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Addicted to sugar

etnies

Ex-Bluelighter
Joined
May 19, 2010
Messages
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My girlfriend has been battling a sugar and caffeine addiction for quite sometime. I myself quit benzos and opioids for her. I'm working on weed and nicotine. Anyway, are there any other sugar addicts here? I never really understood how someone can be addicted to sugar but after doing some research, I suppose I understand. An addiction is an addiction. I want to give her all the support I can. She's never tried any "real" drugs: nicotine, alcohol, weed...etc (Not many people from Sweden do drugs and it's kept very underground)

Taken from reddit:
"It is looked down upon in most circles. Alcohol, cigarettes, coffee and snus are the drugs that are most socially acceptable in Sweden. All the illegal drugs are looked down upon a lot, and a lot of people won't even make a difference between someone who smokes weed twice a year and someone who shoots heroin regularly. A lot of Swedes "hate" all drugs, just for the sake of hating it because it's illegal. They don't see a need to rationalise their hatred any further. If it was legal, it would be more acceptable, because the government of course knows what's good for us. (a bit sarcasm, but a bit true as well)"

I suck at staying on topic, anyway. If anyone can help with some kind of motivation or diet plans or anything, that would be cool. Thank you <3

She gets cravings and legit withdrawals, never knew that was a thing. Even though she is already normal body weight (like all girls, she thinks she's fat)
 
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My girlfriend has been battling a sugar and caffeine addiction for quite sometime. I myself quit benzos and opioids for her. I'm working on weed and nicotine. Anyway, are there any other sugar addicts here? I never really understood how someone can be addicted to sugar but after doing some research, I suppose I understand. An addiction is an addiction. I want to give her all the support I can. She's never tried any "real" drugs: nicotine, alcohol, weed...etc (Not many people from Sweden do drugs and it's kept very underground)

Taken from reddit:
"It is looked down upon in most circles. Alcohol, cigarettes, coffee and snus are the drugs that are most socially acceptable in Sweden. All the illegal drugs are looked down upon a lot, and a lot of people won't even make a difference between someone who smokes weed twice a year and someone who shoots heroin regularly. A lot of Swedes "hate" all drugs, just for the sake of hating it because it's illegal. They don't see a need to rationalise their hatred any further. If it was legal, it would be more acceptable, because the government of course knows what's good for us. (a bit sarcasm, but a bit true as well)"

I suck at staying on topic, anyway. If anyone can help with some kind of motivation or diet plans or anything, that would be cool. Thank you <3

She gets cravings and legit withdrawals, never knew that was a thing. Even though she is already normal body weight (like all girls, she thinks she's fat)

Tell her to eat less sugar, and slowly cut back. Tell her to look at the labels on packages, avoid drinking sweet drinks like soda, stop using honey/sugar in tea or coffee, etc. Good luck.
 
Kick off using lesser to no simple/ fast sugars like sugar, wheats and (potato) starches. Switching/ substituting more complex/ slower sugars like coconut blossum sugar and certain fruits/ vegetables (like sweet potato and alike). You have to look them up yourselves to see what suites best.

This could be used as a intermediate, if quitting is out of the question.
 
I understand completely. I get complimented on my physique frequently, and i pay attentio mn to a healthy lifestyle, really!

But sugar is something strange. Of everything I've tried (basically anythin besides opioids) I consider sugar to be the most addictive. Thing is, i dont feel the need every day. Sometimes i can go for 2 weeks without refined sugar in any form. And sometimes i eat 5000kcals in an hour (not bullshitting you). Ofcourse, it happens more when i'm emotionally out of balance. But sometimes i notice my paw in the cookie jar just because of habit.

I'm afraid i can't give real tips. She just hasto find something that works for her. No sugar after 7pm would be a good starting point (good sleep is important).
 
I think tendency to become addicted to sugar is largely genetic, and probably related to the fact that some people are foodies while for others food is just fuel. I believe there are studies that suggest that some people just have a higher density of taste receptors than others. In my own experience compared to my friend this is true also - obviously I like chocolate and stuff but in general I can take or leave sugary foods, and food is not that big a deal to me, whereas I have a friend who finds it much harder not to overeat, and also has much more appreciation for "fine" foods whereas generally I couldn't care less. Obviously this is purely anecdotal but I think it supports the theory that for some people taste is just a more important sense... Because of that my advice may not work for her, but I am gonna go ahead and give it anyway!

