Sugar Cravings

reubenthetadpole · Post by **reubenthetadpole** » Mon May 05, 2008 6:52 pm

I wanna hear everyone's experiences with sugar cravings the first week or two of being on this diet.

I'm not a horrible sugar junkie. I will eat candy or some baked item but it's not a daily thing...I don't do coffee drinks, sugar pop, or any drink with added sugar. My problem was more getting over the habit I had of capping off a meal with something sweet.

Anyway, the first couple of days, my cravings were horrible. I was shaking and jittery and restless. It calmed down a bit and when it came to my first S-day, I ate a cookie that tasted nauseatingly sugary. When I got to the point of being able to eat sugary things, I didn't really want them.

Any information to enlighten me about this whole process?
stef

NoelFigart · Post by **NoelFigart** » Mon May 05, 2008 7:13 pm

Sorry. Didn't really have any.

I have a serious sweet tooth, so I have fruit with a couple of meals a day and that seems to be all good for me. (Gotta love strawberry season!)

fkwan · Post by **fkwan** » Mon May 05, 2008 7:38 pm

reubenthetadpole wrote: When I got to the point of being able to eat sugary things, I didn't really want them.

Sugar -- or any high starch carbohydrate calorie dense food like pasta, bread or potatoes -- can cause me to binge, but sugar is the worst. When I got rid of sweets during the week, my cravings disappeared and I could eat ice cream or cookies without bingeing. However, I still have problems with portion control for things like bread or pasta or that eternal standby, tortilla chips or any kind of chips.

f

JillyBean · Post by **JillyBean** » Mon May 05, 2008 8:15 pm

I've been doing this just over three weeks now and I have to say that I have not had any sugar cravings. It's not that I haven't thought once or twice (especially in the middle of the week for some reason) that something sweet might be nice. But I have not ever had to fight the urge since starting to eat the way I do now. And I do know about sugar cravings, because I believed I was addicted to them for quite a while. I now believe that it was in my head more than anything else. Tell me I cannot ever eat another treat with sugar again for the rest of my life and that's all I think about all day long! Nowadays, if I feel like I want something sweet, I just count the number of days to an n-day and tell myself it won't be long now. So far my n days have not once turned into anything remotely resembling the binges from my past when I was "breaking the rules." The "need" for sugar has been lifted for me.

Jaymiz · Post by **Jaymiz** » Mon May 05, 2008 8:37 pm

reubenthetadpole wrote:I wanna hear everyone's experiences with sugar cravings the first week or two of being on this diet.

I'm not a horrible sugar junkie. I will eat candy or some baked item but it's not a daily thing...I don't do coffee drinks, sugar pop, or any drink with added sugar. My problem was more getting over the habit I had of capping off a meal with something sweet.

Hey, Stef

I'm just starting my week 3 of following this, but technically you could say it's week 2. I did really well -- plain "Vanilla" NoS -- in week 1, and then came the Monday of week 2. I had a terrible craving for chocolate brownies, and I tried so hard to resist... but I couldn't bear the thought of waiting 5 days (until Saturday), so I baked myself a pan of the things.

Now, I *am* a real sugar-junkie... I love my Coca-Cola, chocolate, ice cream, etc. I ate a "treat" like these with every lunch, and after every dinner, and snacked on them between meals, too. Weekends are particularly nasty (always have gone out to buy a Coke & a chocolate bar -- thank the Lord the NoS plan says you can do what you want on weekends! LOL)

Anyway... I struggle with cravings a lot, but I think that's because i'm still so new to this whole thing. I'm hoping they'll go away as this NoS plan becomes "habit" for me.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Mon May 05, 2008 9:09 pm

I guess I did have some sugar issues, but before No-S, I did "Sugar De-toxes" on a semi-regular basis. What that means is that I would realize my sugar consumption was getting out of hand, and would cut it cold-turkey. It usually took 3 days for me to stop craving it.

And then I'd be good to go for a while, sometimes quite a long while. Then it would gradually creep up again, and I'd repeat.

Though I dislike the use of the word "addiction" with regard to food, it was just like a low-level addiction. Or maybe over-reliance on it in the diet.

One of the things I like about No-S is that 2 days isn't long enough for that level of consumption to kick in. Or, it's like I de-tox every week. I feel much healthier as a result. And since diabetes DOES run in my family...

Hope this purely anecdotal account helps.

Mavilu · Post by **Mavilu** » Tue May 06, 2008 1:28 am

I"m not a sugar junkie either, so I didn't have any cravings, well I never get cravings, just the anxiety that this or that is off-limits, but since anything I want, I can have on the weekends, I really didn't get any sugar-related issues at all; I just figured I could wait a few days and I did.

angelka71 · Post by **angelka71** » Wed May 07, 2008 4:43 am

I never thought I'd ever get a handle on my sugar cravings but that's exactly what's happening with me too. It certainly is a great side effect!

trytrytry · Post by **trytrytry** » Wed May 07, 2008 7:37 am

I was eating quite a bit of sugar just before I started, and for the first few days I had headaches, which I think were because of the drop in sugar levels in my body. But after a couple of days of "withdrawal" it's all good

Yesterday though, I was craving apples! Really badly... But after my third meal

Meikmeika · Post by **Meikmeika** » Wed May 07, 2008 10:32 am

I'm a sweets fan as well. My main issue was I would start my day out with sweets, say donuts, a pastry, jelly beans or anything sugary I could get my hands on. That set the tone for the rest of the day though, I would want more and more sugar and my lunches and dinners would never taste all that great.

