Have you ever wanted to stop eating a food containing sugar, but you just couldn’t?
Is one never enough?
Do you have to have that sugar in your morning coffee along with a muffin, or must you always have a Coke?
If you have ever wondered if you are addicted to sugar, below you will find 10 simple questions that will determine if you are.
I myself, have never been a big drinker. I don’t actually care if I were to ever have another drink again, however I used to say “I’d rather eat my sweets than drink anytime. Alcohol could be wiped off the face of the Earth, but don’t take away my cheesecake or chocolate!”
Update 2013: Note the date on this article, 3/21/2007. This is an old article that I wrote 6 years ago. At that time I had the thought that I had a sugar addiction and today it’s not true. Fact: 90% of your problems with food and your weight are due to your Mindset. Only 10% of your weight problems are about how you eat and exercise.
Find out more by grabbing my FREE 5-Day E-course to discover the answer to “Is Your Mindset Fit or F.A.T.?“. Get it while it’s still available!
I thought that was fine, that I was better than someone who was addicted to alcohol or drugs, all that I was doing was eating, right? In actuality, the way that sugar effects the body has more in common with alcohol and drugs than you may think (more on that in future posts).
Following are ten questions you can ask yourself to determine whether or not you are indeed, addicted to sugar. The questions in bold are from the book “The Sugar Addict’s Total Recovery Program
1. If you don’t get your regular dose of sugar, are you irritable and cranky?
Have you ever taken a long flight and realized you didn’t have the bag of sweets that you thought you had packed? Did you start counting the minutes until the beverage cart came down the aisle so you could get a sugar sweet soda (and whatever else they had)? Have you ever been short tempered with a loved one because you were overdue for your afternoon tea and cookies?
2. Have you ever tried to cut down or control your use of sweet foods?
Are you able to eat just one? If you buy a package of cookies, how long do they last? Have you ever tried to ration out your sugar filled foods, saying that you would only eat one a day, or one per meal, but that one always turns into two, three, four…?
3. Are you using more sweet foods than ever before?
Where before you would buy the regular sized bag of chocolates at the drugstore, do you now seek out the bulk size at the warehouse store? When you are shopping in the mall for business clothes, do you have one eye on the lookout for a sweet and/or gourmet coffee shop?
4. Have you ever lied about how much sweet food you eat?
Do you ever buy sugar filled food (remember, sugar is in fast food, bread, salad dressing, regular soda, and most processed foods in general) and eat it, throwing out the container before anyone else knows about it? Have you ever eaten your children’s Halloween candy and when they ask where the extra went you say that you had to go through it again and throw out any pieces that appeared unsafe?
5. Have you ever gone out of your way to get something sweet?
Have you ever been on the way to an appointment and gone to a drive through, just making it to the appointment with no time to spare? Have you ever been settled in at home and gone out to a 24-hour grocery store late at night just to get a fix of your favorite ice cream?
6. Have you ever gotten upset when someone ate your special food?
Have you ever come home after a long day at work only to find that your favorite food (that you were looking forward to eating all day) is gone, because one of your family members ate it? Did you do your best to seem unaffected while on the inside you were furious and frustrated (and anxiously thinking about what else there was to eat)?
7. Have you ever felt that you had a sugar hangover?
Have you ever binged on your favorite sweets at night, gone to bed because they made you so sleepy, and woken up stumbling about as if you had been out drinking? Was your fuzzy head or a headache immediately relieved as soon as you ate your bagel and jelly?
8. Have you ever binged on sweet or white flour foods?
Have you ever baked Christmas cookies for a family gathering and ended up eating so many that you had to bake an entire new batch? Have you ever bought a box of chocolates for a gift and bought an extra one for you, only to eat the whole box in one sitting?
9. Is it impossible to “just say no” to sweet foods?
Can you turn down sweets at parties and focus on socializing instead? Are you able to keep sugar filled foods in the house without eating them? If there is a “food day” at work, can you opt out, or are you compelled to eat whatever is there?
