Addicted to Sugar
A friend recently told me about the book, Potatoes Not Prozac
The author has done a lot of work with addicted people (drug addictions, alcoholism), and she has found a diet that is helpful not just to alcoholics and drug addicts, but also to people who are addicted to sugar or sensitive to sugar. I am definitely one of those people who are sensitive/addicted to sugar.
The book does a great job of explaining what goes on in your body when you eat sugar, why you crave it, etc. It explains the role of diet in your levels of serotonin and beta-endorphin, two chemicals which influence your mood and sense of well-being. It all made so much sense.
The diet itself is pretty much a diet of healthy eating, but she breaks it down into stages and also has some helpful suggestions. One of the suggestions that I have already been following is to have some protein with every meal and to have a carbohydrate snack before bed. This has really helped my moods already.
However, her actual first step of eating only 3 meals a day (and the snack before bed) has been way too hard for me. I am used to snacking and grazing all day long, and I think my sugar addiction has a lot to do with it.
Anyway, without going into too many details about the book, I decided to quit sugar “cold turkey”. I have been struggling along for weeks with the diet in the book, but have not been able to do the gradual process. I have quit sugar, cold turkey, before, so I know I can do it. It just takes about 3 weeks of misery until my body adjusts.
Those first 3 weeks are hell, though. So I want to get started now, before my son comes home for Christmas. I don’t want to be crabby and irritable when he is here.
So it’s now day 2 for me without sugar. I have found this time, that the trick is to expect to feel bad, and not do anything about it. I am so used to medicating myself with food whenever I feel bad. But there is nothing that is going to make me feel better except to eat sugar, which I am not going to do. Actually, if I do nothing, the bad feelings usually pass for a while.
I think I can do this.
November 22nd, 2006 at 9:48 am
Sounds like an interesting book. I may need to read this one.
November 23rd, 2006 at 3:23 pm
Interested in what you wrote as am also trying to cut down on sugar. Not sure about the three meals a day. If the food is right some experts recommend grazing through the day. I have also found that munching a good carrot seems to calm my sugar cravings. Thanks for the link, will be adding you to my site, best wishes, The Artist
November 23rd, 2006 at 6:16 pm
I had always heard that you should have many small meals per day. This 3 meals a day idea is new to me. But it makes sense, because when I am busy, I can easily go without snacks, and I actually feel better then. I will have to try the carrot idea, thanks!
July 3rd, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Read Your Last Diet. It helps you heal BEFORE you jump in to sugar withdrawal.
February 18th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Hi there,
I quit sugar about two weeks ago having been someone who BINGED on candy and chocolate all the time. I had about five days of misery. Then I felt a lot better for a few days. Then I had some refined carbs in the form of pasta, muffins, and bread (I didn’t “binge,” but I definitely had a good amount) and snacked on some little chocolates at work. Now I feel down again. I am quitting again, but do you think that amount of carbs/sugar I just had again made me have to restart the whole withdrawal process?
February 18th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Hi Suzanne, it might go easier this time. It’s definitely worth it. It took me a couple of weeks before I quit missing sweets. Good luck!