I'm Addicted to Sugar

does treating the pcos with something like metformin help?

I find that raw baby carrots are a great way to satisfy my afternoon sugar/snack cravings.

Oh, also, i have found that if i eat a good, well-balance, but high protein meal early in the day cuts down on the cravings that i have later in the day.

Good luck!

Most of the responses you get are going to be far better than mine but...if you don't know the answer maybe someone else will and could help us both out. Years ago, and I'm thinking 15ish or so, I read a paperback Atkins diet book. It was yellow??? In that book he named 2 supplements to take if you crave sugar which I do, but did more so back then. I remember taking them and it worked and when I was done with the bottle not ever buying them again. My sugar cravings are much better unless I nap and then I NEED sugar as soon as I wake up. I wish I could remember what they were but if I find them I will send another reply. Good luck.

i've had some success a couple different ways. My caveat here, is that I'm not super well versed in PCOS/diabetes...so if some or any of these ideas are exactly what you're supposed to avoid, toss it out the window. :) Take what you like, leave the rest.

1) There's sugar in literally EVERYTHING (even wood, hah! at least we don't have to worry about wood), EXCEPT pure protein (like hair/finger nails) and pure fats (like oil). So one thing that I do when I'm eating, it to try and taste the different kinds and levels of sweetness/sugars. Is it a melt away kind (like you find in breads/crackers), is it combined with an sharp acid (strawberries/oranges), is it complex (mixed with lipids and complex proteins... like you find in meats and fish)? Is it one of a hundred others? I try to be reeeeeeaaally conscious of what I'm eating AS I'm eating it, texture, crispness, sweetness, flavor, scent, etc. It's a trick I learned modeling. When you turn eating into a sensual experience that you're using all your senses on, by nature, you tend to eat less. And when you're learning to revel in the sparkle, pop, snap, smoothness, crispness, bite, mellowness, meltyness (is that a word?), the "umph", the difference, and the complexity of different foods...you're learning to delight and revel in a NUMBER of different things. Quality starts to become waaaaay more important then quantity. And, at least for me, that ONE thing that I USED to crave before...gets a bunch of friends. Which is actually better... since i'm then also craving the x of something else, aside from the one thing I used to fixate on. And it lets you're body have more choices. For example, PMSing I used to only crave red meat, or salt. Now i'm equally likely to be craving spinach, or pho, or etc etc etc. When you give your body more options, it usually starts to take them.

2) High quality (like Callebaut, Guitard, etc.) dark chocolate. I make truffles, so I usually have some on hand. You can get a 1 lb block of 56 - 65 - 72% Callebaut for about 10 bucks at Whole Foods. And TRUST me, that percentage of chocolate IS dark chocolate. If you take a paring knife, and by ramming it into the top of the block by the edge, and you're literally breaking and snapping off slivers and chips that look like fractured bits of shale or flint... it's dark chocolate. Hershey's is only 11%-16% usually...they just make it more and more bitter....And the crappy 70, 80, 90 % stuff you buy in bars in the candy aisle, is typically terrible chocolate. The difference between canned peas (100% peas) and peas from you garden crisp and covered with dew (100% peas). There's a BIG difference in quality, texture, and taste. Anyhow... true dark chocolate "seals the palette" (aka, shuts of a lot of our hunger response). It also tastes fantastic. Try eating a sliver after every meal, of if you're craving sweets. Shutting down that "more more more" response is HUGE.

3) Use honey. Our bodies recognize the sugars found in honey, and have a natural shutoff valve. It's almost impossible to overindulge in honey. I've done it! But it makes you feel increasingly ill. Typically, most people can't handle more then a teaspoon or two if they're eating it regularly, or a couple tablespoons if it's a "treat".

Anyhow... I'm a hedonist. Whenever possible, I believe that rather then deny myself a harmful passion, to alter it so that it is no longer harmful. Because when I try and "cut something out" that i love, i grieve for it... long for it... and become obsessed by it. Rather then be miserable, I try (obviously) to find some way to balance & still be able to delight in it. Regardless of what it is. Harder, in many ways , but way more fun :)

Good luck!

