Addicted to sugar

Kitt82 said:

Hi Kirstiek,

I too drink sugar free, mostly dilute to taste stuff. I also find the evening/night the worst!!

I wonder if we could/should start some sort of sugar addicts thread/support area? There's obvs more than just me!!

Speaking for myself, I think we have an enormous amount of guilt and shame as diabetics who are struggling like this. We know logically that we shouldn't be doing it, but there's almost a disconnect between what we *know* and what we *do*.

I know that there's a subset of T1 who don't take their insulin for fear of gaining weight (oversimplified, but essentially an ED), and I believe that there's a large subset of us T2 who are sugar addicts. I wonder what it is that makes us this way? What psychology needs to be addressed here to help us?

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I find that artificial sweeteners trigger my cravings. For some of us it's a physical addiction to carbs, just like alcoholics physically crave alcohol. My key was dealing with the physical craving first, just like when I stopped smoking, then dealing with the psychology of habit. It's not all in our heads .
@Rachox , do you know where there are any YouTube videos on the physical craving for carbs please?

I have controlled my type 2 diabetes for over 10 years now through diet only. Once I got through the carb cravings, which took about 14 days, it got a lot easier. Plus I feel so much better in myself health wise. I had no idea how dreadful I had been feeling, because it was normal for me.

The habit of wanting carbs took longer to recover from. It took a few times of having carbs, feeling ill for several days, and recovering before I got the message that carbs weren't worth the suffering.

I am still complication free. I also have the example of my brother, diagnosed at the same time as me, who is now on insulin with several major complications through not changing his diet and way of life.

I think of this as a marathon, not a sprint. It's not a diet, it's a way of life I choose and am in control of. I have a future and health.

My friend became lactose intolerant. She had to choose make major dietary changes to be healthy. I look at my carbs the same way. My body can't deal with carbs, all carbs, not only sugar and sweet things. I can work with my body, or against it. It's my choice.

Sorry for the long reply.

Are you aware that all carbs turn to sugar in our bodies? That includes rice and bread of any colour, pasta and starchy veg like potato.

Kitt82 said:

Hi Sarah69,

I think we should be friends!

Oh my,.. Giant buttons

I too have a failing for those, though currently it's raspberry mini rolls for me.

Have a read and keep up with the advice ppl are posting here for us, it may help?

It's really a fight with ourselves. It's like, I *know* that I shouldn't do these things, and I'm not stupid by any means but that person inside just wins all the time. *sigh*

I msgd an addiction help place, and they signposted me to 'suagr and carb addicts anonymous. I had a wee look at the sugar and carbs anonymous page (it's american, but we can't have everything I guess), and they use the AA Big Book and Twelve Steps programme as a basis for their support. I'm going to grab a copy and have a look through it. Hell, if it's helped AA people then it may just help me/us!

www. scaa. org

Do pm me, maybe we can be each others' support?

Well done BTW for reducing the big bags to a little bag!! That's an amazing thing you've done there

You should be massively proud of yourself for your progress so far!!

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Thanks!

I only did that because within a few months my hba1c had gone up to 119 from about 70/80 (can’t remember the proper number) and I was very shocked! But I’m never shocked enough to just stop eating it altogether and I don’t think I ever will be. It’s so hard to explain to others who don’t understand it! I’ve had no help from the medical profession. Yes we could be each other’s support!

Pre-diagnosis I was near-addicted to chocolate, in a serious way, hence the T2D. In the 21 months since then I swapped that for addiction instead to my ever-growing spreadsheet holding all my weekly measurements, weight, waist, fasting glucose, miles walked, carbs, fats, protein, calories, fibre, post-prandial spikes, the lot, all mapped into exquisite graphs with trend analysis, second derivatives, Fourier approximations, cubic spline interpolations, oh all sorts of things. Have vanquished chocolate, yummy biscuits, all have bitten the dust, and now I spend hours cuddled up to my Excel spreadsheet instead, utterly satiated by what it predicts about my daring to eat a piece of toast or what my next HbA1c result will be. Swap chocolate for graphs! Well, for low-carb graphs anyway. You’re never alone with a spreadsheet.

chrisjohnh said:

Pre-diagnosis I was near-addicted to chocolate, in a serious way, hence the T2D. In the 21 months since then I swapped that for addiction instead to my ever-growing spreadsheet holding all my weekly measurements, weight, waist, fasting glucose, miles walked, carbs, fats, protein, calories, fibre, post-prandial spikes, the lot, all mapped into exquisite graphs with trend analysis, second derivatives, Fourier approximations, cubic spline interpolations, oh all sorts of things. Have vanquished chocolate, yummy biscuits, all have bitten the dust, and now I spend hours cuddled up to my Excel spreadsheet instead, utterly satiated by what it predicts about my daring to eat a piece of toast or what my next HbA1c result will be. Swap chocolate for graphs! Well, for low-carb graphs anyway. You’re never alone with a spreadsheet.

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PS - do I need professional help with this?!

chrisjohnh said:

PS - do I need professional help with this?!

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Seriously though, for me the only way I felt I could be confident of moving towards remission, and never relapsing, was to quantify and record everything, owed I suppose to a life in science for four decades. As all here agree, we must each find our own way through this, as we will get little useful advice from GPs at the moment.

Sarah69 said:

Thanks!

I only did that because within a few months my hba1c had gone up to 119 from about 70/80 (can’t remember the proper number) and I was very shocked! But I’m never shocked enough to just stop eating it altogether and I don’t think I ever will be. It’s so hard to explain to others who don’t understand it! I’ve had no help from the medical profession. Yes we could be each other’s support!

