busymommy Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Hi everyone, I am starting this program tomorrow and am excited but nervous. I am the BIGGEST sugar addict in the world it is horrible. I have it every day and LOVE it! Despite all the horrible things it does to me I have never been able to cut it out. I have tried and failed SO many times to cut it out and I NEED this time to be different. Is anyone else starting tomorrow or recently started and want to be new online friends I know I will go through mega with drawals and will want to quit but I just cannot! I need to succeed this time! Do any other former sugar addicts have some helpful hints that have helped you through? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 My trick for killing my sugar cravings was to avoid sweet (even fruit) and have fat instead. Nuts can be dangerous, so I would have about five olives. At first, I didn't realize I wasn't supposed to be snacking, is this is what I did in my first few days. As I adjusted to the amount of food I would need at my three meals, I found my cravings dying quickly. I even kept off-plan foods in my house and I did find. I had made a commitment to myself and cheating on me is a terrible idea. I went on the higher end of the fats - closer to two thumbs - and I noticed a lot of success. I like that approach in the beginning. I hope you find the success you are looking for. Knowing your goals and motivations can really do a lot for you. Oh, and don't forget to focus on your strengths to guide you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsStick Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 I'm not doing a Whole30, but I'm going to start a Whole something (basically through Thanksgiving) on Friday. I'll join you if you'd like. I'm basically waiting until after I finish off the cupcakes he made me for my birthday. Maybe next time he'll make less than a dozen? Hubby is NOT on board, though I should probably tell him, haha. In the end, I make the meal plans so I'll just do what I need to. We eat close for a lot of meals, but the one allowance I need to make myself is white potatoes at breakfast. We eat at the dining facility at our work and you can either get: 1. omelet made with powdered eggs with veggies, or 2. fried eggs with white potato hash browns. Given the icky factor with powdered eggs, I'm going to choose the lesser of two evils (can't bring in outside food, unfortunately) and eat white potatoes. But beyond that, I'll be eating on plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PamH Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Hi everyone, I am starting this program tomorrow and am excited but nervous. I am the BIGGEST sugar addict in the world it is horrible. I have it every day and LOVE it! Despite all the horrible things it does to me I have never been able to cut it out. I have tried and failed SO many times to cut it out and I NEED this time to be different. Is anyone else starting tomorrow or recently started and want to be new online friends I know I will go through mega with drawals and will want to quit but I just cannot! I need to succeed this time! Do any other former sugar addicts have some helpful hints that have helped you through? I'm starting tomorrow! Well, restarting. This is round #2 for me. I kind of completed a Whole30 this spring: did 56 of 60 days compliant. Sugar is my nemesis. The best thing I did the first time around was eat fats. Coconut oil. Avocado. Ghee. Fattier cuts of meat. You will be amazed at how sweet vegetables taste after a few weeks. Sweet peppers are like candy. It is a wonderful realization when it happens... and it will. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busymommy Posted October 30, 2013 Author Share Posted October 30, 2013 I have never had ghee before. I use it like butter right? I am stuffing my face with Halloween candy tonight, having a little going away party for it hehe as I put it in my mouth I don't knjow how I will avoid with Halloween and having 4 little kids going trick or treating. I have zero will power around sugary treats it is horrible. I get a headache every single time I have it though and I have horrible skin and mood swings and a fat belly that I know are all from my sugar obsession my hubby and kids won't eat like this either so I will be solo in the house still surrounded by all the "no foods" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PamH Posted October 30, 2013 Share Posted October 30, 2013 Send the halloween candy to deployed soldiers. I have a former Adopt-a-Platoon soldier who is getting me an address to send our candy to the day after... I can post it here if I remember. Get rid of as much of your trigger food as you can. I know that is hard when you live with other people. I am good as long as the bag (chocolate chips!) is not open. Yes, ghee is clarified butter. The casein protein has been cooked off. Make food ahead of time that you can grab and eat that is satisfying! Plan ahead. Buy sweet potatoes to microwave or bake for a fast sweet tooth fix. it isn't about will power. It is really about your brain and your body and the power fat-salt-sugar in combination has on our biochemistry. It is a drug. That sure doesn't take away our personal responsibility, but your cravings are real. They will go away. Take it day by day and I promise it gets better. My moods stabilized so much after 2 weeks of being sugar free or super low sugar. I was floored. Why I could not hold on to that feeling and keep away from sugar is beyond me. I grew cocky... and thought I could handle some dark chocolate here and