I am EXTREMELLY resistant to giving up sugar

[gabbyraja]

Argh! I really, really, really like sugar! I don't want to give it up. Yeah, yeah, honey, maples syrup, whatever. They don't taste the same. I know it will help my health. I know I'm acting like an addict. I don't seem to care enough. I can cut back, but not give it up. Why? What can make me change?

I think food should be good and eating should make me happy. And I already feel so deprived because I can eat literally a handful of foods while I'm nursing. Like, base ingredients, no herbs and spices and flavors; just plain chicken, beef, barley, wheat, sea salt, cane sugar, enjoy life chocolate, palm oil, a few veggies and apples. That's it, so far. So, maybe that's why I'm so resistant... But even when I'm not nursing I want NOTHING to do with quitting.

I have trouble with recurrent yeast, I have many fillings, and I've always been at least a little overweight. I do not, however, have any markers for diabetes/prediabetes. What else do I need  to make me realize sugar is bad? Or, how bad is it "in moderation"?

I've tried agave and it's good as a corn syrup sub. But then I read that, while it doesn't feed yeast, it's not good, either. I use xylitol, but it doesn't have the cooking properties of sugar (couldn't make "candy" with it, for instance) and the taste isn't quite right. And don;t even get me started on the taste of stevia.

So, I guess this just turned into a whining thread, but if anybody can talk me out of my love of sugar, please give it a shot... Or if someone is here to tell me that it's not really that bad, go for it!

[CrunchyChristianMama]

What are you using sugar in that you are having a hard time giving up?  Do you love to bake?  In your coffee?  I think that makes a big difference as far as how to handle giving it up and how often to allow yourself a treat.

There are some really yummy desserts made with natural sweeteners instead of cane sugar.  You just have to hunt for the right recipe.  I've also found if I use 1/2 honey 1/2 maple syrup instead of all of one, it tastes more like sugar and less like honey or maple syrup. 

[babygrant]

I'm in the exact same position as you.  I have a yeast infection every single month before my period and I've tried so hard to give up sugar but I will admit...I am a sugar addict.  I have a $20.00 yeast pill sitting on my fridge that I still haven't taken because I don't want to waste it.  Stupid to take a yeast infection pill when I'm still feeding the yeast with my eating habits.  My big thing is tea.  I love tea with cream and sugar.  I wasn't drinking it when I had my gallbladder still because I couldn't have the cream and I hate tea without cream.  But now that my gallbladder is out and I'm having no problems with fat, I'm drinking 3, 4, 5, sometimes 6 cups of tea with 2 tsp of sugar in each cup.  ACK!  I'm going to lurk on this thread.

[Annie Mac]

Oh, it is so an addiction. The only way I've had any success in quitting is by not having ANY sugary items in the house. I go through the cravings, but can't give in because there's nothing to satiate. For me, it's chocolate. And it makes me feel crappy. I still eat it. In fact, I've eaten a bunch already today (after telling myself yesterday that tomorrow I won't have any). I do worry about its effect on my overall health. 

[kristinb]

I can't give it up either...even though I totally want to.  I'm completely addicted.  I *LOVE* chocolate.  Chocolate anything.  Oh, and chocolate and a coke?  Bliss!  Ugh.  I *know* it's bad for me but I'm having the hardest time quitting.  I'm even having a hard time cutting back.  Gosh, sorry for whining on your thread!   I'll be subbing to see what kind of replies you get.

[DevaMajka]

I read (or heard on Dr. Oz) that people used to consume 15g of sugar per day (it could have been 30, maybe). Now, we consume 90g!
I find it easiest to give myself a 15g/day limit on "junk sugar" (wouldn't include fruit, a reasonable amount of cereal, etc).
I did this with my 6yo who had a major sweet tooth. There were a few times I let him go over, and that day he'd beg, whine, and cry for more sugar. ANY kind of sugar. When we stick to his limit, he's pefectly fine when we say "no more." For him, I think we found a limit that works for him. He now goes days without asking for or thinking about candy. (before, it was like he needed it)

Maybe it would be best if you totally cut out sugar, but it still would be beneficial to limit it. It would make sense to me that decreasing your sugar intake could help with your yeast problems. You could even wean yourself if starting at 15g seems daunting.

