Struggling with eating … too many sweets

[messagesoflove]

Hello all

I’ve done fitness throughout my life. Sometimes more. Sometimes less.

I might have a bit of an alcohol problem - and have stopped drinking last year august. Solely focused on training (might have over trained).

38m. Started out with 104kg and dropped down to 95. But gained another 2 kg last month.
I was off sick for 3 weeks and then I’m eating like a pig.

I seriously can’t shake my craving for sweets (chocolate) st night.

During the first few months I was able to eat what I want as I was burning roughly 4k a day, trained 12 x a week plus walked a lot.

However as mentioned above now I’ve calmed down on my training… and well, I can feel my belly getting bigger again. Fuck.

Besides that I’m eating well… I just need it all up with the sweets that i over consume and can’t shake that craving.

Any ideas how to 1) over come the cravings, or 2) do a mental shift?

(I eat 1.5 slabs of milka a night, or a tub of ice cream etc for reference).

Any advise is appreciated.

 

[ecce]

@messagesoflove I find that sweets are like a drug. The less I eat them the less cravings I get

 

[radiantjedichica]

@ecce There's been studies showing that sugar triggersa a response on the brain, almost exactly and amplified, than cocaine.

Of course cocaine does other things, but sugar makes your brain go nuts for it. The best way around it, it's just don't eat refined sugar, ever.

 

[ecce]

@radiantjedichica Yeah I think salt does something similar too and certain fats. Its ok to eat these things sometimes but there has to be a balance there

 

[perfectbone]

@ecce Sugar is a drug

 

[nncsmth]

@ecce Same for me for sure. Granted I drink my black tea with sugar but other than that I've had almost no sweets in the last two months. Like one granola bar and one piece of pie. The cravings are SO much less when I just stay away from it.

 

[mffjm2]

@messagesoflove Quitting drinking will 100 percent have you craving sugar. When I quit last year, I had the same issue. Your body is so used to all the sugar in alcohol that it wants to make up for it when you quit.

 

[hudson61]

@mffjm2 This absolutely happened with me also. Never cared about sweets for my entire life until I quit a heavy drinking habit at 27.

 

[happythieves]

@mffjm2 That is reassuring...in a weird way...to hear! I have cut back a bunch on the alcohols and now I always want something sweet. sigh it's not easy being clean.

 

[borisv]

@messagesoflove I have a huge sweet tooth. Here's what works for me:

1) Don't keep it at home.

2) Commit to a period of not eating any added/processed sugar. This includes sweeteners.

3) Eat fruit to satisfy sweet cravings.

For me the committed period is about 2 months and then the sugar cravings pass. I reintroduced sweet stuff but just really high quality, mostly dark chocolate. Now, most of the cheap-o sweet stuff tastes unpleasant --bitter and oily.

I'd rather wait for a really good quality chocolate and eat it as a special treat.

 

[derek1111]

@borisv I agree with this don't keep it in your home and eat fruits. If you so give in to a sweet, try the 3 bite rule in which you enjoy the hell out of the first bite, enjoy the second, and commit to the third being your last bite.

You may also want to speak to a therapist who specializes in eating disorders. I also struggle with self control and there's always a deeper issue you're trying to "handle" by eating.

Lastly, speak to your doctor about Vyvanse, it treats ADHD but also binge eating disorder and has cut down DRASTICALLY on my food obsession thoughts and cravings.

 

[ksina]

@derek1111 Amphetamines are absolutely not a good solution for someone with a sweet tooth. Yes they work but they are also…amphetamines.

 

[derek1111]

@ksina I'm taking Vyvanse and it is working great for curbing my cravings. BUT I'm also working with a therapist, have established healthy eating habits, and a consistent workout routine.

I was doing all that before AND still having awful food noise and cravings so my doctor put me on the lowest dosage of Vyvanse and it has helped tremendously. I can actually take a moment and decide if I want to have a sweet, instead of just inhaling it and hating myself later. It may help you but make sure to pair it with other lifestyle changes.

 

[dawn16]

@messagesoflove I took the hard road and am abstinent from sugar. I don’t get cravings anymore

 

[lanman87]

@messagesoflove Just not even having them in my presence is the main thing.

 

[mikeb34]

@messagesoflove I eat cookies and icecream often, but I portion control the hell out of it. Small dish, savor the spoonful. Cookies? - 2 on a napkin, enjoy it.

Ulrimately you have to want something else more or you need to desensitize yourself to this stuff. A bit is a treat, a big load of it is garbage. Tasty garbage, but garbage, crowding out healthier food. See it honestly for what it is, reflect on this.

 

[josh1992]

@messagesoflove Well congrats first of all on quitting the drinking, that’s such a huge achievement & hope you feel proud. Everything takes time & you just need to slowly but surely change your life. If you were drinking all the time then not having anything is hard. Can you just swap out that sugar for anything sweet, so yoghurt & fruit, frozen berries, homemade protein balls etc? And then just have chocolate/ small bag of sweets once a week as a treat?

 

[tjdwns1291]

@messagesoflove Binge eating sweets is really easy to do because there's hardly any nutrition, so you just eat and eat without ever feeling full.

Try eating a whole piece of fruit first. Like an apple, orange, etc, since you'll get the satisfaction of the natural sugar while also getting fiber, and tons of vitamins.

Then maybe you could try dark chocolate covered almonds as a compromise. It's still sweet, plus dark chocolate has some helpful benefits, and of course almonds are one of the healthiest foods there are.

 

[ksina]

@messagesoflove Up your protein intake. Protein does wonders for satiety. That and eliminating all sugar sweeteners including the “health ones” (honey and maple syrup). Now, if I want dessert, it’s cottage cheese or Greek yogurt and berries. Dessert now means rich not sweet.

 

[predrag]

@messagesoflove If I have a banana with dinner, it seems to help. One banana is far less calories than the chocolate I might binge.

I've also found limiting milk helps. I'm apparently really good at processing lactose, so it probably spikes my blood sugar.