"It is easier to exclude harmful passions than to rule them, and to deny them admittance than to control them after they have been admitted." - Seneca

I also have PCOS and pre-diabetes, and I've done a couple things that help. First, is keep a food diary and be honest in it. Track your meals, snacks, water and other beverages and every day add up the number of grams of carbs and sugars. See exactly what it is you are consuming since you probably don't exactly know.

Second, try to eat sugars/foods that have a lower glycemic index (fresh berries, whole grains, etc).

Third, wait to have any sugar until lunch time. Then it's not on a mostly empty stomach.

Another thing is - don't deny yourself something, just DELAY when you have it, and have 1/2 of what you would ordinarily have (and then if you can be happy with that, do half of that). Make cupcakes so you control portion size, or make mini-muffin sized cupcakes.

Do something active or keep your hands busy at times you would feel cravings (so you would be too busy to eat sugar).

If it still doesn't work, find out if your Dr. can refer you to a nutritional consultant or diabetes support group.

I tried the low carb/Atkins thing, but it was really hard to fix separate food for the rest of the family and couldn't really stick to it when we were on vacation. I haven't been able to lose weight - but I haven't gained either, but my tummy keeps getting fatter. It's very frustrating.

I found that when I increase my B-complex, my sugar cravings almost completely disappear. I take a really good high quality B-complex, made from really pure food sources (not synthetic) and it works like a charm. Also it decreases my PMS symptoms too! I think every woman should know about the power of B!

If you're interested, I'll tell you what kind I have and how much I take.

I'm a bit of a sugar fiend myself so I can tell you I found out when I was pregnant that when you crave sugar it's because you need protein. Eat meat, beans, nuts, cheese, tofu, etc. first. Another benefit is even if you eat sugar anyway, the protein slows down the sugar metabolism and prevents the deadly sugar spike that's so bad for diabetes and energy crashes. Also, I can't tell you how to quit sugar, but I can tell you that peanut M & M's have one of the lowest glycemic indexes for candies because of the combination of protein (nuts) with the sugar. Also have nuts with your pastries. Trader Joe's sells dark chocolate covered edamame (soybeans) which is out of this world and dark chocolate is less sugary than regular I think.

Also, summer is coming up and if you can afford to indulge in fruit, it is WAY healthier than processed sugars and you don't get empty calories! Many fruits are coming into season and more affordable than the rest of the year like grapes, watermelon, mangos (which have many of the same nutrients as vegetables if you don't like veggies either!), strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, plums, peaches, kumquats, kiwis, etc. can get you out of the apple-orange-banana doldrums. I discovered the nirvana of fruit in the good old-fashioned fruit salad with this combo: grapes, apples, bananas, watermelon. Try it -- it tastes like nothing you will have remembered! I can't believe something so simple tasted way better than the sum of its parts! But you have to use those exact ingredients to get that particular taste and if you use an organic watermelon it will be triply better tasting.

Bottom line is I find that if you *don't* try to deprive yourself of what you crave, and in fact, if you can find healthier ways to indulge it as often as possible, the urgency of the cravings is not so bad because of the "forbidden fruit" effect. Good luck!

I have had the same problem. I have also found that if you even think about trying to go back and eat a bit of sugar then you just want it more. I would suggest a low gylcemic diet. In case you are interested we do have classes her in Oregon. My business partner and I teach these classes. There is no obligation to go but you can call her to sign up for an overview of the classes. There are a lot of options. We also have a website membership that you can sign up for that is only $9.95 a month. It is great because you can track your progress and there is no calorie counting. It does result in weght loss, decreased BMI and loss in inches. In the classes you will go through a cleanse in the first week. We also have supplements that can help with stablizing your blood sugar levels. If you are interested give me a call ###-###-####. I will help you in whatever way I can as I have been overweight with a lot of medical problem and this does work. C.

