Weight Loss

In the past two weeks, I have had these ridiculous sugar/carb cravings. It usually starts in the early afternoon. I am eating breakfast and snack during the day. I also pack a decent lunch. At around 2-3:00, I become ravenous! I will just dive into anything with sugar (usually cookies or candy) and it gets to the point where I cannot stop! During this fit of insanity, I don't even feel like I care if I gain 100 lbs. Can someone please help me? I love sugar but this has never happened before and I am not sure how to stop it or what I am doing wrong....

Sample menu:

breakfast-special k red berries & coffee w/ sweet & low

snack: protein or nutri grain bar and piece of fruit

lunch: turkey sandwich on light whole wheat bread & sugar free rockstar

And... where is your dinner and evening snack, exactly?

How many calories are you eating?  The sample menu looks pretty light...

One thing that has helped me with my sweet cravings is downing an entire 20 ounce serving of Crystal Light.  It fills my stomach and tastes really sweet (I like the orange and raspberry ones).  You could try that.. or maybe having a piece of fruit in the early afternoon (around 1pm) to prevent that ravenous feeling.

Well yes, I am eating an afternoon snack and dinner but I usually feel too guilty after the binge. An afternoon snack would usually be multigrain tortilla chips and some low fat cottage cheese. These past two weeks, I don't even feel like having dinner ( chiken or fish and a 10 oz bag of whatever frozen vegetable I pull out of the freezer) because I can't stomach the thought of the extra calories.

Anyway, I am trying to get around 1200-1300 cals a day.

The first thing I would recommend dong is dumping the rockstar.  With all the different chemicals in that stuff, there is bound to be something hurting you in it.

www.radiantrecovery.com

This nutritionist has provided fabulous insight into sugar addiction and what it does to the body.  It's a drug!  She also feels that fake sugar (as in sugar-free products) can have the same effect, so that might not be the answer.

Reduce the refined and artificial sweeteners in your diet and increase the protein. Sweeteners can lead to cravings, and eating more protein—and fiber and good kinds of fat—can keep you full longer and help you avoid binging.

Instead of Special K try peanut butter on whole wheat/grain toast or a pita and an egg or a protein shake with fruit in the morning (or some such). For a snack, instead of a processed protein bar/Nutri-Grain bar, which often has quite a bit of refined or artificial sweeteners, try vegetables with nut butters or homemade hummus or some such, nuts themselves, etc. Almonds contain good fats and protein and do a good job of holding the appetite in check.

I killed my sugar cravings by cutting all artificial sweeteners and all but trace amounts of refined sweeteners out of my diet. Now I just eat sweets when I choose to, and can stop at any time. Cutting out sweeteners doesn't mean you can't indulge: It just makes it easier to control your little indulgences.

When I get cravings, they are for protein and healthy foods now.

You also may want to consider eating more than you typically do by 2:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m. Eat a heartier breakfast, perhaps, or add a hearty serving of vegetables to your lunch. Don't let your body get hungry. You can do this without consuming too many calories.

I have the pleasure of being the girl at the front desk with the bowl of yummy chocolates sitting on her desk!

I normally keep a small container of Vanilla Soymilk in the Fridge and a baggie full of Chocolate Ovaltine in my desk. That way when I am craving a sweet snack, that is sweet and yummy and even fills me up, somewhat at least.

I also keep a box of Slim Fast chocolate bars (the kind I found I like) and some sugar free wafer cookies at my desk at all times.

I can eat any of those and get rid of the "sugar bug" and still not be in horrible violation of the sugar rule. (*laughs*)

I also found that if I deprive myself of sweets altogether (no special anything) that's when I want to binge on the bad stuff. So chocolate yougurts for breakfast, sweet whole grain muffins or things like that can be a nice but fairly healthy choice that doesn't make you want to binge and "fall out the wagon" per say.

i fill a bowl with 1/2 cup of fruit (usually berries) and top it up with sugar-free jello. i know fake sugar is no good, but this is a transition to eating just fruit for sugar cravings.

Original Post by hope2577:

In the past two weeks, I have had these ridiculous sugar/carb cravings. It usually starts in the early afternoon. I am eating breakfast and snack during the day. I also pack a decent lunch. At around 2-3:00, I become ravenous! I will just dive into anything with sugar (usually cookies or candy) and it gets to the point where I cannot stop! During this fit of insanity, I don't even feel like I care if I gain 100 lbs. Can someone please help me? I love sugar but this has never happened before and I am not sure how to stop it or what I am doing wrong....

