To be concerned about my sugar addiction?

[SourPatchWatermelon]

Since becoming pregnant, my ability to eat vast amounts of sugar has known no bounds. Particularly in terms of cakes and sweets - multiple doughnuts and packs of haribo per day. I requested a gestational diabetes test towards the end of my pregnancy but it came back clear.

I’m now 9 months post partum and today I ate a doughnut, cookie and super-sweet cannoli (basically filled with icing). On the way home yesterday I had to stop at a corner shop to buy a packet of sour patch kids which I ate instantly.

I’m still breastfeeding a lot. I EBF until DS was 6 months, and am still feeding him a lot now (multiple wake ups per night, and I feed him back to sleep then, too).

I’m so tired and am worried about the long term impact of eating all this sugar. My BMI is within the ‘normal’ range (it’s lower than my pre-pregnancy BMI) but I’m nervous about the damage all this sugar might be doing.

Has anyone successfully curbed a sugar addiction? Will this settle down when I stop breastfeeding? What’s going on? What sort of long term impact might this sugar be having? (I feel like this might motivate me a bit to stop). Has anyone got any things that have helped when they get a sugar craving?

Thank you. Any advice so appreciated 🙏

Well, I've just eaten four Greggs donuts. When I don't take my ADHD meds my cravings are off the charts.

@GaIadriel god I love Gregg’s. I’ve actually wondered more and more about whether I have ADHD. Is sugar craving common in people with ADHD?

I have ADHD and consume too much sugar. DD(10) undiagnosed ADHD is even worse than me.

@SourPatchWatermelon I struggled with what felt like a sugar addiction since I was young.

From age 11 I’d eat entire family sized cakes in one day, huge buckets of supermarket sweet popcorn, packets of biscuits, would get finished within an hour etc I even ate most of a Krispy Kreme’s dozen on a couple of occasions in one day. I generally had a big appetite with savoury foods too.

I always think it was linked to emotional eating but also the past few years it’s been due to severe anemia that went undiagnosed for years. And insomnia which made my cravings worse.

Somehow I never really put on weight until about 2018 then by end of pandemic I was about 20 kg heavier than my pre-2018 weight! In a way putting the weight on was a good thing as it was a great incentive to reduce my sugar intake.

I love baking so I tend not to have sugar in the house so I’m tempted to bake my own cake. and I have been known to fling out cakes and cookies and sweets if I find I can’t resist eating the entire packet. Or if it’s something I can give to a neighbour I’ll do that.

Now I am no longer anemic I noticed I don’t crave sugar as much. But I still need to keep sweet things out the house.

How is your iron levels? Do you have any other deficiencies?

Eating vegetables, making fruit smoothies most days and drizzling a bit of honey in my oat has helped a lot. But overall it’s been a whole lot of willpower involved!

Chill. You'll be fine. You're just hungry and sugar provides fast calories.

What percentage of your calorie intake is coming from sugar?

Are you still getting protein, eating fruit and veg or is the sugar crowding out all other food?

What you're describing sounds like about 500-600kcal of sugary food - so presumably only 25 per cent of your intake.

Just make sure the rest of your diet is good and you'll be fine.

Get your iron levels checked. Low iron can cause a sugar craving.

No advice but I feel the exact same, it really is an addiction that my body has. I am 7 months post partum, still breastfeeding. I think tiredness makes it harder as I need a quick and easy fix. I worry about an increased risk of cancer

I am addicted to sugar and honestly after having my children I relied on it so much, especially with the night feeds and lack of sleep. It has ruined my teeth as I wasn’t able to brush properly during this time.

Ive only been able to stop by going cold turkey. Even then when I am tired or stressed I reach for the sweets. I find sugar free fruit flavoured chewing gum or sweets help but other than that it’s pure will power.

Don’t beat yourself up about it, I have felt much better since stopping breastfeeding and energy levels are back up again. Sugar is so addictive it’s in everything!

Thank you, everyone! @Chinby that’s interesting about the anemia. I didn’t realize craving sugar could be linked to that. I was anemic during my pregnancy but haven’t had my iron levels checked again for a while. There are some really useful tips here ❤️ thank you!

Breastfeeding hunger cravings are so powerful. Also feeling tired after loads of night wakes makes me want sugar even more.
you’re a healthy weight so you’re not massively overeating.
i would try to have some less sugary snacks plentiful that you can reach for instead of haribos. Like make peanut butter flapjacks, handfuls of nuts and seeds and dark chocolate. Full fat yoghurt and honey, Houmous and breadsticks to dip in, berries etc I keep something in my handbag if I’m out !
but cut yourself some slack. Sometimes we all need donuts. You’re feeding a human.

Literally the only thing that helps me is to cut sugar out altogether - moderation is not a thing for me. No cakes, sweets, chocolate, anything over 5% sugar. I will occasionally have diet fizzy that's sugar-free, and will add a little honey or maple syrup to some things and for sweet treats I have dates dipped in nut butter. That's pretty much it.

It's rough for the first few days, but you do adjust to it and your palette also changes after a while. Always have fast, protein-heavy snacks prepared for when sugar cravings hit and then grit your teeth and get through it tbh.

I think you are using up so much energy feeding and looking after your little one! Plus you are sleep deprived which (I think this was from a dr xand and the other guy podcast) makes you crave salt and sugar crap - I can’t now remember why!

i can’t advise as I am a total pig myself but I do try to limit how much I gorge because of diabetes risk and cellulite legs. Are there some healthier tricks you can pull - a chocolate coated rice cake (they are so yummy), or some very thin fridge cold darker chocolate (Tony’s is great, the dark almond and salt is a real palate smasher). I won’t tell you to do what I’ve been advised and have a satsuma or a herbal tea because frankly that’s insulting.

ultimately, with a 9 month old, if it makes you happy and isn’t making you obese then I’d crack on for now. These early days are tough and you have to take your kicks where you can get them. I had a full sugar Coke at 5pm every day until my kids were mid primary school - it just helped me through the 5pm
teatime bathtime tired crotchety kids hour or two and made me very happy!

Did you have gestational diabetes? I did. I was very slim but quickly put on weight with all the sugar I was eating. I’d but multipack of malteasers bags and eat the entire thing in half an hour.
They said it’s a sign I might get real diabetes when I’m older.
So I would try to solve this if I were you. If there’s any way you could trade sugary snacks for something less sugary but just as easy to grab. Is it a texture thing at all? I need a crunchy melty texture and found snack jacks (the blue ones) helped me off the Malteasers, somehow the texture gave me whatever fix I was wanting without the sugar. Ok salt is probably just as bad but I then weaned off from there.
Sorry it sounds really weird.

I crave sweet treats all the time and eat too much sugar, I am always thinking about what I can have next and always feel hungry

I have recently had blood tests that have come back showing low iron and I have to take supplements, I had no idea that low iron could cause sugar cravings!

What i have found that has helped in the past is making better choices. So rather than cutting it out completely, I will have a low calorie chocolate mouse rather than a chocolate bar, for example. I know this isn't perfect, but at least it means I am getting a sweet treat and easing the craving without eating too many calories. I need to start this again as recently I have been terrible

I'd also suggest upping your protein. Plan for snacks which will nourish your body especially as you are breastfeeding. Focus on whole foods that are sweet so things like dates, yoghurt with honey, dried mango, home baked cakes that are lower sugar. That's what I do anyway. I eat sweets and cakes but try to balance this with whole foods I can snack on. I also snack on salty things like pistachios or cashew nuts.