Oh, 4g=1tsp of sugar

[Ravenlunatic]

I think the reality is is that a great many people are addicted to sugar.  And it probably causes more health care costs than smoking and kills more people each year than anything else, but it is just too hard to trace it back to sugar.

I think if you have issues with sugar and your health (yeast overgrowth being the main symptom of your addiction now) you will continue down that road and slowly but surely just become more unhealthy.

How old are you? 

I think that overeating sugar leads to so many ailments; arthritis, fatigue, migraines, pms, emotional upset, diabetes, adrenal fatigue.... and on and on and on... can be traced back to overeating sugar.

And actually, although refined sugar is what we are speaking of being the main culprit here, the reality is all foods that are ingested and processed in the body like sugar (pasta, bread, etc.) are all part of the big problem in our standard american diet.

If you don't address your problems now, you will just as soon as you get sick enough.

I don't mean to sound mean... you asked for it.

I have been free from sugar for 10 months now and it has to be all or nothing for me... sometimes it's hard, sometimes easy, totally worth it.

[Anna06]

I'm always reading these "sugar blues" threads, and I never seem to master my addiction.  I just ate 2 cookies, out of the oven, but anyway.  And an apple.

To those of you out there that are sugar free (Ravenlunatic) how in the heck did you do it??  I'm fighting menopause, and the sugar monster I need some tips.

TIA

[tanyalynn]

I do better staying away from sugar when I've got plenty of fatty and high protein snacks around.  Grabbing, say, a drumstick or a meatball as a snack (more similar to a meatloaf recipe that I bake into spheres), helps a lot, and having some sweets around made with lots of coconut/coconut oil and some honey helps the sweet part--I know that could be too similar for some people but it seems ok for me as long as I practice moderation.

I think the other thing that helps (but I still have to work at it, and sometimes I just decide it's not worth the effort for a while) is avoiding the foods I'm intolerant of.  I had a lot more food cravings (in an unhealthy sense) when I was eating gluten and dairy.  Without them, it's a lot more doable for me to listen to what my body actually needs.  It can be other foods for other people, but gluten and dairy are certainly commonly problematic. 

Good luck.

[Anna06]

Thanks for sharing tanyalynn,  I'm really struggling.  I guess chicken broth for a snack would be good?

I did give up gluten about a month ago, because of migraines.  And so far it is working!  Plus my digestion is much better without gluten.

I have not given up dairy.  Do you feel limited without gluten or dairy?

What do you make with coconut/coconut oil?

So this is hard to do low fat?

And of course 'Tis the most wonderful time of the Year'  all those gosh darn good cookies

Edited by Anna06 - 12/13/10 at 7:17am

[MaryMarg]

Another sugar junkie here.  I am much improved than, say, years ago when candy and Little Debbie snacks ruled my diet, but still drink too much sugar in coffee and crave, crave, CRAVE sugar after dinner.  I do have chocolate stashed in my pantry.  Don't have to eat a ton, but I know what you're going through.  So I try baby steps, like if I'm having sugar in coffee, don't put maple syrup on my pancakes (although I know at least the syrup would have more nutritive value!).  Also have learned that baked goods need lots less sugar than they really call for.  For Christmas I asked for a book called Suicide by Sugar by Nancy Appleton.  Here's a link to her website.  http://nancyappleton.com/  I honestly have NO IDEA if this is a good book/blog or not, but I have found that by educating myself, I am more successful in changing bad habits with food.  Reading more and more info really helped me decrease fat intake, eat more veggies, decrease/elim meat, etc etc etc.  I'll let you know how the book is and hopefully the site might give you more info to keep fueling your brain with.  [Incidentally, I'm a fan of Dr. Andrew Weil and he wrote an old book about addiction--Chocolate to Morphine--Everything you need to know about mind-altering drugs.  My library doesn't carry it but I think this would give a good perspective, too.]  You're not alone and you CAN do it! 

