Sugar, baby

[Fitz_Hulk]

I recently started going to a gym and I got a personal trainer. I'm aiming for two to three training sessions a week and it's been going pretty well.

The problem is that I am addicted to sugar. I plan out my eating but then I get distracted and give myself a little leniency which most times turns into a full out binge. Plus grains and dairy. I love eating paleo but I fall off the wagon so quickly.

I will get there, though. One meal at a time. One day at a time.

[Steppinon D'Arrows]

I hear you, thatgirlwrites. I'm trying to eat well but fruit and one or two sweet things always takes me above recommended for some reason. I haven't really tried paleo but it's becoming tempting. Maybe sometime when I feel like it I'll try a week of it and see if things improve.

[Razzy]

There's a girl like that in my art class, but she's SERIOUSLY addicted to sugar. In particular, honey. She brings a jar of honey to class, every day. And she always eats a spoonful or three out of it -- slowly, stretching it out over the 3 hours of class. I asked once and she freely admitted that she's addicted to it and goes through a jar about the size of my fists every week.

 

Until you start doing this, I think you're already a step ahead at fighting off the sugar addiction.

 

A big step to sugar detox is getting rid of the sugary products in your house. Or else hide them. Put them in the back of a cupboard where you'll never see them. I'll bet you that your craving for it will go down dramatically once it's gone. Out of sight, out of mind -- very true.

 

Other than that, yeah, you just have to wean yourself off the sugar. It's hard, trust me -- it's in EVERYTHING. But it's possible. Slowly but surely, you'll get there.

[MetalPinata]

I've got problems when it comes to eating sugar too, currently I'm trying a step down process. I bought little baggies and I've put half a portion of a sugary snack and half a portion of a healthy snack. After I'm done with the little baggies I made up (I did 7), I'm going to make bags with 1/4 bad snacks and 3/4 good ones, and after that week is done I'm going to try and just eat healthy snacks. I've also cut soda (mostly) out of my diet which has really reduced my desire for sugar in the long term.

[K-Prime]

 

A big step to sugar detox is getting rid of the sugary products in your house. Or else hide them. Put them in the back of a cupboard where you'll never see them. I'll bet you that your craving for it will go down dramatically once it's gone. Out of sight, out of mind -- very true.

This right here. I simply cannot keep junk food in my apartment. If it's there, I'll eat it. The only way I have success with my eating was by completely purging everything. 

[Sambalina]

I think it's also something that just takes time. It's taken me literally years to get to a really healthy place, food-wise. Every time I fall, it's a little less deep than the last time, and a little easier to get back on track. Be gentle on yourself and definitely don't expect perfection (but don't be a wimp, either!). The healthy eating thing is a total journey, and if you keep honestly trying, you will change over time. 

Keep it up, and kick this respawns butt!!

[Fitz_Hulk]

You guys are all awesome. Thanks heaps for the encouragement. 

I'm pretty sick at the moment (head cold bleh) so it's harder to make good choices. I have a good boyfriend who's encouraging me, though. 

Baby steps are good. 

[Sambalina]

Aw, sorry to hear you're sick, tgw It makes healthy choices pretty hard sometimes. Though yay for awesome boyfriend!

How are you feeling now?

[Moonjami]

Hi!

 

Me too!  Have you heard that song by Marilyn Manson "Third Day of a Seven Day Binge"?  That's me and sugar.  I am an emotional eater, and undergoing stress.  Booooo..........

 

What techniques do you use to motivate yourself to not find the hidden junk food in the house or to drive to the store and purchase crap?

[Eilyd]

Ugh that sugar. It's everywhere this time of year and especially where I work and my coworker brought in donuts today because he's "nice" like that. Like Steve said in the recent fruit article, fruit is tricky because of its high sugar content...but I've found that when I'm having trouble breaking myself of sugar, substituting a fruit cup/pear/banana for a cookie can reduce the draw. Then I feel good about making a healthy choice, which makes it easier to turn down the sugary foods the next time...so at least for a week or so I can break the cycle.

[Koushiro]

Sugar has always been my weak spot. It took me years to get myself off of it. Sugary drinks were especially bad. Dr. Pepper and sweet tea mostly. Some people can buy a box of cookies or a pack of sodas and have one every couple of days. And some people just don't have the self control when that stuff is around. I finally just had to stop buying anything like that. No more sodas, no more donuts, no more cookies.

 

Of course, the cravings don't stop. Fruit helped there for me. Yeah, fruit is kind of high in sugar, but it's a hell of a lot better than a creme-filled donut. So it makes a good transition. It's like a nicotine patch or something. I think a lot of people make the mistake of trying to do too much at once, which makes it a lot easier to fail. Getting to a goal in baby steps is better than not getting there at all. I think it's also easier to form habits if you ease yourself into it.

 

Anyway, I don't kill myself trying not to eat sweets, but I'm a lot better about it now. My main rule is not to buy anything like that for myself at the grocery store. If I never have that stuff at home, I don't feel bad on the much more rare occasion that the nice guy at work brings in donuts and I eat one (but just one). I still have sweet tea once a week when I go out to dinner with friends, but I've cut out soda completely.

 

The best part is that once I was weaned to a much lower sugar level, I couldn't handle the level of sugar I used to have. It just didn't taste as good. For example, when I drink sweet tea now, I have to mix it half and half with unsweet or it's just disgusting. But I enjoy that half sweet/half unsweet just as much as I used to enjoy just the sweet tea.

 

Anyway, good luck! It's great that you have a real person there to help encourage you.

[Isojourner]

To get over sugar cravings I decide all that will go in my body and what time of day for about a week. so I will plan every meal and drink out in advance. I then fight tooth and nail with my selfdiscipline to stick to the plan and not let one single 'sugary' thing in all week. Then after 7 days I hardly ever crave anything sweet until i consciousley decide to eat something sweet and make it a habit again.  This is just what works for me. I hope it could give a shred of help to you in some way.

 

Tell yourself, you want to look delicious more than you want to eat delicious. ^.~

[Fitz_Hulk]

Hey guys. I'm back again, after a while of not posting at all. 

 

I've decided to quit sugar. I haven't eaten it much at all this week (I've eaten out a couple of times where there may have been some hidden sugar in the food, and I did eat some fruit) and I've decided that that's how it's going to stay. No donuts, no sneaky cupcakes at work, nothing. 

 

I gained over a kilo in January, and I'm sick of looking at myself and not liking what I see. I want to be strong, to take charge in my life and to enjoy my body. 

 

Steve's last post about being selfish about health and fitness really struck a chord with me and I'm determined to make it a reality. I'm going to eat well, sleep well and work out hard. I will do this. 

 

Would love some encouraging posts from you guys!