i need help..kicking the sugar habit!!!!

[bandster_1007 1]

ok, i'm going to stick my neck out here and be honest. i am having an absolute horrible time stopping and eating sugar. i had asked a seasoned bandster on another thread for some tips, and she suggested that we do a thread because there are others who are probably suffering from the same problem. after i received a pm, from another bandster wanting to know what suggestions i was given, i decided to post.

honestly, this is the hardest addiction ever. i have kicked cigs, and other substances to the curve, but this one is hard. very very very very hard. i think about sugar all day. if i have something in the house, it literally calls my name. if i have something at work it is the same way. if there are Cookies in the break room, i cannot stay away from them.

i have to admit that most of this has occured during a week of the month where i have always gone on a sugar binge. but this is terrible. chocolate, candy, and cookies go down super smooth.

please share tips for kicking this habit. most people have said that they cut the carbs and that cuts the cravings. ok, tell us how you fought the craving during the period that your body transitioned. tell us what you did, please.

also, i know that the band will not do all of the work, and i also know that i should not be eating these things, so please, i do not need to be reminded of that. if possible i would like to keep this thread on a positive encouraging note, that gives tips to some of us newer people that need it. i really don't want it to turn into a bashing session. i mean, i can handle it, i do it to myself, but please, let's keep it positive and informational.

i have to put a tip on here that wasa gave me yesterday. she believes that cutting the carbs is the answer, and i believe that is what i need to do. she said that if you have to eat something sweet, do it later in the day before you go to bed, that way you sleep through the sugar spikes and drops. i'm going to try that. it makes since to me. however, my worse time is in the morning, and it always has been. as soon as i wake up my mouth SCREAMS sugar. it used to be sweet tea, now it is nothing.

[FDATrialGuineaPig 7]

Okay, I have to admit I never really considered myself having a sweet tooth, however looking back on my habits, I did eat a LOT of sugar. As a preop dessert was a foregone conclusion to EVERY meal. Every time I stopped at a gas station, grocery store, etc I always grabbed some candy. Those habits were so unconscious, that looking back I realize I wouldn't have even considered them part of my daily food intake! I would have just blocked it out as part of the rigamarole of my day.

I've been banded over 7 years and have slowly cut out sugar, not really on purpose, just through trying to eat less highly caloric food.< /p>

Anyhow, Desserts were one of the first to go instinctually just because they go down so easily.

First let me get philosophical on you though.

I believe as chronic dieters that we've come to almost intolerate what we perceive to be deprivation. During times when my eating was starting to spiral really out of control I found it was better to not focus on the negative...instead focus on being more proactive all around. In pure behavioral terms this is know as "setting the situation up for success".

So Desserts aside---begin your day proactively. Are you taking Vitamins? Are you drinking Water? Are you exercising?? If you crowd out the things you don't want to be doing with the things you SHOULD be doing the rest will very easily fall into place and it won't feel like you're punishing yourself, but more that you're taking care of your body. Why? When you take Vitamins your body doesn't get wacky with cravings. I used to supplement with cinnamon (yes, pure cinnamon capsules) when I had bad sugar cravings because cinnamon is a natural insulin stabilizer--and it really does work! (And gives you very pleasant burps LOL).

Water helps cleanse out your body and helps you crave healthier stuff. Honestly, I am not a big drinker of anything period (except coffee) so my goals with water have to be realistic. I have found that even drinking one 16oz glass in the AM, one at lunchtime and one in the evening made me feel 100% better than my usual none at all. I stopped pretending that I was going to shoot for 100oz or hell even 64oz. Be realistic but make SOME effort.

And lastly try to exercise. Even if it's just 10 situps a day or making the effort to park at the very back of the parking lot to get in extra walking every day. Be realistic, but make an effort. It will pay off.

Okay, once you've set up that structure here are some suggestions to help sublimate your sweet cravings into healthier activities:

1. Protein bars instead of candy bars. Buy those sickeningly sweet Protein Bars that taste like you're eating Snickers. You can use these are Meal Replacements, Snacks, etc and they taste like candy bars. Even Slimfast sells a snack version that is low calorie and sickeningly sweet. There are SO many protein/diet bars that are sickeningly sweet that I have grown pretty sick of sugar.

2. Do not put easy to ingest dessert in your house (ice cream, chocolate bars, cookies). If you're so weak that you cannot resist in the store, then shop for your food online and have it delivered. But it's not hard to purchase other sweets that are going to clog you up. Brownies, donuts cinnamon rolls, etc are super sweet but with a Lapband you won't be able to eat much of them. And if you CAN then I contend you aren't tight enough.

3. Never, ever EVER drink your calories. This is just stupid. Drink Diet Soda or Crystal Lite or whatever if you absolutely need to drink something sweet, but really--do not drink down anything with sugar. I DO confess to one tall mocha in the morning, but I budget it in (if that makes sense). Any other coffee I use sweetnlow. Again, if you're not a fan of water, try water with lemon slices cut up in it. It's not too bad.