[utahmama]

I'm eating chocolate covered cinnamon bears as I'm reading this.  I'm so addicted to sugar I compare it to a heroin addiction (although I've never actually been addicted to heroin...or even tried it...anyway!).  I have major, MAJOR candida problems and have tried going sugar free.  It's horrible.  I know so many of my health problems would be resolved if I could do it.  I seriously need help and will be anxiously watching this thread and hoping someone can give some suggestions.  Thanks for posting this!

[geekgolightly]

I went primal at the beginning of this year (so about a year ago now) and I was (and am!) a HARDCORE sugar addict.

The only way I was able to do it was by realizing how much I needed to try this. I am obese and everything else I tried had failed, and I was about ready to get my stomach cut up. I read Good Calories Bad Calories and decided to give up grains and sugar as a last resort. A final thing to try before I went under the knife.

It was worth it. I went through two weeks of a weird hazy sort of detox, wherein I was OBSESSED with the idea of desserts candy cookies ice cream and especially cakes. I cried to my husband about how I just wanted some cake. i literally came to him sobbing about this. But after two weeks, it eased up and I started getting real satisfaction from the foods I was eating. I highly recommend following the primal thread in the Traditional Foods forum here. They really supported me through something that could have easily been derailed.

I am pregnant now, so have been very lax about carbs/sugar, but I have gotten so much relief from going wheat free that I maintain that which has helped me to keep my addiction under control. I am not the same woman I was before (lost 30 pounds before getting pregnant as a bonus!) and I am so so grateful for the change in how I approach food. I still have addictive tendencies and have gone bonkers a couple times, but I am 20 weeks pregnant and haven't gained any weight (without dieting!) and am eating good foods that I enjoy that aren't carb loaded.

I don't know what it would be like to attempt to stop sugar without also stopping grains. I think that any carb is a trigger for the first while of doing this. But other people may have different trigger points.

[geekgolightly]

Originally Posted by utahmama 

I'm eating chocolate covered cinnamon bears as I'm reading this.  I'm so addicted to sugar I compare it to a heroin addiction (although I've never actually been addicted to heroin...or even tried it...anyway!).  I have major, MAJOR candida problems and have tried going sugar free.  It's horrible.  I know so many of my health problems would be resolved if I could do it.  I seriously need help and will be anxiously watching this thread and hoping someone can give some suggestions.  Thanks for posting this!

I *was* a heroin addict (early 20's Kurt Cobain era dumb prolonged adolescence) and my sugar addiction was worse. It's on par with tobacco addiction. Sugar addiction is actually the hardest thing I have ever had to contend with. I call it my final addiction.

[A&A]

A good book is Lick the Sugar Habit

[Annie Mac]

Originally Posted by geekgolightly 

I don't know what it would be like to attempt to stop sugar without also stopping grains. I think that any carb is a trigger for the first while of doing this. But other people may have different trigger points.

Well, inspired by this thread, I had 3 days of no sugar, but then I had an oatmeal muffin and all bets were off. What IS the relationship between wheat and sugar anyway? Because I have, like you, noticed a real relationship between the two. For me, it's not any grain, it's wheat. Very specifically, white flour. Whole wheat stuff is not as bad, and the flour free breads (like Ezekiel) are even better. But if I'm craving sugar, sometimes I'm happy with a few slices of white toast; other times, though (more often, actually), the white toast seems to kick up the craving, make it worse and takes my willpower with it. At one point I was able to quell sugar cravings with coffee, but now coffee makes me feel crappy and gives me panic attacks. Yay.

[geekgolightly]

Originally Posted by Annie Mac 

Originally Posted by geekgolightly 

I don't know what it would be like to attempt to stop sugar without also stopping grains. I think that any carb is a trigger for the first while of doing this. But other people may have different trigger points.

