Help with Sugar Addiction!

It seems that you just expressed my same problem. I have been talking to my doctor extensively about this and have been to several nutritionist appointments. I too have about 40 pounds to loose. It seems that the key is to eat no more than 5 oz of meat and 5 oz of carbs and eat twice that amount of fruit and veggies in a meal. Also, have one small treat a day, no more. If you cut treats out totally, you will binge. And Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, doing something that gets the heart rate up. Easier said than done for all of it. But research shows that these suggestions are the most stable and safe, and have long lasting effects. I yo yo between losing ten pounds one month and gaining it right back the next month. Cookies and ice cream are my weaknesses too! Good luck!!!

inadequate sleep causes craving for sugar. Its a tough addiction, yes. It is similar to alcohol (another form of sugar). But sugar goes with eating excess fat and carbs also.

The best thing is to eat a good diet rich with fresh vegetables, brown rice or potatoes and fruit juice. Get organic as much as you can. Frozen veggies are better than no veggies too. Not too much meat and avoid red meat. The better the diet - he less you will crave the sugary stuff. Also try and get out for good walks if you have the craving and do things that you like to do, besides watch TV. TV leads to other addictions.

Cravings beget cravings.... to put a stop to them you have to stop eating them pointblank.. just like how the junkie stops drugs and has withdrawals... so will you.. but you have to try and get thru that first week.. or at least first few days...
how??? one.. don't buy the junkfood.. two... PREPARE.. meaning, prepare snacks ahead of time so that you don't reach for junky food.. three.. drinks lots of water so as to cleanse your system.. four.... get some walking in. I know you have three kids.. that is a lot.... many think running around with three kids will cause you to lose weight TRUE.. (in some cases) but as with all activity, your body grows used to it.. therefore, mix it up... example.. park farther at a parking lot so that you can get in a few extra steps... use stairs as oppose to escalators.. little things like that add up.Also,, add more greens and fiber to your diet. sometimes, when we crave junk, we are not necessarily craving the sugar perse , albeit that is a symptom... but we are actually in need of specific minerals and vitamins which cause cravings... (you can read more about that on the net)
Lastly, join a group such as Weight Watchers.. (you can join it online if you are unable to make it to the meetings) and at times, they have specials whereby you can join for free..
Weight Watchers allows you to track you food, really get an idea of what you are ingesting.. AND... the BLTs.. as they call em (bite, licks and tastes) all add up throughout the day , especially when you are preparing your kid's food...... so def beware of those.............
whatever you do, best of luck to you!

Here's the deal. Don't buy it, don't eat it. Your body craves it because you keep eating it and it's in your system. Once it's out of your system, you will no longer crave it. Give it a good 3 weeks or so before it works. I RARELY eat sweets and I have absolutely no craving for them, either.

The best way that I control my addiction to sugar, sweets, sodas ..... is to NOT buy them. If they're not in the house, then I'm less likely to eat them.

It'll be tempting to buy them at the grocery store, but after you get over that "hump" and leave the store, when you are home you'll have no other choice. Drink a big glass of water, eat a few grapes or a sweet fruit to satisfy your sweet-craving. You'll be happy because you're saving money on cookies/ice cream. You'll also be happy because you won't be eating those empty calories.

Best of luck. Wish I had more about actually LOSING weight. I've still have an extra 10 lbs from my first pregnancy. Other than not-eating-so-much, I don't have much of a weight loss program to share with ya.

Weight Watchers online is what I would recommend. It's easy to stick with and although it is slow, it is steady. There is great support on the Weight Watcher website community forums.
Don't you do the shopping for your household? I would recommend not buying cookies or ice cream if they are a problem for you. It is helpful to learn to have those things in moderation, though...that is really what the WW program is all about.

I can't really give advice on a "diet" because I personally have never really been on one.

But I can say One thing I found that was great for getting back to shape after babies...
Use them as your exercise equipment. I'm totally serious....
Turn little things like picking them up into an exercise.
Or take them for LONG walks. that way you get the exercise too...

I agree with the other posters...I crave sugar the most when I'm tired or pms'ing. Getting enough sleep and having some Russell Stovers sugar free candy in the house helps. For some reason, if I eat just one (the pecan caramels are the best!) it usually curbs my craving and I don't even want another one. If I were to eat one milk dud though...I'd eat 50.

