[Unna]

I agree with kaplods: sugar leads to more hunger and it is absolutely everywhere, even if you don't keep it in your own house/dorm.

I'd probably set up a rule if I were you, not a difficult one, but one to break the cycle so that you can get rid of the constant hunger pangs - it'd probably be something like: "I can eat as much normal food without sugar as I need, but no sugar or desserts for today" (this would include simple carbs, white flour, etc as well)

I don't think you need to try to give up sugar forever, but it does seem like you need to get it out of your system for at least a few days.

I think a lot of the time, particularly in western culture, we underestimate our physical impulses and overestimate our self-discipline.

The physical impulse to eat more sugar can be overpowering, can make us feel like we are going insane when we don't eat it, and the impulse takes priority over all our other thoughts until we satisfy it. It is quite dreadful to try and overcome.

[popspry]

For me, binging is completely different from overeating. For one, I overeat on tasty food - I can binge on anything - sweet or savory, even sauces or dips (by themselves). I can control overeating pretty well, but binging is hard. I don't binge because I'm hungry, or because of sugar, but because I'm poorly dealing with emotional stress. So my point is, you have to understand why you are binging, because it is different things for different people. If I was just eating 2 slicces of pie or having something a couple hundred over, it would be one thing, but honestly I can eat thousands of calories over if the conditions are right.

[ArtyKay]

Keeping track of everything helps me so much...I never realized how much I was eating until I saw it in print. Lots of sites will track/chart your sugar intake as well, and set a limit for you.

I haven't cut out sugar completely, but I can keep it within a set range when I track it (I use webmd's food and fitness planner).

[carter]

Originally Posted by sensualappeal

Tomorrow, I am going to try to do the Calorie counter thing and stay on track but it's just so hard, I feel like I have no control over myself and little portions just don't satisfy me.

I think this will help you a lot. If you find yourself eating mindlessly, then calorie counting is a very good way to make yourself mindful of what you are doing. Even if you go over your target calories for a particular day, record them and stay mindful. Having the knowledge of what you are eating, where your calories are coming from, will help you formulate plans to change what you are eating.

If "little portions" don't satisfy, load up your plate with lots of low-calorie foods like vegetables - then you don't need to eat little portions. I try to aim for about 75% vegetables by volume for lunch or dinner. And I get to eat great big satisfying meals because the bulk of them are made up of low-calorie foods.