Hello! I am trying to eat 'clean' -avoid processed foods, and am doing good adding more veggies, fruits and lean protein, whole grains and more water to my diet, but i am such a sugar addict!! its very hard for me to make it through the day without some candy or sugar in my tea etc, anyone else feel this way?
Any suggestions? I really want to cut back and eventually quit this habit!!
thanks...

I am a sugar addict and part of my plan is giving up processed sugar. I love the stevia sweetner. I do not like splenda or any of those. Its not sugar but its sweet and its good in tea and coffee. I also like honey in my tea to sweeten it.

Also, There are sugar free chocolates made by Hershey's. Also sugar free hard candies like jolly ranchers taste no different to me. I also eat cocoa coated almonds.

Ooooo and another favorite of mine would be vanilla or chocolate (light!) soy milk. So good. Because of diabetes there are a lot of great "sugar free" sweets out there!

PS you are sooooo close to one-derland!!! Congrats!!

I share your struggle with sugar addiction. I have been able to give it up but I have started drinking a ton of diet soda. I'd like to give that up as well. I hope you get some good advice I can use too.

If you are trying to 'eat clean' then those sugar substitutes should not be on your menu. However, if this is your only vice then it isn't that much.

Same with real sugar. Moderation in all things. If you can't give it up don't. Just work on it really slowly. Cut back in tiny baby steps.

I don't think anything is inherently bad for you, if you can eat it in moderation. That includes sugar - if you can keep it under control, it doesn't have to be a forbidden item.

A measured teaspoon of sugar in your tea is all of 15 calories. If you want to indulge in that every morning, you can work it off with a minute-and-a-half of brisk walking. In other words, it's not going to make or break your diet.

But if you drink 8 cups of tea every day and dump a heaping spoonful into each one, though, those 15 calories become 150 (or more!) very, very fast. And that's not just 150 calories, but 150 calories you could have spent on something with some nutrient value.

Now, some people find that even a little sugar sets off cravings that make it impossible for them to use sugar in moderation. For those people, even the measured teaspoon in a cup of tea will be too much. You have to find out for yourself if you are one of these people - as they say, your body, your science experiment.

Wish I could help you guys. Sugar isn't a trigger for me (not much of a sweet tooth here - I crave fried foods, cheese and potatoes) so I do allow myself sugar when I want it. I don't over eat or really crave sweets, tho.

Having said that, can you fit a bit into your diet...in moderation?

I try not to stay away from things altogether; however, I'm aware that not everyone can do that. Some people can't eat certain things in moderation.

Good luck and many blessings!

I have a problem with sugar (even artificial sweeteners get my cravings going). So for me, I no longer add any type of sweeteners to drinks or food or eat candy. I do, however, let myself eat foods with natural sweeteners in them, such as cane sugar in low fat yogurt. And on very special occasions I will eat desert - but I plan ahead for those occasions. They are never rewards but usually celebrations such as a romantic Christmas-eve dinner. By planning for my few indulgences then I am not likely to feel like I've "blown it" and get off plan. This is a way of life for me - not a diet.

That's just my story, and it's working for me this time. I intend to keep eating this way for life.

Brava for your weight loss and getting so close to being in onderland!

I agree with every one here. non natural sweeteners are worse than real sugar! Thats why I gave up diet soda!!! If I am going to have a soda... it will be a real one but I will plan it.

I was and still am a sugar addict. I also used to be addicted to diet sodas, but found that all they did was made me crave more sweets so I had to stop drinking them. I have found that a combination of things gets me through the day without a Jelly Belly binge. First, I do use a granulated stevia product as my sweetener in coffee/tea, and it tastes a lot better than the "pink" or "blue" packets. I also eat fruit, both fresh and dried, when I am craving a sweet snack. Every now and then I really need a taste of something decadent to satisfy me, and when those cravings hit, I've got small bite-sized tastes of things like chocolate muffins or brownies in my freezer. I savor the small taste of the treat, and it's usually enough to get me through. Just like with a beer or a box of chocolates, it's the first sip or the first candy out of the box that tastes the best, anyway.

Well, I guess I am going to be the odd one out here, BUT I do use Artificial Sweeteners to replace some of my sugar intake becuz I don't want diabetes (I was already diagnosed with pre-diabetes but now have it under control).

