 Overcoming Sugar Addiction |
 
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Are you someone who can’t stop eating sugar, once you start? Are you plagued with constant food cravings, especially for sweets or refined carbohydrates, such as pasta, bread or potato chips?
Oh, how I understand! I was a compulsive sugar addict for thirty years, and found freedom. You can read my book about how I healed my sugar addiction. Or you can dive into the tools that teach you how to do it yourself in my follow up workbook and CDs, Becoming Binge Free. Not sure about all that yet? Read on for a beginner’s ten steps:
Here are ten steps to break your sugar addiction:
1. Add self care. Before you attempt to eliminate anything from your life – even something negative, such as food addiction – it’s important to add to your life, so that you are operating from an overflow, not a deficit. Eliminating sugar will create a vacuum; better to fill it with something positive – self-care – than something negative – self-sabotage. Have a good book to read, to fill the hours you might have spent eating ice cream in front of the TV; take on a hobby instead of baking.
2. Keep your blood sugar stable. Eat breakfast, eat protein with every meal or snack, eat low GI foods, and eat at regular intervals. Why? All of these things will stabilize your blood sugar, so that your moods and energy are at an even keel. Much of the time, I craved sugar because I was hungry (I was always trying to limit my eating because I was always trying to lose weight). Eat enough so that you feel satisfied, and regularly enough so that you feel stable, and you won’t crave so much junk. Learn more about what and how to eat from the sugar addiction reading list.
3. Treat yourself like you’re in detox. The first week of sugar abstinence is hard, when the cravings are at their most powerful. Be kind to yourself: this is not the time to tackle a large project, to implement lots of changes, or to work overtime. Why do people go to a spa when they’re detoxing? Because they need extra support. Likewise, give yourself extra support. Go to bed earlier. Take naps. Cook simple meals (and don’t make the same mistake I did: don’t cook meals for your family that have ingredients in them that you are trying not to eat. Don’t make sugar abstinence any harder than it needs to be.) Spend time in prayer and meditation. Call on others for support and encouragement.
4. Don’t focus on weight loss. While weight loss is usually a natural consequence of giving up sugar, don’t make it your focus. It’s better to channel your energy towards one goal at a time. So put aside your weight loss goals for now and focus on getting sugar free. Then, when you’ve achieved sugar abstinence, you can work on losing the excess weight. Weight loss is the side effect of loving your body and freeing yourself from food addiction; not the focus. Furthermore, you might be delightfully surprised to see how much easier it is to lose weight when you’re not eating sugar in the first place. Of course, we all have to eat. Check this list of sugar free snack ideas.
5. Know your true value. While yes, your body may be sugar sensitive, and while, yes, you may gorge on sugar, it’s not “you.” It’s just a coping mechanism: how you learned to care for yourself when life felt overwhelming or scary, probably when you were very small. It’s not your fault. It’s not proof that you’re a terrible person. It just is.
As you heal the core wounds that lead you to sugar, you recover these hurt parts of you. You care for them. And as you care, you’re able to stop the sugar bingeing; to care for yourself in ways that don’t cause as much suffering.
6. Create a supportive environment. For the first month after I gave up sugar, I asked my family to hide the few sweet foods we had in the house so that I wouldn’t seek them out and eat them. I avoided certain aisles in the grocery store, movie theaters, and abstained from any baking. Later on, when I was in the habit of not eating sugar, and no longer physically craving it, I was able to be around sugar without succumbing to temptation. Yes, this can be especially tricky to avoid sugar when around family during the holidays. In the beginning of your journey, give yourself the structure you need so you feel supported.
7. Be a detective. Give yourself time to experiment. Use your body as a guinea pig: what foods make you feel good? What foods make you feel bad? How did I learn that dried fruit affects me in the same way that refined sugar does? By observing my body after I ate it. How did I learn that eating tortilla chips makes me crave sugar? By observing my body. How did I learn that legumes, lean meats, and nuts satisfy my hunger and give me stable moods? By observing my body.
8. Reconsider fake sugars. I know this is a tough one to follow: many women rely on Diet sodas when they’re craving something sweet. But in my experience, aspartame, Nutrasweet, Splenda, and even low carb sugar products (protein bars that are “low sugar”) don’t quell sugar cravings, but increase them. A study at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio found that a person’s risk for obesity went up a whopping 41% for each daily can of Diet soda. See this list of hidden sources of sugar for more information.