Has she tried substituting real sugars for synthetic sugars? Diet fizzy drinks and that sort of thing? I know some people don't like to feel they are drinking synthetic stuff but as far as I'm concerned all the widely used ones are probably relatively safe, and there have never been any definitive dangers shown. She can also try substituting chocolate for high cocoa dark chocolate, can't think of anything else at the moment but there are low-sugar versions of various foods depending on what she likes.

As far as physical withdrawals, this is really just something she needs to tough out. For the vast majority of people who are cutting down on processed sugars (ie, not ALL sugars) cravings are largely psychological and not actually harmful, so after even a few days this should fade. But on that note, depending on how strong her resolve is, I honestly think she might benefit from an ultra-low-sugar diet like the Ketogenic diet, which basically says you should get the majority of your daily calories from fats (good fats ideally) rather than carbs.

I did this a while ago for different reasons, although not really a "true" Keto diet (like 5% carbs daily), I just tried to eat minimal carbs (more like, 10-15% of my calories). It is definitely hard at times, especially as your body's glycogen stores are running out, and this is probably closer to a real sugar withdrawal as your body literally runs out of stored sugars to use for energy, BUT after doing this for a few weeks I really think I almost permanently altered my palate, and sugars are far less appealing to me. After a brief adaptation phase also most people do feel better eating less carbs, probably because eating sugar, like a fast acting stimulant drug, provides an immediate and quick hit of energy, followed by a crash, whereas training your body to be less reliant on sugars for fuel generally leads to more consistent energy levels and mood as well. It's possible that after trying this for a while the benefits would be enough to break her addiction. And again, she doesn't have to do it for ever, in my own experience a few weeks is enough to gauge the effects and experience lasting benefits even if you relax a little after that (this is kind of counter to what a lot of Keto-enthusiasts would claim but I think it can't hurt to try).

As far as caffeine goes, I would firstly tackle one addiction at a time, and probably do sugar first, because if she tried to quit caffeine she'll probably end up substituting it with more sugar and hence potentially get quite fat. On the other hand, quitting sugar will probably be easier if she is able to use caffeine to counter low energy levels. After that, in my own experience the best way to break a caffeine addiction is just to cold turkey it for as long as you are able (obviously this can be hard if she literally needs caffeine to function effectively and works a normal 5-day week type of job). She can then try carefully to add it back in and see if she is able to do this without getting addicted again. Ideally what I have done is just take a few days where I have to do literally nothing, and just cold turkey it. I believe I read somewhere once that it can take up to 9 days for your body to readjust to lack of caffeine, (although this depends on the severity of the addiction, it could be less) so this is often not practical. BUT again, I would suggest just doing what she can, say she can only take a weekend, maybe try to cold turkey Friday-Saturday-Sunday, then if she needs it, just drink half a cup of coffee or whatever in the morning on Monday and see how she goes, try to keep it to 1 cup a day, half a cup, etc, cold turkeying when possible, and see how she goes from there. Gradual cutting down may be more painful in some ways, but, again, if she needs caffeine to function effectively it's probably going to be the only way.

I hope some of this advice helps!
 
Thanks so much for the advice everyone! I will def show her this thread.
 
I think that as you fight those cravings for sugar especially, and start to suppress the urge to eat something with sugar, you start to kill off those tastebuds (not in a bad way)and you start craving it or needing it less and less.
 
Using sugar alternatives can help but I believe stevia (natural plant extract) to be the only other healthy alternative. Other lab made sugar alternatives are just as bad IMO.

Does your girlfriend exercise? When I fall off the wagon which happens to me a lot (been eating healthy and exercising for the past 5 years) I find even just one round of exercise can really help your mind set in what you're putting in your body even for days after. That's as long as she's aware of the detrimental health impact sugar has.
 
She should get her sugars from fruits. I am addicted to sugars but I feel like I'm heading down diabetes road. Quitting soda also helps.
 
