Sugar addiction

fitover40

fitover40

Cathlete
Ok, so I'm finally going to admit it. I'm addicted to sugar. Even if I've eaten good, seems I always want a couple chocolates a day at the very least and maybe add in a cookie.

I THOUGHT I was doing good, but I've recently had a nutritional blood microscopy done and the sugar showed up in my blood and it was recommended that I lower my sugar ( I really don't think I had all that much sugar in my diet but it showed in my blood!) and that a probiotic would help.

I've been pondering my blood results and truthfully looking at the amt of sugar I have and it seems as though there is NO ROOM in the diet for even a little bit of sugar if I want to be healthy. Is that true? I don't know how I'll get by without at least a couple chocolates a day?!?!?! I've been trying to decipher WHERE the bulk of the sugar is coming from so that I can make room for a chocolate here or there. And wanted to know how others who like sugar deal with this. I need help!
 
I don't know Lisa. I'm a sugar addict as well and I'm not trying to justify my addiction but I do not think that a little sugar in moderation is going to make you unhealthy. It is unhealthy the way I consume it though. :eek:

To me, this is just another extreme that we're labeling nutrition and health. It would be very stressful and unhealthy for me if I was not allowed to have a little sugar every once in a while. ;)
 
I try to limit my sugar just because for me it's white crack. Once I start eating it, I can't stop! Dark chocolate is good for you and I have a small square or a Dove Dark chocolate promise when I need chocolate!

Just remember that although fruit is good for you, if you eat a lot of it it does have a lot of sugars! Do you track your cals at all? http://www.myfitnesspal.com is where I track and it will tell you how many grams of sugar a day you eat. If you drink a lot of milk, a cup of milk also has about 12g of sugar. Just a couple thoughts as to where the sugar might be *hiding*.
 
I am another sugar (chocolate) addict. I just love the stuff and I eat TOO MUCH. I have been trying for years to cut it out or eat it in moderation - I have had no success.

Last weekend I realized - Chocolate is Evil. It ruins your teeth, makes you fat and unhealthy but it is so TASTY. I decided not to have any for a while and therefore I have had none since Saturday and guess what? The scale shows that I lost 5 pounds, just from no chocolate.

I am not sure how long this will last but I am going to try and make it last. I really don't want to be addicted to sugar any more. It is time to be free.

I don't think having a couple of pieces of chocolate would do that to your blood test. Remember, carbs are turned into glucose. Check out foods that are low on the Glycemic Scale. They are still turned into glucose but at a lower rate. Double check your diet to make sure that you are eating the correct portions of carbs, fats and proteins.
 
I agree w/ Jess that you may be consuming sugar from innocent sources (milk, flavored yogurt, cereal, bread, fruit, juices, jams, sodas). Frankly, they add it to so much stuff, it's hard to escape.

Re: your daily chocolate. I eat one square of dark belgian chocolate every single day from Trader Joe's. (Chocolate=the brown vitamin.) :p
It satisfies my chocolate urge, but isn't an overindulgence. (It has around 65 calories). If you are eating 2-3 chocolates (from a box), that would be around 200-300 calories depending on the filling. You might try switching to a less caloric type, like Jess mentioned, such as the Dove squares. Personally, I crave chocolate less if I have the dark kind because the flavor is more intense. Good luck!
 
Lisa, I don't fully understand the implications of your test results, but if your fasting blood sugar is below 100 mg/dl then you're okay! As others have stated, try to find the hidden sources of sugar in your diet and make some changes where needed. What kind of fruits do you eat? Maybe increase you intake of lower sugar fruits like raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, apples, etc. You can also decrease the fruits by one serving a day and replace it with an extra serving of vegetables. And make sure you have healthy oil in your diet, which also slows down the glycemic response.

BTW, this is what I had for breakfast today. :eek: (it was a weak moment, but oh man, was it ever good!! I'm... I'm having vegetable soup for lunch and dinner :rolleyes: ).

http://getsweetnothings.com/darkchocalmond.jpg

And they have mail order http://getsweetnothings.com/toffee.html :)
 
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My mom had to watch her sugar intake this summer. She cut out everything that was made with white flour (pasta, potatoes, white bread, white rice) and ate whole wheat versions instead. She also limited her fruit intake (she was eating tons of grapes and raisins) and switched to lower sugar fruits. She totally cut out sweets (which was hard for her) but she was successful in lowering her blood sugar and lost 20 pounds in the process.
 
