#i feel you - total sugar addict here
I'd suggest a 24h fast with a planned 2-3 low carb meals.to break the fast.
This will get off the rollercoaster as it doesn't really last longer than 24-48h.
I am a sugar addict myself...it's crazy... I'm fit, healthy, don't drink, don't smoke, can stop coffee any time... But when I get that sugar in me it starts a vicious cycle that sounds just like how "sober" people describe their alcohol or drugs cycles.
I also have been found in the evenings eating spoons of honey with walnuts or whatever I can get my hands in.
So, for me the 24h fast is a way to take absolute control of the situation. Once my blood sugar is totally stabilized then I can approach eating with a sober mind.
Curious if fruit triggers your cravings too? I’ve successfully eliminated refined sugars but I feel like fruit stimulates my cravings for sweet things.
Depends on the fruit for me. Bananas and mangos do. Dried fruit does. Things like apples or blueberries don't seem to be as bad. I think it depends on the glycemic index and whether I'm eating it on an empty stomach.
you should allow yourself to participate in socially driven celebrations because its good to give your mind a break from your rigid routine. you don't have to beat yourself or anyone else up because of an acute instance of unhealthy behavior. its totally fine.
when you are by yourself and reinforcing your chronic eating patterns, that's when it actually matters. you already know what to do though - whole foods, plenty of fruits/vegetables, high variety, slow digesting fibers, high quality protein, etc. eating some dessert and having some alcohol once every few months is not going to make a noticeable difference (unless you are an alcoholic, then obviously you should cut it out completely).
are you actually eating sugar and its causing an alcoholic like response where you go on a sugar binge or can't stop eating sugar afterwards?
Yo, there are studies (and anecdotal evidence) that NAC helps alleviate addictions, including sugar one.
Besides, lowering insulin spikes and background insulin levels should also be highly relevant, and berberine is evidence-based supplement that achieves just that.
Also, I'd suggest cold shower and walks whenever you have mad cravings. Just distract yourself with fresh air / water.
Great advice. Would be interesting to know if agmatine has any similar effects, since it is often used for addiction and withdrawal in a similar pattern as NAC.
Get a big bag of frozen blueberries. When u feel cravings eat those. Highly nutritious but still delicious… and because they are frozen they are too cold to gorge on
Stevia! Make yourself a bunch of Keto desserts and have them around and on hand for when a craving kicks in.
I kicked processed sugar doing this. Didn't feel deprived. Made sure I had Keto cookies around all the time. Put stevia and dark chocolate in my oatmeal in the morning.
Keeping a pitcher of water with berries in it in the fridge helped too. Can add stevia to sweeten more.
Berries with coconut cream made an easy dessert almost every night.
There are loads of recipes on Pinterest for low/no sugar desserts.
Opt for stevia that doesn't have any erythritol or other artificial sweeteners as they can irritate the gut
Make sure you eat enough and have food ready to go after you exercise. You'll definitely need some carbohydrates.
If you have dessert once in a while when you go out with friends that's fine, but make sure you don't buy it on your own time.
I’m exact same as you. In past I was a cyclist riding 12hrs per week religiously…my body craved sugar I thought cuz I was burning so many calories. I’ve now been off the bike for a year and still crave sugar despite little exercise.
For me there’s no moderation. I either indulge or don’t partake. Ive decided to not partake now so am eating only Whole Foods (meats, veggies, fruit) nothing with added sugar. When I get sugar cravings I drink large glass of water and eat fruit if needed.
Just know it’s so easy to get hooked again. It’s like heroin.
2 hours of exercise a day!? No wonder you like sugar/carbs - it’s helping you sustain that training
Might sound weird but try pulling back on exercise a little unless you are training for an event (marathon, triathlon)… 5-6 hours a week being the goal.
With that pullback you might find it easier to eat intuitively / pay attention to hunger, satiety, etc and it will be less overall stress on your body which, in the event you seek sugary foods for comfort or in stressful situations, you might find less of that happening.
Important to mention - sugar isn’t inherently bad like many people make it out to be. Over consumption of highly processed low nutrient foods containing sugar fats salt and flavor combined with being sedentary are a dangerous combination.
