How do any of you beat sugar cravings?  I have a sweet tooth that wins every time.  I will eat from the bag of chocolate chips if there isn't anything sweet around.

I have Type 2 diabetes and can reward myself a couple times a week with a sweet, but boy, I feel like I have to have a sweet every day.  I try to sub with a fruit or juice, but by 5:00 pm I am scarfing up all the sugar loaded foods I can find.  There was none before the holidays, but I still have some fudge and candy around here.

Is sugar addiction real? And do I need to just buckle down and go thru the withdrawals?

It is really hard, much more so than I thought.

i do not know if it technically qualifies as an addiciton, but withdrawl from eating a lot of sugar is real--i have gone through it from time to time. it takes about 2 weeks, all in, for you to get past the cravings but once you do.....you will love it  i also do not have diabetes and don't know if that may affect the intensity of your cravings, etc--there are some carob chocolate-like substitutes out there that may help. i have found that having something ELSE to eat nearby is the key for me---otherwise, like you, i will scarf those cookies down....good luck!

I agree that you can get past it, it does take going cold turkey but it does pass.  I quit sugar and carbs last Winter b/c of bad blood work, and I feel so much better with out the sugar.  I avoid the fake stuff too, my one treat is a diet coke in the afternoon for something sweet and a caffine boost.  At night I do nuts, or cheese if I am craving something.

Thanks, I'll try to have something else to eat near by.  I am a wimp, I hate to "suffer" :)

Maxine, Good luck, beating sugar can be really hard.  If you are occasionally able to treat yourself then I would think of a few things that you really, really enjoy.  Then when it comes those times have one of those treats, but in moderation.  So, if it is a special candy bar then cut it in half and only have that portion.  Save the other half for the next treat.

Right now I am trying to cut out coffee.  I was having some digestive problems and it was suggested that I cut that out - not easy to do as I LOVE coffee.  I am not on day 4 of no  coffee and I am doing better than I thought.  The good thing is that I am on day 4 of a much better feeling tummy . My point is that I agree that cold turkey may be the only way to go, I know for me it has been.

Depending on your body, this may or may not be an option for you, but...

I've found that drinking a serving size of 100% fruit juice (the no sugar added kind) will often make my sugar cravings go away.  I sometimes have to add water to tone down the flavor, though.

Black licorice (if you care of it) is also a good one to chase the cravings away.  It sounds weird, but it works.

Thank you, Wendy and Jennifer.  Those are helpful hints.  I will try the juice when the cravings get to me.  I can't believe how ready to tear the house apart I can get. 

How is it going Maxine?  The first few days can be the hardest. Keep telling yourself that you can do it!! I am just over a month now of no coffee and feel great.  When I quit I didn't even think about all the cream and sugar I had wih my coffee so I have cut that out too. 

The funny thing about cravings is they do go away after awhile.  For instance it is now girl scout cookie time.  I LOVE those darn cookies.  But, since I'm really watching what I am eating I ate 2 the other aay and they really didn't taste that good to me.  Part of my problem in the past is when I do eat junk food I tend to eat really fast thus not feeling full and satisfied, thus eating more.  It was not unusual to polish off a sleeve of those little cookies.  This time I took out 2 cookies and put the rest away.  I sat down at the table and ate each one slowly enjoying it.  When I was done I didn't want any more and the taste was just ok. 

Hi Wendy,

It is getting better!!  I had a bad falling off the wagon about 10 days ago, ate half a bag of chocolate kisses!  I got a little sick to my stomach, which I deserved.  Now I find that the desserts and candy just don't taste as good as I thought.   I don't feel as deprived as I thought I would, so some of my problem may have been mental since I've decided I use food when I am stressed.

I know what you mean about the GS cookies.  I ate several sleeves all by myself last year.

Thank you so much for your help!!

Maxine

Great to hear Maxine.  Sure sounds like you have made some progress. 

Hey, we all have our weak moments.  I had one last night.  Same thing...started eating when I was bored, ate too fast, didn't feel full so kept eating.  I was mad at myself too.  But, this morning is a new day and I am scheduled to go to the gym today after work.  I will burn off those extra calories.

It's strange, isn't it?  There are tons of things I used love eating and now I can't stand them!  Somebody left some GS cookies out at work.  I grabbed one and the taste of the oils overpowered the flavor of the cookie.  I've always been partial to dark chocolate, but once I stopped eating so much sugar I've completely lost my taste for milk chocolate. 

Hi Maxine, I love sweets but like Jennefer I really don't like processed sugars which is in most of what passes for sweets these days.  I just can't eat them, they make me feel ill and have a bad effect on my mood.  I eat berries, fruit, and even some (raw or roasted) "sweet" vegetables like carrots, turnips, or sweet potatoes.  I sweeten with stevia or honey.

If you want some yummy, healthy sweet recipes and ideas I cannot recommend this blog highly enough:

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/

WOW, what a great web site!!  Thank you for posting; I added it to my favorites!!

I had a sweet craving this morning, but I ate an apple with peanut butter!!  It was actually what i wanted, too, not the chocolate chip cookies I made for the family!!  Yay, victory!

I have found that nuts work for me too or a piece of fruit.  But unfortunately avoiding sweets and desserts has done nothing for helping my quarterly blood tests.

Jeanne, my sister and I are both diabetic, and we're trying to eat small meals every 2 or 3 hours, and eat healthy. I'm trying to avoid carbs, but so far I feel like a failure, because my glucose levels are still too high. We want to lose weight also, but for me the main thing is to get off metformin. I used to have very good control with diet alone, but I 'fell off the wagon' and am paying for it now.

If you want to talk, PM me. Maybe we can exchange ideas and info to help each other out. You didn't say you were diabetic, but I gathered from your post that you're not happy with your A1c results - if I misunderstood, I apologize.

To get rid of craving for sugar , I eat a dill pickle- Works for me

I think I am gonna try this!

Try this. Eat carbohydrates ONLY with a good sized serving of protein & limit yourself to one serving of carbohydrate rich food per meal.

it's MUCH better to have cookie or slice of cake after dinner than to have it between meals. It's the between meal snacking that will get you every time.

Also, try increasing the fiber in your diet. Fiber keeps you full longer.