Dealing with sugar addiction
Shalini writes:
My problem: I am completely and totally addicted to sugar, and I don’t know how to kick the habit. When I get stressed or overwhelmed, I eat some ice cream or cookies. If I can’t find anything else, I eat my kids’ candy–shameful. I know the answer is to not eat any at all, but getting to that spot is so, so hard. I feel so sick afterwards, sometimes I even am sick to my stomach, but I do it because it’s a temporary relief from my nerves. I’ve actually even mentioned it in therapy, but because I’m thin and exercise regularly, no one has ever really considered it a “problem” (don’t get me started on how ridiculous that is). It’s also one of those things not a lot of people understand, especially because I’m thinner. People push the cupcakes and muffins toward me at work, and when I say no, people don’t take me seriously. “You can take it! Pack on a few pounds,” etc etc. I’d really like to find another outlet for my stress (running and biking are great, but not possible all the time, like when I’m home with my 2 year old or when I’m teaching a class), so that when I feel overwhelmed I don’t instantly look for the first sugary substance to stuff in my mouth. And, more importantly: can i get rid of my kids’ candy? would that be depriving them of something other kids have just because their mom can’t handle it? If it’s there, it will always be a temptation, but I feel like a bad mom if I don’t let them have that stuff, especially because we don’t eat meat and I make them eat a lot of fruits and veggies–I feel like it’s their just reward.
I feel like every reader challenge speaks to me personally, but this one? Yeah, this one I really, REALLY get.
After I quit drinking, I traded in a serious problem with booze for an ongoing issue with sugary foods. Good trade overall, don’t get me wrong, but I really have to watch my sugar intake these days. Too many simple carbohydrates wreak all kinds of havoc in my body, and the more I eat the worse my cravings get. I totally understand using sugar as a stress outlet, because I have been there more times than I can count.
It’s a bad cycle, at least for me. I’m sure there are some people who can eat lots of sugary foods and be totally fine, but I get moody, lethargic, depressed, bingey, and generally more and more reliant on the exact food that’s causing me harm.
Here’s what has helped me:
• Exercise. It’s hard to make the time. It’s important to make the time. Exercise will help so, so much with this issue. I promise this.
• Potatoes Not Prozac. I didn’t follow the guidelines in this book, but I found it very helpful to read about a theory as to WHY I’m so sugar sensitive. This book provides a pretty detailed plan for weaning yourself off sugar, and I recommend at least checking it out.
• Get rid of it. On my latest climb back up the healthy-food wagon, I cleaned out all the processed, sugary junk in my kitchen. I’m not a person who can have one cookie, therefore, there are NO cookies in my house. I find that the first couple days are the hardest, and once your system is running on good, healthy foods . . . it’s just a whole new world. A much, much better world.
• No kid stuff I personally crave. To that end, it’s your house and you make the rules. Your kids are not going to be deprived if they don’t get candy every day. You know this, right? Ditch the guilt on that subject altogether. My kids eat a fair amount of kid-crap that the Whole Foods mom crowd would probably sneer at, but when it comes to sweet stuff I mostly pick out things I won’t be tempted to eat. Animal crackers, chocolate Goldfish, kid Clif bars . . . things they like, but won’t be calling me from the cupboard every single hour.
And one more gentle thought on that subject: candy doesn’t have to be a just reward. I love making my kids happy, and they love special treats, so I absolutely know where you’re coming from on this. But we can help our kids learn better eating habits right now, to help them avoid some of the problems with foods we’ve experienced. I’m not saying NO CANDY EVER—this certainly isn’t true in my house—but it doesn’t have to be a reward for eating a healthy dinner, right? If you’re living a life where sweet treats are occasional, rather than continual, this is not “not handling it”. You are living a healthy lifestyle and passing along a great example to your kids.
Readers, have you dealt with a sugar addiction? What sort of advice do you have for Shalini on breaking this habit?
October 29th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Oh my gosh. This is ME. I had a baby 4 months ago….when I express my desire to take the sugar intake down a notch (or 700) people tell me to give myself a break, I just had a baby, etc, etc. Well…guess what? I’m FAT. FATTER than EVER. I don’t even recognize myself as a former runner and athelete.
I can’t wait to hear what others say on this issue because I am in need of some good advice. Yesterday I told myself that I am going on a sugar detox….I have to stop.
Today I realized that there is no Halloween candy for the kids on Saturday and I have to work over the weekend, so to spare my ‘poor, helpless husband’ the inconvienance of having to go pick some up with the baby in tow, I bought some. As soon as I got into the car I tore into it. And now I feel like CRAP.