Sample menu:

breakfast-special k red berries & coffee w/ sweet & low

snack: protein or nutri grain bar and piece of fruit

lunch: turkey sandwich on light whole wheat bread & sugar free rockstar

Hi Hope, I am so with you.  this happens to me all of the time.  One thing I've noticed though, is that if I have cereal for breakfast (usually special K) it makes me ravenous for the rest of the day.  Not sure why, but I've  observed it several times, so I've just had to cut it out of my breakfast routine.  Instead I have either a fat free yogurt (which is very small but keeps me more satisfied than the cereal) or if i am really hungry I have a scrambled egg sandwhich.  Both seem to do the trick about 90 % of the time

Your body craves carbs when you are starving it.

First of all, unless you are very short you should be eating more than 1200-1300 calories. You are also eating a lot of processed and/or refined sugar and sweeteners. Get rid of the sweet and low and the Rockstar.

You may think your coffee will be bitter without it but I cut out the sweeteners in mine and after a few days didn't miss it at all. Special K is also generally loaded with sugar. Eating a wholegrain cereal like bran flakes or oatmeal with fresh or frozen berries will do you more favours. The fibre in both of these will help keep you satiated and regulate blood sugar, something that will ward off spikes.

What do you mean by "protein"? As in, a protein bar? If you must have those, make your own or keep an eye on the sugars in the ingredients. For protein, you'd be better off having a palmful of nuts, or some cottage cheese. Nutrigrain bars are again notorious for the sugar content. You'd be better off having two pieces of fruit than a fruit imitation nutrigrain bar and fruit.

A turkey sandwich isn't so bad. Is that processed turkey, though - as in, slices? Again, potential for sugar. Wierd that it'd be with meats, but hey. Try cooking up some turkey fresh on a weekend or weeknight and shredding it to go in your sandwich instead. The bread will have sugar in but, eh, all bread generally does.

Try to stick to natural sugars like naturally occuring those in fruits, or in honey. And if you find you have these little "binges"? Still your eat dinner or an evening snack.

Overall, cut back on the refined sugar, and processed goods, and eat a little more.

Try kicking the artifical sweetners and if you can't cut them all out, def. get rid of the sugar free rockstar. The sweetners have been proven to increase cravings! Try having tea sweetened with honey or water with lunch instead. Also, keep some raw sugar snap peas at work for "emergencies". There good and sweet and fill you up nicely.

Update: I made some changes and who knew! It seems to have worked.1 Got rid of the sweet & low and rockstar. 2-No more special k and nutrigrain bars. 3. Ate higher protein snacks. 4 DID NOT BINGE AT ALL!!!!

Menu:

Breakfast: Egg white omelet (diced peppers and onions) w/ light whole wheat toast. coffee- black

snack- almonds and pear, water

lunch- 4 oz. roast beef, low fat string cheese 3 oz., 16 oz water

snack- lower sugar oatmeal, water

dinner- tuna steak, 10 oz broccoli, calorie countdown milk

snack- sugar free pudding (only 1 serving!!!!)

Thank you for the help! I really can't imagine that making those changes could work so quickly. Maybe it's in my head...I started as soon as I received the pointers and I have not felt the urge to binge at all. As a matter of fact, I haven't even had the urge to snack beyond my normal allowances. THANKS!!

Original Post by hope2577:

Thank you for the help! I really can't imagine that making those changes could work so quickly. Maybe it's in my head...I started as soon as I received the pointers and I have not felt the urge to binge at all. As a matter of fact, I haven't even had the urge to snack beyond my normal allowances. THANKS!!

 

I had the same reaction when I first did it. I didn't think it was possible that the cravings and mindless eating could go away that fast. But it's true: Limit the sugar in your diet, increase the protein and keep yourself satisfied with good, filling food between meals and the benefits are immediate.

Congrats! I'm glad you are having success. I know how horrible it is to be stuck in that cycle.

It's all about the protein. Bodies crave sugar/carbs when blood sugar is low. Protein & healthy carbs (like vegetables) stabalize blood sugar without causing a spike (like nutrigrain bars). Glad the changes you made are working for you!

Original Post by hope2577:

Thank you for the help! I really can't imagine that making those changes could work so quickly. Maybe it's in my head...I started as soon as I received the pointers and I have not felt the urge to binge at all. As a matter of fact, I haven't even had the urge to snack beyond my normal allowances. THANKS!!

 

So glad things are improving for you!  I had some of the same problems.  Books that I've found helpful are "The Total Sugar Addict's Recovery Guide" and "The Carb-Careful Solution"

Your diet sounds very yummy and very healthy.  Want to start posting all your meals and I'll just eat the same thing a day later?  You'd make a great menu planner!!

A couple of things to consider:

If the black coffee is too strong for you, consider adding skim milk to it.

Having fruit early in the day can lead to carb/sugar cravings later in the day.  If the cravings start up again, switch the fruit to be your afternoon snack and try the oatmeal for your AM snack.  Everyone's body chemistry is different so only do this if it becomes a problem.

Propel water makes a great sweet-tasting beverage if you need something (particularly later in the day).  At only 10 calories/16.9 oz bottle, it's easily budgeted into your daily intake.