9. Start over whenever you slip and fall. You don’t have to wait until the next morning, or succumb to the thinking that says, “I’ve blown it; I might as well have some brownies to go with it,” when you slip up and eat sugar. Giving up sugar is hard. It’s ingrained in our holidays, in our meals, in our society. Be kind to yourself when you mess up, and get right back on track. Create a positive affirmation to use: “I am resilient,” or “I am starting over,” when you make a mistake. Have some protein, make a cup of mint tea, and brush your teeth. Then remove yourself from your food source: take a walk, call a friend, go outside, go to the library. Do something to change your environment so you can switch gears. Be mindful that there are 3 stages to healing a sugar addiction. What stage are you in?
10. Forgive yourself. I felt terrible shame about my sugar addiction. Releasing that shame was like lifting an enormous weight off my psyche. We’re all imperfect. We all cope with life in messy ways. If you have food issues, offer yourself compassion. Find self-acceptance. All those times you gorged on sugar? Recognize that you were doing the best you could.
Sugar addiction is not a character defect. It’s often due to biology, imprinting, long ingrained habits, our environment and a whole host of other factors – many of which are not in our control. Can you find forgiveness for yourself? Can you see that it’s not your fault? That it may not be something you could’ve prevented?
When we release the blame – and most of us blame ourselves, and terribly so – we find we can also release the sugar. It creates a spaciousness where we can act differently, where we can respond to sugar in a different way and let go of its hold on us. Forgiveness and compassion are the only way I found peace with my sugar abstinence. It’s the only way I found that I could stay sugar free long term.
So where do you go from here?
- Learn the 4 things necessary to heal your sugar addiction.
- Read Overcoming Sugar Addiction, a book that chronicles my own story and demonstrates how you, too, can break your sugar addiction.
- Learn the tools that keep me sugar free to this day with an at home, do it yourself workbook and CDs.
A special audio message for you: If you’ve come this far, I bet you’ve got a few more questions. Listen to my explanation of how you can retake control beyond the initial detox period, find support along the way, honor your sensitivity to sugar, and make this day the start of a new way of living:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (2.9MB)
I have been trying to kick the sugar habit for so long, as everyone else here knows, it isn’t easy. i don’t need to lose weight, but I want to feel better. I am tired of having headaches and feeling sluggish. This site is a Godsend. i wish I had a support group in my area for sugar eaters.
I am about to start a sugar free diet for my family, my husband is not really on board so hopefully I can keep it up.
My main problem though is money. I recently went on an elemination diet when I was trying to nurse my second child. I had no problems with the first but during my second pregnancy I had gestational diabetes and then my daughter was having blood in her stool. For four weeks I was on an elimiation diet to try and figure out what was causing her problems. I lost 20 pounds, but I felt like I was starving. I eventually had to put her on formula.
The main point is that while on this elimination diet where I eliminated all persevatives, wheat, soy, dairy and went organic on everything else I spent my entire families two week grocery budget on one week of food for JUST me!
I don’t know how to overcome this.
Hi Jennifer,
First, I want to give you a big hug – it sounds like you’ve been through a lot already. I admire your courage and perserverance.
You can change how you eat without making your family come on board. I eat differently than my kids and husband – they eat sugar – and have found a way to make it work. I share more about how I do this in my book, Overcoming Sugar Addiction – http://www.sugaraddictionbook.com/book/
For now, I’d invite you to look at your decision to eat less sugar as something you’re doing for yourself and not anything that others feel forced into. When my energy is focused on me and my choices – and not on regulating my husband’s, parents, friends or family’s choices – I find a lot more acceptance and support for my decision.
You bring up a good point – healthy eating can be expensive. Our family spends a ton of money on healthy, fresh food. At the same time, I don’t have an unlimited budget, either, and simply do the best I can. I make priorities and buy nonorganic when I have to. I use places like costco (that’s where I get all my organic chicken, for example), co-ops and farmers markets to make my food dollars go as far as I need to. I also do a lot of my own cooking.
I hope that helps!
Warmly, Karly
Why is sugar addiction exclusive to women? No men at all on this site. Talking of sugar – I find many replies on the site so syrupy – are these smug amateur advisers for real?
Hi Dee,
Thank you for writing and for sharing your feelings.
Most of the responses to the comments are from me, so perhaps you find me syrupy. That’s okay – I know I’m not for everyone! If you’re looking for alternative sugar addiction resources, you may enjoy Beat Sugar Addiction Now by Jacob Teitelbaum, Potatoes Not Prozac by Kathleen des Maisons, or Sugar Shock by Connie Bennett.
I wish you many blessings on your journey.
Warmly, Karly
Waiting too long between meals may set you up to choose sugary, fatty foods that cut your hunger. Instead, eating every three to five hours can help keep blood sugar stable and help you avoid irrational eating behavior.