4. At night if you have the sweet munchies really bad, realize that a lot of this is anxiety motivated. It may be how you unwind. I am a big time night snacker and I found that drinking Hot drinks really helped sublimate this urge. It seems that I just needed to be doing that hand to mouth soothing thing to calm down at night and you can drink things like sugar free hot cocoa, hot teas, etc. The hotter the better because you'll take smaller sips and it will last longer.

5. Try to substitute the fruit component to what you're craving. If you're craving, for example, an apple fritter, eat an apple first and then just see if you still want it. If you're craving chocolate go for quality. Make yourself homemade chocolate desserts that aren't full of sodium and preservatives.

6. Lastly, don't take money with you. This includes credit cards. If you don't have the means, you can't buy food while you're out . People managed to live just fine without atms and credit cards by managing their day and not relying on spur of the moment purchasing. Fill your gas tank, buy your groceries and only take your $$/credit cards when you are specifically shopping for something. It will drive you CRAZY at first, but it's amazing how you adapt and then you can start re-introducing them back in when you're more under control.

You have the strength to do this, just take a different approach. Take an honest inventory of what DOESN'T work for you and be sensitive to yourself emotionally about both your method of trying to elicit change and your own expectations of perfection.

I try to incorporate the flylady's cleaning philosophy into my body care--hers is even housework done badly blesses your family. Mine is that even days when I'm imperfect but tried and did SOMETHING blesses my body.

I have had to learn to live almost no restriction because of reflux and I have learned the hard way that the band is just one tool in an arsenol of many.

Good luck!

[bandster_1007 1]

WOW!:clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:

That was the most beautiful, well versed, and encouraging post i have ever read.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

..where do i get cinammon capsules, and the money thing is genuis, pure genuis.

[bandster_1007 1]

by the way, i never thought of myself as a sugar addict either. i was a junk food junkie. if it had grease and had cheese, that's what i ate. but when it comes down to it, i was consuming A LOT of sugar in my drinks. i would have OJ for Breakfast, and a Route 44 coke, coke for lunch, coke for dinner (not always would i have 3 a day, but you get the picture). The i would have sweet tea, more sweet tea, and more sweet tea. rarely did i ever buy Cookies or candy bars (only one week a month), and if i had little debbie snack cakes in the house, i would eat about one a week (not the whole box in a day). so, after surgery, it was really a rude-awakening as to how much sugar i was actually craving. that is when all the craziness kicked in.

[rharriet62 0]

Hi,

This will seem bizarre, but it's something I am working on, too. On days nothing goes down, anything with sugar in it goes down well. I started looking at my connection to sweets, especially things like M&Ms. My whole life, esp as a child, being fat, I was always told /ridiculed/threatened about eating candy because I was already fat. Guess what? Craved it more. Crave it when I'm stressed/happy busy/whatever. Plain crave it. I tried detoxes, low crab, cold turkey, etc. You name it. I always went back to sugar.

Based on some of the books by Geneen Roth, I decided to face this demon and burn it out. I decided that even if it stalled my weight loss, I had to overcome the lure/desire/POWER that candy like M&Ms have over me psychologically. I followed the ideas in Roth's books and I ate ALL the M&Ms I wanted. Now, this lasted MONTHS...about 5-6 months! I ate them instead of real food, with real food, whatever. I ALWAYS had them in the house by the BIG bagfuls. I always knew they were in the pantry. I could eat them anytime I wanted AND I DID! Guess what? Six months later, I have a full bag in my pantry and see them everyday. They just don't sound that great. I can actually say, "Nah. Don't FEEL like it." I still lost weight during that time, kept working out, etc. But I have to say that I can see candy in the store and not have to FORCE myself to not buy it. I am now doing this technique with ice cream. This is so crazy but I have to say I honestly believe that if I don't get over this power of sugar thing now psychologically, I will struggle with it forever. You might want to read Geneen Roth's books. She suggests you do this with any food that calls to you constantly. About 10 years ago, before my band, a therapist suggested this technique to me, and I rejected it immediately because I knew I would never stop and would gain hundreds of pounds. I'm in a much better place now and gave it a try. Just a thought! Good luck! Rose

[sfeiner 2]

I've found that Splenda is just as bad as sugar when it comes to being a trigger. I also like stevia. Try having some high protien Snacks instead of sweets. I'm not the one to give advice as I also have a sugar addiction.

[mbanja 1]

Well, my addiction was sweet tea. All of my sugar calories were comming from sweet tea. I posted a sweet tea post about 2months ago and a fellow banster (Dave) gave me a good tip so I will share. I absolutely hated splenda to sweeten tea and he told me to do 3 parts splenda to 1/2 part equal and 1/2 part sweetnlow. Well it worked and now I can just put splenda in my tea and enjoy it like old fashion sweet tea. Many thanks to Dave for his tip. It has saved me mega calories and I am now starting to loose weight faster. As far a sweet desserts, this is going to sound horrible but here it goes: when I crave dessert I go and get a Publix sugar free Birthday cake. It comes in like an 8" cake. It is way better than the regular cake (found this out cause my Dad is diabetic and had it for his birthday) It is not low in calories (so don't think it is a fix), it is sweetened with malitol and/or sorbitol which are laxitives. One piece of this cake, and you are on the toilet holding on for dear life, and regretting every delicious bite you took of it. This is what I do and it usually works-for me! For some they may find that it just triggers their sweet tooth even more, what works for some doesn't work for others.