10. Is sugar controlling your life?
Does your life revolve around where your next sugar fix is coming from? Are you moody, anxious, and irritable based on how much sugar you either have had or haven’t had? Would you be embarrassed if anyone else knew how you answered these questions?
“If you answered yes to two or more of these questions, you are probably a sugar addict. If you answered yes to all of the questions, then yes, you are a sugar addict.” So what do you do now? Does this mean that all is lost because we must live to eat, therefore this issue could simply be too difficult to resolve? No, this is only the first step. If you are addicted to sugar, you are now aware of it. All change begins with awareness.
I will be going into further detail in future articles on the topic of sugar, and how I live sugar-free without feeling deprived (yes, it really is possible!). This is coming from someone who is an excellent baker, has always loved sweets, and now does not eat them. Although I do believe in miracles, I don’t know that I will ever be able to eat sugar in moderation. It is fine for me for the most part (sometimes I do wish I could eat it, however not often anymore), because I always felt horrible physically when I was on it.
Know that if you are addicted to sugar, you are not alone. There are more people on Earth that are addicted to it than are not, they simply are not aware of it. The human body was not made to ingest refined sugar, and especially not in the quantities that are currently being consumed in society.
If you would like to learn more you can find Dr. DesMaison’s book on Amazon, in which she also includes a food recovery plan to get off of both sugar and flour. I have not followed this plan myself but you can read more about her thoughts in her book.
If you would like to share the results of your quiz, go ahead and leave a comment!
Oh, I answered yes to each and every one of those questions and I could probably add a few more. As I sit here typing this I have my third pint class of regular coke of the day sitting beside me and it’s only noon. This addiction has been building slowly for years I realise now and I desperately need to kick it, it has taken over my life.
Thank you so much for this post, it’s helped me wake up and admit to it.
Hi Claire,
Your welcome! 🙂 I’m very happy that I could help.
I completely understand what it’s like to be addicted to sugar because I am, too. I can honestly say though, that the more you stay away from it and eat whole, healthy foods, the less you will crave it. The first 3 days are the toughest, but once you get through them, it’s easier to stay away from refined sugar. Also, it doesn’t mean you’ll never eat anything sweet, because fruits and even some vegetables are naturally sweet.
Life is much brighter (and clearer!) without the white stuff.
All the best,
JoLynn
Scary stuff, the thought that something so good could be so bad. Nice post.
Great article! Unfortunately, I admit that I’ve done quite a few of the things listed….
Bev
Hi Bev,
Thank you for your comment!
Well, I’ve done all of them myself and I felt like sugar was controlling my life. I hope the quiz gave you some insight; it all starts with awareness! 😉
All the best,
JoLynn
I answered yes to every question. I am so ashamed of myself. My eating has gotten completely out of control. The only day I’ve missed sugar (specifically chocolate) in the last several years has been on a day when I was too sick to eat anything at all.
My father was an alcoholic, so I always avoided alcohol because I was afraid I would end up like him. Looks like I found my addiction after all. I’ve thought it for years… told my friends 1/2 jokingly that one day they would discover that chocolate had the addictive properties of cocaine…
I’m addicted. And I have to stop. I can’t do it in moderation. It’s impossible for me. You said the first 3 days are the hardest. I’ll hold onto that.
Hi Chris,
You know what, I answered yes to every question too! I used to eat sweets of all sorts every day, with no moderation at all, in fact I really couldn’t moderate myself.
I’d like to encourage you to not feel ashamed…while I am not a professional in addiction, medicine, nutrition, or anything along those lines, based on what I’ve read and researched, addiction is a chemical, biological reaction in your body. So, it’s not like you are doing this to yourself on purpose.
At least you’re aware of it, and you can change it if you’d like to. I’ve also found that I have to cut it out completely in order to stay off of it.
I’ve been off of sugar now completely for 2 weeks, and I can honestly say that I haven’t been having physical cravings for sugar.
