Sugar Addiction or habit that can be changed?

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Soliadegloria
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Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:03 pm

Sugar Addiction or habit that can be changed?

Post by Soliadegloria » Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:21 pm

Hello, I am fairly new to No S and am really struggling with sugar - I can't get myself back to N days. I desperately want No S to work. I can't diet anymore - the insanity of it and it hasn't worked. I am heavier and more obsessed with food than ever. I read a book called brain over binge and in there I learned that my mind is not broken, diseased or addicted. That I have trained my brain to binge on highly palatable foods and that a habit learned can be unlearned. This is simplifying the book but what I am trying to share is that it gave me hope that I could enjoy food again and loose the weight. I found No S from A website called eat like a normal person. This also was helpful but now I am wondering do I stay the course to free myself from rules/diets/fear of foods or do I surrender to what seems true for me that flour and sugar act like a drug in my body and I'm better off without them…I would appreciate any thoughts. Thank you

oolala53
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Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Wed Jan 17, 2018 11:21 pm

Nearly the whole human race overeats sugar when given the chance. Oh, you can see exceptions. But that's all they are! Exceptions, and damn lucky, too!

I know that book and the site you refer to and there is a lot of possible value there. but use them as addenda to No S. Neither one of them truly understands the ins and outs of habit change that Reinhard does.
'
There is no hard line to distinguish when substance or activity becomes an addiction. To me, the more important idea is: Is the concept useful? Does it lead to more success or more failure? Some people lose hope when they think they have an addiction. (Severe alcoholics were found to be MORE likely to relapse if they were told they were powerless over booze.) Others may get inspired and say, wow, I really have to get serious here.

If you are more inspired to think that your overeating is a very strong habit reinforced by brain mechanisms that can be ignored or overridden (and some would say addictions are just that), use that. The solution is pretty much the same: have good reasons to use a system of limitation, and implement it with as much determination as you can. Be tough (not mean) on slips BEFORE you make them, and avoid drama and self-recrimination AFTER.

BTW, I think that Hansen's assertion that it doesn't take willpower to ignore those urges is word play. If it takes effort to control, and ignoring is a form of control, it's willpower. It's okay to have to use willpower plenty up front, though interpretations (this is horrible! unbearable! excuciating! rather than this is really irritating or anxiety-provoking, but that's all, or even humor: oh, there's that silly pattern again. Oh, well, I can ride this old pattern for the few hours until I get my delicious meal.) make a difference. She saw it urges as things not to take seriously, as they aren't, because they are fake reasons to eat. Eating in response was just getting in the way.

But either way, it's entirely possible to exchange these habits with new ones by changing thinking and action. You think that limited moderation is a viable lifestyle; you keep at it until you implement it to its limit of value.

Also, ignore her insistence that you avoid eating less (i.e., cut calories) unless you are at an appropriate weight and wanting to just control random eating. You don't have to start by eating less. Do it in stages and ride the wave.

Just like a diet book plan, it's easy to read and sometimes difficult to do. As Reinhard says, we're talking hundreds of plates of food, Just keep thinking: what's my option? No matter WHAT I do, it's going to be hundreds of plates of food.

BTW, Gillian Riley points out that many addictions are not dealt with by complete abstinence. No one would tell a sex addict she had to be celibate forever, nor the analogous abstinence for internet of shopping addicts. They recognize old motives, find new ones for control, and work out guidelines.

As an old adage says, pray to God and row to shore.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

navi
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Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2008 4:55 am

Post by navi » Thu Jan 18, 2018 1:52 am

You don't have to tackle all S-es at once - perhaps try to stick to one plate, three times a day, including sugary foods with meals if you feel like it. That way you can work on consistency with the other two habits without dealing with sugar cravings. See how it goes, and you can tackle the sweets later if need be. I personally don't consider sweets an "S", I have them with N-day meals if I feel like it. However, I've never really had a sweet tooth, and early attempts to ban sweets during the week led to sugar cravings in response to restriction, resulting in a tendency to overeat sweets on the weekend to "get them in" before the week started again. I ultimately re-allowed sweets on week days and my cravings died down.

ladybird30
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Post by ladybird30 » Thu Jan 18, 2018 1:54 am

oolala53 wrote: If you are more inspired to think that your overeating is a very strong habit reinforced by brain mechanisms that can be ignored or overridden (and some would say addictions are just that), use that.
I felt a lot better about myself when I stopped labelling myself as an overeater (or whatever label you like) and thought about myself as simply doing what people do when they face the combination of high stress and free availability of food. Neither of the latter were in any way my fault.

As far as will power goes, I did a lot of clock watching for the first few months after I joined the forum, and I still use distraction a lot. But it has got better.

