Junk Food Compulsion Is Ruining Me

[Gladiola]

Actually I am only keeping the damn things around as it is a battle between me and them at this point and I am getting a kick out of winning.

Don't you get tired of fighting though?

I personally just get tired of fighting the battle. There's enough other things in my life that are battles - other ways in which I have to struggle. I get just sick & tired of struggling to resist. My resolve isn't 24/7 - I'm human.

Interestingly enough - I have NO problems turning away from pizza, soda, burgers, fries, Chinese, etc. No problems at all - it's just the sugar (donuts, cookies, chocolate, cake, pastry).

& no one else has posted who has recovered & was in my perdicament- SURROUNDED by it at the office & NO CHOICE to get away. That's real comforting & makes me so optimistic.

 

[sheez_ripped]

Hey guys....gotta post something on this...

Spatts just doesn't understand the "sugar cravings" cause she doesn't have them....neither do i....(another thing we have in common spatts!)....but my husband is the addict....so i know what you guys feel...only he's lucky to have the metabolism of a hummingbird....he "has" to have sweets after he eats....and especially at night....his big cheat day is Sunday afternoon....he buys a half gallon of Purity brand Nutty Buddy ice cream and a jar of chocolate sause....gets a large spoon and eats it ALL while watching sports on the tube....i would literally barf if I tried that!

He is totally addicted to ice cream....chocolate tacos & Snickers Nutty Buddys are his next favorites....along with Baskin-Robbins milk shakes....hmm...i think he must be the one with the estrogen in the family! lol!

When I seriously started dieting/cutting back in November i cut out all sodas...even diet ones...no junk food...no sweets....though i did allow myself one cheat meal a week...but will cut that out soon as trying to get ready for a contest...

but it isn't a problem for me...i can eat the same thing every day and totally bland stuff....oatmeal, chicken, tuna, egg whites, water, steamed broccoli, baked potatoes...i don't even try to spice any of my stuff up...but i know that's not the norm!

So...just my input...I can't really help as I can't relate....but if u allowed just one day to totally binge...maybe that would help and gradually cut it back over time....that's what my hubby is doing...he's always been the ripped one...but now i have abs and he's starting to feel the heat....hehe...i'm catching up to him in the ripped department...

 

[TEXgrl]

Kel - the reason that I do recommend the cold turkey approach is because it IS an addiction much like alcohol or drug. When you go to rehab there is no gradually lowering the dose - you detox pure and simple. From that point on you have to consciously make the choice every day what you are going to do. Eating sugar is a conscious choice the same as snorting coke or drinking alcohol. You can simply "not" do it. Alcoholics crave a drink more when they are feeling bad about themself and they have to make the choice. My favorite form of sugar is PEPSI hands down - every time I go to the checkout counter at the grocery store it is there staring at me - I have to make the choice. I have several boxes of girl scout cookies that have been calling my name for weeks. Actually I am only keeping the damn things around as it is a battle between me and them at this point and I am getting a kick out of winning.

"clap clap clap" i totally agree with cold turkey! i do great avoiding sweets, especially chocolate until i have one, then its over! i'm gonna inhale everything i get my hands on! it IS like alcohol or a drug, i've had struggles with drugs before and you sometimes try to kid yourself into thinking, "just this once", bam! one thing leads to another and you get so compulsive. i read somewhere that chocolate releases endorphins, hell, who doesn't like that!!

now that you've mentioned sweets, i got a big craving for a wendy's frosty!!! other things come to mind too!!

when i have cravings for sweets, i try to substitute something else. my thing right now is pistachios!! i keep a stash in my desk for emergencies!!

 

[KEL]

Gladi- when you eat donuts, cookies, chocolate, cake or pastry can you eat just 1 bite / serving OR devour the whole item and some extra?