All the best,
JoLynn 🙂
Hi,
JoLynn, I am 21years old and answered yes to every question. I eat sugar every single day and would be quite happy to substitute every healthy meal and just eat smarties and nutella and buscuits. I know I have made the first step in realising and admitting that I am addicted to sugar. It has made me put on 6kilos in three weeks and I have no energy because I have completely stuffed my body up, please let me know how you found the strength to cut it out of your diet.
Katy
Hi Katy,
Thank you for your comments and your question; I feel your pain because I’ve been there myself. I also would just love to eat sweets for every single meal every day. In fact, I used to eat them most of the time.
You’re right that you have made the first step by just recognizing being addicted to sugar. You’re not alone in that either, most people are, although they may not be aware of it.
How did I find the strength? It wasn’t easy, but I found that I just had to commit to it and then follow through. I’ve been without sugar for long periods before, but not to the extent that I am doing now, by cutting out not only the sugar, but also sugarless gum, protein bars, raisins, and any other food that is high in natural sugar or contains sugar alcohols.
The first 2-3 days can be rough, especially if you’ve been eating a lot of sugar, but I am still off of it, and still am not having sugar cravings. If you don’t have the cravings, there really isn’t a reason to eat the stuff, or at least that’s how it’s been for me.
I hope this helps. Sometimes you just have to get totally fed up with yourself before you make that change, but it sure is worth it on the other side to be living without the cravings. 🙂 Let me know if you have any other questions.
😥 😯 That is me! I answered yes to every question! Actually, it doesn’t come as a surprise because I’ve increasingly realised I’ve got a problem with sugar addiction. It is just I don’t yet seem to have the will to give it up.
In my sugar hangover, post chocolate binge guilt moments, I get really cross with myself and think: “you’re addicted to sugar, you must get help, where’s your will power” etc but that only lasts as long as it takes for me to spot the next biscuit. 😳
There is some stupid part of me that secretly thinks it is good for me, you know, “good energy food”, 🙄 especially as I am quite fit and energetic and I’m lucky because I don’t put on weight. It has also become almost part of my personality and all my family and friends think it is funny how much I eat when I’m so slim and are always pressing cakes on me, and I play up to it!
And it tastes soooo good! 😈
I know I need to kick the habit as I get headaches and feel rubbish but I still don’t feel ready to try … how on earth did you do it??? ❓
Perhaps I’ll check out that book.
And I somehow need to really believe that sugar IS bad for me. Even though I know it is really, deep down I still sort of believe that I need it!!!!!! Oh dear……………
Ellie 😉
Hi Ellie,
I completely relate to how you feel. Eating sugar makes me feel horrible, both physically and mentally. I have also ended up with hangovers from sugar binges, just like you describe.
What helped me was reading Sugar Blues
, as well as the book in this article (above), and continuing to learn more about how unhealthy it is for the body (and how neither the human nor animal body needs it at all…there are is no nutritional value in it, and it leeches vitamins and minerals from your body when it is digested).
What really helped me learn how to eat and live without sugar though, was the 6WBMO. That isn’t the purpose of the plan, it is marketed as a very effective, healthy way to lose weight, shape up physically, and learn a new lifestyle, which it is! However, you don’t eat sugar, or other addictive ingredients. You learn how to cook great tasting, healthy meals with real, whole food.
I hope this helps. I can tell you that when you eliminate sugar from your diet, you will feel so much better. It’s hard to imagine it until you do it.
