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Addicted to sugar

i am not only addicted to sugar, choc and have even been known to eat a can condensed milk.
I do try not to eat the things that I know are bad for me but I find it very hard and living by myself and well into old age I just wonder what am I trying to achieve, a long life, I am well into achieving that, a pain free existence, I have no pain, damage to my eyes or feet, I have no problems with either.
I know that I will not be the only person living alone and using it as an excuse to eat and drink what I like is wrong, but I have to admit that I rarely cook myself a healthy meal and find it so much easier to have a sandwich or a microwave meal, I am alone, I am obese and although I do not like myself, I am surviving.
 
I low carbed for quite a while, got to the stage where everything tasted too sweet and had lost quite a bit of weight. However, one chocolate bar and I found I was straight back into the addiction cycle which was similar to an alcoholic. It would take me a while to get back on the wagon and I beat myself up every time I fell off again. Recently I have started doing a low fat, low sugar diet but I am allowed fruit. This has made it much easier to remain in control for longer periods of time so overall my blood sugars are actually more stable.
 
I have been saying for years sugar is an addiction as much as any other known addictive substance and been politely smiled at or laughed at. I no longer describe it as that to anyone but myself or the one or two enlightened friends who've tentatively voiced this as well. I'm well aware that, amidst the recommended healthy eating I did over the years prior to diagnosis, there was a massive amount of hidden sugar eating, along with a massive desire not to be seen as different, or rocking the boat, or upsetting the cook of the day by refusing to eat what was put in front of me when I was totally aware of the addictive nature of the food for me - even if no one else took that seriously.

It's also a massive struggle in a world where almost all easily available food is a carb fest where sugary treats have become a daily norm for so many, and also where so many people seem to think it's fine to comment freely on that what you are eating which is different to what they would do. I'm also lucky in that everyone I know is very supportive of what I'm doing as they've seen what a massive difference it has made to me.

Now, I've worked out what works for me and what most definitely does not, and 99% of the time stick to it, whilst not beating myself up over the 1% "Sod it" or it's just too difficult to resist moments. (I so enjoyed the one samosa I've had all year but I paid for a week with high blood sugar readings.)
 
 
As to the "What if..."s. This is just my take on it, for me. It may or may not resonate with you.

Yes, there are always "What ifs... with addiction of any kind. There is always the possibility of a relapse into my old way of eating. It's happened a couple of times, and I've hated how dreadful I felt for a couple of days afterwards more than I enjoyed the meal/cake/sugar.

BUT I am also aware my taste buds have totally changed now along with my capacity for food which has reduced the likelihood of me going back to a regular higher carb way of eating. Grains, rice, potatoes - all former staples of my diet send my blood sugars high and keep them there. Which is also enough to motivate me to stay away from those.

Sugar can be trickier as it's more devious in the way it will immediately spike me, then scuttle down again if I walk it off or drink lots of water which could result in me thinking "I can deal with this - and can eat what I used to." But, those changed taste buds won't let me. Two mouthfuls of the kinds of puddings or cakes I could easily eat large portions of are now sufficient, milk chocolate is possible but no longer tastes as good as the dark chocolate ("Where has the real Japes gone and what have you done with her" is the cry of many friends who know what my capacity for milk and white chocolate could be and knew not to buy me dark chocolate!) which is fine in one or two squares a day.

I'm someone who could occasionally easily eat a whole can of condensed milk in a sitting when the mood took me... I've not tested to see how that tastes any more. I suspect all of the above applied. I couldn't do it on a good day, wouldn't like the effects but would not like to guarantee I couldn't or wouldn't on a bad day.
 
Sarah69 said:
Why would you be in pain?
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A pain to deal with high sugars maybe. Some have neuropathy pain and other complications from diabetes which cause nerve damage pain.
So mentally and physical pain.
 
