I’m addicted to sugar and need help.

[Watdaheck]

I feel a little silly writing here about sugar addiction when so many have much more serious addictions but I don’t know where to turn.

I've been addicted as long as I can remember, as a child sweets were used to pacify me and as an adult I continued to use them to pacify myself as I have very low self esteem and confidence. It wasn’t so bad when I worked as I was busy and couldn’t get hold of them continuously or was just too busy at work.

i took early retirement 5 years ago at 55 and it’s dawned on me that I’m just eating more and more sweets and chocolate. I’m at home most of the day and rarely eat before lunchtime. But after lunch, when I’ve finished my housework, I give myself the afternoon to chill, watch tv, play with and walk the dog, drink coffee, read magazines and eat chocolate and sweets, it’s almost like a reward.

i would estimate I eat around 1000 calories a day in chocolate and sweets. I’m educated and intelligent but I just can’t cut down without getting cravings….and then giving in. Every night I tell myself I will do better the next day and I have ended up in this perpetual cycle.

I would pay a lot of money for someone to cure me of this. I watched 100’s of videos on YouTube about it and even tried hypnosis but nothing has worked. I’m reasonably ‘healthy’ for my age (albeit 2 stone overweight) but no serious medical problems but I fear I am storing them up for the future.

Can anyone give advise, guidance or help? Thank you.

I’m not 100% sure it’s an addiction… but a habit maybe, or could just be semantics!

I too am battling and a few things are working.

Thinking as food as nourishment for my body. I don’t want to make myself ill by eating rubbish.

Distracting myself after dinner when cravings are worst.

Having a herbal tea in the evening to close off the day of food.

Allowing myself strong 300 calories per day of’ treats’ and being conscious of this. I can go under or over, but really I aim for less.

I’ve found I have low iron so Im taking iron and this is helping with energy slumps. I also work hard to sleep well and get out and walk every day.

Take up a habit like crochet where you can occupy both hands and it’s generative… you can actually make amazing gifts for people!

Have an imaginary friend who you’re accountable to each week for what you’ve eaten. Would you really want to tell someone you’ve eaten 7,000 kcal of sugary snacks week in week out?

For me progress is slow but going in the right direction.

I 100% believe it’s an addiction because I’m going through the exact same thing.
I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t smoke, but sugar has an incredible hold over me.

Like you, I’m well educated, have a good life, am conscious about my health and adore healthy food. But I also eat roughly 1000cals a day in chocolate.

I don’t know what to do or where to turn to be honest.

I'm exactly the same, once I start I can't stop. I'm currently listening to Allen Carr the easy way for women to lose weight, which tackles foods addiction. It's interesting to listen to, but I'm only just starting to implement the ideas, so can't give an honest review.

It's really made me think though, that and ultra processed people by Chris Van Tulken. Both books focus on really tasting and feeling the texture of the food and questionimg what it is you like about it. Which is really eye opening, as I've noticed I eat junk really quickly and when I eat it really slowly and really pay attention it loses some of its appeal.

It's 100% addiction! I was also totally addicted. The previous poster mentioned Allen Carr. I read his "the easy way to quit sugar" and for some reason it totally worked for me. That was about 2.5 years ago now and my eating is completely different. I've had a couple of periods where small amounts crept back in - but currently I've been (added) sugar free since 1st January.

I don't crave it. I don't miss it. I know I have to treat it like heroin - eg can't even have a small bit, because otherwise I'd eat it ALL.

But yes I was eating tonnes of the stuff before.

The only way to deal with this is to go cold turkey. The sugar highs are elevated blood sugar levels, when you've eaten sugar you get a high, then your blood sugar plummets and you crave more sugar. Cut all sweet stuff out, including drinks, and fruit. It's the only way. The first week is the worst.

Cold turkey, its the only way. Can you get your sugar hit through fruit, such as mango and strawberries so finding natural sugar replacement rather than refined sugar

It's an addiction no different than cigarettes or alcohol so you need to take the same approach because sugar will cause just as much harm

OP i had this problem for a long time (years). I wouldn't sau i am over it bit i can kow largely control it
Look up Glucose Goddess - follow.her plans/]plan and it does get better. It has massively helped me.

I have the same problem. I know theoretically I don't want that cookie or this chocolate but in the moment it's like I'm a robot or something reaching for it. Until my late 20s I would never have thought to buy a brownie or cake in a cafe but I started having a biscuit with coffee when I was going through a stressful time and it just snowballed.

A few years ago I started a calendar on the fridge to allow myself two sugary things a week, it worked for a long time but it's crept back up again.

I found it easier to quit smoking!

This is good to know! Thank you! I'm looking forward to finishing the audio book and getting started. I think you're right with the heroin analogy. That's how I was treating it a while ago and I didn't crave it at all. But as soon as I start I'm off the wagon and eat everything I can get my hands on.

I’m so pleased to see this thread as just this week have been trying to find info about how alcoholics manage to give up as it feels so similar. I can have none quite happily. For weeks but one tiny morsel leads to wanting to eat All The Sugar which is mad as it definitely always triggers a migraine in me around 12 hours later and also alters my mood for the worse for days after. I’m also sensitive to most carbs in terms of moods and migraines but HATE that if my daughter has baked cookies my daft brain says ‘Oooo lovely I’ll just have a tiny bit’ and then proceeds to eat way more than necessary or normal. and hating myself (then having a migraine)

We are a low sugar household as a rule as my husband successfully weened himself off and considers himself a recovering sugarholic so won’t even have a taste of anything which is sugary. I need to do the same really.