You need to read "The 30 Day Diabetes Miracle Diet" to understand what is going on in your body. It is an excellent book for anyone, not just diabetics. It is about changing to a vegatarian diet which we did for a week but now have brought meat back into our diet but in much smaller portions and have increased our fiber intake by a ton. Anyway it really explains how releasing insulin all of the time can cause problems in your body and how the standard "eat 6 small meals a day" that all doctors says is not good advice if you are diabetic/pre-diabetic and have belly fat (it makes those worse). If you must use a sweetner in coffee or tea then use stevia/truvia and use fructose for baking not sucrose because it is easier on your body. Not High fructose corn syrup just fructose, you can get it at Fred Meyer in the bulk section. My husband and I both felt better while eating this way, he is diabetic and a simple carb addict and he did not have cravings for anything. The biggest habit I A. getting him to break is not having a snack after every meal, he is so used to that. Good luck to you, oh and for the PCOS, make sure you are getting enough zinc and magnesium, they sell it as a supplement. Make a change now in your diet before permanent damage occurs and you go down the road of losing pieces and parts of your body due to a high sugar diet. Kidney failure, blindness, loss of feet/hands. My husband has lost his gall-bladder and his vision gets fuzzy when he has eaten too much sugar and he is on 7 insulin shots a days and other pills for his diabetes, don't go down that road, I have been told a long time ago that I will be a single parent if he doesn't change.

You know, it is so hard, I A. right there with you, but there are good substitutes for sugary foods, that help with that craving, like natural sugars (fruits), and dried fruits. You just need to find some things you like and start substituting them. I have found that I eat less sweet things this way, cause I don't crave the fruits like I craved the sweets. Sugar is an addictive thing....sugar actually is proven to make you want more of it...so it is hard to eat just a little bit...kinda like any other addictive thing! If you struggle with it, you need to cut it out completely. I have done it, it is possible. When feeling that craving, drink tons of water in place of your sweets. You need to develop a new habit. You can do it!

You’ve gotten some really great advice! I also have an ongoing struggle with sugar. I overcame it earlier in my life by sheer willpower, which took about a YEAR of nothing sweetened with sugar, before I didn’t have strong urges. A few times I backslid, and at those times I found a supplement called Chroma-Slim, which I think was heavy on Chromium Picolinate and the amino acids, and it was pretty amazing; completely wiped out the urge to scarf cookies. It proved to me that I was also struggling with some kind of imbalance that was not being met by my diet.

I’ve tried different “eating plans” over the years, and the one I’m doing now I have to say works very well for me. Basically you start out with 7 days of Atkins style, low carb (less than 40 g . a day). This was a struggle, but I made it. Then, you change to 2 days low carb, 1 day high (complex) carb (over 80 g./day), then 3 days low carb, 1 day high carb. I.e. High carbs on Tuesday and Saturday, low carbs all other days. But you always have a high protein breakfast. It took a month or so to get the hang of it, but it’s natural now. I just eat lots of veggies with protein and skip the rice/carbs on low carb days, and eat all the carbs I want in the afternoon and evenings on high carb days. The plan comes from a book called Natural Hormonal Enhancement, and it’s a bit of a wacky read, but he’s got a lot of studies to back him up. And if you look at cultures that are naturally slender, they just eat tons of vegetables compared to us. Also I read that in Japan, kids are taught in school to eat 30 different foods a day, and 100 different foods a week. I try to keep this in mind when I look at what I’m eating.

Also I would really second the recommendation to look into acupuncture and Chinese herbs. A long lineage Chinese doctor can do amazing things for you. But take the crude herbs! Not the pills. If you’re in Seattle, try at Pacific Herb and Grocery for herbs, and/or Dr. Xue Zhi Wang for acupuncture (or ask Dr. at Pac. Herb for an acupuncturist), In Portland, I go to Dr. Wei Li, who really has made a huge difference in my life in the last 4 months. These doctors will probably help a lot with the PCOS, that is the type of health issue that responds well to Traditional Chinese Medicine. It's a very complex practice, and though I like naturopaths, I just haven't seen the impact of going through one that I have with the TCM.