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@sarah69Do you test your bg? If not, I'd suggest starting to. There's nothing concentrates the mind better than seeing what spikes you, how high and how often.
It's easy to pretend everything's OK until you actually see it.

chrisjohnh said:

Seriously though, for me the only way I felt I could be confident of moving towards remission, and never relapsing, was to quantify and record everything, owed I suppose to a life in science for four decades. As all here agree, we must each find our own way through this, as we will get little useful advice from GPs at the moment.

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You have inspired me to start my own Excel spreadsheet. I used to record carbs and glucose readings on a spreadsheet before I had Libre & Dexcom, but I didn't record my weight. But it will be much simpler than the one you are keeping. Well done.
My weakness is that I eat far too much cheese, so if I need to weigh every piece and record it on Excel, I'll, hopefully, will be cut down on the quantity. In my case, cheese causes high reading something like six/seven hours afterwards.

ElenaP said:

You have inspired me to start my own Excel spreadsheet. I used to record carbs and glucose readings on a spreadsheet before I had Libre & Dexcom, but I didn't record my weight. But it will be much simpler than the one you are keeping. Well done.
My weakness is that I eat far too much cheese, so if I need to weigh every piece and record it on Excel, I'll, hopefully, will be cut down on the quantity. In my case, cheese causes high reading something like six/seven hours afterwards.

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I also weigh all my little portions of cheese! My kitchen scales are my most used tool in this, even more than the meter.

Hi Sarah69
I am type 1 but I have the same problem. The only thing that properly works for me is cold turkey (not the meat). I would reduce sugar and stop eating cakes and chocolate etc but it was painful every day all day. Constant torture of fighting it is exhausting and that ends up resulting in major binges for me. For the last 20 years I have gone in and out of extreme low carb lifestyle. When I go low carb I feel great. All my joint issues and inflammation issues go. My low level retinopathy disappears. I no longer crave carbs of any sort (95% f the time anyway). I have more energy. I don't get many hypos and my sugar levels stay level at between 5 and 7.
So why do I go back to carbs? I "relax" my diet for special occasions. Holidays, Christmas etc. I'm weak I know and I shouldn't do that because as soon as the carbs creep in I'm back on the roller coaster.
From March to August I low carbed again. Less than 50 grams cho a day. It was great. Then I went on holiday and relaxed it. Now I'm back to carbs but even worse. My husband said to me that he was surprised I hadn't gone back to LC since we returned as I was so much better when I didn't eat carbs. All I could say to him was that I am weak! It is an addiction. As Mbaker says - similar to alcohol and drugs. My brother is an alcoholic and I see the same traits. it doesn't matter how much you know you should stop and even worse in my case as I know how well I am when I do it is so hard to break the cycle.
So back on LC for me next week and maybe this time I wont break it. Ask me after Christmas

There is a class of diabetes medications called the Glutides that may be of assistance for you. They are also a weight loss drug. They work by slowing your metabolism so you will want to eat less. But they have a sting in the tail. If you overeat, then the drug will make you nauseous and vomit. Its like doing a slimming diet with the instructor always on your shoulder watching you eat and telling you off for bad behaviour. I liken it to Boot Camp or the health spa of old.

Like any drug they have side effects, and can in rare cases lead to severe complications, but it may be something to research and discuss wth your doctor.

I used to be a heavy smoker, and I too had my head in the clouds, I even had two strokes and came out smoking like a chimney. Then my first heart attack, and I finally accepted my morbidity. I have not touched a fag since. (Liar - I used to light up for my wife when she was ill, so my conversion was complete because I did not take it up again) Now I am happy to watch others smoke, without any pangs at all. Don;t wait for the consequences to pay you back. like I did,

Its not how often you fall that matters, its how often you get back up.

It’s not over when you lose it’s over when you quit. In other words don’t give up we are there with you. I am also in the same boat snd if a Gp talks about me being obese needing to lose weight again . I’ll insult them Not assault but it is not helping . I now you try or you would not ask here. My thought with type 2 and weight gain there must be something that eases both. I can’t afford the injections .

You've a whole two weeks to adjust your eating, and so you can talk of it to the nurse in the past tense, which will be much kinder to both of you. We are all here to encourage you to take the steps towards better health.

Kitt82 said:

Please help! Kind words and not so kind are welcomed!

I'm T2, and after a long time of my hba1c being 'slightly' raised,.. My most recent was 141. Yes, 141!!

I havnt changed what I eat but its all gone a bit squiffy.

However, I do have a major addiction to sugary things. I'm trying to crack down but it's honestly like an addiction.

I know, logically, that this ain't good. That I'm at risk of massive complications. But I just can't seem to get my head into it!? What's wrong with me!

I have multiple other illnesses, of which the list is ridiculous. I will share here if needed. Suffice to say the sweet things I eat don't make me feel sick, they're handy (I don't have to get up to make food).

Some sort of help, support, signposting for such would be appreciated.

I hope I've made some sort of sense!

Xx

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I’m literally all of this. I’ll tell myself every day that I’m not going to buy chocolate then I’ll go sainsburys and pick up a big bar ‍

Yes read all of this and empathise.as it is an addiction. So one day at a time.We can sometimes do things just one day at time
But if we start thinking 'Can we do it tomoro'' maybe we can't do it then.So one day at a time really.(or try). After all didn't our parents say 'if you are a good boy/girl 'you can h ave some sweets. They never said 'apple,avacado nuts etc'did they.And what do we celebrate birthdays with 'chocolates' most of the time.

anyway all the bes t to you all. Just thinking about chocolate now.