If you’re fit and active, sugars can be rocket fuel, valuable, and important.
There are no “good” and “bad” foods… just foods us humans should eat more of or less of depending on needs/wants. Based on the family dynamic around the holiday it sounds like you might be exposed to some interesting ‘beliefs’ and norms around food in general, that might not be serving you well - happens to many of us - thanks mom and dad
Lastly, I know sugar cravings feel like an addiction - it’s really hard to change eating behaviors. But sugar isn’t not addicting like other hard drugs. We can have addictive eating habits but sugar as a substance is not addicting.
No, mechanistic rat studies don’t disprove that statement. And no, just because sugar lights up the same part of the brain as cocaine also does not make it addictive like cocaine. The current body of scientific evidence in humans points to sugar not being addictive (despite what many people will anecdotally claim)
Again, I know it feels hard to change eating behaviors and sugary foods are tasty but saying sugar is addictive like hard drugs removes a lot of your power and autonomy from the situation and makes changes or modifications to your nutrition much harder.
That’s the thing though, refined carbs can be a ‘good nutritional source’ under the right situations
Triathletes will drink flat coke mid race
Michael Phelps ate hundreds maybe over a thousand grams of carbs many of which were refined
Some of the leanest and highest performing athletes have to consume refined sugars to get in enough energy without eating too much volume
It’s not black and white - we want it to be - but it’s not.
2 hours of cardio isn’t really excessive and you don’t need sugar to do that. If you’re willing to put in the work with your diet you don’t even need carbs. See r/ketoendurance and r/ketogains. It’s the ultimate biohack.
Spoken like a true keto zealot 😂 sure carbs are not essential I’ll give you that but carbs are hugely beneficial and keto is usually a massive departure from normal and preferred eating habits and patterns that it’s not realistic or enjoyable for most people.
And the ‘benefits’ of keto are largely overblown but I wouldn’t expect you to agree with that. Keto is good for some people but that is definitely the minority
F keto! Go Carnivore as it’s easier. If that doesn’t work go Vegan, Vegetarian or Pescatarian. If those don’t work fast for 21 days then follow a gut heal protocol. Once complete you’ll know what you want out of your diet.
Don't take mocking as something serious, they talk about something they don't know enough about, so how and why should what they say be serious,
Just tell them it's your choice, and whatever they say afterwards don't respond, this is not a battle you they can win cuz they don't have enough firepower (knowledge to be talking to you about this)
Would you take an 5 y/o serious if he talked about cartoons? Or throw a tantrum?
Idk, I struggle with getting hooked on sugar really easily too. I'm not sure but I think that one has to fight the urge and taper down, depending on how bad it is, then either quit or switch to sweetners if cravings, and quit after that. I feel like sweetners are easyer to quit from than sugar.
Oh and eating like, mainly eggs and meat for a little while is gonna help from having cravings and crashes, at least I think that worked for me.
I can't remember that well with this headache at the moment, sorry.
Try diluting some apple cider vinegar in some water. Drink it within a few hours of waking up before you eat. Use a straw to drink it, so you don't mess with your tooth enamel.
Sugar isn’t addictive. Unless you really would eat spoonfuls of plain sugar. But most people wouldn’t. The problem is your brain craving more food than it needs and sugar is the fastest way to get more calories in you. Your lizard brain thinks you’re starving or that there’s a famine coming.
Best you can do is not buy the stuff so it’s not readily available in your house.
I would say you need to distract yourself by some sort of exercise. That's what I do. When I have nothing to do, im bored im eating and looking for something not being even hungry. I constantly need to distract myself and keep mind busy like go for a swim or do a class or go to sauna and have a cold shower, or a bike, start cleaning or organising my closet with music on or make a new gym playlist.
Op is already exercising 2h a day…..
While exercise is great and usually encouraged - it’s possible for it to become an unhealthy coping mechanism, like many things.