Oh help. Our 16 yr old son died two years ago of brain cancer after we fought it for 3.5 years. In the immediate aftermath, I ate bags of Milky Way bars. Somehow those stopped, and then I got on to Kraft Caramels. Thinking about giving these up feels like a death all over again, though I stopped sugar completely at the end of last year for about two months, and I haven’t binged for a few days now. I’ve had a cookie or a piece of candy. But I know my stash is there if the pain gets to be too much. I just have not found anything that soothes and comforts physically like chocolate and caramels. I have done therapy and still have a counselor and a group, but dealing with the death of my child is not even something I can find words for. I don’t have enough desire right now to totally give up sugar. I’m hoping I can learn to enjoy just one cookie at a time, but I think I’m one of the sugar sensitive people and it’s just not possible for me. Trapped! With a broken heart.
Hi Lori,
I’m so sorry to hear about your loss, I cannot imagine the pain of loosing your 16 year old son. As you are aware emotional eating is something which people do as a way of dealing with difficult and painful emotions. It’s good to see that you are well aware of your own reasons behind your eating habits and you have the insight to know that those sweet food don’t really soothe nor comforts the emotional pain. I’m really pleased that you have seen a counselor and done group therapy. If you have not made any progress, I would encourage you to continue looking for ways in which you can heal. No cookie, chocolate or candy will ever be able heal your spirit. I encourage you to continue supporting yourself and exploring what you need for you, be kind to yourself and consider – what is it that you really hunger for?
Oh dear, dear Lori,
I am so, so sorry about your loss. As a mother myself, I can’t even imagine the grief and heartache, and my heart goes out to you. I care about your suffering and sorrow.
It sounds like you’re doing lots of wonderful things to care for yourself and give yourself support. Giving up sugar is a form of death, another loss. In my experience with grief, every new grief brings up all the others – it’s like a string of dominoes and they all get touched. So it makes sense to me that the grief of giving up sugar brings up the grief of losing your precious son, and the grief of the longstanding battle with cancer that precipitated his death.
It sounds like you are moving through lots and lots of layers of grief. That has been my experience with grief, too. At times my grief has been so overpowering that I have felt ashamed, like I should just be over it already. Our culture is generally comfortable with only so much grief, and beyond that, there is an unwritten expectation that you should be free to move on.
But what struck me when reading your note was that grief has its own timetable, and own intelligence. And yes, new losses, touch all the old ones. I’m guessing that is what you’re experiencing right now. Having to let go of sugar – a source of great comfort to you – probably feels very frightening, as if you are entering a huge void. You wonder – can I cope with the pain without it?
I wish you could see yourself through my eyes, as I see you as having so much courage and being exactly where you need to be. I hope my words have softened any shame you feel about the depth or strength of your grief. I hope my words have offered clarity about what you may be feeling. If my words don’t ring true for you, ignore my words and trust your own experience, as I believe that is your greatest authority.
I find that engaging with my feelings directly – talking to them as if I were talking to a beloved friend – helps me understand myself. With understanding, comes love – I appreciate why I’m doing something instead of bashing myself for doing something, like eating sugar, that doesn’t feel good to my body.
This understanding (another way of describing this is giving all parts of us empathy and loving acceptance) is what allows me to gently shift my behavior, if that is something I desire to do. I also offer myself compassion because making that shift takes courage, time, and patience, and because grief is an uncomfortable emotion to feel, and one that most of us run from. No one wants to feel pain and it makes sense that we feel afraid of touching it. Healing – which means feeling all our feelings – is a messy process, not clean and linear – because it’s an emotional one. In other words, some days you feel really strong and saying no the sugar feels easy; at other times, you feel frustrated, incapable, angry, sad and more about saying no to the sugar, and it’s not as easy. I have learned that healing – and loving myself – means allowing for all of my selves, feelings and moods.
On a hands on level, try getting quiet and asking the part of you that is eating the sugar, “Oh, sweetheart, what are you trying to tell me? Another practice that helps me is putting my hand on my heart and saying, “Sweetheart, I know this hurts and I love you and I care.