I wish you the best, and congratulate you on taking charge of your sugar problem! I wish my husband would, the fallout from the addiction makes us all miserable!

You've gotten a lot of responses, but I'll still put in my two cents. As somewhat who also has PCOS and has struggled a lot in the passed with sugar/carb cravings, I will tell you that the only thing that has worked for me is increasing my consumption of healthy fats (organic butter, olive oil, coconut oil) This may sound extreme, but I have found from experience that when I eat a diet with plenty of high quality food and fat, my sugar cravings diminish significantly. I also eat plenty of eggs, cheese and drink raw milk. Oh, I also take cod liver oil. It's amazing--I don't feel deprived and I can eat sweets now in small, reasonable amounts. Remember, there is a Physical reason that you are so out of control with sugar. Beating it by willpower only is almost impossible. Feel free to contact me if you want any more tips/resources

I've found that watered down cranberry juice helps cut my craving for sugar. But do not use the cranberry juice cocktails with sugar or other juices in it. Also, eating grapefruit or drinking the watered down juice helps a bit.

First get into a support group that you can meet with every week. In addition to that, see a counselor every week (maybe he/she can recommend one for you. You need support to conquer this problem, and at this stage you need it frequently. Look on the internet to find a support group near you.

When I got off the salt habit it took me three weeks to stop craving it. I don't know if this will happen with sugar, you might have to battle it your whole life long, but with support and knowledge you can do it.

I have the same exact problem!!! I just eat it though....

I don't know where you live, but Forest Park in Everett has a sugar hypnosis "class" that I've been tempted to try... Good luck!

I also love sugar! And I will do the same thing to find it and eat it, even if it's not in my house. So I guess that makes me an addict. What I have done to decrease it's draw for me is to switch to drinking tea with agave nectar. It's very sweet, and has the same calories as sugar, but a different glycemic index. This means it does not raise your blood sugar levels and then drop them abruptly so that you crave the sugar again. I thought this was nuts until I tried it - it's true for me. I stopped craving a lot of sugar when I started this habit. It meant I stopped drinking fattening coffee drinks with sugar added too, it dropped my craving a great deal! Therefore, I was breaking the vicious circle of "have some, need more".

I also discovered that often when I A. hungry, I need protein and complex carbs rather than simple carbs. So I have switched to eating things like a can of tuna for lunch with some green salad. Or a scrambled egg with some veggies mixed in. Amazingly, I don't even crave salad dressing any more - which has oftentimes a large amount of sugar in it. I A. so full and satisfied after this, it's great! And no crazy sugar cravings an hour or two later. Once you start the cycle of more protein, less simple carbs, you will find that you will eat more beans, veggies, and actually crave those. I have yet to crave meat, but I do like it (no vegetarian here). I have even tried tofu and enjoy it!

The other thing is that I need to eat smaller, more frequent meals. Or have a snack at the ready for when I get hungry. Usually a cheese stick will do it.

If I do pick up a slice of bread, though - it's all over for me. I start the bad cycle of sugar cravings again.

Good luck to you!