[mbanja 1]

Oh I forgot to add, stevia is a good all natural alternative. Be careful though cause it is mega sweet and you have to experiment with the amounts to find what is right for your own personal taste. It is really good for you too.

[Serena 0]

I have found through experience that I cannot eat sweets in moderation. If I white-knuckle it through 3 days, the cravings subside. If I eat something sweet, it re-activates them and I have a rough couple of days to get the sugar out of my system.

I've learned that I would rather pass if I want sweets because it is not worth the 3 days of cravings. A few times I bought those 100-cal packs of Cookies, but each time I ate all 6 in one day!

Not everyone needs to eliminate sweets, but I definitely do. I do eat Kroger's FF Sf creme pops, which are like popsicles filled with ice cream, which have 20 calories. I do, however, even have problems with Protein bars.

I don't eat meat or fish so I don't count carbs (I love carbs). I have a minimum of 1 snack a day such as pretzels, smart-pop popcorn, or Kay's Naturals Protein chips (10 grams of protein in one ounce).

I have noticed that I want sweets when I'm really hungry (I'm not good at taking along food when I'm out) and my last stop is the grocery. Other than that, I'm fine.

[insubordination 0]

There are some great articles online. One's entitled 'The Sweetest Poison'. Google it.

I gave up all white/added sugar for 6 months once. I lost so much weight and it calmed my moods. I also learned to enjoy more natural sweet food.

Why I went back to sugar, I'll never know. It clearly doesn't work for me.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

When you are craving sweets, could you try this?

Go for the three days as others explained,

Don't worry about calories during that three days. Eat as much as you want of foods you tolerate well and are low/no carb.

Keep carb grams to about 20 or 25 just for those three days. But don't worry in the least about calories. If you have to eat an entire chicken three times daily and you aren't PBing, do it.

If you can keep yourself verrrry satisfied (dare I say full??) for three days to the point that you literally don't have room for ANY carbs, that will help get you through the three days.

Then the only carbs that pass your lips for the next few weeks are veggie carbs. Gradually add bits of fruit starting with berries but only at night.

Can you see how that works for you?

I took my friend out of town for her three day carb fast. That's the only way she could do it. I am the one that didn't let a carb cross her lips.

I am another that had to white knuckle it for three days and now I rarely eat white carbs. I did today, but I'll pay for it. That's okay because I'm finally at a point where I have some control over this obsession and compulsion we all have. But that doesn't mean it is easy, that just means I'm at a point where I can do it. You'll get to that point eventually as well. You can do this!

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I agree totally. Once I get the carbs out of my system, I have no desire to eat them.

Carbs are the enemy. They are like an alcoholic with a drink. One is never enough. Once you eat them, you crave more.

[steph_co 9]

This is a great thread. I'll have to c/p some of these great ideas to my files and refer back to them.

[Telecia 1]

Cutting out carbs has cured alot of the cravings I used to get allot.

But when I found out 4 years ago I was diabetic, sugar went out the door and I don't miss it all..

things I did 4 years ago to get rid of my sugar addiction.

Don't buy it to begin with. If its there in your pantry/fridge etc. It calls to you I swear. lol. I stopped buying sugar/junk/pop, Snacks etc. And replace with non sugared stuff.

I do all my grocery shopping every 2 weeks (BF's paydays) make up lists beforehand and take just enough $$ to cover the grocerys. Make sure I eat before I go so theres no impulse buying. I avoid the candy/cookie Isles if I can. Although I don't need to anymore.

Baked goods. I now have hundreds of sugar free alternative recipes now!! Some are incredible.

I just took sugar free Peanut Butter chocolate fudge to thanksgiving and everyone loved it. Tastes just like recee(Sp?) cups.

I switched from normal soda to diet then gave it up totally. Most of the time I now drink different teas made with splenda. BF drinks lemonaide with splenda, And occasionally make sugar free popsicles out of normal koolaid and splenda. Walgreens also carry these awesome carbonated 1liter waters we love too. They are splenda sweetened and in great flavors like orange creme, blueberry, rasberry etc. Instead of hitting the gas station for a fountain pop we stop at walgreens and get our Water.

I keep a Jar on my computer table of sugar free candies for the ocassional quick sweet craving. Suck on a sugar free cinnamon or lemon drop will kick the craving for me and my kids, this jar is about a month old now and still half full.

My boyfriend works at wal-greens and about once a month brings home a new candy that companys are now making sugar free versions. We just refuse to buy anything in large bags anymore except splenda lol.

So now we are currently working on getting my SIL OFF of chocolate shes addicted to the stuff BAD. And found out shes allergic to it.. But theres finally starting to be enough sugar free alternatives now that she actually likes pretty well. She loved the sugar free fudge too and wants the recipe now. hehehe

[steph_co 9]

OK, Telecia - are WE going to get that recipe? You have me drooling just thinking about it. LOL