I unpack these tools in greater detail in my workbook, Becoming Binge Free, which is the follow up to Overcoming Sugar Addiction. You can find it here:
http://www.sugaraddictionbook.com/workbook
In love and care, Karly
i don;t know if i am addicted. its seems that when i get sugar, like if i have a piece of candy, having more sugar, like more candy of a cookie is all that i can think about, i cant focus on anything else, am i addicted? and then there is the fact that i dont want to give up sugar, i love it, and thats the problem. if i am addicted, will i ever be able to have just one piece of candy? i dont want to give up sugar, but i dont want to get diabetes, etc. i hope that you can answer my questions…
I ate a box of girl scout tagalongs as I read through your website. I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry. I feel finally ready to look this demon in the eyes and take care of myself. I sometimes remind myself that “food is nourishment” (for the body and the soul) when I feel like I want to injure myself with food but then I think that somehow I am not worth nourishing. I take care of other people in many aspects of my life and then seem to genuinely want to hurt myself. I am a survivor of physical and sexual violence and see my body as an enemy on some level. I live to run and dance and I want to be healthy and strong. Somehow that is overridden by self-loathing. I think I’m there – I think I’m ready to make a genuine change. Thank you for your kind words on your site and for being gentle. We are all wounded and need to be handled tenderly. I wonder if I can truly love myself, and I hope that I can.
Hi Celeste,
You tell my story and describe my feelings. Thank you. When I read your post a metaphorical rock hit my head full on and I finally understood that I was injuring myself deliberately with sugar. I’d suspected for a long time, but of course, admitting it leads to the horrible need to do something about it –something so terrifying, I’m still wrapping my head around it — giving up sugar!!
You sound like a wonderful caring woman with a zest for life that will allow you to succeed in healing yourself. I wish us both the very best of travels!
Thank you, Karly! Great to see how you find correction to the imbalance of craving for sweets. Just be sure that the new you is not imbalanced in the opposite direction! Natural sweets are nutritive, and can lead one to explore and combine many healthful diet interests. Like a plane or a ship traveling through the storm, it’s OK to over-correct, but it’s not OK to stay on the over-corrected course!
Dear Claude,
I love the airplane metaphor – that’s so beautiful. Thank you for sharing it with us!
Finding balance is such a process, isn’t it?
Warmly, Karly
I love this website. I kind of stumbled across it while looking to help to break this powerful sugar addiction.
When I was very young I was abducted and molested.
Not knowing how to emotionally handle the fallout from this experience, I became addicted to candy.
Of course at that age I had not formed any coping abilities, or the ability to distingush between good foods for the body and mind and stuff that could make me sluggish, irritable, tired, keep me from learning. I remember “zoning out a lot” I couldn’t consentrate. I remember not having any candy in the house when I was little and sneaking upstairs to my Dad’s dresser where he kept the change. Running up to the corner store and buying as much penny candy I could buy. That is when I learned to be secretive about my addiction, and turned all my emotions inward. I was too young to know I needed help back then. I was one of 5 children.
So as an adult everytime I am going through a lot of stress, which is almost every day now. (and that’s another story) I crave candy.
Well, I’m going to try again to stop this rollercoaster ride.
Thanks for being here. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Hi Cara,
I am so sorry for your suffering – I can only imagine how much pain you suffered as a child, and I’m so sorry.
I have to say – considering what you went through, I think you’re coping incredibly well. I think you are so very strong and brave. It makes perfect sense to me that you would turn to sugar to soothe the pain and trauma. That you are even willing to embrace this healing journey speaks to your courageous heart! You inspire me.
Please keep us posted on your journey – I am cheering you on every step of the way.
Bowing to you,
In love and care, Karly
Hi Cara, Your comment moved me and it felt like I was hearing my own life story. I would love to hear how your sugar-free journey continues as I need some inspiration, as i too find myself on the same journey….again! I gave up sugar a year ago. It lasted for 8 months and unfortunatly I fell back into the sugar-trap thinking that I was “cured” and could have the occasional sweet here and there. I am back to my old habits eating sugar daily and having all the side effects that sugar creates. I look forward to following your journey, so please keep posting.
Hi. Oh, I’m probably the youngest person commenting on this, but I just need to talk about it. Halloween just came, and we hav left-over candy in my house. I’ll start off with one or two pieces, and by now we’re almost out of candy. I want to deal with this addiction by learning how to stop eating it, not by waiting until I’ve polished off every piece of chocolate in the house! And I know that you were talking about self-exceptance, but every time I try to accept myself, I wind up feeling even worse than I did before…
Any advice?