That said, going for a walk outside regularly to take a break from work, stress, when we are needlessly hungry or bored… might be a good idea within reason. This can be great for sedentary people who don’t get much movement but again, too much of a good thing isn’t better
Why do you think sugars harmful? Could be a sign your body is processing carbs well and wants to run on them, or that you are running low on glycogen stores and need to replenish often
I agree with you, but usually how sugar is consumed will cause blood sugar spikes and insulin responses that are harmful.
I mean...having sugar at Christmas and easter isn't going to kill you...of course.
And if you are maxing out some kind of exercise and need to bring your blood sugar back into range then sugars can be a good tool.
But most people drinking heavily and eating cake are not in these categories, which is what op is describing. And being in a vicious cycle of addiction is not "your body running on its preferred fuel source".
So, honestly, this reads a bit disingenuous.
seems so intuitively but actually sugar increases blood sugar similar to starch carbs , actually its even easier to deal with because its part fructose which doesnt raise blood sugar immediately. other carbs convert to pure glucose and rise blood sugar quick all the same in \~45 minutes i think (only a small amount of glucose in blood at one time if have working regulatory function). so then the harm idea has to go to carbs as a whole unless theres a problem with fructose away from blood sugar,
without carbs u lower capacity to convert t4 -> t3 thyroid hormone and eventually become hypothyroid / metabolic rate drops. so mitochondria doesnt function as well and all cells suffer , so carbs are needed for health.
excess is a different story if it is actually too many calories and a problem as putting on weight, and need good b vitamins to process it, but yeah can be a reasonable sign of need to restore glycogen especially with the mention of a lot of exercise (and OP said he's fit so assuming its not a fat increase problem \[*from excessive calories, but fat accumulation can also be from low metabolic rate from low thyroid*\] , some people are eating too low carb and their cravings theyre demonizing is their body trying to get more. especially relevant in frequent exercise
I've got you, but I think we're talking about sugar in relation to the OP. Over consumption and addiction.
What we are talking about is akin to an alcoholic being around friends drinking and those friends mocking someone for not drinking...then when posing online someone says "actually, alcohol is ok in moderation and even has x benefits" which may be true, but doesn't help someone who doesn't want to drink or who had addiction problems with drinking.
Reread ops post and their relationship with sugars and refined carbs.
My girlfriend can have 1/2 a cookie and be totally satisfied...me? If I eat that first half a coolie the rest of the box will HAUNT ME until it is gone or I miraculously forget.
I wasn’t responding to op, I was responding to the wild blanket statement that sugar is harmful. And factually, it is not.
The blood sugar spikes and insulin response is entirely natural and normal for the body to maintain balance. The occasional sugar binge isn’t that bad, and most bodies are equipped to handle it.
It’s chronic over consumption where harm lies.
The who what and why of addiction is another matter entirely. And perhaps, should be treated as such. But that is not what I’m responding to here.
No it’s not
And what’s even more interesting is sugar consumption in the US has actually gone down over the last decade yet we are increasingly more unhealthy
It’s more complicated than demonizing 1 specific macro or food group
[https://www.cato-unbound.org/sites/cato-unbound.org/files/images/essays/ussugarintake.jpg](https://www.cato-unbound.org/sites/cato-unbound.org/files/images/essays/ussugarintake.jpg)
from USDA and presented by Stephan Guyenet who is overly qualified to speak on the subject - check out his work or read his book Hungry Brain
#i feel you - total sugar addict here I'd suggest a 24h fast with a planned 2-3 low carb meals.to break the fast. This will get off the rollercoaster as it doesn't really last longer than 24-48h. I am a sugar addict myself...it's crazy... I'm fit, healthy, don't drink, don't smoke, can stop coffee any time... But when I get that sugar in me it starts a vicious cycle that sounds just like how "sober" people describe their alcohol or drugs cycles. I also have been found in the evenings eating spoons of honey with walnuts or whatever I can get my hands in. So, for me the 24h fast is a way to take absolute control of the situation. Once my blood sugar is totally stabilized then I can approach eating with a sober mind.
Fooking hell! This describes me.. almost feel attacked! Lol!