I am not sure about "sugar addiction" per say, but I have started Weight Watchers and love it. I always thought I could do it (weight loss) on my own, but it never happened. Now I have accountability and a very easy system for tracking what I eat and seeing the nutritional value of foods (or lack thereof). I have lost 9 pounds in about two months time and plan to continue the program for at least another 10-15 lbs. Good luck...

I did a cleanse... where I gave up sweets, wheat, dairy and meat. So pretty much just eating fruits, veggies and protein shakes. I too have a tendancy to carb addiction... not so much sugar but carbs. So after a couple weeks of the cleanse, I started tracking my food intake. I found I was eating about twice as many carbs and only about a third of the protein. Protein lasts longer too. I have lost 10-12 pounds and 15 inches in about 4 to 6 weeks. And I didn't feel that I needed to eat something before bed... and didn't have the unsatisfied feeling all day which drives me to eat carbs. Hope that helps. I can direct you to some resources if you want more info. Good luck!!

What has helped me (not cured me completely, but has helped greatly) is juicing & smoothies. I have either juice or a smoothie every morning & then after dinner also, if I find I"m craving sweet.

My favorites have been -
1) strawberry, blueberry, protein powder, flax smoothie
2) kale, apple, pear, celery, cucumber juice.
3) beet, carrot, ginger juice
4) kale, pear, banana smoothie

Having 1 or 2 of these a day has curbed my appetite, and decreased greatly how much ice cream I've been craving. I've lost 12 lbs in 5 weeks - and I don't feel deprived.

Good luck!
Mony

This may sound silly, but do you get enough sleep?

I ask because I *crave* sugar when I'm tired. Part of my weight loss plan was to try to force myself to go to bed earlier -- and it worked. I got more sleep, and it really helped cut back on those cravings.

Of course, I bet that's easier said than done with three kids!!!

Good luck. We're rooting for you!

I too lost all of my baby weight after both kids, then started to gain it back when I stopped nursing. The easiest way to loose weight really is calories in/calories out...good old diet & exercise. As for the sugar cravings, try chewing a sweet flavored gum. Good luck!

This might sound stupid, but I recently discovered that my chocolate craving feels a lot like my water craving. But when I think about the two things I always opt for the chocolate. I find that if I'm already fully hydrated I'm much less likely to "need" chocolate. in summary... drink a LOT of water.

I agree with all the o ther posters - once you get in the habit it is very hard to break - I do think the sugar is addictive. I am not a nutritionist, but I would bet you are low in your B vitamins...take a good multivitamin, and eat lots of whole grain brown rice, spinach and carrots, lots of leafy greens. These foods have lots of micronutrients which can balance out your system, so the cravings go away. I also take a probiotic which I find helps my sugar cravings. also, once I stop eating sugar, I find I don't want it any more, but once I start, it is very addictive.

Try changing your thinking - tell yourself that you won't spend the money (on the junk) tio make yourself fat. Give yourself other gifts - like drinking lots of water, joining a gym with childcare so you can workout regularly. weights can help, as can hiring a personal trainer (at least for the first month, to get you into a better routine).

Losing weight can be hard, find yourself a good support group or a good personal life coach who can help to hold you accountable to reaching your goals.

You can do this, but it will be challenging.
Good luck to you!
E.

Consider following an anti-candida yeast diet for a couple weeks. This means eliminating anything that feeds yeast in the gi tract: white sugar, white flour, dairy (except butter), fruit (especially melon), vinegar and other fermented foods (except apple cider vinegar), nitrates, msg, yeast, alcohol, chlorinated water, sugar sources like corn syrup, molasses, syrup, etc. Some items can be added in after about 10 days. Some things should not be reintroduced like corn syrup, nitrates and msg.

The first 3 days are the toughest, but I promise you that the cravings will disappear after that!

I ate chocolate thats right chocolate. Xocai chocolate is healthy to repair your body and help you loss weight. I have 5 kids and was a size 12 and had excepted that I would be that size and happy with that because I had had 5 kids and stretch alot. 2 years ago I found the chocolate through my aunt. I lost 30 lbs and 3 inches in a little over a year and have kept it off. Now they have come out with a protein shake with the chocolate in it for weight loss.
www.fortheluvofchocolate.com

Girl, check this out http://www.feedtheorphans.bodybyvi.com/
my hubby's friend lost 6 lb in the first week....it's pretty amazing!!!!!!!