Remember, the first 3 days might be hard when you eliminate sugar, but if you persist you will find it much easier because the sugar cravings should drop off by then. 🙂
read this article make me scared, especially for point 9, which actually i;m on that stage, but imagining eliminate sugar for entire day, gosh, is there any other way to keep healthy?
although i do ever feel very fresh when i decide to decrease my sugar intake for one month, i started with no sugar at my morning and evening tea, just sour tea….. in the beginning it is suck, 😥
any shared experience ❓
but after then, i started getting used to it…. sour tea isn’t that bad, and i gain the result after four weeks, i loose 1,5 kg, and feel more lighter than before….
i still continue practicing it until now, but its just for tea, i couldn’t take bigger challenge, like totally sugar free for all my food, look impossible to me… 😀
Hi there! Well, I certainly don’t want to scare you! It sounds like by reading the 10 questions you learned about how you interact with sugar, which is a good thing! You cannot change something that you aren’t even aware of 😉
I drink my tea black, but I can relate to the feeling of “how could I cut out all sugar?” I used to think it was impossible, too. Honestly, the Six Week Body Makeover (see category 6WBMO) helped me to get off of sugar. It’s not even meant for that reason, it’s meant to return you to healthy eating so that your body will naturally release your extra weight. But, you don’t eat sugar, and when you eat a balanced, healthy diet and get regular exercise, it’s really not that hard to stay off of sugar.
The first 3 days or so are the most difficult, but once you’re past that, it’s much easier. Check out my category on sugar for some more info and my experiment.
Hope this helps! 🙂
Im sooo addicted to sugar to, it sucks…I cant go without it for longer then 6 hours or so. And I will eat the grossest things, just because it has sugar in it, i need to get off of it, its making me sooo tired..
Hi Rae! I know so well how you feel….that sugar spikes your blood insulin and makes you feel good for a moment, but later you just want more, and then more and more…. it’s a vicious cycle.
I can tell you though, that when you get off of it completely, (sugar, corn sugar, foods high in natural sugar, sugar alcohols, the whole category of sugar 😉 ), life is soooo much better. Check out my ban the refined sugar experiment if you’d like more info.
I know that it can seem almost impossible to get off of it, but once you get past those first 3 days, you’ll really notice a difference. I know you can do it….if I can, anyone can! 🙂
😛 😆 Since I last wrote, I bought the Sugar Addicts Recovery Programme book you suggested and it is FAB. 😆 I’m not managing to keep a food journal very well but I’ve started making sure I have protein with meals and that alone has made such a difference already. I’m actually managing to say no to sugar and chocolate (haven’t given them up altogether yet but just being able to resist and turn down sugar is a BIG step!).
So really recommend the book. It is very accessible and supportive. I need to read Sugar Blues next!
By the way, try the sugar free muffin reciepe with almond nut butter instead of peanut butter (sugar free of course 😉 ) and with raspberries . . . very tasty!
Ellie 🙂
Hi Ellie, I’m so happy that you like the book! Congratulations on taking action and making some changes….like you said, you haven’t given up the sugar altogether but you have made a HUGE step by being able to say no.
I know what you mean about the difference that eating protein makes…that’s how I eat with the Six Week Body Makeover. And the book Sugar Blues…I can’t say enough good things about it! 😉
I’m glad you found a recipe that you like, too. I haven’t tried them from that book but now I’m interested in checking them out, thanks! 😀
OMG My name is Audy and I am 15 years old and said yes to every question!!!I hope this give me the power to actually do something, as I have tried to stop eting sugar for such a long time. I keep telling myself I have to stop but everytime I see candy or chocolate, or sweets I just can’t resist. I go in the store to by a water bottle, I come out with a huge bag of candy. I go to get a pack of gum, I by two pacs of chocolate to satisfiemyself. THIS IS COMPLETELY RUINING MY LIFE. I gained like 10 pounds during the summer and for a girl my age that is BAD!!!!!!!!!!!! I barely have any energy!I know there is alot of people like me out there and if they can stop than I guess I can!
Hi Audy, be assured that you’re not alone! I’ve been addicted to sugar since I was a kid, I knew it as soon as I read Sugar Blues when I was a teenager.
Can you get off of sugar? Absolutely. Part of it means becoming aware of all of the different forms of sugar, and realizing that it’s in almost all fast food and processed food. You need to start reading labels and if you aren’t sure about an item, don’t eat it.