I'm in the same boat I've been eating way too much sugar. At work they serve free deserts all day so everybody there tends to eat a lot of cakes and such.

I'm considering bringing fruits to work to replace other kinds of snacks, and this has been an effective approach in the past. Fruits are naturally sweet but are still healthy.
 
I'm not "battling " with anything. I'm just the exact opposite, i drink a million sugar free zero calorie electrolyte supplements. And only use sweeteners.
 
In my experience sugar cravings are a result of low digestive metabolism. Sugar is the easiest fuel source for the body... it requires no investment on the body to break down, other than insulin. So you could start exercising to see if it raises your base metabolic rate, and then you can introduce more protein. Starting the day with protein reduces sugar cravings. If dense protein is too hard to digest, then take a tiny bit of apple cider vinegar (like 1/2 teaspoon) 20 mins before your meal... straight or in some water.

The other common reason for caffeine and sugar cravings is low thyroid. If you're hypo, then those things will temporarily boost metabolic rate, but the end result is of course a crash. So you may want to get thyroid tested: TSH, free T3, free T4
 
I can leave or take a needle full of heroin but fuck me is it hard to say no when someone holds a slice of cake in front of you.

As someone who grew up with major anxiety and later fatigue, I was always trying to fix or at least put a bandaid on the problem. Years later I eventually learned it was all related to sugar and have lived a much happier/healthier life since then.

Some tips here...

-Save your sweetest foods and meals for later in the day/night..

Sugar is just like stimulants to me when it comes to "redosing." The earlier you consume some the harder it will be the rest of the day to avoid. Eat a muffin in the morning and expect to fight the cravings all day, eat a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast to feel satisfied for much longer.

I personally aim to not eat much sugar at all (look at the labels people, shit like wheat thins are almost as sweet as cookies) until a few hours before bed. Then I'll eat like a banana or peanut butter toast with a little honey drizzled on. Which brings me to my next point...

-When you do eat sweets, eat something with some nutritional value as well..

Say no to candy, that shit is nothing but chemicals designed to be highly addictive faux food. Instead eat some fruit, or a lightly sweetened pastry, something of the likes.

-Read all labels.

Part of avoiding sugar is by checking those labels because many foods have excessive amounts and by choosing wisely you can avoid a lot of it. On top of that but food tastes better when the focus goes off sugar and towards things like spices, herbs and fat. (Fat is demonized when in reality it's sugar that deserves everything fat has been blamed for.)

Examples: BBQ sauce is a great one that can often be full of sugar when it's not needed. Look at the label and if you see sugar/high fructose corn syrup or any other sugar substance as the first ingredient then keep looking.

Once you get good at checking labels like I am you'll start to remember the sugar content and average serving size of your favorite foods and be able to compare and contrast with other products.

(Note: Companies are wise to this so remember to check the serving size as well when comparing products. Granola is one where they switch up the serving size to fake people out.)

-And last one for now.. The sugar addiction will be easier once the caffeine is dealt with.

I've got the same problem, a hot latte is like crack to me. I was able to quit completely years ago by weaning down from coffee to black tea to green tea but the past year I've seen a reamergence in the caffeine beast and I've been fighting it constantly.

After you come down from the caffeine the body is very receptive to sugar.


That's it for now but I got more if anyone is interested. I'm happier now than I ever was when sugar was huge in my life, I suggest it to everyone whether they feel they have a problem or not.

-GC
 
Yes... Been on suboxone the past ten+ years. Had an IV habit as a teenager. I grew up in a household full of 80 and 160mg oxy's, 100mg morphine, you name it. When I did heroin it was early to mid 2000's right when heroin started flooding the US and there was nearly pure shit floating around and fent dope was a rarity. Let's just say I know opiates a little too well ;)

I've always had a problem with the drugs or feel goods that are more benign overall. For instance I'm addicted/dependent on suboxone now because it's long lasting and easier to live a normal life on.

See obviously the needle of heroin will feel better but I'll fall into withdrawal/possible addiction/nasty shit. The cake is available in most grocery stores and gas stations, its the most accepted drug there is, so one bite wouldn't hurt right?

-GC
 
After some easy analysis of my intake i am likely to die also of a sugar diet based malnutrition i do not care about.
 
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