I know that I crave sugar when I am bored, when things are not going right in my world but mine really is more cookies, cakes, candy bars, chocolate and not so much sugary drinks, but I’m really going to try to get the sugar eliminated out of my diet. I need to loose those pounds and get that energy and generally feel better.
go to oa. you binge on sugar because your an addict sooner you admit it the faster your recovery wil be.i had 3 years sugar free stopped going to oa had1 piece of cake 2 months ago completly hooked again.i lo st 100 lbs practicing the 12 steps and i was free …………..now im back in the cage its life and death ………12 steps plus higher power = recovery oh this is my last night with sugar for thirty nights strait better finish what s left just had 3 dove bars 5 homemade cookies pint of ice cream 2 peices of apple pie i baked today ………..but im ok i know i cant do this alone its so hard it hurts so bad my wife upset i hope my 3 sons dont find out i picked up god help me………john
Hi, Karly and Bloggers. I am so interested in finding out more about support for sugar addicts. Years ago I lost 80 pounds because I tried a weight loss diet that eliminated sugar. Since then, I’ve gained and lost the weight and then some more times than I’d like to say. But, it isn’t merely weight that sends me looking for help. I’m a type 2 diabetic. My doctor told me yesterday that the reason I developed diabetes is because of my weight. I am a binge eater from the word go. Two years ago, my husband had to hospitalize me because my blood sugar was 720 ( for those who don’t know, blood sugar is normal between 65 and 165). I was having facial seizures every thirty minutes. It was terrifying. Once the blood sugar was lowered to normal, the seizures stopped. I monitor my blood sugar, but I am still very overweight, very addicted, and apt to binge. I finally found a happy marriage and a good life in my forties. I realize though that my life will be so much richer if I can stop the binge-eating and get control of my diet. The doctor said that since I was still pretty young (46) and had no other serious healthy issues, I could probably get off of my diabetic meds if I just got the weight under control. For me, that means the sugar must be controlled. The night I was hospitalized I had eaten an entire box of Little Debbies, two tubes of cake icing, a Reese’s peanut butter cup, two large bowls of spaghetti with meat sauce….and that’s just what I can remember. To keep my sugars normal, I can’t do that type of binging any more, but I want to get to the point where I don’t want to sneak to the grocery store for an icing-laden cupcake or a Reese’s peanut butter cup.
Any way, thanks for recognizing that sugar addiction is real. I’ve been calling my problem sugar addiction for years. Finally, someone else does, too!
Hi Jennifer,
What I loved in reading about your story is how much it confirms how our biology – like volatile blood sugar – can cause us to do crazy things – like eat entire tubs of icing! I hope you can have so much compassion for yourself – knowing that it’s not your fault. I think that the book Potatoes not Prozac is a fabulous resource for understanding the biology of sugar addiction.
You may also enjoy reading about my story and how I kicked my sugar habit: http://www.sugar-addiction-book.com/book/
Oh, dear one, you are not alone. I deal with low blood sugar and understand how mood swings, cravings and blood sugar are intertwined. When my blood sugar is unstable, my body craves all sorts of unhealthy things in an attempt to stabilize it. It’s hard to honor my intentions to eat nourishing food when my blood sugar is whacked.
One of the most powerful things I’ve learned on this journey is that I need to honor how I’m made – and not live from a place of should – how I think I “should” be or how I should be more like other people.
I’m a sensitive woman with low and volatile blood sugar who reacts strongly to processed food and sugar. Once I accept myself as I am, then I can give myself the support I need to thrive – to honor how I’m made – without feeling less than or deficient. On a day to day practical level, this means that I eat much differently than most people. Food, for me, really is a medicine – or a drug – depending on what I eat.
I support how I’m made by:
eating breakfast
eating regular meals with protein
having firm boundaries around certain foods (processed food and sugar)
I accept that I eat this way and that others may not have to. I do it not out of “should” or have to but as an act of love for myself – because I deserve to be happy and thrive.
I hear a similar desire in you to honor how you are made – I find that so powerful and inspiring. I hear that desire and feel confident that you can make the changes you’d like to make with sugar and food.
I feel so proud of you.