While I wouldn’t recommend that you do any dieting because of your age (actually I don’t recommend dieting to anyone, but instead making lifestyle changes), I do know that if I can get off of sugar, anyone can! 😉
i answered yes to 8 of these. my biggest weekness is chocolate and candys. I eat healthy other than that and it just drains me but i always crave until i get to that amount than i feel so relaxed but also no enegry to go anything. i hate it but i love it.
is there any rehab for this!
Hi Min,
You know I am finding more and more people everyday who realize that they are addicted to sugar….it’s a human addiction and doesn’t discriminate because the body just isn’t built for this stuff.
Actually there is rehab for sugar addiction! I have a couple of books by Debbie Danowski who did go to rehab for food addiction….they called it food addiction instead of sugar addiction but the patients were required to abstain from sugar; that tells ya something right there, which is the same thing I’ve been saying — food addicts aren’t addicted to all food but to sugary, salt-filled, fried and tasty processed foods! 😉
Omg i answered yes to most of those questions, i am a serious sugar addict. I cant be without sugar for more than a few hours and then im up and craving it again. I cant go on a day without having something sweet. I will go out of my way to stop somewhere and get something sweet. If I dont have something sweet ill go insane and i get depressed and everything if i dont have something sweet its ridiculous.
How long does sugar withdrawal last? is it too bad?
Hi, I’m Tameika and I am a sugar junkie. I’d rather have sweets than real food. This month my fix has been Jelly Belly Jelly Beans. I eat them handful after handful. I need to stop, but I have no control over it, and I need help. Someone, help me!
Hi Jess,
For me it’s only taken 3 days to detox from the refined sugar – you’ve got to eliminate all of it though, so that includes white flour and reading your labels, at least that’s how it’s worked for me. If I continue to leave even a little of refined sugar in my diet then I keep on craving it.
Sure, it can take some work to get through the detox phase, but you’d be amazed how much more peaceful life is without the sugar cravings, not to mention how much better real food tastes! 🙂
Hi Tameika,
I’m a sugar junkie too, so I know how you feel. 😉
One thing I’m learning by doing the Shrink Yourself program (healing my emotional eating) is that my sugar addiction and emotional eating are intertwined. It takes eliminating the sugar and flour to get out of the physical cravings as well as working on the emotional cravings for the sugar.
You really can get off of the stuff though, and be free of it. Even though I have my own struggles with it I’ve been completely sugar free while still having my sweets, those sweets being fresh apples, bananas, as well as raspberries, blueberries, peaches and pears.
You could start with the book I recommended in this article above and see if that resonates with you.
Another book you could read is Sugar Shock. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Ok, as i sit here and type this, I just finished eating a square of baking chocolate!! That’s how desperate I am for sugar!! I can’t go an hour with out being consumed with the desire to eat (or drink) something sweet! And yes, I have actually had a sugar hangover. How do I stop this addiction?
Hi Katie,
I’ve felt the same way before, and I can tell you without a doubt that once I’ve eliminated the refined sugar from my diet (including white flour and all of the various names for refined sugar), that the physical cravings do go away.
I still have experienced emotional cravings for it, but that’s different than physical cravings – I’m working on the emotional part right now.
To stop the addiction, it first takes the awareness (which you have), then a decision to make some changes, and then replacing those processed foods (most contain sugar) with clean, healthy, whole foods. Depending on whether or not you’re an emotional eater, you might have some work to do in that area, too.
You can start by checking out the book I recommended in this article and also my other posts in my food addiction category.
Just let me know if you have any questions – unfortunately I don’t have a quick fix for this – those quick fixes just don’t work. 😉
I just ate a huge family size bag of M&M’s along with my 3rd glass of Pepsi. Am I addicted to sugar? Um, that would be a yes. I feel tired and run down all the time. I need help!
Wow. I can’t tell you how many time I thought. Let’s forget the empty calories and go right for the desert. I look at my eating habits and yes, I’m an addict. I’m buying the book Monday.