Thanks all for your input. I have read both the Allen Carr sugar book and Ultra Processed people but was a while ago so may need to revisit those. Seems it’s a lot more prevalent than I thought. Not sure what to do from here except keep trying! I am quite bored some days so may need to look at finding an engrossing hobby to keep me occupied.

Can I ask what you've tried - are you trying to eat less, or going cold turkey, how long for etc? Recovering addict here too, you are not alone!

I’ve read all the books suggested here. I’ve tried hypnosis in person but no success, I’m currently listening to hypnosis every night and have been for the last 3 months, it’s great at getting me to sleep but not helped otherwise. I’ve tried sheer willpower which works for a day…then I cave.

I also went to Overeaters Anonymous but it was too religious for me (I’m Athiest) and also not sure I’m an overeater. It’s just the sugar.

has anything helped you? Anything you can recommend?

I'm in a similar boat @Watdaheck .
Gave up alcohol last year, after decades of addiction. I seem to have replaced it with sugar. Read Allen Carr, watched videos, listen to hypnosis reels, I'm still stuck.
I've just got a book called Breaking Up With Sugar from the library. I've had it a while. Need to read the bloody thing though. Partly what's stopping me is thinking I have no 'treat' once I pack in the sugar.
I'm hoping this thread might help...

Yes definitely, I too gave up alcohol recently, mainly to support a family member who had to go teetotal and it was far easier than I expected but the sugar…well I just feel defeated. I’m also Coeliac and dairy intolerant so already restricted on the kinds of foods I can eat. Funny thing is when I was diagnosed Coeliac I was able to stop all gluten filled foods with no problem as I knew if I ate the. I would get really sick very quickly but with sugar there is no illness….not short term anyway

If a doctor told me I’d get violently ill from eating sugar I know I’d be able to stop instantly but I don’t think that’s ever going to happen….mores the pity.

I’m exactly the same and yes it is an addiction.

i desperately need to break this but i am failing.

i got diagnosed years ago with a sugar addiction. My life is a cycle of being in it - getting out of it and being in it again.

it really is horrendous and I cannot face the hell of getting out of it. The withdrawal migraines are just awful.

i will however use this thread to get out of it. On Monday once my secret sugar stash is used up….

The “fix” I was given was to replace sugar with a handful of nuts..

yes much easier said than done and definitely has not been my fix.

I don't overeat sugar, but I have really tried recently to cut it out for weight loss reasons. I did really well for a few weeks, but then it was my birthday and the inevitable chocolate boxes arrived. The thing is, the chocolate, after not having any for so long, was hideously sweet. It made me realise how our palates get used to what we have and probably this adds to the 'can't get enough' mentality we experience.
So, my point is that if you persevere, with whatever route you choose, you should see and taste an improvement fairly quickly.

By the way, dried figs are hugely sweet and delicious and make a good substitute they don't help much with weight loss, though.

I have found that magnesium supplements help reduce chocolate craving
But not actually sugar.
I think high protein eating helps
Not all these protein bars etc but fish, meat etc

The only thing which works for me is not to buy the sweet stuff in the first place, and to have a number of substitutes available for my weakest moments - wanting something with a cup of coffee or tea and wanting something sweet to finish off a meal. I try and have e.g a couple of rice or corn cakes with no added sugar jam (e.g. St. Dalfour) and peanut butter, a handful of nuts and raisins, a small pack of salted popcorn, two squares of very dark chocolate etc.
Oh…and adopting the mantra ‘sugar is poison’ which I say to myself every time I’m tempted. Visualising a cascading pile of granulated white sugar puts me right off!

Also Nak’d bars. They taste sweet, but they’re good for you!

I cut it out completely 2 years ago and my taste buds have completely adjusted so I don't crave it at all now.

Initially, at least, complete cold turkey works best, so that means no starches (simple carbs such as potatoes, white rice, bread etc) as well as no added sugar. I also cut out most fruit in the early stages as the sugary taste would drive my cravings. After a few days cold turkey it quickly got a lot easier and I started to enjoy less sugary food more.

Now I am able to eat potatoes and fruit without driving my cravings for more sugar but I always follow the glucose goddess rules e.g protein and fibre first, dress carbs, short walk after, reheat starchy carbs etc. I have zero cravings now for sugary desserts and on the odd occasion I try them e.g when socialising I don't enjoy them.

I read somewhere that if you are addicted to sugar you enjoy sweets but if it's chocolate bars you are actually more interested in fat.

You say you eat both. Is that right? So you may be addicted to sugar and fat?

I can't stand sweets, sweet drinks etc. For me it's the fat!

My suggestion is that you join a gym or go swimming or similar instead of holing up at home with goodies. And just don't buy them in the first place.

You could also have therapy to unpick the connections you have with treats.

OP I think cold turkey is the only answer.

I really would avoid these if you want to reduce sugar cravings. Although they don't have added sugar they are really high in natural sugars and don't have much fibre to compensate.

Also rice cakes actually have a higher glycemic load than table sugar so will raise your blood glucose faster, the peanut butter topping will help a bit though. I would swap the rice cake for an apple as at least there will be some fibre to slow the spike.