In support,
XOXO, Karly
I successfully kicked the sugar and all refined foods habit for a year. It was amazing how slowly, but steadily weight came off. I felt so much better – didn’t need naps during the day, had more energy overall to work out and had better focus on tasks at hand. The first week or two were the very hardest for me. I was really determined to not eat anything at all that was refined or contained anything refined – which of course includes sugar and sugar by-products, sugar substitutes. What I found worked for me to curb my sweet tooth during the first two weeks, was creating my own little “dessert”. I used raw walnuts, raw honey (real raw honey that I found at a health food store), lemon extract and butter (real butter, not fake). I chopped the walnuts (about a cup) finely, added a couple of teaspoons of melted butter, a couple teaspoons of raw honey and a smidge of lemon extract and it was delicious and also tamed the monster inside that demanded something sweet! One of the things I did not give up was butter – it’s not refined and real butter isn’t the demon most people make it out to be. While the last few months of my experiment I did give up butter (and lost even more weight btw) – my main focus was giving up refined foods, not weight loss. I read so many articles on what sugar and other refined foods (white rice, white and wheat bread, white flour) do to the human body and was outraged that the practice of refining foods continues. I was still able to have sweet things – but I just modified what I used. I was able to have french toast – by using sprouted bread (but be careful, some “sprouted” breads contain refined products), and used real maple syrup – not the processed/refined stuff you find in most grocery stores. It is pricey – but for an occasional treat, it is worth it. Giving up refined foods can make people look at you strangely – most people thought I was crazy and actually told me I “needed” sugar and wasn’t getting a balanced diet. But just stick with it – you will be glad you did. Also a word of caution, after the year was up – I slowly re-introduced some sugary, refined foods back into my diet and it was stunning how quickly I again became addicted. I am in the process of again weaning myself off of those foods again. I can’t stand feeling sluggish and wanting naps during the day. So here I go again!
Hi Stefanie,
I chuckled when reading your post, because I’ve also been told that not eating refined foods isn’t “balanced.”
Like you, I’m sensitive to refined foods and don” feel good on them. I also noticed a huge correlation between whole foods and energy. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that I don’t need others’ approval or understanding to eat the way I do…that my own understanding is enough. It sounds like you are on a similar path.
How wonderful for you to recognize the connection between food and mood and to be willing to care for yourself in this way. I have full confidence that you’ll be back to your normal way of unrefined eating soon. If it works for you, keep us posted on your progress.
Thank you for taking the time to write and share your story. I felt inspired reading it!
In love and support, Karly
Jennifer,
I noticed something in your blog that really struck me. In your last paragraph you mention “sneaking” off to get your sugar-laden fixes. This can be a very huge part of the picture for you, myself, and many others. I did not do this with sugar, but salty carbs were my food of choice. I would hoard these forbidden foods and eat them in private, but sometimes it was alot more like devouring! I finally came to terms with my appearance and decided that I wouldn’t listen to what others say or what I think they are saying about what/how I eat. Your intake of all that food seems to reflect the same issue. Don’t get me wrong and I may be very wrong, but it seems you (as I was) are embaressed of your eating habits. And eating HABITS are what they are. You just really need to confront if you want these habits to create you or if you want to create you. I would like to suggest the book, “Paul Mckenna – “I Can Make You Thin”. He really focuses on rewiring your eating HABITS and that it is very attainable. Also, he has alot of guided imagiry that would probably help with the fear that makes you sneak food. When you sneak food you are going to consume alot more of it, because well…you don’t know when you will be able to eat those foods without being judged by yourself or others next. It is really a great book and I hope you look into it. It helped me in my process of recreating who I am as this person that I am in many ways. GOOD LUCK!! This is not will-power by the way. It is something alot more spiritual than that. Find what you want your destiny to be, envision it, and start achieving it…one day at a time. Just another tidbit. When you look at a year ahead and think I can only lose 30 lbs a year! ugh that is too slow!! Just think would you rather look back on that year and not have lost any weight and felt like another year has been wasted living in self-torment and possibly neglect. Hope i haven’t said anything offensive and this is my first response to a blog EVER. So you definitely inspired me and I appreciate that from you!
There’s more going on there than a simple addiction to sugar. You have to get your life and emotions under control as well, and not throw up your hands and say “i’m addicted to sugar, nothing’s my fault” C’mon, it’s a cop out!!
I need to quit the sugar…. I feel like I have no will power though. I successfully eliminated sugar one year for lent. I used to add 10 packets of sugar to a 16 oz cup of black tea. That year I went down to 1 packet. After lent was over, I was amazed at how much sugar I could taste in a granola bar! But years later (like 10?) I am still eating sugar every day. In fact I have a whole lunch box here that was an auction item that was never picked up… AND I have consumed about half the candy that is inside! I love sugar and breads so much. How can I completely kick them out of my life? These things are the cheapest things to buy, and without a job I can’t afford much… $1 burgers are cheap (though extremely unhealthy). I would love to make a go for the fruits and veggies, I just don’t know how long I can make that last with no $$$
I want to give up sugar, not for weight loss, but to see if I can clear up my adult acne by bettering my internal system. I am already very thin, actually underweight due to recent health issues, so I am afraid of weight loss. Do you have any tips for me?
Hi Vee,
What a great question! I’ve heard that sugar can cause inflammation, so I’m guessing that eating less sugar can lead to healthier skin. It sounds like you’re wanting to give it a try.
