Junk Food Compulsion Is Ruining Me

[Gladiola]

i swear the pink marshmellow peeps are taunting me... i can almost hear them saying "EAT ME!" I'm trying hard not to listen

That's what happens to me to. Finally I just get SO SICK of the voices that I eat to get relief from the taunting... I just get tired of digging in my heels. I want to make that feeling go away - so I go ahead & eat.

 

[Gladiola]

I'm curious to know what the dietary differences are between those who encounter this problem and those that don't.

I think part of it has to be genetic. My boyfriend & his Mom both enjoy chocolate & cookies, but can have a ton in the house & just have a few here & there.. not biggie. My sister, Mom, Grandmom & I are all alike in that if it's in the house - we eat it. We get cravings. My sister & I both were telling my bf how irresistable donuts are - our eyes were getting large - he told us what freaks we are!

I literally, seriously have been trying to find a solution for myself years. My bf bought me a book called "The Sugar Addicts Guide to Total Recovery." I've called myself a sugar addict for years - aren't the psychological signs of addiction things like:
1. You get cravings
2. It's a distraction to you to have cravings - they disrupt your life
3. You go through withdraw if you don't have it
etc.

Almost NO ONE has ever taken me seriously when I have said this - including on this board.

Anyway, this book had some great theories about WHY some ppl crave sugar & can't just 'take it or leave it' like others. I'd be happy to type them out & share if anyone cares to read my post.

 

[Temple]

Gladiola,
I don't doubt you one bit. For me it was an addiction almost as strong as a drug addiction (been there, done that, know what I am talking about). That is why I say that ya just have to cold turkey it. It will be miserable. One thing I found helpful was to get a huge jar of dill pickles and when I craved the sweets, eat one. There is something about it that will decrease the craving - No Shit.

 

[Gladiola]

That is why I say that ya just have to cold turkey it.

Wait - so you don't EVER have sugar? No Christmas cookies? No birthday cake? No Halloween candy? No donuts on a cheat day? Nothing, ever?

Sweets are so ingrained in our culture, I dont' now that I could make the committment to NEVER have them - & is it practical? I would rather just do the healthy & normal thing & have them in moderation. Why can't I just be normal in that respect ??? I know, I know, I can't.

Spatts... I've had these cravings literally My Entire Life!. As far as PCF ratio - you know cuz you read my diet thread last week. As far as supps, just glutamine - I recently stopped ECA cuz I'd been on too long. I'm on the BC pill, but have been for 1.5 years. That's it.

 

[Temple]

The cold turykey part was a solid 8 weeks of ZERO sugar. Now I maayyyybe have it once every 3-4 weeks. I had three cans pepsi and a piece of cake a few weeks ago and was physically ill the next day very similar to a hangover. You will lose your taste for the stuff - I used to be able to eat 4 cinnamon rolls at a sitting (total loss of control) now two bites and I am done because it is too sweet. For me it came down to what did I want more, the sugar or to look the way that I want to look.

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

Wow, I had this idea that all of you have these iron wills and eat clean 100% of the time like DDC. I thought for sure I'd get a bunch of "suck it up" responses. Its really reassuring that you're taking my seriously. Temple, I agree, it really is like a drug addiction, and I think you're right that when you go without sugar for awhile your cravings do subside somewhat. Gladiola, I'm so sorry to see that you share my sugar addicted pain...the cold turkey idea is depressing but I fear its necessary, and maybe genetic.

Ok, well for W6 and Spats, who requested to know my diet. I haven't eaten meat in 4 years, with the exception of fish which I eat often, and I can't think of a time when I didn't crave sugar.
Here's a basic sketch of what I've been eating since I'm home on break and can cook.

*Morning cardio*
Cracklin Oat Bran with soy milk

oatmeal with natural pb (1 tsp)

*Lift*

MQ 360 protein shake

Yam
.5 cup Egg Beaters scrambled with 3 oz tofu, peppers, mushrooms, 2 slices soy cheese

Salad with 6 oz tuna and zero cal dressing

1 cup nonfat cottage cheese

Then I spot the oatmeal raisin cookie, which is my ultimate weakness, and I tell myself I'll only eat half, and then before I know it its all in my tummy. And then well, I see this sugar free chocolate pb bunny with 400 calories and soething like 30g fat. Same thing happens...

 

[Temple]

Are you eating the oatmeal and the oatbran or
is it one or the other. How many grams of carbs are you getting a day???

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

Oh, and as for the supplements and meds I am taking, just the injectable bc Lunelle, which is equivalent to a low dose bc pill. The cravings have not been any stronger on it. I can remember a time when I gave the sweets up, somehow, for like 2weeks, and the fat loss really kicked in and I stopped craving it. Then I had 4 chocolate chip cookies, because they looked good, they didnt have any real power over me, and a glass of milk too, at the dining hall at school. I got sick like Temple did. I would like to quit my addiction because even though the sweets bring me momentary satisfaction, they really do ruin me in the long run. I want to see my hard work, and I want to feel better. I know I need to give up the junk for a long time. I am definitely an addict. It would be easier to do if I had someone to be accountable too, someone to quit with. Any volunteers?

 

[Temple]

Spats - to answer your question about diet. As long as I do a 40/40/20 I have no carb cravings. The minute I try to rotate the carbs I don't crave sugar but at 9pm I would kill for a bowl of oatmeal - this may be my own fault as I tend to not eat enough fibrous carbs on the low carb days. I am still trying to get the hang of this rotation thing.

 

[Temple]

Yes Spats, by Sugar I mean the white stuff. I keep my carbs low glycemic.