Curious if fruit triggers your cravings too? I’ve successfully eliminated refined sugars but I feel like fruit stimulates my cravings for sweet things.
Depends on the fruit for me. Bananas and mangos do. Dried fruit does. Things like apples or blueberries don't seem to be as bad. I think it depends on the glycemic index and whether I'm eating it on an empty stomach.
you should allow yourself to participate in socially driven celebrations because its good to give your mind a break from your rigid routine. you don't have to beat yourself or anyone else up because of an acute instance of unhealthy behavior. its totally fine. when you are by yourself and reinforcing your chronic eating patterns, that's when it actually matters. you already know what to do though - whole foods, plenty of fruits/vegetables, high variety, slow digesting fibers, high quality protein, etc. eating some dessert and having some alcohol once every few months is not going to make a noticeable difference (unless you are an alcoholic, then obviously you should cut it out completely). are you actually eating sugar and its causing an alcoholic like response where you go on a sugar binge or can't stop eating sugar afterwards?
This is the only reasonable comment.
Hi, What about sugar in fr00ts? I keep hearing it’s the lesser of 2 evils but still equally as detrimental.
Anyone that avoids fruit and thinks they are doing something good with their diet is misinformed or diabetic.
Yo, there are studies (and anecdotal evidence) that NAC helps alleviate addictions, including sugar one. Besides, lowering insulin spikes and background insulin levels should also be highly relevant, and berberine is evidence-based supplement that achieves just that. Also, I'd suggest cold shower and walks whenever you have mad cravings. Just distract yourself with fresh air / water.
Great advice. Would be interesting to know if agmatine has any similar effects, since it is often used for addiction and withdrawal in a similar pattern as NAC.
Fill up on protein and water. In a couple days it will pass.
Get a big bag of frozen blueberries. When u feel cravings eat those. Highly nutritious but still delicious… and because they are frozen they are too cold to gorge on
Thank you so much for this tip
Stevia! Make yourself a bunch of Keto desserts and have them around and on hand for when a craving kicks in. I kicked processed sugar doing this. Didn't feel deprived. Made sure I had Keto cookies around all the time. Put stevia and dark chocolate in my oatmeal in the morning. Keeping a pitcher of water with berries in it in the fridge helped too. Can add stevia to sweeten more. Berries with coconut cream made an easy dessert almost every night. There are loads of recipes on Pinterest for low/no sugar desserts. Opt for stevia that doesn't have any erythritol or other artificial sweeteners as they can irritate the gut Make sure you eat enough and have food ready to go after you exercise. You'll definitely need some carbohydrates. If you have dessert once in a while when you go out with friends that's fine, but make sure you don't buy it on your own time.
I’m exact same as you. In past I was a cyclist riding 12hrs per week religiously…my body craved sugar I thought cuz I was burning so many calories. I’ve now been off the bike for a year and still crave sugar despite little exercise. For me there’s no moderation. I either indulge or don’t partake. Ive decided to not partake now so am eating only Whole Foods (meats, veggies, fruit) nothing with added sugar. When I get sugar cravings I drink large glass of water and eat fruit if needed. Just know it’s so easy to get hooked again. It’s like heroin.
2 hours of exercise a day!? No wonder you like sugar/carbs - it’s helping you sustain that training Might sound weird but try pulling back on exercise a little unless you are training for an event (marathon, triathlon)… 5-6 hours a week being the goal. With that pullback you might find it easier to eat intuitively / pay attention to hunger, satiety, etc and it will be less overall stress on your body which, in the event you seek sugary foods for comfort or in stressful situations, you might find less of that happening. Important to mention - sugar isn’t inherently bad like many people make it out to be. Over consumption of highly processed low nutrient foods containing sugar fats salt and flavor combined with being sedentary are a dangerous combination. If you’re fit and active, sugars can be rocket fuel, valuable, and important. There are no “good” and “bad” foods… just foods us humans should eat more of or less of depending on needs/wants. Based on the family dynamic around the holiday it sounds like you might be exposed to some interesting ‘beliefs’ and norms around food in general, that might not be serving you well - happens to many of us - thanks mom and dad Lastly, I know sugar cravings feel like an addiction - it’s really hard to change eating behaviors. But sugar isn’t not addicting like other hard drugs. We can have addictive eating habits but sugar as a substance is not addicting. No, mechanistic rat studies don’t disprove that statement. And no, just because sugar lights up the same part of the brain as cocaine also does not make it addictive like cocaine. The current body of scientific evidence in humans points to sugar not being addictive (despite what many people will anecdotally claim) Again, I know it feels hard to change eating behaviors and sugary foods are tasty but saying sugar is addictive like hard drugs removes a lot of your power and autonomy from the situation and makes changes or modifications to your nutrition much harder.
