Very Strong Sugar Cravings & Lack of Self Control

[OriginalSkang]

Hello

I've always historically been good at losing weight by just reducing eating rubbish, or eating low carbs or just healthier in general. But now I'm perimenopausal, on HRT and on SSRIs for anxiety and it seems impossible!

I exercise five days a week at the gym in exercise classes - two spinning classes, one step class, one toning class and one weights. I put in full effort, I don't just go through the motions

But my problem is that my sugar cravings are off the richter scale! Which is not how I've ever been before. I need to lose two stone and I'm finding it impossible

I know how to calorie count etc, but the cravings are so bad now that I am just thinking about eating crap all day. I went a week without sugar recently and the cravings didn't let up at all. I'm a terrible sugar binger too, not just one bar of chocolate. Once I'm off the wagon I just think "fuck it" and go all out

Does anyone have any advice for getting out of this mindset? Has anyone tried hypnosis for weight loss?

I've never struggled with this kind of lack of self control before and it's really getting me down

Thanks in advance

Some suggestions :

1.) I would stop doing so much cardio immediately - it massively increases your appetite. Switch to lifting at least 3-5 times a week instead with moderate cardio.

2.) Drink at least 2-3 liters of water a day.

3.) Track your food using something like Myfitnesspal. Tracking macros is so much better than just calories. Calories could mean you are consuming 135g or Carbs/50g fat and only 30g of protein. That wouldn't be good at all. Stick to a high protein diet to keep you full for longer. I always find a chocolate protein shake after my training session satisfies my sweet tooth.

If those thjngs things fail, maybe try a very low dose WLI. I've heard some women use it as a tool to keep the food noise at bay, and has been life changing for them.

Never tried hypnosis, but I would say it would be worth a try if all else fails.

Wish you lots of luck!

Hypnosis/hypnotherapy can be good for changing the way you think about food and help you make more logical choices.

I was a guinea pig in a training session recently and it stopped my biscuit and chocolate habit dead. It doesn't work for everyone so make sure you have a trial session first.

How overweight are you ? Is it lbs or stones/kgs ? The advice will be different !!

Water is a great suggestion as is cutting cardio.

Cardio makes you crave quick energy because it reduces energy too quickly and causes blood sugar drops. Blood sugar dives mean sugar craves. I struggled with this so now I do brisk walking session, 2-3 times a week 7k steps, and then 3k more ancillary for a total of 10k without too much effort. Lift weights, lightly, 3 times a week.

My friend had hypnosis and said it worked but not sure it did or to what extent. I didn't know her then to compare where she was then and where she is now.

Which sugary foods?

Thanks everyone. I fell completely off the wagon over Easter and was too ashamed of myself to come back to the thread

Thank you for the advice on cardio and water, I will give that a go

The sugary food I crave is mainly chocolate, or chocolate biscuits. I know that I shouldn't give in to it obviously, but that's what I'm struggling with 😣It feels so overwhelming

I am 12 stone and 5'7.5. I know I'm not massively overweight as far as BMI goes, but I have narrow shoulders and hips and all weight seems to go on to my stomach making me kind of barrel shaped and feel quite un-womanly. I'm currently a size 14 at the bottom and I feel like it will creep up higher if I don't stop

I often see people saying "cardio is bad". Meh. You go to a marathon and people will be lower weights than the typical BMIs.

I honestly don't think it's that and I'd prioritise doing exercise you enjoy first before worrying about how much you do of different types.

On sugar, a lot of sugar cravings are, it's hypothesised, gut microbiome linked.

Your Candy Cravings Might Be Controlled by This Gut Bacterium | Scientific American

The more you eat, the more you will crave. There is also a link between sweet flavours and craving sweet.

Add to this that non nutritive sweeteners by their very nature get to your gut they have an impact there too.

Artificial Sweeteners: A Double-Edged Sword for Gut Microbiome

So much as I'm loathe to ever say "just white knuckle it out" and put up with the cravings for a bit, did you try reducing all sugars from your diet unless it was contained with high fibre (i.e. in fresh and dried fruit but not fruit juice) and also remove all sweeteners? I wonder if that might help? Also making sure that you go for high fibre foods which will help change and feed your microbiome in your gut?

The other thing I find is if I'm tired I crave sugar more. How is your sleep?