Ugh. I totally need help.
October 29th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
We didn’t have candy in the house growing up or soda or chips either. And I never felt deprived. I was pumped when I went to a friend’s house with soda but it didn’t make me feel bad about it at home.
My little one is only 10 months old, so she doesn’t have much say yet. But the husband can only bring junk food in that I don’t like or won’t be tempted by.
October 29th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
oh, and one more thing:
I also grew up in a house that had no sugary cereals, cakes, cookies, soda, or chips. This drove me to totally binge when at my friends houses and trade snacks from my lunch with other kids for their hostess cupckaes. When I would babysit I would eat, like, a whole box of twinkies because I felt like I would never ever get to eat one again.
This plan backfired on me, I guess.
October 29th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Sugar addiction is fueled by refined carbs and foods containing fructose. As long as you eat these foods you will crave them. Few people are able to moderate eating these foods and if you are in the throes of addiction and your consumption is out of control, you really need to eliminate them completely for awhile.
To kick the sugar habit, eliminate refined carbohydrates (especially foods containing fructose) from your diet completely and focus your meals on foods high in protein and healthy fats. (Most food containing evil transfats are also high in refined carbohydrates.)
Within three days you will no longer crave the foods you have no ability to moderate now.
YOu must eat fat and protein though because these foods will fill you up and keep you satisfied for hours. For example, eat fish, lean cuts of chicken and turkey and plenty of monounaturated fats – found in olive oil, avocados, and nut butters.
Many people are under the mistaken impression that to lose weight or maintain a slim figure they need to eat a diet low in fat. This is complete bullshit promulgated by the “diet industry”. What they need is more fat and protein, and fewer refined carbohydrates.
In three weeks, with no exercise whatsoever, I lost 5 lbs on a diet high in mono and polyunsaturated fat, protein, vegetables and fruit that has no fructose.
I’ve eliminated sugar completely from my diet and have never felt better (and more sane) in my life.
October 29th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
To get started, toss every item of refined food in the garbage (or donate it to a food bank if you must – though I wouldn’t inflict that shit on anyone).
Start every day with a breakfast dominated by fat and protein. This can include meat, eggs, avocado, and cheese – and some veggies as long as they aren’t starchy.
If you like eggs, try an omelet with:
- one whole egg and 6 egg whites, beaten
- turkey bacon or turkey sausage baked in a teaspoon of olive oil (or spray Pam – as long as it isn’t transfat, which some spray oils are)
- an ounce of your favourite cheese (optional)
DO NOT eat bread or any starchy, floury, food with this meal. (Most “whole grain” breads are shit. Seriously, they are loaded with refined flour and fructose. If you must eat bread later on, buy sprouted grain bread as this has no refined flour and very little fructose – but for now no bread.)
If you have coffee or tea (which is fine btw) and must sweeten it, use Splenda or powdered stevia.
See how long you last without feeling hungry. I think you’ll be very surprised.
I eat a variation on this every morning and it keeps me satisfied for three hours at least. Some days I have to remind myself to eat lunch because I’m not hungry.
You can also throw out all those bogus ideas that meals have to be eaten 6 times a day and not after 7.
YOu can eat when ever you like. I eat three meals a day and have one late night snack. But if I wanted to I could eat dinner at midnight. It would not affect my weight loss progress whatsoever.
October 29th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Dude, this is hard and I agree with Lesley above 100%. Once you kick the habit, the cravings DO go away.
Another thing I know is that kids do NOT need candy in my house. Other than Halloween time, we have NO JUNK in the house because NO ONE benefits from having it nearby. It’s one thing to have a treat or a snack when we’re out, but there’s no need to have it on hand for everyone, ever.
October 29th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
I have a cheese issue and not as much of a sugar issue, but when I eat a bunch of refined sugar or corn syrup my energy just plummets.
That said, I never had sugary stuff at home as a child. I mean, like I didn’t even have refined sugar until I was over 3 years old. Cheerios had too much sugar for my mother’s approval for a breakfast cereal. I ate oatmeal or eggs or pancakes with apple butter for breakfast. I wasn’t deprived of sugar though, I was allowed to spend my meager allowance on candy if I wanted to, but that was usually once a week. I was the type of kid that had Halloween candy still hanging around when my easter basket came. We often didn’t even have juice undiluted. Water or milk were my options for dinner. Sometimes fizzy water! Exciting!
