Question for the sugar addicts

#1

This question is meant for sugar addicts like me…not those people who love bread and potatoes but could care less about sweets. Question: if you cheat with refined carbs, is it safer to do so if you don’t eat sugar? For example, let’s say I have a choice between eating pasta and cake–is pasta better because it won’t trigger sugar cravings? Or will it still trigger sugar cravings because it’s refined carbs?

I ask because with the holidays coming up in a couple of months, I definitely plan to cheat, but cheat smart. I want to strike a balance between having something that I can’t normally have, but not go completely off the rails.

For the record, I would MUCH rather eat sweets than savory carbs, but perhaps that just indicates how deep my sugar addiction really is, and maybe it’s the reason I should stay away from sugar.

(John) #2

This is not my first go-round on losing weight. I did Atkins (20 years ago), Weight-Watchers, Sugar Busters. I am a pro at losing weight, I have done it so many times. What I don’t seem to be good at is holding onto those (reverse) gains.

Cheating is the road to ruin, at least for me, especially once you think you have it “beaten.” I was doing really well a few years ago but around this time of year (Halloween) all of those little bowls of chocolate candy people would leave out around the office would always tempt me. Never too many at a time, of course. But over the course of a day it would add up.

Eventually, what with winter coming meaning the weather made it harder to just exercise it off, and work ramping up, I just quit eating right and back to weight gain. It’s more insidious because I knew I could lose the weight, after all, I had done so before, so one day I would get around to it. Here I am, about 5 years later and close to my heaviest ever.

If you are truly sugar addicted (I apparently am) then you have to give it up. Period. Just like a quit smoker can’t risk a single cigarette, or a recovering alcoholic can’t have a single drink.

Yes, it is possible to cheat and recover quickly, as long as you don’t let a small trip turn into a tumble down the stairs. But the fact that you want to cheat means you still have to fight the mental game.

Just a recommendation from someone who has lost that battle several times. It is very hard to do, especially when you may have lost 20 pounds or so and think you have it handled.

I tried several times to quit tobacco in my youth, and the only thing that worked was 100% cold turkey, and NEVER backsliding for even one puff (or chew, or the gum). Tobacco free since 1993. Danger time for me was about 3 months into cessation. Having taught myself that lesson, I know not to give in.

*To clarify - for me it is specifically sweets. Especially baked goods like cookies, pies.

A complex but starchy carb might not trigger a resurgence of sugar addiction. I would still go easy on the portions - otherwise you will restock your glycogen stores in the liver and muscles and have to spend a day or two getting back into ketosis.

(Tara) #3

Wow…I think this varies from person to person. For me, if I cheat, then mentally I feel like I’m ruined for the whole day and I’ve lost control. I don’t know if there is such a thing as cheating smart? :thinking: I suppose you could maybe do some sweet potatoes with butter and cinnamon and that might feel like its a nice treat but not throw you off as bad as having real apple pie.

(Danielle) #4

IFollowing up on John’s reply, if you’re a carb addict, asking if it’s better to cheat with pasta or cake is kind of like asking if an alcoholic should cheat with beer or wine. There isn’t a choice that’s better than the other, because you’re still falling off the wagon.

Here’s the thing. Don’t bother cheating “smart”. If you’re going to give up this way of eating for a certain amount of time, you might as well do it completely. In the six months I’ve been keto, I gave myself permission to take two “breaks”. One was for my vacation in June (two weeks), the other was for my birthday (24 hours). I planned it in advance. I knew which meal I was starting my break, and which meal I was restarting keto. I wrote these dates down on the calendar.

I enjoyed my breaks, and I am convinced that I enjoyed them more because I planned them. There was no guilt - the breaks were part of my plan. I also lost weight - 2.5 pounds while I was on vacation, and 2 pounds after my 24 hour break on my birthday. I’m not sure how that happened, but it was awesome.

The key is that you MUST stick to your return date. You can’t say things like “one more meal won’t hurt”, “I’ll start again tomorrow instead.” Remember that your scheduled break is just as much of your long term plan as planning your keto meals and workouts for the week. Interestingly, on my last few days of vacation, I was looking forward to getting back on keto. That for me, was the biggest indicator that this way of eating is the right one for me!

(Jennifer) #5

I agree with JohnH. If you are a true sugar addict, like me, then I think you have to give it up just like you would give up smoking. I noticed that even having “keto cookies” made with coconut flour still made me have cravings for the real thing. So now I don’t cheat. Instead, I just enjoy all the delicious bacon. :slight_smile:

#6

That’s what I always do–restrict the cheating to a certain meal or day. And I always get back on the horse right after. But on my birthday, I had planned to cheat with cake, and I ended up having 3 pieces. Honestly, I could have had 6 if no one was looking. So maybe that answers my question…I definitely shouldn’t cheat with cake. And I don’t really care for pasta so I don’t see a reason to cheat with that.

#7

Honestly, if I could choose, I’d rather cheat with bacon (that would mean exceeding my calories since I eat a lot of bacon at one time) than carby stuff, but you can’t really do that at a party. However, what I can do is promise myself a keto-friendly cheat the next day if I stay on plan through the party.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #8

If you are actually addicted to sugar, it’s best to avoid it completely, as you would avoid alcohol if you were an alcoholic. There is an old saying, “One is too many, and a thousand aren’t enough,” meaning it’s easiest to abstain entirely than to have just a little bit.