Now that I'm NoSing(I'm on week 3) I still get cravings but as long as I don't shove a sweet in my mouth I'm ok. I also make sure to eat a fruit with my breakfast and lunch. As for S days, that's another story. I still need to work on eating only the things I really really want and not just doing a free for all...

Meikmeika

lostnfound · Post by **lostnfound** » Wed May 07, 2008 10:54 am

I'm a total sweet-aholic. That has always been my downfall. Hate to sound less than optomistic here, but I am on week 3 and have all but given up. Week 1 and 2 I followed the diet to the letter and did not eat anything off limits during the week. However, I also did not loose an ounce, and that was totally depressing. As I posted on here last week, I have a real hard time not going overboard on S days. It's like my brain is saying..."Congratulations! You made it! Now go eat, drink, and be merry, 'cause on Monday you diet again!" I am in the middle of my 3rd week. Last time I got weighed I not only didn't lose, but I gained a pound. So I got totally frustrated and overdosed on chocolate. Right now I'm just hanging on and beginning to wonder if this diet is going to end up like all the others........

Jaymiz · Post by **Jaymiz** » Wed May 07, 2008 2:44 pm

lostnfound wrote:I am on week 3 and have all but given up. Week 1 and 2 I followed the diet to the letter and did not eat anything off limits during the week. However, I also did not lose an ounce, and that was totally depressing.

... beginning to wonder if this diet is going to end up like all the others........

You know, maybe you should join me in giving up the scale for a month? I got on the scale after my first week of NoS, and I had stuck to the plan rigidly -- no exceptions! -- so I was really surprised to find I hadn't lost anything. The last time I gave up snacking between meals, I lost 2 lbs in 2 days, so it stunned me to see no change!

But, i know now that this is going to take a while, so I am willing to let go of my scale, and just be patient, and keep trying -- trusting that this program WILL work, if only I keep being consistent, and be PATIENT.

Will you join me in the no-scale club??? I'm weighing again on June 1st.

rose · Post by **rose** » Wed May 07, 2008 2:53 pm

@lostnfound:

1 pound is nothing. Have a look at the chart in my signature. My weight almost always goes up and down all the time. In particular, my Monday morning weight is routinely 2-3 pounds above my Saturday morning weight.

S-days do get easier after a while (read: after a few months). Just keep working on them!

During this past winter I had some behavior regression and overate (well, binged) on weekends. So I did not lose weight. I did not really gain weight either although the trend line does do up a little bit in some places.

I just persevered. Not gaining _is_ a result in itself for me. Just because I had a hard time and lost moderation on weekends is no excuse for losing all my N-day habits.
The N-day habits are sound, healthy, reasonable. There is NO WAY I will ever give up on these and go back to snacking, sweets and seconds on N-days (the very idea is nauseating. Do persevere a few more months, you might find it nauseating too). Therefore I will always follow the No-S Diet. Even if, at times, I need to get back on track on weekends by giving myself some additional restrictions such as "no snacks on weekends" or "no sweets before 4pm on weekends".

BrightAngel · Post by **BrightAngel** » Wed May 07, 2008 4:20 pm

rose:

1 pound is nothing.
Have a look at the chart in my signature.

http://lorientales2.free.fr/temporaire/ ... pr2008.GIF

My weight almost always goes up and down all the time. In particular, my Monday morning weight is routinely 2-3 pounds above my Saturday morning weight.

Rose,
Great job,
Thanks for sharing your chart.

3aday · Post by **3aday** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:33 pm

I actually READDED sugar to my coffee last week!
It was a conscious decision on my part.
I have been drinking coffee without sugar for many months now because of my blood sugar but because I have lost weight and exercise regularly, my blood sugar levels are always at normal levels now.
I have always enjoyed the taste of sugar in my coffee.
Since No S is my lifetime program, I decided to reintroduce sugar in my coffee. (As a reminder, No S is No Sweets and not No Sugar)
I have not had any problems with cravings since adding it.
In fact, I actually now only have one cup of coffee instead of two cups of coffee.
I probably feel more "satisfied" then I did when it was unsweetened.
(I didn't use artificial sweeteners because I was never crazy about the taste.)
No S has truly helped listen to my body more intuitively. It really has.

blueskighs · Post by **blueskighs** » Wed May 07, 2008 10:36 pm

well i have been a huge sugar junkie most of my life ... just over 40 years. I am on my 7th week of No S ... amazing ... I think after reading the book I was willing to trust the process and be generous with my treats on S days ... being generous as opposed to binging ... for me that strategy has worked really well to sate my sweet tooth on the weekend and be prepared for N days during the week ...
what has happened over this 6+ week period is that I have actually started limiting my sweets ... not by will but by desire which for me is a huge difference.

being an ex-sugar junkie during the week when I "want something to eat" CLUE something is going on I am not happy about .. it is usually a treat that I want .. mostly my chai tea lattes ... I just recognize it for what it is, acknowledge I WANT IT NOW but NO I will get it this weekend ...
I think this is re-training my appetite ... as Reinhard says ...
Before No S I would have thought this was impossible as I was brainwashed by overeaters anonymous ...that I was an addict and powerless ... but 6 1/2 weeks ..