Well, inspired by this thread, I had 3 days of no sugar, but then I had an oatmeal muffin and all bets were off. What IS the relationship between wheat and sugar anyway? Because I have, like you, noticed a real relationship between the two. For me, it's not any grain, it's wheat. Very specifically, white flour. Whole wheat stuff is not as bad, and the flour free breads (like Ezekiel) are even better. But if I'm craving sugar, sometimes I'm happy with a few slices of white toast; other times, though (more often, actually), the white toast seems to kick up the craving, make it worse and takes my willpower with it. At one point I was able to quell sugar cravings with coffee, but now coffee makes me feel crappy and gives me panic attacks. Yay.

Yeah, I don't know what it's about or why, but I have experienced the exact same thing. I'm running with it. No reason for wheat items so I avoid it all together and it helps to control my sugar consumption.

[lovingeveryminute]

We're in the middle of a "sugar challenge" with the rest of my second-year naturopathy classmates and it is so hard. I have not been able to go a day w/out a *little* sugar-- today it was a sliver of my dad's maple walnut fudge! but it was just a sliver. I find that I need it when "times are tough"-- when the kids are all fighting, or when I'm stressed out, or when I'm just so tired at the end of the day that I can't possibly imagine brushing all their teeth and getting them to bed.

What we've talked about for helping:

--coconut  oil on a spoon when you need it

-- plenty of fats, like a pp said-- natural almond butter in the fridge, cashews in the freezer...

--lots of dense fats

--making "desserts" out of fruit-- like, soaked dates make a reaally good pudding base... figs are sooo sweet they're like candy, raisins can also be soaked then you can use the soak water, too...

--spirulina is supposed to help

for me, fermented foods seem to help the cravings, too. i make kombucha and beet kvass all the time, so when i feel a craving coming on, i have a glass of one or the other and it really helps.

good luck to us all!!!

alycia

[mexicali mami]

I remember when I started on this green smoothie phase that I lost all cravings for sugar and any junk food.  I can't remember how long it lasted, maybe a week or two when I noticed I still had an untouched chocolate bar in the fridge.  This morning, I just wolfed down three huge chocolate cookies with my coffee so I'm far from sugar free.  I am getting inspired reading this and think that with any big change or addiction like sugar, you need to replace it with something else.  Maybe a cup of green tea with a teeny bit of honey or sugar free gum?  I also did this oil pulling technique that I found on earthclinic.com that helps with cravings.  Sort of like, when you are doing all this good stuff, it's harder to justify the bad stuff. 

[gabbyraja]

Originally Posted by lovingeveryminute 

 

i make kombucha and beet kvass all the time

Alycia, please tell me how you make these? I've just this week learned about Kombucha, and I know you can use some store-bought as a starter, but we're on a squeaky budget the next 3 weeks. So, if you can just leave some honey tea out for a few days or something, lemme know!

Thanks for all your input guys. It's good to know that even other health-minded people aren't perfect, either. I've been cutting back quite a bit again. And, for some reason, being wheat-free has helped... I've also just gotten into fermented foods and kefir I'm growing on coconut milk to attempt to fix my ruined digestive system and rid me of the yeast. And, again, I notice that yeast make me crave sugar. When my yeast feels nicely under control I can get by with just a little sugar, and it doesn't HAVE to be the white stuff. Honey or stevia will do most times. But, when I overindulge, my yeast goes crazy, and I just want more and more.

No, my problem is not adding it to tea, etc. And when I make things at home (which is almost all I can do right now with the plethora of allergies my babies always have in the 1st year) I have no trouble subbing ingredients to make it less white sugar, no white flour, etc. But what I REALLY want most times is not something home-made, or something you can't sub on. I like candies. Practically any kind. Yes, I can make some candies with maple syrup, but one can't do maple every day. I like fudge, and chocolate (and not that crappy bitter stuff, but milk chocolate!) like Snickers and so many other horrible pre-made things that make my life easier. Sigh... I'll continue to battle it, and filling my life with natural things that heal me will make that easier, right?