there and I really was not ready. Good luck! Put down that candy and start now. I'm not a fan of gorging the night before on my favorites. It just makes me feel like shit the next day and makes Day One all the harder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABS32013 Posted October 30, 2013 Share Posted October 30, 2013 Lots of good advice already in this thread. One thing to remember is that your needs will change as your body adjusts. Sometimes people freak out a bit about the quantity of fat or food, generally, that they're eating when they begin a W30. One of the fascinating things about a W30 is learning to pay attention to your body's cues. Help it along in the beginning by going on the higher end of the fats, if that feels right. Have some starchy carbs if you're feeling lethargic and they seem to help. If you stick to the template and shopping guides, you should be fine. As your body adjusts, it'll probably "tell" you it doesn't need as much of those things. You won't be eating the foods that trick you into thinking you're not full,* so once you adjust, you'll be able to trust those signals. * You know that rumbly feeling in the belly that sugar causes that makes you think "I'd probably feel better if I ate more". So, you do, but you don't feel any better. Liar liar pants on fire!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyinCA Posted October 30, 2013 Share Posted October 30, 2013 busymommy~ good luck today!! I'm into my first week and had about 3 days of sugar cravings...this is what I did: tried to stay away from fruit like the member above said, just for a few days I drank a TON of water, I mean a ton, with lots of squeezed lime or lemon in it...becasue I had headaches from the withdrawl so i figured I'd flush those toxins right out the other piece I found helpful was I read, and re-read the chapter in "It starts with Food" on sugar, it made sugar very unappealing and was my constant reminder why I wasn't reaching for a bar of dark chocolate. Check out pg.88 where Dallas and Melissa ask you (the reader) 4 questions that all have an obvious "NO" as the answer...but it makes it about you and I found that helpful. (If you don't own the book I highly recommend it, and write me back if you want me to tell you the questions) The one I found the most helpful and still think about when I want to reach for something was #1. "is it just fine that some of the foods you are eating are controlling your behaviors....etc." I'm pretty competitive in general and this concept stuck with me because I was like "whoa, I'm not even choosing this piece of chocolate, it's just a habit, a bad habit AND I am unable to resist? No way!" Then I was determined to make a choice rather than just live on some unhealthy auto pilot...and the up side to reading the chapter over and over, is now when some one says "so whats so bad w/ a little sugar" I have an answer that is more sientific and clear than I ever did before...and it doesn't make the other person who's asking wrong ("you just shouldn't it's not healthy" was my pre-W30 answer) now I just give them the info. and let them make up thre own mind...many people I've talked to in the last week have been inspired to try, a few have checked out the book and website...so yay! I wish you the best of luck, there is a great community here of support! You're gonna do great!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busymommy Posted October 30, 2013 Author Share Posted October 30, 2013 I do not have the book yet but I ordered it a few days ago from amazon, I think it is suppose to come Saturday. can't wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laura19 Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Yes, I was the same way! The longest I've ever made it without sugar (outside of times I was sick and didn't eat at all) was maybe 2 days. Dessert fanatic. I finished my first Whole 30 on Oct 20. The first week was miserable. The second week was...well, mostly still miserable. Then something changed, and then everything changed. I just don't crave it the way I used to. I have splurged a couple of times since being off the Whole 30 but mostly I don't. When I do I feel icky (more from the wheat than the sugar - baked goods were always my weakness) and it doesn't taste as good as it used to, and it's just not worth it anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjosey77 Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 My cravings were the worst the second week. I had crazy dreams and wanted sweets all the time. I was a little whining during this time. However I am day 21 and I feel great! I haven't had a sweet the entire time and feel really proud of myself. I didn't even think I would make it the first day. You just have to want to make changes in your life more than you want that cookie. Here is a link about what to expect so you are prepared until your book gets there. http://www.whole9life.com/2013/01/whole30-timeline/ Make sure to post on here how you are doing, if you need help or struggling with something! This is a very supportive community! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsStick Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 This is my second Whole something, so it's been interesting for me. I had a food dream on night 2 (was eating sweet potato pie, which I've never had, and I ate the crust too despite being gluten intolerant...and thought the whole time that my Whole-something was out the window!), as opposed to in the 20-somethings. My sweet cravings are a little stronger a littler earlier on this time, but that's probably because I pretty strongly binged on sugar before starting, plus I have a cold/something and I just want to comfort myself with food. Lots of mint tea/wellness tea (I bought it in Germany the one time I saw it and was never able to get more, so I try to ration it out...) along with my meds. I hate taking meds, but I'm in a class and can't exactly just lay around and be a bum like I'd love to. Plus my FCLO/probiotics/magnesium for my immune system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xandra Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Hi busymommy, how is it going for you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busymommy Posted November 9, 2013 Author Share Posted November 9, 2013 Hi busymommy, how is it going for you? really bad unfortunetly I did one small mess up and it sent me in a 3 day downward spiral this is so typical, I will do good for about a week and then completely go overboard the other way. the thing is when I eat sugar (which is what I went on a downward spiral with) I get the worst headache ever and get so tired and u think that would be enough to keep me away from it but no. I am still paying this morning so doing horrible yesterday afternoon. I told myself maybe I shouldn't go at this extreme approach where we cut out so much b/c it makes me want it more but really it is the approach I need I just don't know why I always have to fail. I can never be strong enough. I don't know how everyone does it. I need to succeed at this!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PamH Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 really bad unfortunetly I did one small mess up and it sent me in a 3 day downward spiral this is so typical, I will do good for about a week and then completely go overboard the other way. the thing is when I eat sugar (which is what I went on a downward spiral with) I get the worst headache ever and get so tired and u think that would be enough to keep me away from it but no. I am still paying this morning so doing horrible yesterday afternoon. I told myself maybe I shouldn't go at this extreme approach where we cut out so much b/c it makes me want it more but really it is the approach I need I just don't know why I always have to fail. I can never be strong enough. I don't know how everyone does it. I need to succeed at this!!! I'm there with you, busymommy. I can string together close to 2 weeks and then go off for a day. Yesterday was Day 9 of my second Whole30 of the year and I had a day of eating sugary/grain filled foods at an office afternoon eating fest. It all started with taking a bite of what I thought was carrot/parsnip puree with evoo but the moment it hit my tongue I knew it was butter. It tasted so good I ate the rest of my serving and then decided to just let go and eat more noncompliant stuff. I swear I have memory lapse during this time. BUT, in the long run, if I can go maybe 2 weeks without eating sugar and have only a day of sugar eating in between that is a victory. If I stop beating myself up over slip-ups, and just get back up the next day and eat well, then over time the sugar eating with become less and less a part of my habit. If I complete a Whole30 in the process that is a bonus. I give you kudos for trying. My guess is you know what to do... To me, a healthy relationship with food includes days of eating perhaps not exactly perfect but also not attacking myself for doing so. I walked into this challenge without a healthy relationship with food which might be the difference with some of those here who just seem to effortlessly complete a Whole30 and then some. It really is an issue for an already restrictive eater (which includes binges) to go cold turkey and could be a recipe for *failure*. I don't have any answers for you. No "increase your total carbs" or "eat more fat" or "revisit the template" advice. I just wanted to say that I'm there with you! I am exhausted today! Grumbly stomach and gassy and tired. My head feels full. Amazing what some milk chocolate, honey, butter, cheese and oats can do! It wasn't even a gross amount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xandra Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 I'm sorry it's been so tough. Different strategies work for different people. Mine is to set the goal of where I want to be (Whole30, minus fruit, nuts, & coffee, 3 meals a day, no snacks) and then I tackle it a piece at a time. For me, coffee gives me the worst immediate withdrawal headache, so I do that first, and I eat all day and snack on apples and bananas until that coffee headache is gone. Then I eliminate fruit and nuts, and finally I work down to 3 meals a day. These days are all technically compliant foodwise but they are obviously not in line with the Whole 30 guidelines about how and when to eat. And I'm OK with that because these are the steps that get me there. And it's taken me three times of restarts to figure that out, that this is as much as I can handle at any given time and it doesn't have to be all or nothing all at once, because I do get there this way. So keep trying and keep experimenting with your N=1 and try different things and you will find what works for you, too. Hugs!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon Simpson Thumann Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 I'm starting Monday and since we are not traveling to visit family for the holidays this year, it should be smooth sailing to get through them with just feeding the hubs and myself. I hope so anyway, I have been so off track.. ugh I feel terrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.