I just had a really bad sugar habit and with time and perseverance and a lot of Nos I am pretty sure this is going to be as much a part of my past as my other really bad habits ....

Blueskighs

JillyBean · Post by **JillyBean** » Wed May 07, 2008 11:02 pm

Blueskighs:

Before No S I would have thought this was impossible as I was brainwashed by overeaters anonymous ...that I was an addict and powerless ... but 6 1/2 weeks ..

I just had a really bad sugar habit and with time and perseverance and a lot of Nos I am pretty sure this is going to be as much a part of my past as my other really bad habits ....

Very good to read this, Blue. I think I was being brainwashed to believe I was unable to handle sugar on my own too. And yet, there was never going to be someone who would physically stop the food from entering my body except me. Somehow this just didn't jibe for me. It's not that I don't believe we can have access to a higher power, but even a higher power gives us free will. No S is teaching me how to exercise my free will in a sane and rational way. I feel powerful again and I can build on that. I'm starting to trust myself again -- a great feeling.

lostnfound · Post by **lostnfound** » Wed May 07, 2008 11:45 pm

Jaymiz~
I would be more than happy to ignore my scales until June 1st!!

I know that getting weighed is a stumbling block for me. I used to get weighed every day (when I was on Weight Watchers) but then limited myself to once a week on No-S.
Another psychological stumbling block for me is the fact that I have a son getting married in 6 weeks. A year ago when the date was set, I decided to set a weight loss goal of 50 pounds before the big day. No problem....50 pounds in 12 months...piece of cake (excuse the pun

) Well, its been 46 weeks since I made that decision and I've been up and down the same 15 pound yo-yo all year long.
This has to not be a diet for me. It has to be about health and feeling better, which I admit I see a big improvement when I stick to the N days.
I'll get back on track Jaymiz, and I'll check in with you on the 1st!!

lostnfound · Post by **lostnfound** » Wed May 07, 2008 11:47 pm

Rose~
How does a person make one of those progress charts?????

DebbiAnn · Post by **DebbiAnn** » Thu May 08, 2008 12:22 am

Sweets have always been a problem for me too. In fact I use to kid people that I didnt have a sweet tooth, but a mouth full of sweet teeth. I was on atkins and carb addics for awhile and that helped with the sugar issue, but not completely. now on No S, I seem to be able to pass up sugar. Even on S days, I have to make plans to have a treat, like going out for ice cream or cheesecake, because there is nothing in the house. This is a habit left over from OA. If you don't take the first bite, you wont take the second. I want to join the no scales also. I have a pair of jeans in my closet that I havent gotten into for a year. I try them on every friday morning to see how close I am getting to getting them buttoned. With summer coming, I have a pare of shorts i need to get into.

Debbi

rose · Post by **rose** » Thu May 08, 2008 7:21 am

lostnfound wrote:Rose~
How does a person make one of those progress charts?????

Noel explains here that you can use Excel (I do the same). Just put the date in one column, the weight in another column, then create a chart based on these two columns. Then add the trendline (moving average) as she explains.

If you don't have Excel: basically you record your weight your weight several times a week. Don't be discouraged if it goes up. Don't be too excited if it goes down. This measurement doesn't mean much.
In one column, write the date. In a 2nd column, write the weight. In a 3rd column, write down the average weight over the past two weeks (or past month). You can compute this average for every day or for just every weigh-in.
Finally take a piece of chart paper and draw your chart based on your records.

Edit: forgot to mention I weigh myself at the same time of the day every time - but it doesn't prevent the up and downs!

lostnfound · Post by **lostnfound** » Thu May 08, 2008 11:40 am

Thanks Rose! I'm gonna give that a try......

lostnfound · Post by **lostnfound** » Thu May 08, 2008 11:45 am

Dvm~
I have a similar pair of jeans (I bet alot of us on this site do!). It's been a long time (years) since I've been in them tho. It is a goal, but not a short-term one....have alot of 'babysteps' to make it through first. I think it's good to set a series of mini-goals for yourself. If a person looks at the whole picture the prospect of losing all the excess weight can be overwhelming. Truth is when I reach that 'ultimate goal' I have a whole new wardrobe waiting for me!

DebbiAnn · Post by **DebbiAnn** » Thu May 08, 2008 3:18 pm

Lostnfound

I only have 5-8 lbs to get back into these jeans. I got rid of anything that didn't fit 2 years ago. I gained 15 lbs when I got sick last march and was put on prednizone. Took most of it off with weight watchers and got stuck because I couldnt keep it up. I am still about 40 lbs ob. but at 63 I figure that I am just going to live with it.
Good luck on those baby steps.

Debbi

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