I don't usually keep treat foods in my personal environment unless I intend to eat them straight away. In the contest between highly rewarding food and my
brain, I know I will be the loser. I am OK with that.
Three meals a day - not too little not too much, but just right

Apprentice1981
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Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2016 6:48 pm
Location: California

Post by Apprentice1981 » Fri Jan 19, 2018 3:09 am

Hi there! I too found NoS through Eat Like a Normal Person website. I find her advice to be helpful in terms of three meal structure BUT she is ok with snacks (fruit) IF needed. Also, she doesn't say one plate. Her approach is more intuitive, she encourages eating until full at those three meals. Full is a sketchy boundary. For me empty plate is a sign to stop and not my arbitrary decision at that moment. I find that especially true when meals are chaotic(I am blessed with 4 children). I've TRIED intuitive eating many times and realized that it's not for me. Three distict one plate/bowl meals is a good boundary for me.
I too read Brain over Binge when it was first realeased. It didn't help me to stop binging.
I thought I was a food addict and on several occasions fasted from sugar and processesed food.
These days I enjoy white bread, as well as white rice, white pasta, desserts etc. with no pull to binge on them. I am at a healthy weight. I don't label foods as good and bad. Nutrition happens overtime. Don't worry about food. I am a Christian and your screen name implies that you are too. Remember what Jesus said about food. Not to worry about it. Let's take Him at His word.
I do noS to keep my body under control.
Give No S a fair trial. Indeed, the habit can be changed one day at a time! When/if you fall get up and keep pressing on. You can do all things though Him who gives you strength! NoS is your means to the goal of being free from disordered eating!
To Him be the glory and Him alone!
Last edited by Apprentice1981 on Fri Feb 09, 2018 1:02 am, edited 3 times in total.

HeatherG
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Joined: Sat Dec 09, 2017 9:24 pm

Post by HeatherG » Fri Jan 19, 2018 9:59 am

Apprentice 1981 - I'm just starting out on No S, and I'm a Christian too, and I also have four children... and I really resonate with your post today - thank you.
It articulates much of what had been swirling around my mind these last couple of weeks. Thanks for taking the time to write, and Soliadegloria I pray that today is a bit easier...one day at a time.

Apprentice1981
Posts: 56
Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2016 6:48 pm
Location: California

Post by Apprentice1981 » Fri Jan 19, 2018 12:06 pm

Heather, I am so glad that I encouraged you.

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Merry
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Post by Merry » Sat Jan 20, 2018 8:19 am

I think only you can answer for you. For me--I wasn't (and still am not) willing to just drop all sugar (or even most sugar). But I realized that not having sweets 5 days a week was going to be a significant drop in sugar and would be much healthier for me. I found that saying, "Not now, but you can have a nice treat on ____" helped me be willing and able to wait rather than feeling controlled ("I HAVE to eat it now!") It's okay. I can wait. I won't die!

And some advice that really helped me was to plan out what special treat I might look forward to.

Some days are harder than others. But one thing I also found was that some of the treats I thought I would want so much really aren't that great. By limiting what treats I eat to S days, I got pickier--I want my treats to be good ones!

Also, try to focus your N days on what you CAN have! There's so much delicious food that has nothing to do with sweets that we can enjoy. Make some special meals that you really enjoy. I found that going from mindless snacking all day long to 3 purposeful meals also made me a bit pickier--I want to eat something I really enjoy when I sit down to eat :-).

I do think there is a sense in which our brains can get "hooked" on sugar (and I've definitely been there)--but I don't think that means sugar has this impossible hold on us that we can't conquer. We really can wait for the weekend--and I think most people can probably adjust to that and not feel deeply deprived or jittery without daily sugar :-). There may be a subset that can't ever break the "addiction" without totally dropping it--but I found I broke a lot of its hold on me through No-S.
Homeschool Mom and No S returnee as of 11-30-15.
2 years and counting on No-S.
29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
Respect Moderation

nettee
Posts: 471
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2015 10:01 pm
Location: UK

Post by nettee » Sun Jan 21, 2018 6:35 am

I am now basing my plan on the theory that sugar is addictive and am avoiding it (or more specifically refined/added sugar in excess of 5% of the food) altogether. I have just read Allen Carrs book re stopping smoking substituting nicotine for sugar in my head and have found that helpful. He does have books on weight loss and even sugar specifically but I think he is convinced that the answer is to become a vegan so it is not so helpful for me and breaking the smoking addiction is what made him so famous. (I am not a smoker but an interesting read)

I have also reread sweet poison by David Gillespie to remind myself why fructose is so bad for us and the beginning of the sweet poison quit plan for a chapter on sugar as an addiction.

Anyway, so far so good for me. I am avoiding sweets all together and have not yet had a crazy binge like I used to on S days or after an N day mistake although it has only been two weeks so perhaps a bit early to tell.
3 tasty meals a day and loving it

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Mon Jan 22, 2018 8:48 pm

Well, if that criteria works for you, go for it. Have you listened to any of Reinhard's podcasts on how to choose habits to work on? He has a good one about trying things for a month, but sticking to it for that long before deciding what might need modifying. I need to review it myself. There's on on "chain of command" that's entertaining, too.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

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