Has anyone succeeded in taming the sugar monster?! How?

[sotiredfornow]

I have absolutely come to the conclusion that I have a sugar addiction. I'm not sure if I should have posted here or in health. At present, I have a silly amount of chocolate every single day (e.g the big bags of maltesers that you're supposed to share or make last a week!) and each day I say I won't but still do. I'm very slim so that's not an issue but it is affecting my skin, gums, eyes and energy levels so I'd like to stop, obviously. I'm otherwise healthy (exercise, no smoking, no drinking).

Any tips? Something very psychological is going on. I simply can't get through one day without calling by the shop to buy chocolate!

areyou no time for boiled egg, sadly can't do at work...

toast with no-sugar peanut butter, or almond butter? It's tricky, I know, to be a saint wrt diet. Modern life and cooking 3 perfectly nutritionally-balanced meals a day from scratch are not compatible.

superfly why can't you take hard boiled eggs (cooked the night before, you could even do a batch and use over a few days) into work?

I'm a sweetie-aholic rather than choc. I've just switched to raw carrot sticks when I want to eat fruit gums. Carrots are a very sweet vegetable so it takes the edge off. I've been doing it for over a week now and I'm not really craving sweets. I went shopping today and it didn't occur to me to even look.

Ironically from your point of view, OP, I'm only buying chocolate type snacks for the kids now so I'm not tempted to nibble. Other sweet vegetables are out there - slices of peppers etc. Could you make a snack pot up of carrots, peppers, tomatoes, cucumber slices etc? I'd suggest beetroot at home as I'd be wearing purple stained clothing - after all we get sugar from beets - just a variety of the same vegetable.

I can also snack on pickles all day long. I'm adding baby beetroot to my shopping list.

I was scoffing serious amounts of sugar after changing medication last year. I put on 3 stones in 4 months but I could not control the cravings, they were crazy!

After reaching a weight that was heavier than when I was full term pregnant with ds2, I decided that enough was enough.

I quit sugar cold turkey. I felt really, really awful for about 4 days and it was very difficult, but I knew if I could ride it out then things would improve.

I read that if anything is more than 4% sugar, you shouldn't eat it. I try to stick to that, but I will have a piece of cake on someone's birthday or whatever now and again.

I have lost 20lbs and at no point was I ever hungry. It definitely is not a diet, I was never hungry. I allowed myself 2 pieces of fruit a day, so desert could be banana and cream for example.

Once you start looking at how much sugar is in everyday foods, never mind the obviously sugary stuff, you will be astounded at how much sugar most people consume every day. Good luck, you can do it!!

This is an inspiring thread, thank you.

I am slim and healthy but prone to PMS and spots, and I know that sugar helps neither, yet I have always had a sweet tooth. My diet is 90% healthy but I've never managed to get rid of the sugar.

Two weeks ago I gave up coffee and dark chocolate as I felt the caffeine a) makes me jittery and b) messes with my blood sugar levels. After 48 hours of horrible caffeine-withdrawal headache I feel good.

Let's see if I can keep off the sweet stuff.

sleep going to try your hard boiled egg and toast combo thanks!

We do have a toaster at work, I'm tempted to buy one of those poached egg and toaster combo things for work, how yummy would that be?!

photocop it's amazing how powerful caffeine is, some people tolerate it well but others really don't but don't realise!

superfly, eggs sound great. I definitely think if cold turkey seems a bit too radical then breakfast is a great place to start with reducing sugar. Studies show that if your breakfast is mainly sugar and carbs then that's what you are likely to crave all day.

To change a habit the best way is to change the cues/environment around it and cultivate a replacement 'habit'. So for example if you often have chocolate with a cup of coffee sitting in a certain chair. Sit (or stand) somewhere else and have a herbal

That's interesting hettie - I'm SAHM at the moment (job hunting not very successful since we moved) and have definitely gained weight. Always found it easier to keep it off when working.

Will start with an egg tomo. I've been enjoying 0% fat yog, oats, wheat bran and coconut flakes in the mornings but I think that must be well sugary.

betsey if your oats etc is home made mix then it's pretty good, though I'd swap the 0% for full fat. Not as good as eggs because of protein but fine .

The habits thing is a great point too, it's amazing how strong associations can become, such as a biscuit with a cup of tea etc.

Yes, I could never find a basic muesli without raisins (can't bear them) and used to spend too long each morning picking them out. Then MIL pointed out that I could just buy the constituent parts much cheaper and have a breakfast that I actually liked!