Miss Lee said:
Lisa, I don't fully understand the implications of your test results, but if your fasting blood sugar is below 100 mg/dl then you're okay! As others have stated, try to find the hidden sources of sugar in your diet and make some changes where needed. What kind of fruits do you eat? Maybe increase you intake of lower sugar fruits like raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, apples, etc. You can also decrease the fruits by one serving a day and replace it with an extra serving of vegetables. And make sure you have healthy oil in your diet, which also slows down the glycemic response.

BTW, this is what I had for breakfast today. :eek: (it was a weak moment, but oh man, was it ever good!! I'm... I'm having vegetable soup for lunch and dinner :rolleyes: ).

http://getsweetnothings.com/darkchocalmond.jpg

And they have mail order http://getsweetnothings.com/toffee.html :)
Click to expand...

O MY GOSH, that looks GOOOOOOD!!!!!!
 
I love your response Jess, and I can totally relate. White sugar is my crack too.:mad: It changes my personality, causes depression, and turns off my hunger receptors. It always makes me more hungry.
But boy, is it good! It's the devil I tell you.:mad::mad:

I really have to get a handle on my white sugar. I also agree with Jess about a small amount of dark chocolate helps keep it under control. I usually have a little chocolate in my morning oatmeal. It takes like warm chocolate pudding to me;)
 
fit44 said:
I love your response Jess, and I can totally relate. White sugar is my crack too.:mad: It changes my personality, causes depression, and turns off my hunger receptors. It always makes me more hungry.
But boy, is it good! It's the devil I tell you.:mad::mad:

I really have to get a handle on my white sugar. I also agree with Jess about a small amount of dark chocolate helps keep it under control. I usually have a little chocolate in my morning oatmeal. It takes like warm chocolate pudding to me;)
Click to expand...

Oh, thank you! I'm glad that I'm not alone in the sugar monster. I swear it makes me like Jekyll/ Hyde!! :mad: No joke! I hate the comments about, oh you're thin, you can eat a piece of candy... blah blah blah. I know my limits! Thank God for chocolate protein powder in oatmeal. :p Dark chocolate is awesome and I got my dh to give up the milk chocolate too. ;)
 
jonahnah said:
Re: your daily chocolate. I eat one square of dark belgian chocolate every single day from Trader Joe's. (Chocolate=the brown vitamin.) :p
It satisfies my chocolate urge, but isn't an overindulgence. (It has around 65 calories). If you are eating 2-3 chocolates (from a box), that would be around 200-300 calories depending on the filling. You might try switching to a less caloric type, like Jess mentioned, such as the Dove squares. Personally, I crave chocolate less if I have the dark kind because the flavor is more intense. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Ooh, that TJ chocolate sounds good! LOL @ the brown vitamin. It's a good thing there are antioxidants in dark chocolate. :D
 
So many great responses and now I know I'm not alone. Let me clarify that this wasn't blood glucose results. I haven't had that tested lately but when I did a few yrs ago (when I ate a WHOLE lot worse) it was fine. If you look at the following thread that is where I've posted all the interesting results from this test. Some of them are a bit embarrassing, so we will refer to the results as my friend's results, k? :eek:;)
http://www.thecathenation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=253810&page=2

I like Jess' response about going to myfitnesspal....I did the Cathe nutrition a couple months ago and my carb #'s were great, I didn't look for the sugar #'s (if there were any).

I know I need to limit the hidden sugars. In fact my nutritionist/boss said that one of the yogurts I'm eating that even though it is low in sugar there is still enough that it is contributing and wiping out all the good stuff in yogurt. I do eat greek yogurt (could use ideas on what to use to make it better!) but also was eating the other bad kind too. So I'm definitely looking to limit that. I need to relook at my fruits (nutritionist said same thing), darn! And my veggies do need increased (not a veggie lover here....I go in waves and right now it's low tide! :p) And yes I drink at least 2 cups of milk a day, but don't want to give that up, it has to be good for you doesn't it?

The main reason I'm really looking into this is that in the last month I've increased my foods since I'm at/below my goal weight. Well in increasing them, I obviously wanted to partake in some bad stuff, you know?;) Well, I had HORRIBLE peri-menopause this month and more headaches and wondering if the sugar could cause it. I've been under a LOT (and I mean a LOT) of stress, but now that is getting under control and I don't think the test results is ALL from stress, make sense?

Thanks for the responses and keep them coming. I'll see if I left out some more specifics on my tests, er my friend's tests. :confused:
 
Lisa, I know what you mean about the effects of stress. I've been under more stress than usual lately, and while I haven't had any recent blood chemistry tests (I'm actually due for my annual blood work and I've been putting it off because my diet is so horrible right now :eek: ), I shutter to think what the results will be.