I’m thinking that a medical expert, nutritionist, or doctor may have a better answer for you, as weight loss isn’t my area of expertise. I’m guessing they may have ideas on how to maintain your weight (or add some on) while eating less sugar.
One resource that comes to mind is Donna Eden’s work with the body ecology diet:
http://bodyecology.com/
What made me think of her for you is her focus on healing the internal system. Best of luck to you – please keep us posted on your progress, as I’d love to hear how it unfolds for you!
Warmly, Karly
Hi Vee. Giving up sugar definitly helps the apprerance of skin. I have had acne problems since I was 12. Im now 34 and still have severe acne breakouts. I gave up sugar for about 8 months and it definitly made my skin brighter and healthier and my break outs were less. I must say that progesterone cream daily also helps, but its always best to fix your skin problem from the inside. To avoid weighloss when cutting out sugar, its a good idea to drink protein shakes. They keep your blood sugar stable if eaten with a carb and are high in calories. Perhaps eating avocados might also be a good idea. Good luck and remember your skin is never as bad as you see it.
Stevia! Especially in beverages. It tastes sort of like splenda except it is natural, it’s a leaf that is ground up and actually good for you. It’s still a challenge but it does help a lot – mix with low sugar yogurt, add some berries to it, maybe a bit of vanilla – great! Home made lemonade with stevia is so good and good for you! If I didn’t have stevia, I’d be much worse off. I just slipped up while babysitting (the place is literally like a 7-11 there is so much sugary stuff). That’s why I’m here, but at home, no sugar only stevia, and I’m good!
Hi Amanda,
I’ve talked with many who are fine with stevia but who have addictive reactions to other sweeteners. I love that you found something that works for you – I feel so happy for you.
I’d love to make lemonade with stevia for my kids this summer. Do you have a recipe to share?
XO, Karly
i love sugar too! cant help it,starts of as one biscuit…then the whole pack is gone!
im at a loss what to do with myself,the more weight i gain the more i turn to sugar and the more i want to eat,and the whole time im eating i think i should be jogging or playing with the kids at the park,but the tv and the chips/choccy/anything are a better idea than exspending energy!! my kids would love it if i took them to the park more often or walked them to school,and i find myself needing more sugar earlier in the day,so i have 3 sugars in my cup of tea now!! im a grown woman with 3 kids! you would think i could just snap out of it and control such a stupid habbit,but i guess that is why its called an addiction,because you cant help it,you eat it without thinking about it,and it feels so good to do it to !! hopefully i can rid myself of sugar and prevent my kids from following my path,and we can all start leading a happier healthier life together! and maybe drop that 5-10 kilo’s thats been bugging me for the last 7 years!
thank you for acnoledging sugar addiction,i wasnt sure if i had made it up in my head,i new that salt was addictive,now i no for sure that i must over come sugar,and all the bad things that it can do to my body and my life,time to stop wasting time with sugar,and spending more time and energy on things that are good,wish me luck because i no how i feel without it!!! headaches,tired,an even sick in the stomache,sometimes i cant concentrate,and i no ill get cranky! i just hope my family realise its all for a good reason!
thank you again! good luck me! -holly.
Hi Holly,
Oh, beloved – it’s not your fault. Really. Overeating sugar isn’t a matter of will power or control. Its origins are in the brain. First, in the physical brain, where many of us get hooked by the way sugar pumps up our endorphins and dopamine – the feel good chemicals. If your body is sensitive to sugar in this way, then it can react to it like a drug, where it wants more and more and more. (Kathleen des Maisons does an excellent job of explaining the science of sugar addiction at radiantrecovery.com and in her book Potatoes not Prozac.)
There’s also the emotional brain to consider, where we store memories, trauma, and wounding. This part of our brain is what’s in charge when we binge on sugar – not the intellectual brain. (It’s why we can get stuck doing things that we “know” better or don’t want to do.)
For me, the path to healing from sugar looked like this:
1. Healing my physical brain by eating regular, whole foods meals with protein.
2. Healing my emotional brain with self acceptance, self care, self love, and self compassion – to have compassion for the way my wounding would show up in my life and then lead to overeating.
I explain more on how to do this with the therapy I created, growing human(kind)ness: http://www.sugar-addiction-book.com/therapy/
I also teach this therapy in this workbook on healing from sugar addiction: http://www.sugaraddictionbook.com/workbook/
You can heal, Holly. And you are perfect and wonderful and lovable today, just as you are.