FOR ME it was all about baby steps. One or two bites and that was enough. If I felt like I was missing out I wanted it that much more. This would lead to over eating something I knew I shouldn't. Then the guilt would come. I would beat myself up for being a glutton. It is a bad cycle but you can get over it!
Now I can have one bite and feel satisfied no "feelings of deprivation". If I have too much on occasion "oh well".
I have learned to yell and scream when necessary instead of eat or build up a BIG wall. Yell- it does a body good!

BTW: I had almost the same problems with cigarettes but that was a long time ago!

 

[Gladiola]

Gladi- when you eat donuts, cookies, chocolate, cake or pastry can you eat just 1 bite / serving OR devour the whole item and some extra?

Typically always I KEEP going. My coworkers put out a bowl of hershey kisses... I think about them till I have one. THen I think of having another & another. Typically if I actually make a stop to buy donuts - I get 2, sometimes 3.

On occasion, I can eat ONE of something (like a little chocolate truffle) but that's not the norm.

The thing is - one of the things that makes me most miserable (& want to eat) in my life is my job... it also happens to be where tons of free junk food is still out LITERALLY in front of my face. AND there's not much I can do about the situation... I have to wall it up & keep my mouth shut about my feelings.

Not trying to make excuses, just think it's beneficial that since we're sharing personal experiences, you understand where I"m coming from.

 

[Gladiola]

What happens if you "allow" yourself to eat the item, on the condition that you first chug some water and eat a protein/fat item? Has anyone tried that? Did it decrease the craving? Change the amount you ate? Anything?

GREAT idea! That is something the nutty sugar-addict lady suggested. That IS indeed helpful.

BUT... the thing is... the need for sugar typically (IMO & IMX at least) has NOTHING to do with what I have & have not eaten. I crave it when I'm upset - what I have or have not put in my body doesn't seem to make a lot of difference. Also feeling 'stuffed' doesn't make much difference (but sometimes it does help a bit).

It's all about the emotion-> food connection that I cant seem to break.
Again, I REALLY appreciate the genuine attempts to help.

 

[MS]

http://www.obesityresearch.org/cgi/content/full/10/1/65/F13

This link presents some of the first human data that indicates a clear, single gene difference between people who really dig the taste of sweet stuff and people who are less interested in sweet stuff. This gene variation is present in 5-10% of the population.

Aside from that, maybe you should set yourself small goals, like a couple of days, and then allow yourself a sweet treat. Cravings for sweet stuff are innately human. It is a biological craving that has ensured that we survive. I don't honestly think that any amount of 5HTP, St John's Wort, SSRI's or any other drug you can take, will completely kill these cravings. You need to develop coping strategies to deal with them. Start out going 24 hours without eating anything sweet. Then reward yourself. Gradually increase the time you go without sweets. In terms of your BB progress, try to allow yourself a day each week or two where you eat sweet stuff to your hearts content, BUT MAKE SUE it's low fat. This will actually help most people with weight loss on calorie restricted diets.

Other than that, don't stress, as this only makes the cravings worse.

 

[KEL]

don't stress, as this only makes the cravings worse.

that's the truth- like I said before "baby steps"


your link requires a password

 

[Hannibal]

I'm interested to read W6's take, as well...other than there being too much f'ing estrogen on this thread.

HAHAHAHA...TESTOSTERONE GOOOOOOOD

 

[muskles]

this thread is the bomb!

thanks VLC for posting this!! i am also an emotion-driven eater.. and i've just gotten over a 3 week battle with CONSTANT sugar cravings which doesn't go very well with my current keto diet!! the last week or so i've been replacing the sugar with whipped cream and jello (i mean A LOT of whipped cream).. i also started eating cheddar cheese with whipped cream and cinnamon (tasted like apple pie w/out the apple and the pie ) i've been without any sugar for about a week and am just starting to see the cravings subside. since i'm so driven by emotion, i have to get my mind set on how i want to look more than what i want to eat.

when my whole sugar craving thing started i had changed my lifting routine to 2 x per week (HIT). i've gone back to 2 days on, 1 day off and i wonder if that is also helping... the rush i get from working out also helps me stay away from bad food