So, full fat yog if no egg tomo then. Ta sleep .

I find coffee harder than anything. I'm impressed by people who can ditch the caffeine.

I don't believe in eliminating sugar completely,you still need it,but in other forms maybe,like maple syrup or honey,

And of course You can still enjoy cakes in moderation and try to cook your own treats,that way you can control what goes in them and adjust the amount of sugar you use,

I eat,bread almost daily,and I know that alot of people think of potatoes as an enemy but I eat those too,and I never had any weight issues,

Like marsha I have serious caffeine addiction,I can't function without coffee,and would never switch to herbal teas or anything of that sort, taste like poison, I read that herbal consumption is actually not very good,and can cause serious kidney damage,so I'm taking that as gospel

yep I can go with that too Santa

I am trying to do similar, but try to have my carbs and sugar earlier and then reduce them towards end of day.

I have been having granola (Rude Health so not too sugary) in the mornings with a boiled egg, lunch of baked turkey fillet with salad veg and a piece of fruit, and dinner of fish with veg and a small portion of potatoes or rice.

Trying not to snack. Hoping this will work!

theharcombediet.com/

I couldn't believe how bad I felt during phase 1 - which just goes to show how addicted to caffeine and sugar I was.

If you want to do it in stages cut out the obvious - cakes, sweets, pastries, sugar in drinks, honey, fruit, alcohol, jams.

Then there's the carbs - pastry, pasta, bread, potatoes (starch), cereals. Change to whole grain.

Zoe Harcombe recommends being very strict for 5 days, then you can reintroduce certain foods. Basically most things we buy pre prepared have sugar in them. Have a look at Hovis (not that their alone) wholemeal bread. You think "oh it's wholemeal, must be good for me". Then you read, malted this/malted that - malted = sugar. What's sugar doing in a loaf of bread?

Are dates Ok in all this? Could give up sweets if can have the odd date

I don't believe in eliminating sugar completely,you still need it,but in other forms maybe,like maple syrup or honey

Sorry, but that's not true. No one needs sugar. However, I believe a little isn't going to do huge damage, and if you add it to tea or whatever in the form of honey you know how much you're getting. It's processed foods that are the enemy.

Interesting thread.

Can I just ask those of you who don't have sugar in the house or very low-carb, do you have young children?

I have zero willpower but have 3yo (and 13yo dss, and 4mo) so couldn't follow this lifestyle as the older two need bread, potatoes, fruit (and the odd biscuit or cake as a treat). I don't want to raise children in a house where everyday foods are forbidden, though I agree most everyday foods are full of sugar

slinky I think it would be too extreme to impose such a lifestyle on youngsters,they are growing and need good amount of varied food, I give my dcs treats,try to bake them,as much as possible but yes I sometimes give them supermarket treats,biscuits or chocolate...etc, as long as they are active and i keep it to a minimal than I see no harm,

growing up,we didnt fallow these harsh diets,we ate very fresh healthy food, we didnt count calories,we didnt banish certian types of food like bread,potatoes or whatever, we ate chocolate,cakes and bisciuts,but it was just one small portion ,but the things my mum avoided buying the most was fizzy drinks crisps,cereal and carton juice, and we never ever ate fastfood, the closest McDonalds was in the next town so it was a long drive to go there!

I think these kind of diets are too harsh,

I agree with Bonsoir - I don't think it's necessary to completely cut out all sugars, but just cut out all the sweet junk. I don't have any issues with my weight but a few months ago I decided that I was having way too much sugar. Every day I was having processed sugary biscuits or cakes at work and too much chocolate after dinner. I just stopped and don't crave it now.

Oh - and I think that children in particular have too much sugar because so many people think they need multiple daily "treats". I make home made cakes for dd from time to time but that's it - no biscuits, no sugary cereals or sweetened yogurts. I just don't keep things like that at home.

notcontent friut yogurt is the worst type of "healthy food" you can give to a child, along with cereal, it has so much sugar,and because it is considered as an a ceptable healthy meal (breakfast) you end up giving them huge amounts of sugar,

Replace the chocolate with fruit; it's better for you, and it costs about a third of the price. Bananas are the best if you need energy boosts. It is recommended to drink water after eating apples owing to their high acidity.

Also, with respect to carbs, wholemeal is the way to go... BUT have most of these carbs earlier in the day so your body has a chance to burn them off - you really don't need to be eating much in the way of carbs in the last meal of the day, because you are likely just going to be sitting around watching TV and then going to bed, and the body does not need carbs to perform these activities.