I tried a new diet yesterday. I tried the fast metabolism diet. Failed. I ate oatmeal, apples, tuna salad, strawberries, fillet, broccoli, brown rice, and more strawberries. Sounds good right? Plenty of food, good mix. Well - I felt as if I was going to die. The diet calls for no caffeine and by 10pm I was so nauseous I felt like I was going to throw up.


So, at 11pm, I got out the grahm crackers, cookies, and pop and guess what? Felt great.

Is my body so addicted to simple sugars and caffeine that it feels like heroin withdrawl when I quit?

Just feeling very hopeless. It's like I'm stuck eating poorly and feeling like crap because if I don't I actually feel worse. Help!!!!

It sounds like your trying to change to much at once. I personally had to break my soda addiction before I could change eating habits. After going thru the headaches and withdrawals which took about 2 weeks. Then I started to reduce calories. After getting use to the lower calories, I started adding exercise and better choice food.

Most people, I believe fail new diets cuz there trying to change all bad habits at once. Take it slow for your body to adjust. Good luck.

Ps. Calories in and calories out are most important.

If your new diet is something that makes you miserable and you can't see doing very long term, then it's not the right diet and you should probably find a new one.

Withdrawal symptoms from caffeine/sugar are real things... I went through an awful period when I stopped drinking lots of soda every day. I didn't even change the food I ate at the same time. I don't know if it was the sugar or the caffeine though. I drank oceans of Mountain Dew.

If you want to restrict a certain group of foods, maybe try baby steps first, and not cutting everything out at once? Cut soda, and only soda for a week or so, then the baked goodies, etc. Ease into it to give your body time to adjust, and your brain the time to wean off of it.

Or maybe try to find a plan that allows you to have some in moderation, if that's something you could handle doing?

Losing weight is a bunch of trial and error. I hope you can find something that works for you!

I agree with the above posts. If this is something that doesn't work out for you, all hope is not gone. There are plenty of diets out there - one is waiting for you find which one suits you.

Or if you want to give this one a try again, don't give up. When I started counting calories, I felt VERY nauseated. I kept thinking that I should just give up. It was probably my body adjusting. After a few days, I was fine.

Good luck!

Caffeine addiction is a very true thing. Me, I'm one of those true addicts. As well, I am a migraine sufferer and I am very sensitive to my caffeine intake. Caffeine, though, can fit in a weightlossplan, as long as you obviously don't add sugar and fat milk or drink energydrinks to get your daily dose. If you are trying to quit caffeine, however, I suggest doing this slowly. There is no way quitting a high and daily caffeine intake can happen in one go without feeling miserable. So, again, baby steps on the caffeine. I'd even say, per daily cup of coffee, you better take one week. Especially if this is the first time you are trying to cut down (quit) caffeine.

Sugar addiction is also very real. It's not as much an addiction as caffeine or other drugs (because caffeine is a drug, just legal), but your body will go through withdrawal. I would suggest not trying to quit caffeine and sugar in one go, because quitting caffeine will make you feel worse about anything else, thus often making you think you are feeling really bad about quitting the sugar (though it's the lack of caffeine that's really causing it). However, unlike caffeine, if your intake of sugar is this high it is causing you withdrawal, this is a serious sign that you ought to cut down on sugar ASAP. These signs can usually be a sign of a pre-diabetic state, so it is quite alarming. (Though, a high intake of caffeine isn't good for your body either, sugar is much more worrying!).

Also, you seem to dive headfirst into diets, without taking into account WHY certain foods and/or nutrients are a no-go. While you try to recover from both addictions, I would do a research on FOOD, not on diets, but on FOOD itself. Why certain nutrients are needed for your body, why certain are bad and what cause they can have on your body, long-term and short-term. When you know enough, you will be able to freely experiment with foods and meal plans to eventually come to a full understanding of how your body works and what it is trying to tell you. You need to learn to understand cravings, hunger and feeling stuffed, but especially that feeling in between. Because only that feeling in between, where you are not hungry, not stuffed, aren't feeling sluggish and have no cravings, is when you are eating "okay".

I know for a lot here, weight loss seems to be the most important reason why they are changing their diet and I can relate to that. I too want to be slim, but it is no longer my main goal. My main goal is to give my body what it deserves. Bad foods punish my body and thus punish me. Eating healthy, eating a carrot and beans and apples and kiwis and wholegrain bread: That should be the treat, because you are treating your body well.

I've learned now that there isn't a single food out there that tastes as good as feeling whole does. Remember, eating is not a goal. Eating is just a way to reach a goal, and the goal is to be healthy.

When I gave up soda I definitely felt withdrawl. So not fun but oh so worth it! You will be happy you did in the end. Look at it this way...is being overweight and unhealthy making you feel good either? Not really.

I agree with hiddenstar, take it slow. Cut out/swap out/cut back on one thing at a time. Take baby steps. Once you accomplish one goal go to the next.