BTW ~ I read recently that one very popular soda pop has the equivalent of 9 tsp of sugar (in syrup form) in each can ... that's a lotta sugar!!!

I also use a tiny bit of honey or dark molasses or Splenda brown sugar mix or NSA (no sugar added) Maple Syrup (and you can use the REAL one too) to replace sugar in my foods/drinks. If you can find the STEVIA or other Agave (sp) Syrups, your can try those too. We cannot get them here where I live in Northern Canada; and you may be in the same boat -- so you might try a health food store for these; your local drug store; or you could maybe order some too.

You can also buy the unprocessed brown sugar; which I have seen in our local grocery store (it is sometimes called dark brown or demera sugar); just use less of it. I also have tried the herbal teas and find they don't need much sweetener as the flavors help a lot, ie blackcurrant is really nice ...

I think a tiny bit of sugar or honey, and the odd AS can fit into your plan nicely. I have 2 coffees and 2 teas a day, so I put in what I want. I am not trying to be a SUPER-DUPER HEALTH NUT here, I just want to lose some weight and get healthier overall; so I think a little bit isn't gonna hurt that much ...

I keep some measuring spoons on my tea/coffee tray so I can measure 1/2 tsp or 1 tsp for my drinks; and this is very handy too ...

I have a sweet tooth myself!

I agree with a few of the posters: I allow myself sugar in moderation. I think if I were to try to go without it completely, I would obsess and eventually binge. Most candies are not that bad if you have one or two (and can stop there). I will allow myself one caramel treasure or a jello cup or a popsicle or whatever. I can't stand the taste of sugar free stuff, so I just do the real stuff.

Also, I LOVE York Peppermint Patties and they just came out with YPP Pieces! Like Reeses Pieces! I can have 25 of them for about 80 calories, so I'm down with that. And it satisfies the craving.

I use agave nectar to sweeten my tea when I have it, which isn't super frequently. I'm trying to avoid processed foods and artificial crap as well, but I only hit about the 85% mark. That's way better than before, though. I read "Food Rules" by the guy who wrote "In Defense of Food" and I try to incorporate those rules in when I'm grocery shopping.

I either eat the real thing (sugar) or none at all. To curb the sugar addiction I've done it two ways. One was cold-turkey. It works within three days. I had zero cravings within just three days. I followed phase I of South Beach cutting all carbs for two weeks. The other way was just by eating "clean" like you suggest, cutting out the processed crap. I eat a balance of protein, carbs and veggies. I even eat baked potatoes with no problem. I haven't had any cravings since doing this, which surprised me. I'd say taking this approach took me about three weeks to curb the sugar addiction...that is to have no cravings.

I still like dark chocolate, but I really don't crave it anymore. Now popcorn's a different story. Which is odd. It use to be I couldn't live without chocolate.

Thanks for all your feedback I should clarify that i dont want to totally give up sugar, but want to eat minimal amounts, and mostly honey or other forms but not refined white sugar. I dont really like sweeteners, but have used splenda on occasion. I have tried agave nectar or cane sugar (sucanat?) in my tea, and they are pretty good. but expensive.
So far moderation doesnt work for me, if i have one handful of chocolate covered raisins or a small amount of something, I just want more. All day. argh. I find this is the worst when i am stressed, or if i am not doing much that day and i am thinking about how i 'can't' have it.I hope to cut back each week and get to a point where I can have a 'little' piece of birthday cake or whatever and be satisfied.
I think it would help to not have it in the house, because then i wouldnt have a choice unless i drove to town and went to the store. My husband (and kids) have sweet tooths too, so there is currently chocolates from christmas, candy(gifts from christmas) and ice cream in the fridge. I will send the chocolates and candy to work with my husband, and the ice cream i can usually resist.
I have tried having berries and yogurt instead, that usually works, and once i try a few more cookie/biscotti/bar recipes from Tosca Reno's eat clean cookbook, i will have an alternative, just made without white flour or white sugar. Her books are amazing, i just am struggling with controlling my eating...unfortunately my bad habits didnt happen overnight so i guess they wont go away overnight.
thanks for all your posts!
Good luck to all of you who are also struggling, and to you who overcame this 'enemy'...way to go!!
And yes, i am almost in onederland (again!!) this time its staying off!! Yay!