Table sugar, sucrose, is a molecule of glucose bonded to a molecule of fructose. You want to avoid the glucose, the same as you would the glucose that makes up any other carbohydrate, but the fructose can be metabolized only in the liver, through the same pathway the liver uses to metabolize ethyl alochol. Fructose lacks alcohol’s immediately toxic effects, but it otherwise has the same long-term toxic effects on the liver, leading to fatty liver disease, steatohepatitis, and eventually, cirrhosis and death. It also affects the brain’s reward center, the nucleus accumbens, the same way as alcohol does, leading to addiction in those who are vulnerable to the manipulation of their dopamine receptors. Just as with alcohol, not everyone who consumes fructose becomes a fructose addict, but those who become addicts are just as bad off as alcoholics.

As for how safe other carbohydrate might be for a sugar addict, I can only say that, as a sugar addict myself, I have been known to binge on pasta and grains (in the old days) and on cauliflower and broccoli (since going keto). Whether that is just a carryover, or whether I should consider myself a carb addict, I don’t know. My cravings do seem to stay under control as long as I keep my carbs under 20 g/day. (By contrast, I know I can’t safely have any alcohol at all.)

#9

You guys have me convinced. I’m going to cheat a little in the sense that I won’t count calories for that particular meal, and also won’t worry about hidden carbs in something like pulled pork or sausage, but I’m not going to go out of my way to eat anything consisting mainly of carbs. I’ll stash a keto treat in my car in case I leave the party feeling like I didn’t eat anything good.

Oh and I will be drinking red wine which I guess is pretty keto friendly anyway.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #10

From what I read on these forums, the hard stuff contains less carbohydrate than wine or beer (especially). That wouldn’t necessarily stop me from drinking them, but just check the carb content of what you plan to drink, so you are aware. Also, people say that it takes a lot less alcohol to get them drunk, once they’ve been in ketosis for any length of time, so enjoy yourself, but be careful! (Have a plan for getting home without your car, for instance, just in case!)

#11

I don’t really like hard liquor, and I don’t drink enough that the carbs will matter all that much. The last time I drank a LOT it was only 3 glasses of red wine, and that is very rare. Most likely it will be less than that. Strangely enough, I am addicted when it comes to food, but have no problem moderating or even abstaining from alcohol.

#12

Cheating…tough question. I’m split on the subject. I too, am a sugar addict. My only vice are cookies though. I can pass on everything else: candy, cake, donuts, etc. On one hand I want to be in good shape, healthy, etc. On the other hand, life is short. I don’t want to deny myself things due to ridiculous guilty feelings. Seriously, should one really feel guilty for eating a couple of cookies? Should I flog myself? My grandfather was very athletic and in good shape. He loved his ice cream though. One day my grandmother was b****ing at him about eating too much ice cream. His response, “after I’m dead I won’t be able to eat it anymore, so I’m enjoying it now”. Words to consider. If your one day cheat extends into a week long binge, then you may have to consider the motivation behind the binge. On the other hand, if you treat yourself once a week to a Mars Bar (or whatever), then don’t beat yourself up about it. In short, you should never feel like a slave to a diet.

#13

Well at this point for me, losing weight is really more about vanity than anything else, so I ask myself, would I rather eat cookies and feel good for the 5 minutes it takes to inhale one, or be thin and ALWAYS feel good?

And I always tell myself that when I’m 80, i’ll eat WHATEVER I want. I will enjoy all the sugar.

(Carpe salata!) #14

Great point @climbergirl . Once that cookie is chewed and swallowed and you get your sugar- hit , what was the benefit?
For me, the next day my pain signals tell me it was not that great after all.
I think keto at 80 will be a blast :slight_smile:

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #15

Let’s all go skydiving to celebrate our 97th birthday! :grin:

(Carpe salata!) #16

Not a keto story, but I know of one in-law that took a skydive to celebrate her 90th. So it’s a thing!

#17

I started to roll my eyes and say, “Oh, so if I eat enough apples then I might get cirhossis of the liver just like an alcoholic?” But luckily I knew better than to dismiss @PaulL so thankfully I did some googling before I responded because, as is most often the case, he is right again.

This article from Harvard Health (which I’ve been taught to be skeptical of), but it is very, very interesting! Thank you for enlightening me once again Paul!

#18

Hi. My names Dympna…and I’m a sugar-aholic :frowning: I cheated last week with a chocolate bar. Which led to another chocolate bar…and another chocolate bar etc. I lost all control once the sugar took over :cold_sweat: whatever about the guilt …the worst part for me was that it took a full week to feel ‘normal’ again. I lost my keto calm …my body ached, I had headaches,I was back to being hungry all the time, I felt so anxious and agitated for days! I thought I’d never get my keto mojo back again! I was so used to feeling good on keto but that week reminded me of what life was like before i started this way of eating. Everyone is different but a cheat isn’t worth it for me…but I had to learn that the hard way :woman_student:

(John) #19

This is the main thing for me. You’d think that giving into the craving once in a while would quiet it for a while. But it is the opposite effect - it makes me want more and more.

It took me some time, work and willpower to get to a steady state of hunger suppression, where my stomach tells me when it is time to eat, not my taste buds. I won’t risk that for “just one” whatever.

#20

I hear ya!!! I had no cravings and I was easily fasting 24 - 36 hours before the cheat/punishment. I’ve been a lot hungrier since and definately struggle to get back to where I was. You think ‘ah you only live once…why not …hand over the chocolate!’ But it had a huge knock on effect for me. The cravings still haunt me a week on. Everything I took for granted (good mood, energy, overall just …happiness) was all gone by the next morning of the cheat. Some people can cheat and be ok, I can’t. It’s that simple for me. Abstinence is the only way for me.