Last month we went to a garden centre and I treated myself to a piece of cake, the biggest, sugariest carb heavy piece I could find. I fair enjoyed it. We went again last sunday and I had... a pot of tea. I wasn't bothered about the cake at all so I'm guessing it really does get easier as time goes on. It is Christmas I'm concerned about, how to resist those M&S adverts and the Gala pie.
 
it sounds strange even as i type i dont know if its just me being me a bit waffy or its actually true, but I believe I can feel the endorphin release as eat a biscoffy caramelised biscuit dipped in tea, well most biscuits to be fare.
 

Arrghhhhhh - you said the C word!

There is a recipe on this forum somewhere for the best C-word cake I've ever tasted and - best - its low carb. If I can find it I'll put a link.
 
zand said:
Because sugar can cause inflammation and therefore you can get pains. I suffer joint pains if I don't low carb.
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that's very interesting 'bout the joint pain without the low-carb. I must watch for that myself.
in other news, Hershey, Cadbury etc are NOT chocolate - they's sugar and fat with a bit of cocoa powder thrown in!
nothing below 70% for me!
I'm afraid the office birthday cakes are my occasional downfall, although still hovering around 71½kg - phew
"My body's a temple - yeah! the ruins at Karnak"
 
i love broad beans and peas etc. yes they are very sweet/carby.
a backslide is bad news for the backside?
I'm finding curly kale, cabbage, broccoli etc a great substitute for rice or pasta with a sauce.
 
Chook said:
Arrghhhhhh - you said the C word!

There is a recipe on this forum somewhere for the best C-word cake I've ever tasted and - best - its low carb. If I can find it I'll put a link.
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@Chook
I think I may have seen the recipe, if it is the same one it uses artificial sweeteners which I do not eat. That is why I have decided to have the C-word maybe once or twice a year as a thing I can look forward to. Thanks, lass.
 
zand said:
Because sugar can cause inflammation and therefore you can get pains. I suffer joint pains if I don't low carb.
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@zand I know exactly what you mean.

In the past (not any more) I had some struggles with food and would go through phases of what I called 'eating the house'. I'd have an entire box of cereal, packets of biscuits, crisps and several bananas, and would swerve between sweet and savoury in what I felt was a neverending spiral. And the binges were always very carby (I would bolus random and large amounts of insulin to deal with that aspect of it - which would then cause a problem in itself).

For two days after a cycle like this I would hurt in a really big way, all over, from the inside. A big binge would equal big pain. Even a hug, say, would be really painful!*

Thankfully, three years have passed since I last used food in that way. I don't have this kind of behaviour any more. Then a while ago I made the decision to lower my carb intake to make my diabetes control easier, and I discovered the added bonus of not being even slightly and randomly achy particularly at the start of every single day, as I had been! I hadn't put these niggling pains down to anything other than 'ageing' or 'sleeping a bit funny', until it dawned on me that it coincided with reducing my carb intake.

Might just be a happy coincidence, but given what I had discovered with my binge eating behaviour being proportionately linked to pain in the two days afterwards, that's just fine.

Love Snapsy


*For the record this was a period when hugs were in short supply and would have been helpful in helping to avoid this destructive pattern of behaviour in the first place! Snapsy now gets plenty of hugs.
 
A few low carbers have had an inflammation flare up after having a carb whilst low carbing. I now have asthma which ive never suffered from, even working in central london surrounded with train break dust.
I initially thought I had arthritis but I have bulging discs but for 2yrs now.
Strange happenings for me when I go too low carb.
 
I have discovered the joys of greek yoghurt with stevia sweetener and cocoa powder - yum! Chocolate heaven!
 
@Snapsy
This is something I have been keeping an eye on as I have added a pain diary to my bg and food diary. And, for me at least this is true. I take Naproxen for inflamation and I always thought it wasn't much good but since I started low carbing the difference is astonishing.
 
Hi I have only been diagnosed for 2 months and have been low sugar and low carbs since I found out. I am too scared to eat the things I used to devour everyday. Not sure how I will do this forever but I don't think I have a choice - do I? Been getting pins and needles and dizziness so not sure I am doing it right!? I was a carbaholic chocoholic pizzaholic
 
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