JoLynn,
WOW! Can I ever relate to this. My sugar addiction is in the form of breads and pastas. I found this out a few years ago when I started South Beach Diet. On day 3 I was having hot flashes ( I was only 40). I soon realized I was an addict going through
carb ( sugar) withdrawls. I feel so much better when I go without the refined sugars and YES the craving completely go away. It is like a miracle really. I have been on and off refined sugars these past few years but I know that I am healthier and feel better when I am off. Thanks for your blog. I know that it will help MANY people who never realized that sugar can be a true addiction.
THANKS!
Yes to all of the above, and a “hell yes, you jerk!” to number 6. I have my sweets rationed so that I can have one with every meal, and when someone breaks up my routine and throws me off (where I will be one rice krispie treat short), S hits the fan. Sounds like a drug addict, I know. I’m buying the book.
Hi Shawna,
I wrote a post yesterday because of your comment, check it out here, hope it helps get you started on kicking the sugar habit. 🙂
@Mike, I’ve done the same thing before, I can totally relate….and I know you can get off the sugar – if I can do it, anyone can. 😉
@Kathryn, yes, there are withdrawals when you get off sugar, so true! I can’t say I’ve experienced the same thing you did but hey, we don’t live in the same body after all. 😉
Thanks for sharing that the cravings Do go away completely once you get off of it – I’ve blogged about this but I love to hear this from other people, thank you! 🙂
@Amber, you know what, I’ve felt that I can relate to drug addicts after watching documentaries about them and their habit.
It makes sense because sugar affects the brain just like heroin and morphine do. This topic is also covered in Dr. DesMaisons book I recommended in my article, I find it very very interesting. 😉
Hi, i’m Georgie, i’m 16 and i’m addicted to sugar…
Seriously though. I am 100% addicted.
I’ve honestly lost hope and think i need serious help (for example hypnotism)……
First off, like most of the people who have commented have answered yes to all of the questions. i feel ashamed.
and being a 16 year old with low self esteem and twig like friends (they look like tabloid material in their ultra mini dresses) i really get down about it.
so ill stay at home. get bored and eat.
also being an adolescent and not having a boyfriend like my friends leaves me feeling uncomfortable when im out at a party or something.
i dont know how to change and i want to feel comfortable to go out with my friends. my story sounds tragic, but i feel no other choice but to tell the complete truth.
so far the biggest change ive had is instead of eating 6 rows of normal chocolate a day its dark chocolate. thats what i consider being good…
and i drink atleast a litre of coke a day.
please. i need all the help i can get.
thank you for getting this far down my essay of a dramatic comment..
Hi Georgie,
I totally relate to what you’re going through. A couple of suggestions:
No matter what you eat or how much you eat, love yourself anyway – drop the self-criticism. Criticizing yourself will drive you to eat more (check out my series on Loving Yourself Thin for more on this 😉 ).
You are Not Hopeless, your body is just addicted to the sugar. Believe me, I know how you feel and how it seems like it’s hopeless, but here’s something to think about – if you start today by making a few lifestyle changes, where could you be 6 months from today? I dare say you could make a heck of a lot of progress. 🙂
Once you get all refined sugar out of your diet, those physical cravings for it will disappear. You might still have emotional cravings, which need to be resolved in a different manner (introspection, and I do recommend the program Shrink Yourself if you’re an emotional eater – I’m writing a 12-week series on this).
Please let me know if I can help you in any other way. Of course the book I recommend in my article above is excellent, and I also wrote a post a couple days ago that contains my #1 suggestion to start breaking your sugar addiction.
There’s no getting around cutting the refined sugar out of your diet, but as far as the emotional bits, those need to be addressed, too. 😉
This page rings home so many truths for me. But even as I read it, and have all the good intentions, I just know come a few hours I will be back on it, telling myself it’s ok; I exercise a lot, or I deserve it after a long hard day, etc. My boyfriend thinks I am an idiot and it is just a case of will-power … but I am not an idiot, I am training to be a doctor, I know the nutritional value of sugar is near nothing, the damage it does to teeth … I have the will-power to get up and go to exercise at 6am every morning, yet I only do it so that I can eat what I want … so it’s even controlling that … I feel completely under the control of my addiction, and it’s laughing away as I write this, because I know I’ll lose, I always do ….