But I was allowed to eat these things at school, friend’s houses, parties and holidays. I never felt deprived and I never binged. Not bragging here at all, my mother is responsible for all of this… But that said, I don’t think your kids need to have candy in the house at all times. I really agree with what Linda said, Candy is a treat, not a reward. Just because you don’t eat meat doesn’t mean candy is needed as a reward. By choosing to have a house that eats a lot of fruit and veggies and no meat, you are also setting your kids up with healthy eating habits like my mom did. Make candy a once a week thing and maybe only one item at a time. That way you are less likely to eat the excess.
October 30th, 2009 at 9:22 am
I could have written this post. I am somewhat thinnish but am a total sugar addict, so much so that if I don’t have a ‘treat’ after dinner, I feel sick to my stomach. The older I get, the harder it is to metabolize and maintain weight, not to mention the havoc it’s wreaking on my teeth, digestive track and rear-end! This is great advice, but for me, so much of it comes down to self-control.
October 30th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Thank you all for your suggestions! It couldn’t come at a better time. Andrea, I think you’re right–all the suggestions are helpful, but it’s going to come down to first and foremost my self control (which failed me today as I had a huuuge slice of birthday cake, and some Halloween candy, and some more Halloween candy, and maybe a little more cake). Hopefully tomorrow can be my first sugar free day.
October 31st, 2009 at 5:33 pm
My husband is the sugar addict in our house. His vice is ice cream and cake. I worry about my ids though, getting too used to eating it for supper, so I really limit it. We have “treats” and my oldest has the same sweet tooth as her Dad, but other than a bit of cake maybe once a week, we’re pretty strict. Yogurt, fruit cups (non-sweetened), orange slices… that’s our dessert. However, I think the best way to deal with an addiction is to eliminate anything that tempts you. If you were an alcoholic, you wouldn’t feel guilty about not letting someone bring booze into your house, right? Your kids won’t suffer, they’ll get occasional treats at friends and grandma’s or whatever, but if you can’t resist, don’t bring it into the house!
November 1st, 2009 at 12:02 pm
I’m very sensitive to blood sugar fluctuations — if my sugar gets too high or too low, I get moody and snap at people and my energy levels get frantic or tank, depending. I have to be very careful what kinds of sugar/carbs I eat and what time of day.
If you have a Trader Joe’s nearby, you might want to check them out — good prices on foods that largely don’t have high fructose corn syrup or other crap. I do 90% of my grocery shopping there and they’re good for things like whole wheat crackers and good natural ingredient breads.
As for the sweets for your kids, I agree with the “your house, your rules” concept. My daughter has an allergy to synthetic food dyes, and while she can have chocolate, she can’t have a lot of the processed crap out there — which, ultimately, is a good thing. It made me pay a lot more attention to what was coming in the house, and I don’t need to eat that processed stuff, either.
I think balance is key, in the long run, but while you’re still trying to figure out where that balance is for you, banish temptation from the house.
November 2nd, 2009 at 5:40 am
I have a huge problem with sugar, so I try to keep the sweets I like out of the house. Such as my favorite ice cream and candy. My husband keeps his ice cream and favorite candy in the house, but it doesn’t interest me. The boys Halloween candy is an issue, since so many of my favorite sweets are in there. Plan to have my husband bring it into his work soon, so I’m less tempted. I do treat myself sometimes, but I make it so I have to go out to get it, and thus really want it.
November 2nd, 2009 at 8:06 am
Linda, all of your advice is spot-on. Especially not having junk food around the house, and only buying treats for your kids that you don’t like.
I agree that it’s imporant to stop cold turkey with the sugar, and allow yourself to detox. The cravings DO pass and you get to the point where cake, candy, and cookies are TOO sweet and don’t taste good, and an apple can satisfy a carb craving. I didn’t notice that refined sugar gave me mood swings and sapped my energy until I cut sugar out for a few weeks, and then indulged in a piece of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I had to go to bed early, and I had a sugar hangover the next day AND a fight with my boyfriend. If you experiment with your nutrition it’s amazing what you will find affects your body, mind, and mood.
November 9th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Oh. My. Gosh. Did you open my brain and write this question? Because I share the same additction. Totally right there with you. Candy binges (like buying $20 of the by the pound candy and HIDING it so no one else eats it) are totally a shameful part of what I do. How self defeating is that?
And I’m seriously digging everyone’s answers. good question, and good answers!
January 3rd, 2010 at 12:19 am
Lesley, great advice. Is there a book you follow to get this information? I’d love to make these changes in my diet but need a little more information.
Thanks!