When I'm stressed I often feel too tired to take care of myself, if that makes any sense. I don't feel like grocery shopping and cooking a healthy meal. It's so much easier to go to a restaurant and let somebody else wait on me. {{{HUGS}}}} for you and I hope you get this whole thing sorted out.

Cynthia, what kind and how much chocolate do you put in your oatmeal? I can't use the protein powders. I just don't like them, and I never make the drinks. Every time I buy the protein powders I end up throwing them away. :eek:
 
Lisa, I am a medical technologist in a hospital lab. Excuse me, but from what I saw on the link you posted, you've been handed a bunch of baloney! (I used stronger language, but didn't want to offend...) Parasites?!?!?! WTH?!?!? Signs of yeast?!?! If you have parasites in your blood (malaria, trypanosomes, microfilariae, Leishmania, Toxoplasma etc.) you would be SICK. And everyone, everywhere has yeast as normal flora of their skin, urogenital tract, GI tract, mouth, and any other mucomembranes. The "shape" of your blood cells can't be determined unless a differential is done on a specially stained slide. You can't tell it from a drop of blood.

If you have "sugar" in your blood, you need to see a doctor. You should have a fasting glucose done, followed by a glucose tolerance test, if the first test comes back abnormal.

How did they determine you had sugar in your blood if they didn't do a blood glucose????? How much are they charging you for the probiotics????
 
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I'll answer the part about what can make Greek Yogurt better: Any flavor sugar-free/fat-free Pudding MIX. JUSt the powder, mix it in! YUM!

And I want to second the chocolate in the oatmeal trick. Nightly I have a bowl of oatmeal, with 1 tablespoon of Dark Chocolate chips on top (they melt). Soooo good!!!! And hits the "chocolate" spot. I usually put a fruit in with it too, like banana or strawberries....
 
Robin, I guess I'm confused and may have posted confusing info. Since you are in the medical profession, I'll use the terms on my sheet of paper. I totally appreciate any info/responses on this, I'm open to new info.

On a scale of 1-5 (5 being high), it was marked a 3-4 that I had Thecits - White Bacterial spheres, yeast markers. Said that probiotics and reducing sugar would help.

She did use a slide and microscope, not sure about it being specially stained.

I was never told I had sugar in the blood, just to reduce sugar.

Probiotics around $30 for a bottle that I'm assuming will last a month.

Thanks for helping me understand Robin and maybe even enlightening us all.
 
Lisa, I never heard the term White Bacterial Spheres, unless they were referring to white blood cells (WBC). You can tell a lot by the total number of WBCs and the percentage of each type of WBC (there are usually 3 to 6 types of WBC in a blood specimen and the number of each type gives a lot of info about various conditions like infection, cancer, inflammation etc). Again, you have to have a complete blood count and a differential to tell this information.

Bacteria in the blood is not a good thing. You can't diagnose this from looking at the blood. Blood has to be cultured in a special broth media to find bacteria.

Thecits? Again, not a term I have ever heard in 28 years of lab work.

I'm really concerned that someone is selling you a bill of goods. At $30 a bottle, no less. I'd also be suspicous that all these "problems" can be solved with probiotics.

We could all probably do with a reduction of sugar in our diet, but if you are reading labels and seriously avoiding sugar laden foods, I don't think a couple pieces of chocolate a day will hurt. Of course, that depends on the size of a piece, LOL.
 
Blood Microscopy - Not sure if it is the same test I had. I had a test where my finger was pricked and a couple drops were placed on a small slide and looked under a microscope - sounds like the same. The lady told me that I had parasites and was low in iron. I was told to take iron, probiotics and parasave (to rid the parasites).

I went to the doctor and did a stool test and there were no parasites in my stool :confused::confused::confused::confused: and my iron was fine :confused::confused::confused::confused:

That was 2 years ago and I have never gone back to get that kind of test again.
 
I have a big fat problem with this as well.. I have very recently decided to go on a low-sugar diet.
It all started when I tried going low carb to see if it would affect the way I feel (sick and bloated with too many carbs or sweet things).. although in 10 days I felt a whole lot leaner.. it was my breaking point.
I ended up binging on homemade protein pancakes (with coconut oil and SYRUP) twice a day for 4 days!! Didnt even know what i was doing.

I relaized it wasn't the pancakes but the SYRUP!!

So naturally I thought maybe I had a sugar addiction and that was my withdrawl? (maybe hypoglycamic (SP?))

So low sugar for me now. Its amazing the hidden places you'll find it! I haven't had milk in over a week and everything I get is either low-sugar, sugar-free-- or I just do without it!

***ALSO DON'T FORGET*** Most things labeled low fat or fat free means HIGHER SUGAR!
 
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