I have myself cut down on my sugar intake with the help of reframing and stress management. I find my worst craving times are wonder I'm under a severe stress load and if I avoid eating candy, cakes, ice cream and anything desert related I do just fine. I allow myself to have yogurt and fruit when I A. craving something sweet and I eat a fruit around 4 pm when the sugar craving strikes it really helps keep my sugar addiction in check. I find that it's very challenging to conquer all or nothing thinking but you must do it. The best way for me to deal with the sugar addiction is to avoid desert foods whenever I have them I crave them the entire next day. I still crave sweets allot of the time but it's easier to deal with the cravings and I eat something rich in protein when I A. craving them. I've found that a high fat cheese or lean meats work best. i.e. snack on some grilled chicken. Allot of foods have fat removed but in doing that they add unnecessary sugar which is really what makes people fat and addicted. My mood swings and my level of energy level out when I do not eat deserts and I find I'm better able to enjoy life. It also helps to go for a jog or a bike ride when I'm craving something sweet, and sad to say it but surround yourself with like minded people who will support you. I still have waffles with whip cream and syrup and fruit but I've found out my triggers which are deserts and chocolate, they lead to a binge. I A. not overweight but I A. not at my ideal weight for an athlete and I A. working on running again, every extra five lbs above ideal weight equals 40 additional lbs of pressure on your joints I'm at 147 I should be around 144 so thats 120 additional pounds of pressure on my joints.
Yesterday I had an incident at church where a new person was taunting me with a cookie and it was night time and everyone else was eating them. I think he was trying to flirt like a little boy pulling a little girls pig tales I tried to avoid him I shook my head I said no but he kept taunting me. I should have walked away but he was shaking the open bag in my face under my nose and I snapped and said I will punch you in the face. I stared and him he didn't look away I had to get up and walk away because like any other addiction how strong your will is will be tested. It was a positive experience because that night I went home and I ate a banana instead of my usual sweet yogurt and I went to bed. Working on your own free will and determination is good. Often times it's changing your own personal habits, for me I eat sweets at night infront of the tv so by staying away from the tv most nights I A. able to decrease the cravings. I'm still working on the best stress management for me and I do get moody if I have more than 2 sweets in a few days because I want it more. I wish you the best of luck.

Hi, I sympathize with what you are going through. I also have two kids from 06 and 08 and I struggled to get back in shape as I teach yoga and felt pressure to get back fast. I really battled with sugar after my second babe was born but waht I found personally was that when I got myself and my kids on a schedule that included good sleep at night,daily excersize, regular mealtimes and tons of protein, my cravings lessoned. I still like sugar and have it a couple of times a week but I don't always feel like I have to have it. Good luck!

I too A. this way. I love chocolate and cookies and brownies. I also have to watch myself and A. tested for diabetes 2 a year. Because of my habits, my children love sweets and that is not good. I tried not having them in the house but it doesn't seem to work. But what I have found to work is a vitamin supplement that I have been taking for about 6 months now. I don't crave all the sugar, I feel better and eat better when I take them. On days that I don't I eat sugar like crazy and feel tired. The company also sells Determints that help to stop cravings for things such as sugar. I have tried them and they work. I didn't want to eat chocolate or sweets for 2 days after the last time I took them. So if you would like more info you can check out our website at www.inertia.myvi.net.

I have had the same problem my whole life and have pretty much failed every diet out there because of the sugar-cravings. A couple things that have been successful for me:

Arbonne has the Figure 8 Weight Loss program. Their protien shakes are great to start your day out. The recommendation is to mix the powder with water. This can be used as a meal replacement. I actually add some extra calories but it tricks my sweet tooth and keeps me satisfied. I mix the vanilla shake with a cup of non-fat milk, a banana and frozen berries and blend up a smoothie. I'm very happy to start my day with a strawberry/banana shake but this one is high-protien, low carbohydrate ans tastes great. It keeps me satisfied as well as stabalizes my glycemic index so I'm not going through the day on a roller coaster (eating carbs for breakfast-energy level up-crashing as the sugar leaves my system-craving and eating more sugar-then continuing that cycle all day long). For lunch, I take another protein shake or eat a salad and then eat a healthy dinner. The shakes come in vanilla and chocolate and you can add a number of thigs to them to keep it exciting while maintaining a healthy meal replacement. The line also has a fiber supplement that is tastless and odorless that can be added to anything. I put mine in my morning shake. There are also protien chews that can be used to satisfy your sweet tooth during the day.

In regards to a cleansing product, Arbonne has the SeaSource Detox Spa. While the majority of the line is set up to maximize your skin's ability to detox, there is a 7-day oral detox that can be taken once a month. While the recommendation is you eat healthy during the cleanse, you CAN eat. It does not require fastig.

For more info on these products you can go to my webpage at www.nursekerry.myarbonne.com.

Also, if you're interested in an acai berry supplement, Monavie has a great product available.