Hi Mog,
Boy, can I ever relate to that!
I’ve had my ups and downs with the sugar beast and right now I’m riding high on energy from whole foods – one week free of all processed foods so no sugar, MSG, trans fats, added salt, all that stuff.
You’re no idiot that’s for sure, you’ve just gotta believe in yourself. It’s a fine line between staying off of the sugar and going for it, but if you want to detox the only thing that’s worked for me is getting off of it 100%, so I eat whole foods and the Sugar Addict’s Recovery Program has worked for many people, too.
If you want some more tips please let me know – I totally understand your struggle but once you decide to get off of the sugar you really can, and will. 🙂
Kathleen DesMaisons plan works – and it works REALLY well!
I used to binge constantly, have horrendous moodswings, be depressed and I would have to drag myself through the day.
Now, 18 months on I am free of sugar, I am clear, confident, serene, content. In short, I feel fantastic! And all because I changed what and when I ate. There is no white-knuckling sugar cravings, it is a gentle and holistic plan which can be tailored to your individual needs.
I cannot rate Radiant Recovery highly enough. If you know you have a problem with sugar (or white processed foods which act like a sugar) why not look them up and see for yourself.
Best wishes on your journey from someone who has been there!
wow i’m sitting here totally having a sugar craving! i actually had to get off it because sugar makes my allergies go crazy, and wow! this is ridiculous how i can sit here and look at other foods and feel full, yet this peanut butter fudge ice cream………oommmgggg…….
i ate a cinnamon raisin bagel, which i’m not at all ashamed of, i was one inch away from 100 grams of sugar from ice cream, i’ll settle with 10 for tonight.
i am definitely addicted to sugar, and i’m actually lucky that my eating sugar makes my allergies go whack, because otherwise i’d just be feeding my addiction…great article! positive reinforcement….
I thought I had long since conquered my poor eating habits, when – bang! All of a sudden I realized I had gone back to frequently eating candy. No problem, said I, I’ll just quit! Well, I can’t tell you what a problem it’s been for me to stay away from candy, popsicles, chocolate and treats. So I was glad when I found your blog and your post about the Sugar Addicts Recovery Book. I’ve ordered it and I’m taking the bull by the horns. For me, at my age, it’s not about weight – I’m so active with tennis, I don’t get fat. But the sugar is causing terrible side effects – and I know it can’t be good for my immune system to have to deal with all that excess sugar. There’s something about trying to ‘go off’ something. The minute you say ‘no’ you start wanting it even more! If that’s not addictive behavior, I don’t know what is.
Hi Patsi!
You know, you are an excellent example of the fact that you don’t need to have a weight problem to still have a problem with sugar addiction, but when you get off that addictive white powder, you’ll find that life is so much more peaceful, and less stressful! (yeah, I’m learning now that sugar feeds stress and anxiety).
And you’re right about the topic of immunity too – not only does the refined sugar contain zero nutrients for the body, but it messes with your blood sugar and the stress it contributes to also affects your immune system – double whammy there.
Let me know how it goes and if you have any questions, I’m glad you’re getting the book for yourself.
Sparkles (neat name, makes me wonder what your middle name is! 🙂 ),
Thank you so much for your feedback, I’m so happy to hear that you’re doing so well, and you’re experiencing the same thing I have by getting off the sugar – life is so much more peaceful without it!
Keep it up, you’re doing awesome. 🙂
Hi John,
I can totally relate to those sugar cravings – for me they are worse when I’m feeding them with more sugar, though, but sometimes I still have the emotional rememberances of those sugary foods.
And that sounds like a blessing in disguise, that you realized sugar aggravates your allergies – I bet that’s a huge motivator for you to stay off the stuff. 🙂