Need help with sugar addiction

[Alliswell34]

Hi. So glad to find this site. I'm a 60 year old woman who's been experiencing some mental problems for about 4 years. Let me just get this out of the way: I've been scared and feeling alone, as I do not trust certain people with this. I also am not ready to tell my family. I just need to say that I have always had ADD and getting organized is hard for me, so "putting it all together" is a challenge, especially alone.
But I'm following the Bredesen Protocol slowly, as I am not able to spend a lot at present. I changed my diet to follow Dr. Bredesen's recommendations, started taking some supplements, and have an appointment mid-June with a local doctor who practices ReCode. I improved a bit, and feel hope. I have faith in ReCode and my ability to learn to use it better all the time.

Here's my biggest challenge: I am addicted to sugar and have been since I was about 4 years old. I find that I get a sugar craving and just --- have some! Bad idea. At first, upon reading The End of Alzheimer's, I was totally committed to following the diet and gave up sugar, gluten, dairy, alcohol, and coffee. Once I started improving I got cocky, I guess, and would occasionally have a sugary mocha, which has sugar, chocolate, dairy, and coffee. I also have started having a glass or wine now and then. As of this post I drink a drive-through coffee store mocha every day and I have noticed that I've slipped a bit. I know I'll get past this obstacle, but I do need some support.

Any other sugar addicts out there? What did you do? Any research or sites to use? I have not yet had my insulin resistance level determined but I have a feeling it's not good given my reaction.

It's good to find this site. I am also getting 23 and Me done as soon as possible, don't yet know my Apo status.
Thanks

[NF52]

I've been scared and feeling alone, as I do not trust certain people with this. I also am not ready to tell my family. I just need to say that I have always had ADD and getting organized is hard for me, so "putting it all together" is a challenge, especially alone. ...Here's my biggest challenge: I am addicted to sugar and have been since I was about 4 years old.

A warm welcome, Alliswell34!
Feeling scared and alone is not fun, and a sure way to have your brain tell you it's time to get some sugar NOW to calm those nerves. And those drive-throughs are so easy to find!! Your 4 year old self enjoyed sweet things, and so your 60 year old self is going to find it hard (and I might say maybe impossible) to go cold turkey, though some on this forum have done that.
Since those daily sugary mochas probably set up your brain for an energy crash 2 hours later, followed by brain fog and cravings for something high carb, how about starting slowly. I found that having flavored K-cups first thing in the morning felt like a sweet treat even without any creamer. Get a cheap Keurig, if you can, and go online for whatever flavor sounds most appealing: Blueberry, Coconut, Butter Pecan. And then enjoy it black. It takes a while to think of black coffee as sweet, but it happens. Then give yourself permission to have some healthy fats in the morning. If you don't have time to cook, have a big bag of almonds and grab a handful on the way out the door. Better yet, give yourself time to take a brisk walk in the morning before your coffee and shower and then have a cooked or hard-boiled egg. It will fill you up and give you enough protein to get past that 10:00 AM slump.
Take small steps. Change regular or diet cola for flavored seltzer or sparkling water. If you've had times when you just have to have a cheese danish, give yourself permission to have a small piece of dark chocolate (70% or better). It will calm the craving and be better for your brain.

You deserve a lot of credit for fighting that feeling and working on getting healthier. I'm 66 and I'm know those feelings, and sometimes want to have a talk with those relatives who thought sugar was a staple food group for every meal! It doesn't help to also be dealing with post-menopausal mood issues and brain fog. You doctor appointment in a few weeks may be the best gift you could give your 60 year old self. Don't worry about the ADD; you don't have to get everything organized: You brain is wired to pay attention to a lot of things, but also to be able to focus on one thing you find compelling. (I bet you can think of what that is: your favorite hobby, or your favorite activity that you can do for hours.) Let yourself do that activity when you know you're most likely to have a craving; the ADD/hyper-focused part of you will fight the craving.

Check out the PRIMER for some great advice on how to go slow and work on what's sustainable. And keep us posted: we learn from each other here, and you can trust us with your story. Maybe soon you'll be able to help your family understand what you need also. We also have wonderful interns here who are available to do some free and low-cost coaching as you get started. Here's a link if you'd like more info on that:
Want to work with a coach http://coachingcenter.functionalmedicin ... take-form/

Hugs from someone with a sweet tooth also!

[Orangeblossom]

Hi Alliswell,

I'm also someone with a sweet tooth (even have it mentioned in the genetics, prefer sweet to sour I think it said) and I understand. It can be like an addiction! I have also had depression in the past and would crave food to make me feel better, which can end up with a cycle of feeling guilty, and also having sugar highs and lows which can make you anxious and stressed...

I have found going more low carb and cutting out the sugar that things which didn't taste that sweet before, like berries for example now taste much sweeter, and sweet things like milk choc or biscuits now taste too sweet. I could never just have one of those so have just had to cut them out completely. But I do have a bit of very dark choc (85% or more). I also get less of the ups and downs and less guilt...embracing more fats in the diet has helped with this a lot, less hungry etc. In terms of drinks a nice low carb 'hot choc' can be made with cacao powder (no sugar) a little coconut cream (or just cream / bit of milk) and topped with boiling water, also camomile tea can taste quite sweet. I also like Redbush (Roobios) tea - calming.