I A. wondering if you have more yeast in your system than you should. Cleansing herbs would be Chili powder, cyan pepper, paprika..start using them in all the things you cook at least to some degree. Then, for a little while at least, try eating something like yogurt when you get the urge to eat sweets....whatever kind you want..but vanilla is best..and not only that its lower calorie too. I suggest it because your cravings should go down. If you aren't diabetic yet, monitor your blood sugars...but start eating a lot of cinnamon, ginger, blue berries (especially blueberries!). They help with higher blood sugars.

I found The Diet Cure by Julia Ross very helpful for my sugar addiction. She discusses why the body has food cravings and recommends supplements to help. I was a sugar addict, I craved things like jelly beans and horrible, sugary candy and pop. After reading her book and taking l-glutamine, I realized that my brain was craving the sugar and not necessarily my body. I no longer crave sugar and A. even a bit repelled by it at times.

Well, I have diabetic parents...so we've had to learn how to eat less sugar, but to also eat it in a more healthy way. It is true that you should always pair a sugar with a protein. It binds up your system and slows down the sugar release in your body so that you don't have that sugar crash that just makes you crave more sugar. Also, you should grab a piece of sweet fruit, more and more often. The more natural, unprocessed sugars that you get will help to kick your reliance on candies and sweets. Finally, my best idea would be to replace your real sugar with an artificial sweetener, like Splenda. I have had ONLY Splenda in my house for years, and I don't miss sugar one bit. I've even found some GREAT sugar-free recipes to replace the sugar-loaded ones. Just try googling some alternate ideas to replace the sugary treats with a sweet substitute. I wish you luck. Just remember, this isn't a temporary solution, but a lifetime commitment to the health of you and your family.

I had the same problem, complicated by hypoglycemia and hypothyroid (not a great combo). I learned about shook called "dr. Gundrys diet evolution" and have been following his suggestions pretty much to the letter. I still allow myself a bit if dark chocolate each day, but for the most part I neither crave nor want sugar or even white carbs during the day. It's a solution that has worked for me. Good luck!

Have you tried using a sugar substitute like Stevia or Splenda?

I have been there (and I get little flashbacks when my period is due!)
When your body craves sugar, it really wants protein (energy) but sugar is the quick fix.

1.Get all the sugar out of the house-snacks, drinks, sweet cereals, etc. Don't rely on sheer will power. Healthy eating should be a family affair.
2.Have some healthy protien at the ready-jerky, lunch meat, nuts, cheese, yogurt.
3 Drink LOTS of water. It is so good for you in everyway and will flush the toxins out and help you feel full.
4.chew sugarless gum whenever the craving hits.
5 eat freshly grown fruits and veggies. This was the biggest help for me. Freshly harvested produce is quite sweet and will help fill that void. Consider gardening or shopping at a farmers market.

It will be tough for a few days, but once it is out of your system it gets easier. I find that the more I eat the more I crave, so I just don't start.

Good luck
Jennifer

I quit sugar for 10 years as I'm hypoglycemic and not supposed to eat it as it could lead to diabetes later on in life... I A. currently pregnant but intend to kick the habit again afterward. I can tell you it's really, really difficult. But one of the things that helped me was to get a load of sugar-free candies/chocolates and cut back from there. It takes about two weeks for your body to stop craving the sugar, so it will be hard at first, but if you have the sugar-free stuff it's easier. Also, cut juices down and only drink ones that are 100 per cent juice (a lot of them have glucose-fructose added) and that helps, too. Try to stay away from simple carbs such as white bread, rice, etc. while you're trying to get rid of the cravings as well. Switch to whole-wheat pasta, bread, etc. I quit cold turkey, but with the aid of sugar-free chocolate. This helped and after a few days I even stoppped eating that as it just doesn't have the same effect as sugar, though you fool your taste buds and cravings into thinking it does! Baskin and Robbins have sugar-free ice cream, too, if that's your thing. But there are lots of sugar-free alternatives out there, albeit not as tasty, but helpful when you really, really need something sweet and your body won't get addicted to them. Good luck!!