XO, Karly
Hi Karly,
I’ve read all the comments and you and several people mention a free ebook that I would like to read. Can you send it to me?! That is so nice of you to help others. I just googled “overcoming sugar addiction” and found your website. I wasn’t even sure there was such a thing, but realized that if there is, I surly suffer from it. I’ve never tried any kind of addictive substance (alcohol, tobacco, narcotics or illegal drugs) and don’t drink soda as a rule, but my relationship to sugar can’t be any less difficult than overcoming other kinds of addictions. If it’s baked or frozen, I’m particularly fond of it, as well as the entire spectrum of candy. If it’s grown in the earth or lives in the ocean, I’m not a fan.
Yes, it’s bad. It even feels hopeless. I can’t fathom giving up all sugar, forever.and.ever.and.ever. I’m so all-or-nothing generally. But from what I’ve read on your site, I’m not the only one who is like this.
One of the most amazing things I ever did was give up anything with sugar in it from the moment I found out I was expecting my first child, for the duration of my pregnancy. By that I mean anything that you’d think of as “sugary”. I still had bread, which I’m sure had some. And some sauces etc. But no beverages or desserts of any kind. I was going to grow the perfect baby, and I was on a mission. I was surprised at how strong I was in doing that. People would eat their creme brulee and offer me a taste, but I never wavered in my resistance.
That was 14 years ago. I marvel at that now. I know doing it for my baby was a good cause, and that doing it for myself should be just as motivating, but it’s not. I, like others here, am kind of known for making amazing cakes and baked goods. I love making them for people, and I L.O.V.E. eating them, too. Right now I’m dying to have a treat. I had plain, raw oats with skim milk for breakfast, and 3 hours later i had two poached eggs with sugar-free salsa. But all I want is to open the mint Oreos I bought to use in some special cupcakes yesterday (Before I found this site).
Anyway, thank you again for the service you’re offering. I hope your book helps (you can send it to the email address I used for my comment) and that I find courage and strength in overcoming this enslavement. ♥
Hi Blue,
Unfortunately, the sugar ebook is no longer free. You can purchase your copy of the ebook for $10 here: http://www.sugar-addiction-book.com/book/
You can also purchase a paperback version of the book.
We do offer free forums where you can talk to other women who are trying to find peace with sugar, food, their bodies and more:
http://www.firstourselves.org/forum/
I hope that helps!
Best, Karly
To your point #5, thank you so much. This article touched my heart and made me realize some very important things about myself. Thank you for helping me.
You are so very welcome! It’s very, very easy to identify with our coping strategies, and then believe we’re this flawed mess. Remembering who we are – and remembering that overeating, sugar bingeing, and more are just that – coping strategies – helps us find the space to heal the pattern. I’m so proud of you!
I don’t find giving up sugar at all hard but i have the same addiction behaviour you describe. It easy to quit entirely. In fact its the only way. You shouldn’t crave it at all if you are getting enough to eat. And my god did i lose weight fast. But i also gave up a lot of fat things from diet and brought back full cream milk. But its the sugar foods that make me put on weight so fast so that is the imperative thing i give up.
I don’t think there’s enough guts to this topic to make a sensible book out of. Its really very simple. Give up all sugar (and the tip about fake sugar makes sense) don’t start using honey or molasses etc. Just keep away from all that stuff. Make your other food tasty and healthy. And you won’t miss any of those things.
But don’t replace sugar with high fat foods like cheese or pastries either. Just go with good healthy things. Eat more fruit. Eat more simple dairy. Eat more vegies and oats. Its really very easy its astonishing.
I’ve lost about 5 kilos in three weeks and i eat whenever i do get hungry but i try to keep to three meals a day.
Dishes that are good for me are:
oats with milk and fresh fruit
yoghurt and fruit
ratatouille (find a recipe off the web)
pasta and tomato sauce but no cheese
fish obiviously
salad sandwiches with avocardo instead of butter (i’ve given up butter)
nothing fried except perhaps the odd egg
no bacon or food like that
sushi
ratatouille on dry toast
coffee with only milk keeps me going through most of the day
My one indulgence is a glass of wine in the evening.
Hi Andrea,
How awesome that your sugar abstinence is easy! It sounds like you are listening to your body and finding the foods that make you feel good. That was a huge part of the journey for me, too.
Best of luck to you on your journey to greater health.
XO, Karly
i don;t know if i am addicted. its seems that when i get sugar, like if i have a piece of candy, having more sugar, like more candy of a cookie is all that i can think about, i cant focus on anything else, am i addicted? and then there is the fact that i dont want to give up sugar, i love it, and thats the problem. if i am addicted, will i ever be able to have just one piece of candy? i dont want to give up sugar, but i dont want to get diabetes, etc. i hope that you can answer my questions…