The almonds / egg as mentioned above is a great idea, I do that too. You can keep a bag in your bag if out and about, and I keep a few hard boiled eggs in the fridge sometimes.

Something I did with the sugar and also alcohol was save the money for these things and give yourself another treat so you don't feel deprived, some nice bath stuff or a new book for example. epsom salts and lavender in the bath is nice.

So for me it just meant being really aware of it and keeping it out of the house, I tried with sweeteners for a while but they aren;t great for the micro biome (stevia is meant to be better but i'm not that keen on the slightly bitter aftertaste).

There is also a group on Facebook called "Sugerbomb in my brain" which is good, for sugar addicts. (I'm in it) Anyway best of luck with the sugar and maybe as you cut to down you might find your taste buds adjust and other things naturally taste much sweeter.

[Liko]

Welcome, Alliswell!

I'm so glad you've found this group. While you may not be ready to share your status with family or friends, this is a safe space to share what you're going through. There are so many supportive members here and a ton of experience, knowledge, and understanding, is shared in the forums.

Someone mentioned the Primer already - it, along with the Wiki (access in the top navigation bar) are great resources. The search function (magnifying glass) is a useful tool as well. I usually use the "advanced" search option to narrow topics down.

As far as sugar, I've found that as I reduce my sugar intake, I have far few cravings for it. When I return to eating more sugar, the cravings come back with a vengeance! In addition to the tips already shared, I find staying hydrated helps. I like drinking soda water, or even water with lemon or mint as a refreshing "treat" (this might sound crazy now, but to me it really does feel like something a little special, or it's at least an opportunity to interrupt that moment of craving a sweet so I can pause to think about whether I *really* want it). You may also consider looking at what cues currently trigger the sugar craving or the desire to go and get that mocha or have the glass of wine? How are you feeling at the time?

Again, welcome!

[TWBD]

Hi, Alliswell,

I have similar issues and about the same age as you. Also ADD and organizationally challenged with a sweet tooth as well, especially under stress. When I started on this journey towards better health, I would find myself getting overwhelmed with planning and preparing food. Heck, it’s still the ‘mountain’ I struggle to climb every day. I’m awful with filling out food diaries even though I know if I fill them out, I’ll have success because I’ll see what I’m eating and not a very good liar when talking to myself, LOL.

However, because I tend to be upset or depressed when I haven’t planned or followed a meal plan and took a dive into the chocolate factory to self-medicate, I found I will stick to healthier eating if I plan some ‘treats’ like Orangeblossom does... 85% chocolate or flavored coffee with Stevia & cream. I like Liko’s suggestion about lemon water or mint water. It is starting to be easier for me now if I will load favorite recipes in an app that creates a weekly meal plan and a shopping list. Finding even 4 or 5 ‘go to’ meals is a blessing to help with figuring out how to plan a shop for the week. That and making sure I have those special treats planned helps me a lot with curbing the sugar cravings.

I also hear you about feeling alone. It gets easier if you can find a small group to join...in a church, or walking buddies, or some kind of arts or common interest group where you can just small talk and share occasionally. This group is a great start. Baby steps, sister. You are not alone here. **Group hug**

[reluctantexan]

I gave up sugar in 1972 with Dr. Atkins. Before you go all silly about that, realize there's no WAY I haven't eaten anything sweet since 1972. We're all only human. But there are great forums and supportive websites now to help us over the bad spots. dietdoctor.com has a free side as well as a subscription side. I support the site because I want it to grow. I want the LC way of eating to become mainstream.

For me, the turning point which keeps me in line is knowing what sugar does to my health. I'm fortunate to be drug and pain free, and at age 73 that's something to be grateful for. My goal is long-term health and mobility and I no longer have the excuse of ignorance.

BTW, this is a wonderful and supportive group. Don't be afraid.

[chrissyr]

I will echo everyone's thoughts above! 2 nights ago I had a major carb slip (chocolate, some GF mother's day cake/ice cream that had been put in the freezer, GF pizza ) Probably in amount, worse than I've done in 5 years? It was a long week, Friday night, and I was so hungry and craving, and threw caution to the wind.

It happens! But I feel it will happen less as I remember how I feel after. (not good) The next day I did workout in the morning, and ate well, and now feel ok.

It is so true that it doesn't even taste good after eating low carb/sugar. It's just some old maladaptive habit, coming through. Plain almond butter on a spoon or on a sour apple has worked for me as a pinch hit!

[Brian4]

When I was a kid I used to pour out confectioners' sugar into a cup and "drink" it (often, a full "cup" – the measuring unit – of sugar). That's how I addicted to sugar I was, and continued to be well into adulthood.

My addiction ceased nearly completely within a couple months (as I recall) of cutting out simple sugars nearly entirely from my diet.

There's a cool paper (can't find it now) strongly suggesting that sugar addiction is mediated at least partly by the gut microbiome. The bacteria are the beings that are "addicted" to (dependent on) the sugar, and they get their fix by altering your neurochemistry so that you feed them the sugar they want. You experience it as your addiction, but it's the bacteria who/that are "addicted".

Brian