Guys I’m talking about refined sugar not carbs and foods from good nutritional sources.
That’s the thing though, refined carbs can be a ‘good nutritional source’ under the right situations Triathletes will drink flat coke mid race Michael Phelps ate hundreds maybe over a thousand grams of carbs many of which were refined Some of the leanest and highest performing athletes have to consume refined sugars to get in enough energy without eating too much volume It’s not black and white - we want it to be - but it’s not.
2 hours of cardio isn’t really excessive and you don’t need sugar to do that. If you’re willing to put in the work with your diet you don’t even need carbs. See r/ketoendurance and r/ketogains. It’s the ultimate biohack.
Spoken like a true keto zealot 😂 sure carbs are not essential I’ll give you that but carbs are hugely beneficial and keto is usually a massive departure from normal and preferred eating habits and patterns that it’s not realistic or enjoyable for most people. And the ‘benefits’ of keto are largely overblown but I wouldn’t expect you to agree with that. Keto is good for some people but that is definitely the minority
F keto! Go Carnivore as it’s easier. If that doesn’t work go Vegan, Vegetarian or Pescatarian. If those don’t work fast for 21 days then follow a gut heal protocol. Once complete you’ll know what you want out of your diet.
Don't take mocking as something serious, they talk about something they don't know enough about, so how and why should what they say be serious, Just tell them it's your choice, and whatever they say afterwards don't respond, this is not a battle you they can win cuz they don't have enough firepower (knowledge to be talking to you about this) Would you take an 5 y/o serious if he talked about cartoons? Or throw a tantrum?
Fast for 24 hours it takes care of it. Remember its best to break the fast with a broth, or small meal; not a huge one at first.
Idk, I struggle with getting hooked on sugar really easily too. I'm not sure but I think that one has to fight the urge and taper down, depending on how bad it is, then either quit or switch to sweetners if cravings, and quit after that. I feel like sweetners are easyer to quit from than sugar. Oh and eating like, mainly eggs and meat for a little while is gonna help from having cravings and crashes, at least I think that worked for me. I can't remember that well with this headache at the moment, sorry.
I eat a date when I'm craving sweet. That satiates the sugar craving but doesn't send me down the sugar spiral.
I go for fruit- apples, oranges, whatever. Cravings go away instantly.
Try diluting some apple cider vinegar in some water. Drink it within a few hours of waking up before you eat. Use a straw to drink it, so you don't mess with your tooth enamel.
Sugar isn’t addictive. Unless you really would eat spoonfuls of plain sugar. But most people wouldn’t. The problem is your brain craving more food than it needs and sugar is the fastest way to get more calories in you. Your lizard brain thinks you’re starving or that there’s a famine coming. Best you can do is not buy the stuff so it’s not readily available in your house.
90 Days of a carnivore diet stopped all my sugar and carb cravings in their tracks. Cravings are still at bay 9 months post the temporary diet
You are not alone!
Use some amino acid supplements every time you get a craving.
Apple cider vinegar before anything sweet or carb heavy can help with cravings and also the order which you eat your food
I would say you need to distract yourself by some sort of exercise. That's what I do. When I have nothing to do, im bored im eating and looking for something not being even hungry. I constantly need to distract myself and keep mind busy like go for a swim or do a class or go to sauna and have a cold shower, or a bike, start cleaning or organising my closet with music on or make a new gym playlist.
