I’m addicted to sugar - can’t see how I will lose these 8kg?!

[SunnyV]

In an ideal world I would lose 8kg prior to an upcoming medical procedure.

But bugger me, my sweet tooth is making it difficult!

Not only do I like the taste, but I’m also in a habit of having something sweet after dinner every evening.

The irony is that I love fruit and veg, protein etc. I actually eat a really healthy diet - were it not for the sugary snacking!

Grapes don’t hit the spot. 100cal bars of choc? I’ll eat four of them.

I appear to have the willpower of a gnat. Anyone else?!

Do you want tips or sympathies? Because I have both for you!
Focus on how important the surgery is and then ban sugar from the house. Send someone else to get groceries or order online so there isn't impulse temptation. Actually speaking of impulse find your trigger and do something about it. Instead of pudding, have a herbal tea or some cheese if you are keto-ing
If you eat sugar watching TV do something else like go for a bath or a walk or a gym session. YOU CAN DO THIS!!! 8kg is doable.

It is doable. During pregnancy I put on over 30kg!! Lost it within a year. Find foods that you really enjoy that are healthy. Nuts, avcados, etc. You can eat very tasty things and still lose weight and feel full. I hope you manage it!

Oh I really could of wrote this!!!
Eat healthy, train 6 times a week!
Putting weight on! Because of sugar, I feel the sweet craving whilst I am coming to the end of my meal!!

Here for tips and to join you on a challenge if you are game!!!

I clean my teeth after dinner (wait 30mins after) and that stops me snacking in the evenings!

OP I am with you...
I've seen these vanilla sticks that apparently you smell to take the sweet craving away but I can't see it working on me.
No matter how hard I try, if I don't have something sweet it's like my mind melts, and then I eat everything in sight...

Have you tried sugar free chocolates? I can’t remember what they’re called but there’s a range of ones in seashell shapes aimed iirc at diabetics. Pricey but the taste is brilliant

what about sugar free sweets after dinner to satisfy the actual craving… ?

Cancer feeds on sugar. It causes inflammation and all sorts of hideous conditions.

If the surgery isn’t incentive enough, knowing how toxic that sugar is to your body should.

Having kicked it and realised how shit it was making me feel without realising, I don’t think I physically put crap chocolate or haribo in my mouth anymore.

Sugar free sweets still spike insulin causing sugar/energy crashes.

It's an addiction.

Look at it like any other addiction.

I hadn't really realised the impact of alcohol on sugar cravings. It is just sugar after all. But I found when I quit alcohol I stopped craving sugar too.

The more you have the more you want. That's why 100 cal bars etc don't work. It's easier to go without than limit yourself to a small amount.

If you just power through the awful first few days of terrible cravings those cravings will disappear.

It is a withdrawal and it is a kind of painful. I have my reservations about sweeteners but when desperate I've found diet drinks can help (but it's like methodone!).

Try very good quality dark chocolate and just a small amount? Works for me!

@PronounMadness can you share how you kicked the habit?

I find a can of Diet Coke takes away the craving, fills me up and is 0 calories.

I’m the same, I can’t go without a piece of chocolate more then 3 hours during the day. And dark chocolate won’t do it for me, it’s not sweet enough. Without chocolate (or any sugary thing) I’m turning into a nightmare to live with. I can’t do much atm as it’s a school holidays so I’m too stressed already.
my tips:

• yes, yes to cleaning teeth - it stops me snacking as well.


• drinking herbal tea after a meal ( black tea is forever tied with chocolate/ cake/ biscuits in my mind)


• drinking decaf coffee with a bit of milk as a mid morning snack or latte as an afternoon snack


• buying more expensive chocolate and dividing it into smaller portions


• eating on my own - it helps me to focus on portions more.


• going to bed earlier- but it’s not possible now, it was possible when I was on my own. More sleep means I’m less tired and have less time for eating.

DH suggested to ban chocolate from the house completely but it’s just not possible he ended up going to a local shop at 10 pm to get me something.

DH suggested to ban chocolate from the house completely but it’s just not possible he ended up going to a local shop at 10 pm to get me something.

We have a Tesco Express round the corner so I feel your pain!!

Amazing suggestions thanks... interesting to see that I'm not the only one!

I am 80kg now, for reference. Surgery is end of September so actually it's not feasible, but even if I could just lose 3 or 4 kg that would be great.

I'm the same, @SunnyV - well, I was the same, COMPLETELY addicted to sugar, but I tried a keto diet and it really worked for me. You have to prepare yourself to feel really miserable for 3-4 days as your body switches into fat burning mode, but if you can get through that, you may find that your cravings disappear. I snacked on 70% dark chocolate if I did fancy something chocolatey, but I honestly wasn't too bothered, I felt pretty full and satisfied.

Having said that, I missed bread

Note - using past tense as I used keto to lose a bit of initial weight and a body re-set. Never any intention to do it forever.

@SunnyV 100% there with you. I would LOVE to lose 8kg ahead of surgery (no date as yet).

I have a fantastic healthy diet full of veg etc etc. I exercise and sleep well.

I also eat too many chocolates, cakes etc.

I don't know what the solution is

Cold turkey
Teeth after dinner AND pyjamas
Don't have it in the house

Sounds mad but slowing down your breathing and breathing through your nose helps with weight loss. As does reducing stress and maximising sleep.

Agree with @Kindnessofstrangers2022

You really need to push through the craving stage. Promise it won't last forever.
I usually find after a week of not having sweets / choc/ biscuits etc in the house I rarely even think about it. If it's in the house and in the habit of having a little every day I will crave it after dinner and in the evening after tea

The solution is to radically cut down or quit completely.

(keep doing what you’ve always done and you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got)

I have been a sugar addict since being a teenager. I will binge eat on chocolate, I have to have it every day. I tried everything - not having it in the house, low sugar chocolate, keeping busy to take my mind off it, eating bigger meals to stop snacking etc. The only thing that worked? Getting pregnant! I'm 13 weeks and instantly went off sweet stuff, I lost half a stone without even trying. It's not that it tasted horrible, I just wasn't bothered about cakes/chocolate any more. Even when I wasn't feeling sick I still didn't want it. I would eat my evening meal and had no cravings for a dessert after. It was my weirdest symptom! This has told me it's something biological to do with hormones and not just psychological/habit. However, I'm now starting to fancy sugar again in the 2nd trimester! Sorry I can't give any actual advice, some people just crave sugar!

With respect (and I really do mean that!) if you're eating too many cakes and chocolates and you've got weight to shift then your diet isn't healthy. It simply isn't.

So you do know what the solution is!

Equally, you can be eating as much 'healthy' food in the world but if your calories in are greater than your calories out then the weight won't shift

I'm going to have to stop buying it all, aren't I?

If it's just weight loss you're concerned about rather than giving up sugar for other health benefits then I'd just figure out the daily calories deficit I need to be in (there's loads of calculators online), track everything you eat on my fitness pal and just factor the sweet snacks in to the calories you're allowed for the day. You don't need to give them up completely.