I don't know what else to do

#1

I cannot get through a day without having some kind of sugar. Its a compulsion and seems like its beyond an addiction. It’s all I can think about and I get really angry and panicky when I don’t have some sort of sugar, and I have tried everything from eating fat, to working out, to drinking water, meditating, journaling etc, and nothing is helping. Does anyone have any advice? I am feeling exceptionally pathetic.

(Cece Blackstock) #2

I have read that laboratory mice will work harder for sugar than cocaine. It’s true that sugar is a VERY powerfully addictive substance. If you’re having a hard time going cold turkey, then maybe reduce gradually? As in tapering yourself off…

I can tell you that salt has helped me when I’ve had sugar cravings in the past. Just a little on my tongue and let it dissolve…

I’m rooting for you… you can do it!!

(Jay Patten) #3

I went through that during month 1. Now I hardly think about sweets, so just give it time. Its hard, I know.

(Liz ) #4

Please don’t feel pathetic. A sugar addiction is pernicious and cruel. I am a recovering sugar addict & I know the struggle is real. My only advice is to take it seriously & research addiction recovery techniques. Behavioral modification helped me. Using artificial sweeteners did too, though I eventually weaned off those as well. There is freedom on the other side if you just keep at it, you won’t need so much willpower when the drug is out of your system. It gets easier, keep trying, be kind to yourself, we’re here for you.

(Candy Lind) #5

A) don’t feel pathetic! You are a FIGHTER - after all, you showed up here, didn’t you??

B) You already got some good advice here, but I want to ask one question - how much are you eating daily? It’s ten times harder to fight the “sugar devil” if you’re “hangry.” So, what did you eat yesterday?

#6

Clean the pantry and buy your Keto ingredients ahead of time.

Your body is craving carbs due to sugar, change your consumption for four days and the cravings will be gone.

#7

Go omad one meal a day. Have something sweet every night. I too love love love sugar but now I eat omad. I’ve been eating once a day for about 6 months and hardly ever have sugar anything anymore. I’ve lost over 100 pounds since August 2017. Keto with omad works the best for me. I’m a food addict. I can’t have a bite of pizza bc I’ll eat the whole pie. So keeping it to one meal a day works perfectly for me.

This is me. This is what works for me. Everyone is different I’m just sharing my thoughts so please don’t tell me I should try this or that bc you don’t know me.

(Sarah ) #8

I tried cutting back on sweets, increasing other healthier foods, only eating certain things at certain times… fail, again and again. When I just totally quit carbs (the 20 g thing) I had no problem. Yes the first few day sucked, but I wasn’t sugar cravings in particular. I just really focused on getting fluids and electrolytes and eating right. It wasn’t painless but by a week in I was feeling so much better that I didn’t care about sugar. I think it was just a crutch. Note: MCT oil really helped me, it’s a very bio available fat, and it gives you a sustained kick that keeps your energy level from changing as much. I think that sensation of change is what was driving some of my eating behavior.

#9

Thank you Cece!

#10

Liz thats really great advice, thank you and thank you for your kind words.

#11

Candy Lind, I’m eating around 1800 kcals a day, mostly bacon and lettuce. It’s hard to vary my food because I’m dealing with SIBO as well and that has a strict diey and i also have 26 food sensitivities so I can’t even help myself with KETO desserts like you guys can.

#12

Fatguy603 - that’s good advice, maybe I’ll try that down the road. But I also read that OMAD is only healthy when you’re fat adapted and your body gets used to that much energy in a concentrated meal, and as someone who had SIBO, I’m not supposed to be eating big meals because it’s a huge stress on the digestive system. Thoughts?

#13

SarahJustMe, I’ll try the MCT oil. I am allergic to coconut though and most of the MCT oils I’m finding are derived from coconut… ugh

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #14

L-glutamine supplementation has been used to help folks get over the hump since something like time immemorial (at least 2002).

(Sarah ) #15

I’ve seen palm oil blended with coconut oil, but that’s it. Bummer

#16

Remove sugar from your environment - the bottom line is that you are making the decision to eat sugar.

If you can stay away from sugar and artificial sweeteners for four days it will make all the difference in the cravings.

There are lots of folks here who are willing to support you, you have to make the commitment.

(Candy Lind) #17

What restrictions does the SIBO diet impose? Are you able to eat fermented foods to help with it? Educate us! You said you only eat bacon and lettuce - I hope that’s an exaggeration. Can you eat other green leafys or proteins? If you can eat bacon, at least you can save your bacon nectar (grease) to cook things in and/or add fat to your veggies.

As for the sweets, the sugar addicts among us are legion (hi, @LizinLowell!). I can’t do many sweets at all, even zero-calorie/zero-glycemic. They set off my cravings and it takes 2 or 3 days for me to get back in control. With all your food sensitivities, you may be in the same boat once you are able to kick the sugar. @Keigan is right - evict the carbs and sugars and tell them they are no longer welcome. It really is WORTH IT to get through those first 4 days or so completely clean. You will suddenly have a sense of control over your own destiny that is a huge mental and emotional boost.

Here’s a mental game to try when you have a craving - those millions of bacteria you are fighting in your gut are a big part of what’s screaming for sugar. Think of it as a “siege” - you against them! You don’t want them to win, so cut off their food supply! They will scream louder and fight harder to survive, but if you stand strong, THEY WILL LOSE. And when you realize they’ve lost, it will make you feel like Wonder Woman,

Keep your chin up - it DOES get better, and so many things in your body will heal! It’s definitely not all about the scale.

#18

@CandyLindTX

Excellent post!

(Andrew) #19

Sugar free bacon? Regular bacon makes my BG soar. Normal bacon makes me starving…a few hours later

(Janet) #20

There are various “Sugar Detox” plans, some of the books are in our library. Sarah Wilson, Dianne SanFilippo, etc. https://21daysugardetox.com. Consider getting some help changing your habits.