Hi A. D,
I, too, A. addicted to sugar and stuggled with it my whole life. The one and only cure for me was acupuncture! The treatment completely cured me of my cravings and I now have full control over when and how much sugar I eat. There are no side effects like quitting cold turkey, no headaches, mood swings, nothing! My acupuncturist is located in Ballard, but she's worth the drive. The website is www.sujinacupunctureherb.com.

Best of luck to you!
Peace,
L.

When I was pg with my 4th child I craved sugar. I did the south beach diet and it really curb my craving. Good Luck!

Green smoothies have really helped me. Here are two blogs that give me good ideas for them:

http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/

http://www.lazyorganizer.com/blog/?p=3363

Eat better, and have good snacks on hand (nuts, fruits) so that you are not tempted to make cookies every day. Drink a lot of water. Many times our bodies are thirsty when we get "snacky".

Decide what you want to be. :)

I have quit 'sugar' a few times. It does get easier after 2 weeks. What I have found is that it is easier if you don't use other sweeteners instead. Just eliminate sweets completely. If it is sweet, don't eat it. Then, if you still feel the need for sweets after a few weeks, at least, add some stevia to your foods and drinks. This is what I use
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B001E5E3JY/...

Artificial sweeteners can be very bad for you. I wouldn't even use the stevia at first though, because you want to retrain your taste buds to not want sweets. After 3-4 weeks you can add in fruit also. You can make some yummy stuff without sugar. Take a banana, peel it and put in the freezer. Blend frozen banana with carob or cocoa powder. You can add plain yogurt if you want and maybe a little milk if you need liquid. It tastes like ice cream.

Keep a can of your favorite nuts, I like almonds, in the car so that you can snack on that when you feel starved and are tempted to eat junk.

Get all junk out of the house. Don't buy it, don't bring it in the house, don't even go down the aisle at the store if you don't really need something down there. Buy unsweetened cereal, like cheerios, shredded wheat, puffed wheat or puffed rice.

First off, don't beat yourself up, sugar is more addicting than heroine and kicking it is a lot of effort, just a drug. But yes it can be done. The real issue is not just sugar however, it is insulin. Insulin makes you crave more sugar, it also makes your body store it as fat, then to top it off, it keeps your body from releasing the fat by telling it to store it. So the real issue is to reduce your insulin! And the only way to do that, is to stop eating grain, all sugars, even natural ones, so fruit is also going to trigger more sugar craving. If you truly want to break your sugar habit, you have to eat like you are allergic to wheat, and wheat is in everything! I discovered during my last pregnancy, that I was diabetic, and it didn't go away after I had the baby. Through the help of my naturopath, I discovered I was allergic to wheat and dairy, and this was what was making me diabetic, because when you eat something you are allergic to, the first thing that gets attacked is your pancreas.

Now it sounds like you have a family history of diabetes, and the fact that you had gestational diabetes pretty much means you are going to get it, period. But the good news is, diabetes is completely curable with diet and exercise. Now most medical doctors aren't going to know this and may disagree. But I A. a living testament that it is, as are many others. This just goes to show, doctors are only as good as the education they receive. And doctors don't know squat about health and nutrition. They are offered one optional class in it during medical school, that's it. So the first thing I would do, is have your insulin measured. It is a simple blood test. If your insulin is very low, you are type 1, if it is very high, you are type 2. If it is normal, it is probably just a matter of time. Don't confuse the insulin test with the blood sugar test. Different tests and the insulin is a much more accurate test of what is going on.

Actually the very first thing I would do is find a good naturopathic doctor if you can. They know much more about health and nutrition than a conventional doctor. Find out if you are allergic to wheat and dairy, those are the two big ones. You can do this on your own without seeing an allergist by taking your insulin reading, cutting wheat and dairy out of your diet for 2 or 3 months, than taking it again. A conventional doctor will just take your blood sugar and act off of that, which is usually putting you on some drug that only masks your symptoms and makes things worse in the long run, because that is what they have been trained to do.