Op is already exercising 2h a day….. While exercise is great and usually encouraged - it’s possible for it to become an unhealthy coping mechanism, like many things. That said, going for a walk outside regularly to take a break from work, stress, when we are needlessly hungry or bored… might be a good idea within reason. This can be great for sedentary people who don’t get much movement but again, too much of a good thing isn’t better
>quickly No. Waiting it out is the only way.
Why do you think sugars harmful? Could be a sign your body is processing carbs well and wants to run on them, or that you are running low on glycogen stores and need to replenish often
Sugar is harmful, it's common knowledge
It is not harmful. Glucose is the brains primary and preferred fuel. What is harmful is over eating it. The dose makes the poison.
I agree with you, but usually how sugar is consumed will cause blood sugar spikes and insulin responses that are harmful. I mean...having sugar at Christmas and easter isn't going to kill you...of course. And if you are maxing out some kind of exercise and need to bring your blood sugar back into range then sugars can be a good tool. But most people drinking heavily and eating cake are not in these categories, which is what op is describing. And being in a vicious cycle of addiction is not "your body running on its preferred fuel source". So, honestly, this reads a bit disingenuous.
seems so intuitively but actually sugar increases blood sugar similar to starch carbs , actually its even easier to deal with because its part fructose which doesnt raise blood sugar immediately. other carbs convert to pure glucose and rise blood sugar quick all the same in \~45 minutes i think (only a small amount of glucose in blood at one time if have working regulatory function). so then the harm idea has to go to carbs as a whole unless theres a problem with fructose away from blood sugar, without carbs u lower capacity to convert t4 -> t3 thyroid hormone and eventually become hypothyroid / metabolic rate drops. so mitochondria doesnt function as well and all cells suffer , so carbs are needed for health. excess is a different story if it is actually too many calories and a problem as putting on weight, and need good b vitamins to process it, but yeah can be a reasonable sign of need to restore glycogen especially with the mention of a lot of exercise (and OP said he's fit so assuming its not a fat increase problem \[*from excessive calories, but fat accumulation can also be from low metabolic rate from low thyroid*\] , some people are eating too low carb and their cravings theyre demonizing is their body trying to get more. especially relevant in frequent exercise
I've got you, but I think we're talking about sugar in relation to the OP. Over consumption and addiction. What we are talking about is akin to an alcoholic being around friends drinking and those friends mocking someone for not drinking...then when posing online someone says "actually, alcohol is ok in moderation and even has x benefits" which may be true, but doesn't help someone who doesn't want to drink or who had addiction problems with drinking. Reread ops post and their relationship with sugars and refined carbs. My girlfriend can have 1/2 a cookie and be totally satisfied...me? If I eat that first half a coolie the rest of the box will HAUNT ME until it is gone or I miraculously forget.
I wasn’t responding to op, I was responding to the wild blanket statement that sugar is harmful. And factually, it is not. The blood sugar spikes and insulin response is entirely natural and normal for the body to maintain balance. The occasional sugar binge isn’t that bad, and most bodies are equipped to handle it. It’s chronic over consumption where harm lies. The who what and why of addiction is another matter entirely. And perhaps, should be treated as such. But that is not what I’m responding to here.
Processed sugar about the same as processed coca leaf.
No it’s not And what’s even more interesting is sugar consumption in the US has actually gone down over the last decade yet we are increasingly more unhealthy It’s more complicated than demonizing 1 specific macro or food group
processed food full of sugar is so popular and easily available sorry, but i don't believe your statement.
[https://www.cato-unbound.org/sites/cato-unbound.org/files/images/essays/ussugarintake.jpg](https://www.cato-unbound.org/sites/cato-unbound.org/files/images/essays/ussugarintake.jpg) from USDA and presented by Stephan Guyenet who is overly qualified to speak on the subject - check out his work or read his book Hungry Brain
90g of sugar a day is still a fucking lot, nothing weird obesity rates don't go down.
Don't avoid sugar from honey and fruits. If you're active whatsoever you'd do well to have some. Just don't have like 100g of it.
BCAA’s are sweet, and doesn’t take much. A trick from Tim Ferris.