARD to moderate because it's a TRICK FOOD! - the more of it I eat... the more of it I want.
This weight loss round I have succeeded in cutting down my sugar intake, by using Equal or Splenda in my coffee/tea, drinking Diet Mtn Dew/Dr. Pepper instead of regular soda, choosing sugar-free whenever possible (sugar-free jello instead of regular jello, etc) and choosing LESS of an item when it's not possible (i.e. half of a slice of pie, 3 pieces of a bar of chocolate, etc.)
There are times when I still "over-do it" tho... & when I do, I always feel crappy for the rest of the day afterwards! - too much sugar just slows me down and puts me in "crash mode"... blech. So altho I do still crave it, I've also discovered that the MORE FRESH FRUIT I eat, the less "processed sugary things" I am inclined to eat.
Last edited by Beach Patrol; 04-13-2012 at 10:59 AM.
Sugar is a huge issue for me. As I was growing up, my mom would actually add sugar to macaroni and cheese as she was cooking it! Of course, back then it was all about low fat, and somehow sugar was seen as harmless in our household. I've been known to eat buttercream frosting by the spoonful, I love Cadbury Creme Eggs, and PB Twix are a particularly strong weakness for me. I'm pretty sure that most of my excess weight was gained from eating sugar as I literally seem to get high off it.
I heard somewhere once that excess sugar in your blood acts like broken glass in your system, slicing away at the insides of your blood vessels over time and can lead to vision loss, heart problems, etc. I'm not sure how true the "broken glass" aspect of it is but it really struck me and actually seems to make sense. And with both of my parents getting diagnosed with type 2 diabetes not horribly far from my age, it kinda scares me.
What I personally do right now is pretend I'm diabetic and keep my eye on the sugar grams in all foods, not just sweets. For example, I've given up Orange Chicken and the SweetFire Chicken Breast from Panda Express. I'll still eat there, but I've switched out my old usuals to something with less sugar and definitely less calories, like the Mushroom Chicken or the Broccoli Beef. I use stevia to sweeten anything from tea to oatmeal, and I don't even keep table sugar in the house.
When I started up my diet again last month, it helped me to buy some sugar-free candy. It's not low calorie, but I allowed myself five a day at first, and have since whittled it down to just one a day. And I genuinely savor it now rather than feel deprived for not being able to eat 5-10 at once. I've also bought sugar-free cookies and no-sugar-added ice cream for occasional treats, which I only have small servings of a couple times a week.
I believe that eliminating as much processed sugar from my diet as possible has been an extraordinary help with controlling my cravings. I can walk past the candy aisle at the store and be ok with not "treating" myself to something, and fresh fruit now tastes sweeter on its own (I've had a hard time being able to eat fruit in the past since it actually tasted sour to me, guess I was too used to raw sugar)! I had a really hard time with cutting out sugar at first, but putting it into practice got a lot easier after a couple of weeks.
I've been known to eat buttercream frosting by the spoonful... I'm pretty sure that most of my excess weight was gained from eating sugar as I literally seem to get high off it.
I believe that eliminating as much processed sugar from my diet as possible has been an extraordinary help with controlling my cravings. I can walk past the candy aisle at the store and be ok with not "treating" myself to something, and fresh fruit now tastes sweeter on its own
...felt like I just wrote that under the name "Elladorine"
Last edited by Beach Patrol; 04-13-2012 at 11:26 AM.
Thank you all for the input! Gonna stock up on more fruit and eat THAT instead candy or whatever else I find lying around. I will also look into sugar free candy, never thought of that before! Also, like some of you said, I know I won't be able to completely cut it out because I know there will come a time when I'll breakdown and have some and that will probably just lead to me eating more of it...
Moderation it is! Now will be the perfect time to start slowly decreasing my sugar intake as I will be finishing up final exams so I won't be stress eating lol
While I hate to see anyone else having to deal with the same issues, it's comforting to know I'm not alone.
oh gosh..you are definitely not alone
My triggers are carby sweet things, or even bread!! And the less I have, the more *slightly* easier it is to not give in. So I can't have any trigger foods in the house.
a warning about sugar-free candies. I tried some once, they were fruit-flavored hard candies, maybe Russell Stover brand? I don't know what kind of artificial sweetener it uses...but.. I had maybe 8 or 9 of them in a row, and they cause a rather horrible potentially embarrassing #2 condition! I swore never to have them again.
a warning about sugar-free candies. I tried some once, they were fruit-flavored hard candies, maybe Russell Stover brand? I don't know what kind of artificial sweetener it uses...but.. I had maybe 8 or 9 of them in a row, and they cause a rather horrible potentially embarrassing #2 condition! I swore never to have them again.
Yikes! Okay maaaybe I'll just stick to the fruit
And you know what, I think bread triggers sugar cravings for me too, now that I think about it..hmm.
Maybe it was because I had 8 or 9 of them, instead of 1 or 2 wouldn't want to completely put you off them, if they seem like a possibility for you...just don't have as many as I did
Maybe it was because I had 8 or 9 of them, instead of 1 or 2 wouldn't want to completely put you off them, if they seem like a possibility for you...just don't have as many as I did
Yeah, it's probably the malitol! It gives me issues as well if I have too many, and I make sure I never go over the serving size given on the package in one day. Which is why I started out at five pieces before whittling my way down to just one a day.
I made a similar mistake recently with some sugar-free honey. Had a lot of tea that day and went overboard in my excitement for some honey flavor.
Dealing with sugar
(but then, so is sodium, IMHO)
And then before I knew it, I was in the downward sugar spiral, eating it once a day, twice a day, anytime I could get my hands on it... Le'Sigh!!!
So altho I do still crave it, I've also discovered that the MORE FRESH FRUIT I eat, the less "processed sugary things" I am inclined to eat.
Okay maaaybe I'll just stick to the fruit 