But back to what you can do with your diet to help your sugar craving. Eat only meat and vegetables, period. And there are a few vegetables that are really starches, so you have to cut them out as well. Corn is one, potatoes are a big one, and any root vegetables, beets carrots, etc. Basically if it grows above the ground, it isn't starchy, except corn, which is really a grain.

And remember, fruit is a sugar. If it is sweet at all, it will produce insulin. I found small ways to cheat a little. I drink licorice tea, which has a sweet aftertaste. Also avoid artificial sugars like the plague, they are worse for you than the insulin. I have a lot of resources I can give you to research these if you like. A great one is www.mercola.com and research diabetes. He has a great book I recommend his book, the no grain diet as well. It will greatly help you in your quest for meal ideas that fit into your needs. Remember ALL grain will raise your insulin. And despite heavy lobbying by that industry that tells us we need to eat it, we don't at all. We can get all of our needed carbohydrates from vegetables.

There are also certain meats you should avoid, processed and hormoned meates, which is basically all beef, ham, bacon, beef jerky, anything that comes in a package. I get my beef from a local farmer half a side at a time, and I can give you his info if you are in the bellingham area. If not, call a meat cutter, and they usually have names and numbers of local farmers and start calling around to find out who has grass fed beef. Now this is important, the grass feeding. If they grain feed or grain finish, than the insulin is in the meat itself, and the omega 3 is greatly reduced. You want grass fed beef only. And hams and bacons, unless you can find it uncured (they have this at the food co-op) or do the same thing with a pig, find a local farmer through a meat cutter, and make your own by brining it yourself in salt and smoking it yourself. If you let the meat cutter brine it, it will have the nitrates in it and this is the same as the store.

The other issue is of course vegetables all have herbicides and insecticides. Eat organic if and when you can. You will be saving money on the meat to make up for the extra expense of the vegetables.

The toughest meal for me is breakfast because Americans have completely carbed breakfast. I eat leftover meat and salad from the night before, most of the time. Lunch is leftovers whenever I can, or make hamburger patties or nitrate free sausage patties.

Now I know this sounds so completely different from anything you have heard or read, but insulin is so addicting. When you lower your insulin, believe it or not, your sugar craving WILL go away. Will power starts at the store. Now you have kids, so they eat a lot of carbs. That is a tough one for me too. But learning to separate my diet from my kids is an ongoing battle for me.

The good news is exercise! Exercising burns insulin! So if you slip and eat something you aren't supposed to, get on that treadmill or get outside and walk or bike or whatever you can to burn it off, before it triggers your sugar craving. Soon you will find things that you couldn't resist before, completely unappealing. I know it sounds impossible, but it really isn't. Anything sweet I eat now tastes sickeningly sweet. There is one sweetener on the market called stevia which comes from a chinese plant and has been used for centuries called Stevia. You can grow it, or get it in powdered form. I found it at Trader Joes. This is the ONLY sweetener that won't raise your insulin (much) but you have to use it in moderation too.

I know that excluding fruit from your diet doesn't sound healthy, but really, you can get all the vitamins and antioxidants you need from vegetables. Leafy greens are a powerhouse of them. We eat a salad with every dinner. And cooking vegetables kills the vitamins and enzymes and antioxidants from vegetables. So the most efficient way to get all my veggies raw, is in a huge salad with all different kinds of vegetables mixed in. The top it with a single chopped up piece of fruit and different varieties of nuts to make it yummy. Nuts are your friend. They are protein filled and most (peanuts are a grain not a legume) are low in carbs. Cashews are more starchy than other nuts too. But everyone loves and raves about my salads. They are so choc full of different veggies, you don't even know you are getting a days supply of veggies in one salad. Then I have some left over salad with a left over steak or hamburger or pork chop or chicken for breakfast. Humans are the the only animals that eat different foods for different meals. It is all conditioning and can be reprogrammed.

Well I hope something I told you rings true and helps. The website I gave you is full of all of this information too so at the very least, I hope you research some of it. good luck and good health to you.

T.