You can do it!

I also found a really good link about sugar addiction and how to break it on Sparkpeople. Unfortunately, I can't post it yet. But I'm sure you could find it.

I have quit caffeine in the past, several times, for various reasons. It's never pretty. I drink my tea and coffee plain (no milk, no sugar, no nothing) so it easily fits into my calories for the day. And a little part of me truly thinks it helps me with weight-loss, so I am not giving it up again. Maybe it's all in my mind, but if it's one of my few vices and a relatively mild one at that, I can live with that.

Good luck to you. I agree with the others that sometimes it's better to start slow, cutting out and/or adding in one thing at a time. It's been said to death, but the slower you lose it the better chance of truly making it a lifestyle change. It's not fun, it tries your patience, it downright sucks at times, but it's so worth it.

I count calories and still drink coffee with 1% milk, about 2 - 3 cups each day.

I still eat sugar, too - I had an Outshine Coconut Waters Pineapple popcicle last night for a snack.

Maybe you should try focusing on making yourself well-rounded meals and snacks that actually satisfy you instead of following a restrictive diet? Maybe for breakfast, have the oatmeal, but add in a tablespoon of peanut butter, with strawberries on the side and a cup of coffee? Breakfasts like that keep me sated for a good bit of time, and I am not poking around for snacks before lunch.

I hope I can link it now, because withdrawal from sugar is a real thing.

This.

I have an off again on again relationship with caffeine, I would rather not drink it constantly, but there are times in life when it makes the difference of having the energy to get stuff done or not being able to accomplish much.

When I find myself drinking more than I am comfortable with I start to scale back. The first time I decided to quit the caffeine I did it full on like you. It was horrible. I had constant migraines, felt like I had been hit with a full flu suddenly.

If I don't get around to having my morning latte I will have a headache by mid-afternoon that no amount of tylenol can fix. I will also fee dizzy and light headed. The only thing that gets rid of it is taking in some caffeine.

But I do know that when I start to wean myself off of it I slowly start to feel great, without the caffeine! It's a pain, but it's worth it. Like everyone else has already said, just take it slowly.

Thank you everyone for the responses. I definitely have an "all or nothing" mentality on many things but definitely when it comes to food. It's either totally deprived - or eating whatever I want. I fluctuate between reality - "I need to lose weight and can take small but steady steps on a daily basis to support it. To fantasy land - "I'm ok gaining weight, what's it matter, I'm still active, blah blah blah.

The truth is I have gained 100 pounds in 11 years. That's about 9 pounds per year. I eat about 3500 - 4000 calories per day and am very active. Science says just eat 2500 calories a day and the weight should melt off. But, I insist on trying to lose 15 pounds in a week, fail, get discouraged, then quit.

I like the idea of making two lists. What is the name of that book?

Thanks everyone.

Hi JDPgolfer
I see in your profile that you have already lost some weight so you are doing some of the right steps. Its better to eliminate a couple of things slowly then try to do it all at once. no diet or plan is going to work if its not something you enjoy. try to incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables and start working out. the weight didnt come all at once, you wont lose it overnight. and yes sometimes it does feel like you are going through withdrawal because your body wants the sugar and caffeine that its used to being given. Be strong, go for a walk, watch a show, chew some gum or drink some water until it passes. after a couple of days you will be fine.

If you want to give up caffeine I recommend tapering off slowly, I am down to a cup a day, down from a longtime habit of two. Just cutting in half resulted in about 3 weeks of headaches, the first week severe headaches.

drink your coffee black if you have to, it's not as hard to get used to as you might think.

Pattience,

I agree that caffeine is not the truly bad thing, but in this case, again, it's all about moderation. Although I've drank large amounts of caffeine for all of my life, I believe the right amount of caffeine is way lower than the intake of the average coffee-drinker.
I don't drink it regular anymore (if only because I mostly love energy drinks, which also contain a lot of sugars and for the rest, my caffeine came from green tea. I'm not much into coffee), and can say I feel much, much better. I sleep better (I was starting to have insomnia), my resting heart rate went from close to a 100 to somewhere in the mid-80ies, my blood pressure dropped significantly as well and, most importantly, my water retention (which used to be really bad) is now almost non-existent.

Again, I'm not telling anyone to downright quit caffeine, unless they find themselves in a position where they want to for other reasons that just health, but quitting down if you experience certain issues like lack of quality sleep (which you often just notice because you need a cup of morning coffee), high heart rate, high blood pressure and water retention -- it's a good thing. Whether you are quitting caffeine altogether or trying to cut down, I find it beneficial to do it as slow as possible.

(And I'll admit, another reason why I no longer want to have a daily intake of caffeine, is because any change in caffeine intake (be it more or less) can result into heavy migraines, for which I then take a headache pill... Containing 200mg of caffeine. )